Review by Stephanie Sullivan

I found Pinnacle Studio 20 Ultimate a very usable video editing program for my modest needs. It has many more features and included add-ins than I’ll ever need. For example - multi-camera features are cool but I doubt I’ll ever use more than 2 cameras. Still it’s nice to have the option. The same for a lot of the other advanced capabilities. Motion follow is already a very useful for me.

The program comes with a limited time access to on-line training. I have only dipped my figurative toe into these lessons but I think most new video editors will find the training a very helpful quick start and introduction to video editing using Pinnacle Studio. I think this is a thoughtful plus, but the time-limited access is just plain strange. Happily there are lots of helpful youtube videos too.

Somehow it bugs me when a program has a shopping cart built-in. It’s like you are expected to get add-ons to really use the program. For example, a major feature is 4K and HD editing. Does it make sense that Blu-Ray burning should be an extra cost $7.99 add-on you can only purchase through the program? Probably this does not push other folks buttons like it does mine.

Here is what I like:n+ Easy to use interface (coming from Adobe Premiere)n+ Limited-time access to online training is usefuln+ Performs well with reasonably quick user interfacen+ Reads/writes every format I could wantn+ Motion follow for text has been very handy!n+ A large number of transitions and effects are includedn+ Tracking effects (like blur and following text) are helpfulnnHere is what I don’t so much:n- Blu-Ray burning requires a $7.99 add-innnI like when software gets regular updates. I installed the latest patch today: V20.1.0 released 2016-10-26. Here is a summary of its changes:n* Resolved black or flickering previewn* NewBlueFX: Watermarks removedn* Resolved error messages that displayed when editing titlesn* Resolved crashes in Slideshow projectsn* Sample project is now removablen* New! Added audio-specific fade transition (Audio Cross Fade)nnIn conclusion, I think Pinnacle Studio 20 Ultimate is a very nice video editing package at an affordable price point. It is feature rich with a very usable interface. It seems intuitive to me after using Adobe Premiere. Performance seems pretty good to me on my desktop with lots of RAM. It bugs me that an add-on is required to burn a Blu-ray and the program has a built-in shopping cart.

The annoyances are minor compared to the overall value of the program. Amazon does not give half stars and I don’t think that I can really take a full star off so 5 stars is my rating.

Hope this helps someone.