Five good tools for editing your videos

Pinnacle Studio

Pinnacle Studio (Figure A) has been around practically forever. It provides a good balance between ease of use and a solid set of features. Overall, the software does a really nice job -- however, it's a little bit buggy. I have had some problems with the live preview occasionally freezing on me.

Pinnacle Studio

Pinnacle Studio uses a timeline method for video editing, in which elements such as video clips, music, sound effects, and video effects are arranged along a timeline so that you can place each element at precisely the right spot within the video you are creating.

Pinnacle Studio HD Ultimate sells online for $79.95

Camtasia Studio

I've used Camtasia Studio for many years. I like it for creating videos that are based on PC screen captures. I frequently produce videos illustrating how to perform various tasks in Windows Server, Microsoft Office, and other software packages. Camtasia Studio allows me to narrate the task I am performing and then turn the whole thing into a video.

Camtasia Studio

Camtasia also includes a smart zoom feature that automatically zooms in on the area of the screen where you are working so that fine details are better seen in the finished video.

Camtasia Studio sells online for $299.00

Corel VideoStudio Pro

Corel VideoStudio Pro is designed to add polish to your home movies. Like most of the other products I have worked with, it lets you add video clips and other elements to your project in a linear fashion to form the finished video. Your projects can include things like graphics, titles, transitions, and special effects.

Corel VideoStudio Pro

Corel VideoStudio Pro seems to work relatively well, but I did have trouble installing it on one of my lab machines. I received a message stating that the installation failed -- no reason, no apologies. Fortunately, this seems to have been an isolated incident.

Corel VideoStudio Pro sells online for $99.00.

VideoPad Video Editor

VideoPad Video Editor also lets you add polish to your movies. It has all the basics of video editing covered and offers numerous options for creating disks (CD, DVD, Blu-ray), media files, and for uploading videos directly to YouTube.

VideoPad Video Editor

One of my favorite features is the set of audio editing tools. VideoPad Video Editor includes multi-track sound-mixing software that lets you blend voice-over, music, sound effects, and pretty much anything else you can dream up.

Perhaps the coolest thing about this app is that NCH offers a free version for noncommercial use. If you want all the bells and whistles, the Master's Edition is available online for $69.95

CyberLink PowerDirector

CyberLink PowerDirector has most of the same features as the other video editors I have discussed, but it also offers 3D support. You can create 3D videos that use the old school red and blue anaglyphic 3D glasses or you can create a full-blown 3D Blu-ray disk.

CyberLink PowerDirector

I didn't have any native 3D content to test with PowerDirector, but it lets you convert 2D content into 3D. I really wasn't expecting much from this feature, but I was surprised by just how good my 2D videos looked in 3D.