The 2011 version of Corel Video Studio X4 (CVS) has just become available and remains familiar. It still uses only one monitor view screen window to play back either the project or selected clips, and this has to be selected by clicking just to the left of the transport control under the monitor. The three main work areas – monitor, library and timeline – are now dockable and can be moved according to taste to a second monitor, and of course there is a choice of layouts available.

The number of possible overlay tracks has remained at six, above the main video track. In addition there are two title tracks (although titles can now be inserted in the overlay tracks as well) a voice over track and three music/sound tracks. These tracks can be made visible or not in the Track Manager.

Corel is enthusiastic about its Library, which others might call the assets bin. To avoid clutter on your working space, it is handy to be able to decide just which assets you wish to see at any one time by turning on – or off – the display of video, still and audio clips.

The range of input formats that CVS can deal with should suit almost anyone with a digital video camera. By engaging a function called Smart Proxy, CVS takes the load off the CPU when dealing with any high definition format. The user has to decide the frame size above which Smart Proxy is used and for most in PAL land, this will be the standard 720 x 576, I would think. Thus any imported asset of frame size larger than this has a ‘Smart Proxy’ created at a smaller frame size which is then the grist for the editing mill. This appears to be done in the background (Check out Tools/Smart Proxy Manager) for I didn’t notice it happening. Editing is done on this light weight format, with all the decisions being transferred to the HD format at the time of rendering to output.

There are plenty of effects and filters that you can apply to clips on the timeline. A couple of clever new ones – RotoSketch (makes a video looks like a drawn animation) and Creative Painter (allows you to paint, draw and write on an overlay track) really open up some interesting options. There are also some free teasers from a third party company and there is some more ‘push selling’ at different stages in the program. A nice feature is the Corel Guide, accessed by an icon next to the minimise icon on the top right corner of the screen. This opens up some good stuff, including some embedded links to Vimeo tutorials on using CVS, but again more push selling...

"I don’t like push selling where inside a program you are encouraged to ‘buy, buy, buy!’ more - and largely useless - stuff you don’t need."

Apart from the free audio samples that are in the library when you open the program, you also get a number of SmartSound tracks. These now include some of the more sophisticated multilayer tracks which allow greater manipulation of the final sound to alter the ‘mood’ and the balance of the various instruments. Of course this is on top of the SmartSound original ability to smoothly finish the music in keeping with the video’s length as has been around for some years.

Virtually any playback format is supported as an output – video file, audio file, DVDs and Blu-Ray discs, record back to tape for DV and HDV, mobile devices and web upload, including Vimeo and YouTube.

There now is ability, albeit limited, to convert 2D vision to 3D for output to anaglyph displays (red & green glasses on normal TV or computer monitor) or side-by-side (3D TV and Polaroid glasses). While this is no doubt clever, I am having trouble seeing 3D for amateur videographers as ‘top of the pops’ for a while yet. Still, it is a nice inclusion, if a bit gimmicky.

Video Studio has always been a strong competitor at the ‘enthusiastic amateur’ end of the market. With more and more competition, the new editor has lots to choose from but Corel, through Video Studio Pro X4, still can hold its own.

However, one shortcoming in this version, which is a cause for complaint, is the inability to alter DVD burning speed. Although this option appears to be present, it is greyed out and not accessible. Further enquiries have made it clear that this is a known bug that was released with the program without apology or warning. Apparently the plan is for this to be fixed with a later patch. However, Corel has underestimated the negative fallout that this type of rushed marketing causes users, who spend hours trying to find out what they are doing wrong. This does Corel no service at all.

Corel Pty Ltd
Level 21, Tower 2
201 Sussex Street
Sydney NSW 2000

Price:                               $149

AusCam Ratings

 Performance:                   7

Documentation:                7

Features:                         7

Installation:                       8

Value:                              6

Help:                                7

We liked:

•  Dockable windows and more flexible workspace.
• The used of multilayered SmartSound tracks.
• The beginning of 3D editing in consumer programs.

We didn’t like:

•  The release of a new edition with known faults. While this might be in the release notes, they were not available for this review.
• The fact that nothing substantial has really changed since the last edition.
• Push selling of add-ons.

By Frank McLeod

Dr Frank McLeod is a specialist physician who in his ‘day job' works in the area of Addiction Medicine. Frank reckons he ‘dribbled' into video as a way to get information across to his patients and their families in an accessible way that avoided information overload. From there, the monster just grew. With a long-time interest in things technical and gadgetry of all kinds, he had been writing tech review-type-articles on a casual basis for a medical publication for some time, when an introduction to David Hague led to his continuing this level of activity in the field of video.

Frank says that one of the parts he likes best about his involvement with Australasian Camcorder is the opportunity to play with other people's toys. The downside, he says, is having to give them back at the end of ‘playtime' that precedes publication of the resulting review.

"I suppose I want to present information from the non-professional point of view, which is not difficult, given that I am the only amateur punter in the camp," he says. With a strong commitment to the amateur video club movement, he is the Secretary of his local video club. In part because of this, and with a long time history as an avid DIY-er behind him, Frank has an interest in the do-it-yourself construction of devices for the amateur videographer and strongly wishes to continue this type of contribution as part of his future involvement with auscam