Ulead VideoStudio 4

This video-editing software from Ulead Systems lets you add effects, titles, sound, etc, to your videos quickly and easily. You can then record the final product back to tape, or watch it on a PC. The whole process from capturing to outputting the final video has been conveniently divided into eight steps that can be accessed from the toolbar. So, you can learn it quickly, even if you're a first-timer. Expert users can skip steps if they want, as they're not wizard-driven.

The first step lets you capture video from your video camera, VCR, etc. For this, you'll need a video card with a video in jack, and in case you want to capture sound, a sound card with a line in jack for audio. This will be combined with the video in the end to give you the final file. The program lets you change different settings like frame rate, capture duration, image resolution, etc, before capturing. The size and quality of the captured video depends on these settings. 

After the video is captured, it goes directly to the storyboard for editing. You can append other video clips to it, change their order, and even remove portions of the video you don't want. A timeline shows the sequencing of your videos, and a separate preview window lets you play whatever changes you're making to the video. You can also add special effects to your video here, like transitions between scenes in case you have more than one video clip.

In the next step, you add titles and captions. You can overlay titles onto your video and use all fonts on your system. These titles or captions can also be made to move across the screen, for example, from the bottom to top. 

You can record your own voice if you want to narrate what's going on in the video. It also lets you add audio from a CD, or from files on your computer like MP3, WAV, etc. These can simply be dragged and dropped to the position in the video where you want them to start playing. 

Finally, you can output your edited video in various formats, including all common formats like MPEG-2, AVI, MOV, ASF, RM, etc. The time it takes to render the video will depend on the length and resolution of the video, and your system configuration. The video can also be sent directly as an attachment through e-mail. For this, VideoStudio opens your default e-mail client at the click of a button. Of course, you'll need a lot of bandwidth to send videos by e-mail. Another neat feature lets you add your videos into an electronic greeting card. Templates for different occasions are available for this, like birthdays, Christmas, Congratulations, etc. The final greeting card is in the form of an independent executable file, which can be played by simply double-clicking on it. 

Given all these features, the software is a good buy at its price. 

Sachin Makhija at PCQ Labs