Review by Jerry Saperstein

The progress is low-priced video editing programs over the past few years is nothing less than astounding. Originally, Corel acquired what has become VideoStudio Pro X2 from Ulead. Ulead’s products were always ambitious and often too quirky to use. In this case, Corel has tamed the base product and turned out a very usable video editing and DVD authoring package that compares very favorably with the stalwart Adobe Premiere Elements.

One big advantage packed into the VideoStudio Pro X2 box is a manual, a real manual! While the 200+ page manual will not teach you the art of editing, it will most certainly walk you through, albeit briefly in most cases, eery significant feature of the program. It’s a matter of opinion, but I think old-fashioned ink on paper is still the best way to rapidly convey information. Kudos to Corel for including the manual, something Adobe doesn’t bother to do.

And there is a lot to learn about VideoStudio Pro X2. This is no lightweight editing program: it can do (within reason) anything you need done by way of video capture, editing and output.

Video capture options include DV tape and AVCHD.

You start with three video and three audio tracks, a lot for a product in this price range. You can add up to five overlay tracks, which is actually a staggering number for a consumer oriented package. You can, of course, add effects, filters, overlays and titles. There is an abundance of trimming and cutting tools, which you can apply on the frame level.

The list of things you can do, as a matter of fact, is quite extensive and you will be glad to have that 200+ page manual to work with as you learn the program.

The work area is quite nice and you can change the view to meet your needs and desires.

You can create your own animations with a painting tool, generate your own titles, edit audio complete with a mixing panel.

Output options are surprisingly rich. DVDs with menus, of course, the now ubiquitous YouTube uploader, write to DV tape and export to mobile device.

For those of us who have roots in the days of editing film with the then conventional tools, VideoStudio Pro X2 with its low price and broaqd usability is breathtaking. In comparison with other contemporary consumer editing programs, though, it is a contender for best of breed.

Overall, it represents excellent value and a comprehensive toolkit for turning your raw video into a finished product.

Jerry