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| Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 12 | 
 enlarge | From: Pinnacle Systems
Category: Software
List Price: $205.10
Buy New: $114.98
You Save: $90.12 (44%)
New (32) Used (2) from $114.98
Avg. Customer Rating:  44 reviews
Sales Rank: 263
Format: Cd-rom
Platform: No Operating System
Media: CD-ROM
Edition: Ultimate
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 4
Dimensions (in): 7.8 x 9.4 x 2.9
MPN: 8210-10060-61
Model: 82101006061
UPC: 613570223245
EAN: 0613570223245
ASIN: B001AMSZSQ
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
| Showing reviews 1-5 of 44 | | ... 9 NEXT » |
 Buyer Beware November 11, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have been attempting to use the Pinnacle Studio products since 2004 with little or no success. After much frustration we contacted Pinnacle last summer. They told us to update our software, we did. Then they gave us specifications on a computer, operationing system and video card, we did that. Now 5 months later, we still cannot get it to operate effectively or effectiently. The technical support, if they can be called that, are only able to offer assisstance from a written text. Even though I got the Ultimate package, I still am missing vital portions of the program. Now they say the program files are corrupted. How did they get corrupted, well when I downloaded Pinnacle's latest patch. Do not be swayed with all Pinnacle's glitzy add ons, they do little good if they do not work. I spend more time trying to get it to work than I do producing DVDs. I hightly recommend looking elsewhere for you video editing software.
 Very Robust Feature Set - A Great Value November 2, 2008
THE COMPETITION: I downloaded several evaluation copies of various video editing programs for Windows. Most were limited and buggy. 2nd best to this is Adobe Premier assuming you have 20-15 vision for the tiny text user interface and infinite patience for slow start ups.
STUDIO ULTIMATE 12: There is a lot of bad history out there and rightfully so, so let me give you the quick take on it. Version 10 was a buggy nightmare and version 11 was the fix. Ergo, version 12 is what 11 should have been if 10 had not been such a filthy miserable pig of bad coding.
My sympathies to 10 users. Get over it and get 12. They finally got it right this time. The new standard feature set in Ultimate 12 is so robust, you can do things you never imagined. I got this version and bought the title extreme add-on so I could do vector graphic CGI. I'm happy.
The company is also doing free online video seminars and they are really helpful. Pinnacle's efforts to educate their users on how to use their product to its full advantage is a big plus.
 Crashes constantly October 14, 2008
I bought version 11 that says Vista ready on the box
(which crashes constantly in Vista) so I stupidly gave them ANOTHER $125 for version 12, which crashes only half a much as 11.
The easist editor to use BUT KEEPS CRASHING DURING EDIT.
Don't use it with Vista.
Hollywood, here we come October 9, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Because of the following, it should get 4 1/2 stars but Amazon doesn't have that choice. So I have to decide whether these points are worth losing one star. I've gone back and forth and after using the software for a few weeks I have decided that it is a 5 star product.
Well, this is a very powerful video editing software system. The user manual is 320 pages long and the getting started video is about two hours long. That should tell you this is not software for the casual video editor. So you should set aside a couple of evenings to get aquainted with just what you have in the way of editing tools here.
Next, there are a number of plug-ins that will add to the ultimate price of the product unless you purchase the Studio Plus or Ultimate versions.
If you are never going to need them, the basic software should do the trick. These are for additional Fonts, additional video themes, additional video effects, etc. Many of them are included in the Studio Plus and Ultimate versions like Embossing, Blur, Old Film, Hollywood FX 3D transitions, Stain Glass, Earthquake, Rotate, Water Drop, Water, Wave, etc. I can see why they would do this since some of those plug-ins are never going to be used by the average video editor.
Finally, the resources needed to run this software. One hour of video takes up over 12 GB of Hard drive space and you will need a pretty healthy processor and a lot of real memory if you want to get your project done in your lifetime. These items need to be understood before you buy this software. Pinnacle does recommend that you dedicate a Hard Drive for their use since it is drive intensive and will affect all other computer work if mixed on a drive with other systems. While I haven't given it a drive to itself, I have put it in a space little used on a drive separate from my operating system. This has minimized the impact upon my system a good deal.
Now for the positives. I was not expecting an editor with the depth and breadth of this package. There is not much you can't do with this software that Hollywood editors do with movies from changing panning to correcting red-eye, correcting camcorder jiggles from hand held videos, Panning and Zooming, green screen, etc. A full line of features like those you would expect from a still picture editor, cuts and melts of many varieties, full menu capabilities that will keep you busy for as long as you want to spend on your project.
There is the ability to make your videos look like old time movies complete with Black and White to scratches on the film. Charlie Chaplin lives again!
It uses a Timeline editor and you are able to mix video with still pictures with a wide variety of fades and cuts from scene to scene. You can Pan and Scan, Pan and Zoom as well as perform Picture In Picture. There are a wide variety of sound features from voiceovers to sound effects.
One reviewing agency reviewed the 14 top video editing systems and they judged Pinnacle to be 3rd.
I question their judgment since the ultimate goal of any editor is to produce usable output.
Of 15 output formats that they listed Pinnacle produced 13, with only QuickTime and Electronic Greeting Cards not supported. The 1st and 2nd place products only supported 11 output formats. Neither of them could output Blu-Ray or AVCHD. With Blu-Ray becoming the most popular new DVD format, how could editors that don't create Blu-Ray DVD's be ranked ahead of Pinnacle?
One of the other two also can't output DivX CD either! The supposed 1st place editor can't even output e-mail videos!
The 2nd place editor can't import hi-definition videos!
So based on the major reasons for having a video editor, I can't see Pinnacle being 3rd, but 1st instead. The biggest knock those reviewers had was for ease of use.
Well, if you have an editor that can do so many things, it will not be as easy to use. Having so many capabilities, as well as two track editing, will automatically make the software more complex to use. But with extensive documentation (which a 320 page instruction manual gives it) and a detailed instruction video (which the two hours provided by Pinnacle also gives it) you should be able to overcome that problem. Add to that a large user forum and live chat, which Pinnacle has and neither of the other two do, and you should be able to overcome just about any problem you run into.
If you are into serious video editing, this is the editor you need if you want quality output in the most modern formats available.
A must for the casual user October 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
After installing the software and spending the first ten minutes to view their video primer on using the software, it already looked like this package would be a great addition to every household that has tons of videos stored all over their hard drives at home with nothing to do with them.
I was in this category ever since I bought my Sanyo Xacti camera. Its great to be able to take video and easily transfer the files to the computer, but then I had the issue of being able to compose them into a compilation. With Pinnacle Studios Ultimate, it fills my needs; the ultimate version includes support for mp4 (which my sanyo records in). I'm not sure if both the standard and plus versions include this but it was definitely something that I needed. I haven't had the chance to create a DVD yet, but its nice to also be able to create VCD's (a format that is not all that popular here as it is overseas, but to my knowledge many DVD players support). Since CDR's are so cheap now, you can make many copies of short clips or home movies (less then 30 minutes for SVCD that is a little higher quality then standard VCD that should be comparable to a VHS tape if memory serves me) in this format instead of having to use a DVD-R.
The ultimate edition also includes a disc full of plug ins which is very nice to have. The package also includes a green screen so that you can superimpose whatever is recorded in front of it onto something else. I haven't tried this yet, but it looks interesting and should make for some fun video.
I haven't had very much time to use the software but it seems very intuitive and very flexible. Out of the box it has lots of extras that allows most people to create something that is presentable and with interest. I'm not a professional in the field, but I would venture to guess that unless you need "professional" features, this should do the job.
Overall i think this is a good package that I would recommend for most users, but a must for the casual user.
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