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Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 Platinum Pro Pack

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Sony Creative Software

August 01, 2008
I use a Canon HG10 which only records in HD using the AVCHD standard. The SW that came doesn't come close to allowing you to do much editing/DVD making. With this camera it is easy to copy the video files from HG10 to my computers HD then I begin using the editing tool.
I compared this to several others you can find on the net: Ulead, Pinnacle, cyberlink and maybe a few others. I can tell you, without a doubt the Sony SW is so much faster. That means I don't need a super powerful computer to do all the editing and making of a DVD. It also doesn't crash like many of the competitor editors. Cost is roughly the same and you have a 30 day trial period. One disadvantage is this SW is a bit more difficult to use--maybe it just has a higher ... Read More:

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Roxio Creator 2009

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Roxio

September 09, 2008
Roxio Creator 2009 is an update to the popular Roxio Easy Media Creator 10. The update provides a much smoother and visually appealing interface than its predecessor and now supports processing HD and Blu-ray DVDs through an additional cost add-in available from Roxio. Since I do not have a Blu-ray capable reader, I did not try this add-in. The four general functions available on the main screen (Data, Video, Music, and Photo), each bring up a sub-screen with the specific features (applications) which are available in that category. Once a feature is selected (i.e., Burn Audio CDs), the application easily walks you through the steps necessary to accomplish the task.

Overall, I found the package to be very easy to use and thorough in ... Read More:

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Corel VideoStudio Pro X2

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Corel

September 18, 2008
I have used Ulead VideoStudio since version 3. The last Ulead released product was Version 11 Plus. Then came Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus. This latest incarnation, Corel VideoStudio Pro X2, is the first released solely under the Corel name and without Ulead anywhere on the box. But don't let that fool you. This is, for all intents and purposes, VideoStudio 12 (is the X in the title a roman numeral?).

As with each new version of VideoStudio throughout the years, this release sees a number of improved and/or added features incorporated into an already solid home video editing product. Most notable of these in the special effects section is the paint option, which allows you to freehand paint on your video (think Indiana Jones style ... Read More:

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Final Cut Express 4

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Apple

November 22, 2007
I had been wanting to do a video or two for fun and to see if I could use the creative potential of video. The iMovie that came with the computer never wanted to work right. This software is so simple yet strait forward enough to learn in a few hours. And still give great high end looking results. (As high end as I need anyway). Very cool.

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Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 9

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Sony Creative Software

August 01, 2008
While Vegas 9.0b improves features over 8.0d, it crashes much more often than its predecessor on Vista 64 Home Premium.

Pros: Now you can save AVCHD files and WMP11.
Cons: Crashes often during editing in the trimmer. Still not a 64-bit app even though the Pro version is.

Until they fix the crashing, it was not worth my $57 for the upgrade from 8 to 9.

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Adobe Premiere Elements 7

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Adobe

October 13, 2008
I have been a loyal Adobe Premiere Elements user for 3 years (version 2 and 3).
I just bought a brand new Windows Vista 64bit Quad Core machine, that I spec'ed to do High Definition Video editing. Everything works fine until I try loading Premiere elements. It totally locks up my computer. It looks like it works for about a minute, by then locks up solid. I've uninstalled and re-installed Premiere elements a few times, and even re-installed Vista (fresh install). No luck.

It doesn't even work in 64bit "compatibility mode", where it runs Premiere elements as an administrative program, and can run it like the OS is XP SP2. No difference. I then researched this program on the web, and found that there are a lot of crashing problems with release 7. I guess I'll ... Read More:

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Roxio Creator 2009 Ultimate

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Roxio

September 17, 2008
Let me break it down...

(I just got this, and have played with it for about a week. In this fist part I wanted to cover the features for those wondering what this thing actually does)

Media Import - is one of those organizer things. It detects and organizes your different files

Audio - Rips and converts CD's to MP3, WMA
Records Internet radio
Converts Audio Books to MP3
Tags audio (artist, title, composer, etc.)

Sound Editor - You are able to import and change audio

Create Music Discs - Create CD or DVD with MP3, etc.

Photo - Edit photos (crop, red eye, add text)

DVD - Copy DVD's, put video cam videos on DVD, add titles
Change file formats (ex. .MOV to . MP4) ... Read More:

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PowerDirector7 Deluxe (Amazon Christmas Exclusive)

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: CyberLink

April 30, 2008
Let me say that I've used Pinnacle and Sony and Power Director 7.0 blows them both out of the water. Power director is very responsive and fast to edit changes with litle lag time. It only takes me half the time to create a movie with Power Director since the tasks are automated. The navigation is far simpler and intuitive with the chapter division and menu layout. You have unlimited access to additional transitions, backgrounds, and menu layouts (whereas the others nickel & dime you for it). My family is amazed by the videos and it's more exciting with effects and background music.

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Pantone huey Pro MEU113

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Pantone

April 06, 2007
This monitor calibrator works just fine on my 24" iMac. It's very easy to set up and use. I noticed very little change in the colors of my photos on the monitor after I calibrated the monitor, but I guess with the quality of the monitor, that it was pretty well adjusted to begin with.

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Apple iLife '08 Family Pack

Childrens Toy Shop > Software > Digital Video
from: Apple

August 11, 2007
Yeah, iMovie '06 provides features not found in iMovie '08 but Apple rethought the concept so there are benefits to both (and you can download iMovie '06 free anyways).

Like iWork, this is a great package for almost everyone. Professionals are going to go with the pro tools but where else can you get a family bundle for this price? iPhoto alone will make the purchase worth it for most people who use a digital camera (and, who doesn't?). I've never even used iWeb and I consider this a deal.