Review by Christopher Powell

Like any retail editing program, Pinnacle needs support longer than a month without nickle and dimeing the customer. I needed the training to get off my feet, but as I am not a professional, my use is sporadic and not necessarily all withing the first 30 days of product registration. Getting a product to support my use through my first 2 to 3 projects will get my comfort and use of the features solid. Pinnacle really needs to look at its support program as a customer loyalty builder, not additional revenue.

While Pinnacle supports downloading from current generation cameras, AVCHD from MINIDV over fire-wire is no longer supported. To download the video from my 8 yr old HD Cam, I need to use WinDV or another freeware program, then import the file into Pinnacle. Pinnacle used to support miniDV import – disappointing that they are no longer supporting this method.

Beyond my issues with importing video from my older cam, the program is well featured to put together scenes and transitions intuitively, especially with the included premium NewBlue effects. I specifically use Stabilizer to make any mobile camera work a little less jittery. Nothing fixes poor capture, but it softens the impact.