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Well, I've been messing around with Edition5 for several weeks now and I've got to say it “Pinnacle has gotten it right!” Edition isn't just a top notch NLE application - it is much, much more. It is a complete video editing and DVD production solution. You get real-time special FX including Hollywood FX 3D transitions, broadcast quality titles, excellent media capture and management tools PLUS integrated DVD authoring.
There is so much I like about Edition 5 that I didn't know where to start. So I've decided to go with a "Top 10" format for this article. I'm going to list the Top 10 things I really like about Edition and then go into a bit of detail to explain why.
It utilizes both the CPU & GPU (Graphic Processor) to power the real-time FX. Many of the FX are available as both, so you can select between either CPU or GPU version of these real-time FX. As you layer more and more video and graphics, you can spread the load around and keep working in real-time.
Edition utilizes the AGP bus, which means you avoid all those nasty PCI bus bottlenecks that can occur with PCI based hardware accelerators, Edition is fully optimized for hyperthreading and multiple processors.
By utilizing all the power in your computer you can combine multiple real-time filters and FX on the same clips. We've got Edition 5 PRO running on an HP xw6000 dual 2.8 Ghz machine with a gig of RAM in our demo/eval room. With it I can combine 5 or 6 layers of video plus graphics - all with filters such as PIP and color correction at the same time. On the HP workstation I use at home (2.2Ghz, 768 megs RAM) I can easily run 3 or 4 layers.
You can bet that this feature will get more and more robust over time. With integrated DVD authoring, you can be working on your DVD while you are editing. You can create and add new menus, add new chapter points, and then test your DVD – all while you are still editing the original production. This really opens up your creativity and for the first time allows you, the video editor and DVD producer, to easily optimize your content for the DVD, during the editing process.
What I like best is the ability to create your menus and buttons using frames and clips from your production. Even cooler, I can apply real-time filters and FX to these clips. Sure motion menus are cool – but how about being able to selectively crop them, or turning them black & white, or adding a lens flare? You can add navigation tools like chapter points, sub menu and return to main menu from within the timeline. Like I said – this is just the beginning; down the road I expect to see additional DVD features such as AC3 encoding w/ 5.1 surround sound, multiple subtitles and audio tracks and even more advanced navigations.
Yeah, I know that these are not 'serious' editing tools, but I'm not trying to win an Emmy – I just want to make videos that my friends & family will enjoy watching. Hollywood FX animated 3D transitions in real-time is just the ticket! You can apply these FX as transitions or filters. This is really important. I use HFX for all my title sequences. This is the part of your video where even the most outrageous sequences of FX can work great!
You get a fantastic array of 3D tools to get the job done right.
What I really like is that now you can add real-time rolling and crawling credits. Text crawling along the bottom of the TV screen has become the new viewing norm, and Edition allows you to add these crawls easily from within TitleDekoRT – in real-time
Back lighting, incorrect white balance, low light and other conditions all result in the same thing – poor quality footage. With Edition 5 you can double click on any clip in the time line and the color correction tool is right there for you. Need even more advanced color correction, there is a tool for that as well. With the Edition 5 Pro hardware I can view the changes on my TV screen in real-time while I am color correcting – now that's the right way to do it!
The trim editor lets you see the last frame of the first video and the first frame of the second video at the same time. You can advance either side of the trim independently or together. What makes the trim editor in Edition so cool is the ability to preview and loop the cut while in the trim editor.
My son, Max, just starred in his first stage production. He was Willie Wonka in his elementary school production of “Charlie and the Chocolate factory”. I videotaped the show both performances (actually a third encore performance was added, but I could not attend). Once, from the left hand side of the stage, the next day from the right. With Edition's trim editor I was able to combine the footage from both days and make it look like I did a two-camera shoot. My edits are so smooth and accurate - I was actually able to do some cuts in mid sentence. Not bad for a hack ;-)
First and most important – the scrubbing fantastic. Perfectly smooth and right on the money. No delays. The second point is the flexibility of the timeline. You can contract and expand it while you are previewing your edits. You can also jump around the timeline while working on other parts of the video. Any track can have anything you want on it – video, audio, stills or titles. My third point has to do with the editing methodology. Effects are applied directly over your edits between two clips – just like with Avid.While this will take some getting used to for experienced Premiere editors, I must say it is the right way to do it. Now you apply transitions between any two video clips – they do not have to be in specific tracks. As an example you can apply a real-time wipe between two clips that are within a PIP. Very handy!
Add your own keyboard shortcuts and place icon shortcuts for the tools you use most often right where you need them. In addition to customization, you can jump back and forth between different screen layouts. This is really nice when you are editing on a laptop or a single monitor configuration.
Each project can be saved on its own Reel. This Reel contains not only your project, but all of its media. This makes backing up or moving your projects between stations a breez!. You get one master bin that has tabs for your clips, FX library, settings and more. From within the clip bin you can arrange your clips into a storyboard. You can go into each clip and trim it (and color correct it), then import some or all of them into the timeline. From within your project you can have several timelines – each one is called a sequence.
For Max's Willie Wonka project I created one sequence that was for our friends and family. Then I created a second sequence that was for some of the families of other kids in the play. I cut and pasted my entire timeline from the first sequence and then I went into it and changed some scenes – a little less Max and more of everyone else. Finally I created a third sequence to use for making my DVD. Multiple sequences are also great for when you want to experiment. You can go as crazy as you like, but your original sequence is there waiting for you to fall back. You can also cut and paste portions of multiple sequences together in creating new sequences.
Instant Save
Ever edit video during an electrical storm? I can't say it's a good idea but I did just that with the Wonka video. I run my workstation with an UPS power supply – the most important investment you can make to protect your computer gear! They were screeching and beeping on and off for about an hour as the storm raged on. Not once did I have to worry about losing my work. Since I knew I was doing this article, I intentionally pulled the power cord out of the back of the computer mid project. When I fired my computer back up everything in my project was exactly as I had left it!
Background processing
OK, it used to be called background rendering. I guess now that Edition is real-time Pinnacle marketing wanted to rename the function to eliminate some confusion. I'm going to call it what it is. Background rendering means that while you are editing, Edition renders all your work in the background. You never have to stop working and watch the dang blasted hourglass. I know what you're thinking – if Edition 5 is real-time, then why do I have to render? Edition 5 gives you real-time VGA previews on the computer screen while you work. If you have the Edition Pro hardware you can get real-time analog output and view your work on a TV monitor while you are editing. This is a very cool feature and it makes the Edition 5 Pro card an excellent investment.
Before I go back to Background rendering let's talk a little about the Edition 5 Pro hardware. It's a specially modified / souped-up AGP graphics card that provides you with both analog & DV output. The included breakout box puts the AV & DV connections where you want them, on top of your desk, not behind your computer amidst a jungle of cables. The biggest benefit of this hardware is the real-time analog video output you get with it. That means you can watch your video in real-time on a TV hooked up to the output of the card. This is full resolution video, so you can also record directly to VHS or SVHS from this output. The Pro AGP card also has all the horsepower you need to take full advantage of Editions real-time GPU based features. If you've got a high-powered 3D graphic card with your computer, you do not have to replace it. The Edition 5 software will work great for you and you'll get full real-time GPU performance. What you won't get is real-time analog output.
Back to background rendering. Above each segment of your timeline you will get a colored bar. Pinnacle calls these slices. This indicates what, if any rendering is needed.
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Background rendering means that all of your non-green clips are processed by Edition for you, while you go on editing. You don't have to do a thing. On the HP xw6000 dual processor workstation I described earlier, Edition renders these segments so fast that I can play out to DV instantly 90% of the time, even with very complex sequences that would leave me twiddling my thumbs and waiting impatiently with any other NLE solution. A couple of notes on background processing:
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OK, so that's my hands on review of Pinnacle Edition5. Do I recommend it – you betcha! With Pinnacle's $499.95 competitive upgrade to Edition 5 Pro it's one heckuva a great deal.
Even if you don't qualify for the upgrade, Edition is still an excellent investment. As an added bonus we are offering a FREE LEARNING Pinnacle Edition Training on CD with any Liquis Edition purchase!
Pinnacle stumbled a little out of the gate with Edition 4.5. With Edition 5 they've got it right, and it's only going to get better. It is a major step up from Premiere 6.x in both features and performance. As far the editing goes, it gives you an Avid like toolset without the complexity and learning curve. Even Apple can't squeeze out the performance of their own proprietary hardware and software combination that Edition can from an off the shelf workstation or laptop. While the Edition interface does appear strange at first (I jokingly refer to it as a Klingon bird of prey interface), it is actually very intuitive and easy to use. Just because the icons look different and are not where you are used to finding them, doesn't make it a bad thing. Sure, it takes a bit to get used to it, but once you do, it becomes extremely easy to master.
Edition is a professional level NLE & DVD authoring solution that is loaded with features and performance. It IS easy to learn and master. In fact, it's probably easier for a first time video editor than for those of you with Premiere experience. Like Avid, you have to put the old Premiere way of editing behind you and embrace the workflow of Edition. Once you start using it, the advantages will become clear.
Pinnacle has come up with the tagline “Different by design, better by far,” I have to give credit where credit is due, they've summed it up nicely.
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