Ever notice how difficult it is to find software that provides just the right balance between beginner and advanced user? Pinnacle's Studio Version 8 comes about as close to that magical place as any video editing product.
Once you understand the basics of digital video - you need to get the video into your computer, a process called "capturing," then you need to edit what's there and send it out again - you are ready to begin experimenting.
The manual could have been a little more robust, especially for beginners, but the user interface is very intuitive. Studio Version 8 offers lots of editing tools, including precise frame-by-frame editing, a variety of fades and more special effects than you'll ever need (unless you're producing a sci-fi flick).
And you can burn a DVD, save your project as an MPEG file or in other formats, or record your finished project back to a videotape.
Also, the software often comes bundled with video capture cards that will help you if your video isn't already in a digital format.
One caveat: You can't save music files from your hard drive into your movie; you have to rip them from a compact disc or use supplied audio clips. That aside, I highly recommend this product to users from beginners to advanced videophiles.
