Corel VideoStudio Pro Review

Corel VideoStudio Pro X6 is the current version of Corel’s popular consumer video editing software and unlike previous upgrades has not just “improved” upon earlier versions.

For the first time in at least my experience with the program, they have taken a huge leap forward and in reviewing their latest offering I find it hard to not use the word awesome somewhere here on the page!

For some time now Corel have been tapping into the collective user experience whether good or bad, on their excellent “user to user” forum. They have not just tried to passively defend their program to their customers but have proactively sought both advice and ideas for future updates.

VideoStudio Pro X6 is a great example of what can happen when a software company listens to their customers and makes an effort to correct errors and satisfy their needs.

The result of this smart move has been a giant leap in the functionality, usability and stability of this final release candidate.

So right from the outset here let me make it clear that I have no reservations in recommending Corel VideoStudio Pro X6 to anyone looking for video editing software at this level.

The program does everything it is supposed to do, does it very well and easily holds its own against the competition in the consumer grade video editing software market.

In fact with this latest version they are beginning to close the gap between the consumer market and the fully professional programs such as Premiere Pro and Vegas Pro.

Before I get into the program’s features and performance let’s first of all take a look at the difference between the Pro X6 version and the Ultimate X6 version.

The software is competitively priced within its market however by going from the Pro version to the Ultimate version you get some serious bang for your $20.00!

VideoStudio Pro X6 vs. VideoStudio Ultimate X6

With the Ultimate version you get:

Boris Graffiti 6 - OK. I am going with this one first because it is awesome! (Couldn’t help myself, the “awesome” word just sneaked out there!)

This is not some chopped down version of Boris FX that has been bundled for Corel with the program. This is the real deal and is worth the extra $20 alone.

I’ll add a video below that can show you what it does but this is broadcast quality effects, filters and tools.

NewBlue® ColorFast - An advanced set of high-quality special effects for color correction and video tune-up.

proDAD handscript animation – A titling add-on that allows you to create titles in handwritten script styles and more.

proDAD Mercalli SE – Advanced image correction tools and a state of the art video stabilization module.

proDAD VitaScene V2 LE – Over 100 fully customizable, high-speed effects, transitions and filters

proDAD RotoPen – Allows you to apply animated pen effects to maps, graphics and photos.

NewBlue® TitlerEX – Another amazing 2D and 3D graphics application to create amazing titles.

So What’s New?

First up Corel have created a pretty reasonable video outlining some of the new features which you can take a look at below or keep reading for the full rundown.

OK! On to the new stuff and this is where it gets pretty interesting for a change. I say, for a change, because most often when video editing software gets upgraded the new stuff invariably turns out to be just sparkly marketing fluff designed to distract you! Not so with X6!

Motion Tracking

Previously in VideoStudio there was a solution offered for motion tracking using the Boris FX module.

Motion tracking is the ability to select something on the screen then have the software track the motion of that thing within the video.

An example would be a child’s head in a football game. Once the motion has been tracked then you can attach images, graphics objects, other video or text to the thing being tracked.

Imagine the footage of the child playing football and you add an arrow point to the child that follows wherever he or she goes, that’s motion tacking.

Although this feature still exists as part of the Boris FX module the software has introduced its own internal tracking feature that can not only be used to track motion but can also be used to capture and create motion paths from any video source.

Motion Paths

This is similar to the tracking feature but instead has predefined paths that an image, another video (picture in picture) or a text box will follow as the video plays.

Predefined paths can then be adjusted to have the object move however you desire offering an almost infinite variety of customizations.

The interface offers control by entering individual values which advanced users may use but the most common way users will use it will be by using the simple click and drag interface… very simple, very powerful.

Subtitle Editor

Previously subtitling in VideoStudio was pretty clunky and was really just another way of using a title track to try to get the subtitles in and synced.

They have now created a completely separate module specifically for subtitling and it really is incredibly easy to use.

You can select the narration track or the track you are working on and it immediately shows the waveform of the audio track. Using this it is very easy to synchronize the subtitles to the audio track.

Screen Capture

This is not strictly a new feature and was introduced in last year’s version VideoStudio Pro X5.

To be honest it was a great idea, poorly executed and I never really considered it to be of any great use for the average user due to stability problems and quality issues.

The new version is like night and day by comparison with the stability problems settled out and a new engine that can capture crisp video of whatever you are doing on the screen at the time.

Boris FX

Not necessarily new but a whole new deal here!

Previously FX loaded into the program as a special effect. You then added the effect to a project and this opened the Boris FX module.

Although that workflow has to some degree been retained the program has been integrated far deeper into the core of VideoStudio itself so that it is much easier to control and work with.

The other change is that this module is no longer a cut down version of FX, it is FX 6.1 and comes with all the bells and whistles.

Although it looks like the control panel of the space shuttle and may not be for everyone the power within this module is truly incredible and is one of the features that has lifted this version up into the prosumer category.

Ultra High-Definition (4K) Video Support

This allows the program to handle high-res photos up to 8.3 mega pixels and the ability to import, edit and export Ultra HD 4K video in line with the latest advances in camcorder and DSLR camera technology.

Supports resolutions up to 4096 x 2160 to create movies.

AVCHD 2.0 Support

Works with AVCHD 2.0, AVCHD 3D, AVCHD Progressive and AVCHD 3D/Progressive formats.

These added AVCHD features let you add menu navigation, subtitles and more to your projects and allows you to save AVCHD content to an SD card for instant viewing on SD-compatible devices.

So that about all there is on the new stuff.

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