| | |  | Digital Video | Home » » » » Videostudio Pro X4 Mini Box | | | | | | | Description: | | Corel VideoStudio Pro X4 is the powerful, creative and easy way to take video footage from shoot to show - fast! | | | Features: | |
• Complete video-editing software for making HD movies
• Optimized for the latest hardware from Intel and AMD
• Stop Motion animation and Time-Lapse tools; Blue-Ray and DVD burning tools
• Fix common video problems; get creative with amazing effects, music, titles, transitions
• Share anywhere--on iPhone, mobile device, disc, favorite Web site or TV
| | | Product Details: | | | Product Length:
| 0.0 inches | | Product Width:
| 0.0 inches | | Product Height:
| 0.0 inches | | Product Weight:
| 0.69 pounds | | Package Length:
| 7.6 inches | | Package Width:
| 5.3 inches | | Package Height:
| 2.1 inches | | Package Weight:
| 3.05 pounds | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 163 reviews |
| | | System Requirements: | | | Platform:
| Windows Vista / Windows 7 / Windows XP | | Media:
| CD-ROM | | Item Quantity:
| 1 |
| | | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 163 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
94 of 98 found the following review helpful:
 Best of Breed - Well, COULD Be.Mar 30, 2011
By R. L. Hodges
Better than anything else out there in my opinion, including Adobe's completely overly complex and overpriced products. The interface is simple, good-looking, and even fun. This is the kind of hobby software you wish for.
Know that if you are going to be editing HD movies, have the hottest quad processor and as much RAM as you can manage. I've got an AMD quad clocked to 4GHz, 8GB of RAM, and dual nVidia 9600s in SLI, which easily handles everything I throw at it, including high-power games that make PS3 and XBox consoles look and feel like cheap smartphones. But when I edit HD, it gives my machine a serious workout. Thankfully, VSX4 has a brilliant way to relax this if you need it by way of using proxy files.
Also know that this software, as great as it is, is several products combined. For example, DVD MovieFactory is no longer bundled with the software - they actually incorporated it right into the software (they didn't even change the menus one single bit).
Thank heavens, the crashy bugs are largely worked out now. I have yet to have this software crash on me. Also has some really super fun playtoy things to amuse yourself with, like 3D, time lapse, and stop-motion, which work surprisingly well, allowing you to make up for any features your camcorder may not have built-in. This kind of software can take the drudgery out of video editing and actually turn a chore into a hobby. I am now having just as much fun (if not more) editing my video as I previously did watching it.
Rendering times could have been MUCH better in this software, the result of 32-bit software. VSX4 just doesn't work my machine very hard. If it was 64-bit, it would be a dream.
Converting 2D video to 3D is the only "candy" feature I have played with. Not spectacular, but it works and adds some fun depth to some otherwise boring video (3D depth is adjustable). Fun to toy around with but not take too seriously. If it wasn't shot in 3D from the beginning, don't expect much from a 2D to 3D conversion in terms of what you see in the movie theaters. If you don't try to take it too seriously, you'll have some fun with it (and maybe a few headaches from the red/blue glasses). VSX4 DOES support side-by-side color 3D, which requires special video hardware to watch, like a 3D TV and the shutter glasses. My gear arrives next week, so I'll play around with it some more, really looking forward to full-color side-by-side 3D. It's like Christmas.
Something that I absolutely LOVE about this software that needs to be mentioned that PowerDirector doesn't have: being able to add/remove DVD/Blu-ray chapter marker points right on the timeline as you edit. Then, when you finally get around to opening up the "Share" section of the program, which allows you to build the menus for your DVDs and Blu-Rays (and do the burn), your chapter markers are already there, and all you have to do is worry about the visuals of the menus themselves - the chapter marker work you did on the timeline itself is already done and saved. NICE. Even better, you can do more chapter marker editing while in the menu creation process in case you missed anything. NICER.
Another thing I love is the WYSIWYG preview/work window you're using to work on your video. It is playing working in high res HD - not the heavily pixelated version of the video you see in PowerDirector. PD9 probably has a function somewhere to enable HD viewing/working, but VSX4 comes up that way as default. Note that viewing/editing in HD slows the software down quite painfully - looks nice but this is where the 32bit aspect of the software really comes back to bite you hard, severely, and non-stop.
Highly recommended. With all the bugs of previous versions, the software was virtually worthless - it was as "crash-happy" as PowerDirector. Now it's actually worth paying for. 4 out of 5 stars because, well, Adobe Production Suite CS5 it ain't.
* UPDATE *
After finally getting around to moving on to creating Blue-Rays from DVDs, I have some new information, both good and bad.
The Good:
This software is solid as a rock. It NEVER crashes. I have never lost any work due to a crash, and it performs reliably no matter how badly it chokes on what I feed it.
The Bad:
Performance: It chokes on what I feed it. Working with HD video brings this 32-bit software to its knees. It does not bring your computer to its knees - just the VSX4 software itself. Yeah, I know, I can throw it into proxy mode AS A BAND-AID DUE TO LIMITATIONS OF THIS 32-BIT SOFTWARE, but with a system like mine, that shouldn't even have to be considered. VSX4 is VERY sluggish when working with HD. It won't crash on you, but you'll be continually waiting (after hitting playback buttons, dragging jog bars, working with effects and transitions, mode shifts, etc) for the software to catch up to itself as it chews hard on any HD video you feed it. I spend a LOT of time stopping preview/playback, which collapses into "slideshows", so I can wait for this software to "catch up" to itself before resuming a smooth playback. This collapse into jerky slideshow playback happens whenever adding transitions, effects, etc. LOTS of lagging going on. This is the worse experience I have ever had on my custom-built 4GHz 64-bit Quad (8GM ram, 2 TB drive space). It is the only software on my system that totally fails at using the raw horsepower available on my system. All 4 processors are being used, but only in 32-bit mode - the software is not capable of using the 64-bit power of my system, which leaves virtually half the resources of my system unused as it chokes and stutters on HD. I should NOT be forced to throw the software into proxy mode when I'm running solid 64-bit OS on 64-bit hardware. Corel - 32-bit is now an albatross around your neck. It was time long ago to crank this product out in 64-bit. PD9 might crash endlessly and have the worst tech support on the planet, but you're still getting clobbered by it just because it's 64 bit. Even I went and paid for PD9 Ultra64 - it's that important.
Next Problem - Menus: When editing the menus, your changes are not saved. MAJOR bug. A progress bar goes across the screen, but when you go to open your project back up, whaddya know - all your DVD/Blu-Ray disc menu work is gone. Didn't save. This is a long-standing bug in the DVD MovieFactory 7 software that Corel integrated into VideoStudio for the X4 version. I have to wonder if anybody even did the most simple of testing at Corel. Was surprised to see this glaring bug carry over.
Next Problem: Sound Stuttering: The Blu-Ray discs this software cranks out are visually beautiful, excellent quality, virtually no noticeable drop in quality from source to output whatsoever. But if you don't use transitions between video segments, there are sound gaps between scenes. These are skips in the sound, like the software was choking during conversion or someone hitting "mute" for a fraction of a second on every scene change (and the sound from the next scene, when it finally kicks in, jolts you into annoyance). I am still investigating if this is actually on the Blu-Ray discs VSX4 is cranking out or if it is how my PS3 is playing the Blu-Rays (never seen my PS3 do that with any other discs). However, there has also been a couple of instances where I noticed some very noticeable sound slippage (people's mouths are sometimes not moving in sync when you hear them speaking or other sounds not matching the action on screen). The slippage seems to be random, and also seems to happen only once in a while, and for short periods that last only a minute or so, but the sound stutter between scene changes are constant and reliably annoying. Sound slippage was a very annoying bug carried over from DVD MovieFactory 7. In fairness, ALL video production products can exhibit sound slippage, so I'm not specifically pointing at Corel on this one. But the jolting sound gaps between scenes with no transition effects are horrible. I have resorted to using transitions as a band-aid to keep this from happening(!) when creating Blu-Ray discs. Being the novice videographer that I am, even I know that's bad.
Another problem: The menus, transitions and most of the effects are extremely limited. Even after adding the "bonus pack" and "content pack", you wind up with only about a dozen DVD menu template options and only 8 Blu-Ray menu options. And most of the menu choices are ridiculously childish - certainly nothing you'd use if you are attempting to take your video work seriously in any way. I still have yet to find good instructions on building my own Blu-Ray menu templates. I hear about it, but have found no instructions. I guess I just have to use the Force.
One final nitpick: Downloadables/online content. Sorry, Corel, but CyberLink's got you nailed on this one. VSX4 is a fantastic product, if not a bit TOO simplistic, but it pales in comparison to the universe of PowerDirector's online/downloadable content. One thing that VSX4 has going for it that CyberLink needs to pay attention to is that VSX4 does not insult you every step of the way by forcing you to "Register" or "Activate" different functions of the software as you actually go into the software to use it. Well done, Corel, for showing CyberLink how it's done and for not treating your customes like criminals (why you got my money).
As as I wind down, I'll just offer that my ultra-hot 64-bit quad processor, 8GB of ram, and 2TB of SATA drive space should have no problem whatsoever cranking out a high quality product with this software. So far I'm happy with most everything in the whole, and I continue to use the product. But I'm dropping this now $65 product (about what I paid on Corel's web site) down to 2 Stars because of megasuck performance, menu issues, and sound quality issues on Blu-Ray discs.
HOWEVER:
Tech Support: Corel's tech support is fantastic (listen up, CyberLink victims): I get responses from Corel's web/email tech support within 12 hours like clockwork, and they are helpful. They even ask me if I need any more assistance after they answer my questions or point me in the right direction. Their online tech support forum is great, very helpful. During regular business hours, I have called Corel's phone support and get a live person every time, speaking clear English, with very helpful information and my issues get solved. Hear that, CyberLink? Corel customers aren't treated like thieves, pirates or criminals, and Corel doesn't make you provide 5 different pieces of evidence that the customer actually paid for the software, only to be denied service anyway - which is what CyberLink does. Never have I seen a company treat its own customers (paycheck) so poorly as CyberLink. Corel - well done.
In light of Corel's excellent and responsive tech support, both through email, the support forum, and on the phone(!), which I have consistently had great service from, and for the fact that the software just does not crash anymore (wow!), I'm jacking this review back up to 3 stars.
I am, Corel, giving you 3 stars because I am assuming that you are going to address the issues above.
Thanks for tolerating this review.
84 of 88 found the following review helpful:
 VSP Pro x4: Massive bug-fixes and new featuresMar 12, 2011
By thorsty
Corel Visual Studio Pro x4
The new release of Visual Studio Pro, x4, fixes most of the bugs from earlier versions as well as offering new features such as 3-D, time-lapse and stop-action effects, and the option to zip projects. I have little use for the new features but the bug-fixes are a huge improvement in the program.
VSP x3 seemed to work better with high-end systems. I have an 1-7 930 processor overclocked to 4 GHz with a GTX460 video card, blu-ray burner, and 12 GB of RAM and have experienced none of the crashes that others using older equipment report. Pro x3 occasionally would freeze up during rendering, but VSP Pro x4 has yet to crash or freeze on my system.
The biggest drawback to Pro x3 was that it came packaged with DVD Movie Factory 2010: a separate, highly-defective program necessary for creating and burning DVDs that almost never worked without freezing. Not completely oblivious to this disaster, Corel responded by offering DVD Movie Factory 7 SE for free and DVD Movie Factory 7 (full version) for sale on their web site. Neither of these programs imports the chapters you set up in Visual Studio, so you have to set your chapter points all over again when you create your DVD--which rather obviates the purpose of setting up chapter points in VSP, what? The full version of DVD Movie Factory 7, while offering more menu and theme options, produced AVCHD DVDs with little slips in them. (The SE version produced them without the slips.)
Pro x4 has addressed these issues by incorporating the DVD factory into the Visual Studio program itself (as they had done with earlier versions.) Your chapter points are now retained, AVCHDs don't slip, and you don't freeze up when creating DVDs. However, there are a few less menu options available than with the full version of DVD Movie Factory 7 and the screens you work with are no longer full-screen, so you can't see as clearly. On the pro side, comparable blu-ray disks consume less disk space in Pro x4.
Visual Studio Pro offers flexibility with libraries that is missing from the other video editing programs I've seen. In particular, the program allows you drag a clip from the library to the timeline (or storyboard), edit it, and then drag the edited version back into the library for later use. You can then access both the original and the edited clip in this or another project. As I find this feature essential and have not seen it elsewhere, VSP is the only editor that works for me. Others who have tested VSP against the competition find that rendering times are fastest with VSP. Generally the interfaces are user-friendly, although some customizing of the filters is neither intuitive or adequately explained. You learn by experimenting. One tip: when you are trimming a clip, click on the digital time display (either the frames or seconds--they call it the timecode) and then use the up and down arrows on the keyboard to advance or reverse the clip. This moves you through the clip as fast as you can click, whereas the right and left arrow buttons produce a delayed response unless you click them slowly. The scrubber is imprecise and best used for obtaining a general location.
Earlier versions of VSP would occasionally mishandle very short clips: reduce them to microsecond flashes that were overlayed. I have tested Pro x4 and found that this problem, too, has been fixed. I also noticed that in earlier versions if you chose higher rendering settings than those native to your clips, the resulting video file would appear with extra noise. With Pro x4, the quality of the clips actually improves when you render with a higher resolution: definition is slightly sharper with noise reduced and colors look cleaner. The improvement isn't enough to mistake them for HD, but it's noticeable nonetheless. In addition, the "take a snapshot" bug (where the snapshot is distorted) has been fixed.
I don't have a 3-D TV, nor do I have use for time-lapse or stop-action so obviously I can't report on the these new features. However, Pro x4 has exterminated many of the bugs from previous versions and now earns recommendation without reservation especially for those using high-end systems.
44 of 48 found the following review helpful:
Turn Your Blah Videos Into Something Worth SharingMar 28, 2011
By Ed R.
VideoStudio Pro X4 is the latest release of Corel's consumer video editing software application. The previous version, X3, wasn't exactly well received by Amazon.com users. Indeed, I myself had a hard enough time with X3 that I uninstalled it within 30 minutes of installing it. When I found out that X4 was being released, I wanted to give it a more thorough look and Corel was kind enough to send me a review license. After using it for about a week, I'm happy to say that it's been fun and a pleasure to edit videos with VideoStudio Pro X4.
PROS:
- Performs well (even w/Core2 Duo processors)
- Short learning curve for basic functions
- Fair number of transition, title, filter, and media samples
- Easy to use and configurable layout
- Multi-monitor support
- Decent set of tutorials
- Great sharing options
CONS:
- More contextual help would make it even easier to learn
- A little sluggish at times
- Cumbersome previewing of media
The question I get asked the most by people who have home videos is, "How can I put my videos on a DVD so I can share it with others?" That's a good question. With the popularity of the pocket camcorder, like the Flip, people have made countless video clips. Unfortunately, most of those clips have been imprisoned on the camcorders themselves or if lucky, made their way to a computer. Getting those videos onto a DVD to send to grandparents or friends have been more challenging. VideoStudio Pro X4 (VSPX4) is one way to get those videos onto DVD, but why stop there? You can also use it to upload it to YouTube or Facebook. Before you do that though, how about sprucing up that video first by putting a title graphic on and adding a soundtrack? With VSPX4, it isn't as hard to do as you might think it is.
CAPTURE
VSPX4 is separated into three distinct functions-Capture, Edit, and Share. Capture is the first of those and allows you to easily import videos from a variety of sources. If you already have your videos on your computer, then you can actually skip this part. As a matter of fact, when you first launch VSPX4, it goes straight into Edit, the second and most robust function.
EDIT
If all you want to do is get your video clips onto a DVD or upload them to YouTube, you can pretty much just add them into the "Project" and then go to Share and have at it. However, if you wanted to be a little more creative, you can really spruce up that video collection here.
The default layout of the Edit step works well. It's broken down into three sections. On the top left, you have the video screen. On the top right, is your collection of media, filters, transitions, etc. The entire bottom half of the layout is the timeline (or storyboard view). This is where you insert all the videos, effects, and audio. It's pretty intuitive. The timeline reads from left to right and there are multiple rows of "Tracks." Tracks consist of the main video track, title tracks, overlay tracks, voice track and music tracks.
Adding elements to these tracks allow you to customize each track and then match them up to work with the entire project. It's amazingly easy to add your own music as a soundtrack or cool effects to express your creative side. While I appreciated having easy access to the media and samples, I found it very cumbersome to preview them to see or hear what they were. For example, VSPX4 comes with 25 sound effect clips named, S1 to S25. In order to hear what those sounds were, I had to select them on the top right side of the screen with my mouse, then go all the way back over to the video screen on the left and hit play. Doing that for every clip got annoying. It would have been better to allow the clips to be double-clicked for automatic preview, or right click on them to present a "preview" selection that would automatically play them.
In general however, I thought that manipulating videos was relatively easy and fun. There were some more advanced things that I wanted to do that weren't easy to figure out at first, like Multi-Trim but I eventually figured it out. I liked the voice over feature because when I do video reviews, I can just film the review, split the audio out of it, then plug in a mic and narrate the video while watching it. This is a huge time saver for me because rather than having to perform multiple takes to get the right one, I can just do it once and use VSPX4 to perfect it.
SHARE
The last function of VideoStudio Pro X4 is the share function. This allows you to create a video file, audio file, disc, export to a mobile device, export to a DV camcorder, or upload to Vimeo, YouTube, Facebook, or Flickr. Sharing couldn't be easier. Ok, it could be a little bit easier. There are a lot of options for creating different types of video files and contextual help here would have been nice to help people figure out which type would work best for their needs. The process of creating a video file is called rendering. Rendering can take a long time, depending on how long and complex your video is and the type of file you've chosen to save it as. Knowing which type you should use is important before you render it because you could end up wasting a lot of time waiting for the render to complete, only to find out that the file you created isn't going to work for you. The integration of file sharing sites is a nice touch and very easy to use.
PERFORMANCE
My computer no longer qualifies as a high end system, but still ran VSPX4 very well most of the time. I have an Intel Core2 Duo 2.2GHz machine with 4GB or RAM, running Windows 7 64-bit. Though I comfortably met the minimum system requirements, there were times when I was working on more complex clips that made my preview video stutter. I'd guess if I had an Intel i7 processor with 6-8GB of RAM, I wouldn't encounter any stuttering at all, especially since VSPX4 is optimized for it.
MY PROJECT
Right before I began writing this review, I decided to create one more video project as a way for me to test VSPX4. I chose a 1min 30sec video of me throwing a plush Angry Bird doll at my sister, who was opening up a plush Angry Bird Pig as a gift. Here is what I did with VSPX4 to the clip:
1. I shortened the video to about a minute
2. Added an animated title at the beginning of the clip
3. Added the Angry Birds theme song as the soundtrack
4. Added an Old Film filter to the clip to give a unique look
5. Copied the moment of impact (Bird hitting the Pig/my sister's face) and added a slow motion clip to the end of the original clip
6. Took that same impact clip and added a funny sound effect to it and added it to the end of the original clip
7. Added a photo to the end
8. Added scrolling credits
9. Created an HD video of the entire project
10. Uploaded the clip to YouTube
11. Called my sister to tell her I'd uploaded this embarrassing video of her to YouTube
In case you're wondering, I deleted the video from YouTube after I let her watch it first; I'm a good brother after all!
CONCLUSION
Corel's VideoStudio Pro X4 is a strong video editing package. I wouldn't call it a simple program, but it doesn't take a great deal of time to get the hang of it. Up until a week ago, I had very little exposure to video editing software and now I feel very comfortable using it. VSPX4 has a good selection of tools that'll keep you entertained for hours at a time. I had a blast creating my last clip and I bet you will too.
*Review license provided by Corel Corporation
15 of 17 found the following review helpful:
Review from a newbieJun 24, 2011
By Talvi
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R1CYTGIOQJB2F0 I've never used video editing software before, and the proliferation of short videos since we had a new addition to the family necessitated getting something. This software had a good price point for use at home. If you've never used this kind of software either, hopefully this review will help you.
I definitely couldn't figure things out just by playing, so I went back to the tutorials. Once I went through the tutorials, I was able to do my first video editing. First stop was to open ("Capture") my videos for editing.
In Edit mode, I was able to cut out the parts of the video I didn't want (in the end of the first segment attached, my husband panned the video to me, and I was DEFINITELY not camera ready after just giving birth), add a second video and image, and also to add titles.
In Share mode, I was able to create the video file. There are a lot of possibilities, but right now the only thing that mattered to me was that I could get it into a format (.avi) that my family could view (they couldn't view the video in the original format).
Again, without the tutorials, I think I would have been a little lost. Once you get the hang of it, it's pretty fun. I love it that I can take a video of the baby, cut out the parts that are boring or scary (hah!), and have a nice short video with title and music to send to the family in under 5 minutes. I have hundreds of short videos and this is well worth the price to be able to turn those into a group of "keeper" videos that I store on Amazon cloud.
Rendering time on this video: about a half minute. Note that the titles are super easy and you have lots of options for animated titling. It's not great, but this is just my first video. I can't wait to try the advanced functions!
8 of 8 found the following review helpful:
Awesome ImprovementMay 26, 2011
By SGMVIDEO
I've been using Corel (Formerly Ulead) for many years. VideoStudio ProX2 was my initial leap into Hi-Def editing. While impressive, there were bugs in the program and it crashed occasionally. ProX3 was a disaster. Enter ProX4....A stunning, awesome improvement.
I've been using ProX4 for about 3 weeks and have tested it to the fullest. Performance has significantly improved (no crashes and faster rendering). It still takes time to transcode Hi-Def to Blu-Ray (about 3 hrs.)but I'm dealing with files that are approx. 15-20gigs. A standard DVD loaded with effects/titles can be rendered in about 1 1/2 hrs. I'm running the software on a Vista platform with 2.66gh quad core processor without any problems.
ProX4 comes with a ton of improved effects, title options and templates for menu.
The workspace is intuitive but novices will need a learning curve.
2-D to 3-D works well but don't expect screen jumping leaps at you. Interestingly enough you have the option to render 3-D for regular red/cyan glasses as well as "side by side" option which can be used on 3-D tv's such as Panasonic which I have not tried. While this is a nice feature, there are other options out there for 3-D. For instance, Panasonic's new Blu-Ray player BDT210 can convert/play any 2-D DVD in 3-D. Of course, you will need a Panasonic 3-D tv and glasses.
Overall, I'm very impressed with ProX4 and give it a well deserved 5 stars.
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