Review by 2WheelTravlr

I switched to Win8 awhile back, and my go-to video editing software, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate 14, doesn’t seem to appreciate the new operating system. I was thrilled to be able to try out Cyberlink PowerDirector, as it has consistently been winning against Pinnacle in head-to-head testing.

At first glance, the two programs have very similar appearance and ease-of-use within their full-feature editors. I found Pinnacle to be slightly easier to understand as far as being able to import folders and keeping different photos in those folders while I’m working on a project, otherwise both are equal in creating a photo-montage production, which is what I use this type of program for the most.

Cyberlink makes it easier to move things around the timeline in groups, so you can select a batch of images and drag them wherever. Pinnacle made it easier to copy and paste transition actions, but I think I’m just missing out on a quicker way to do it with Cyberlink.

Where PowerDirector really shines though is the wonderful Easy Editor and Slideshow Creator options. Honestly, these are so quick and simple that I think anyone could easily use them and create a good-looking video without any training whatsoever.

Pinnacle had issues with VERY slow rendering before you could burn a DVD, PowerDirector was able to render the same project in about half the time. Pinnacle also had issues with crashing when you’d get too complex with a bunch of different transitions and special effects within a project, PowerDirector seems more stable, although I was able to get it to crash once while trying to un-do a very resource-heavy process.

The freebies that come with PowerDirector are pretty neat also, free 20GB Cloud Service, access to DirectorZone, this gives you tutorials and tons of templates and other goodies. Fill out a survey and get even more freebies.

If you’re trying to decide between PowerDirector Ultimate and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate, I definitely give the nod to PowerDirector.