Ulead Videostudio 9 Review
Ulead Videostudio 9 is the latest video editing product from Ulead. It is easy to use, and has a lot of powerful features that set it apart from the other video editors in its price range.
Once installed, it gives you a couple of options on how you want to run the program, including a beginner mode that walks you through the steps of putting together your movie. I personally stick with the normal mode; it isn't that complex, and gives you a lot more control over what you want to do.
The main screen is laid out very well. The left side of the screen is used for the settings of what mode you are in. For example, if you are in transition mode, they will give you extra options for changing the way the transition runs, while in this mode, it controls the length of the images you put in. In the middle of the screen, there is the preview window. This shows you the clip/image that is currently selected. It also can play your movie as you go, though that requires a powerful computer. On the far right of the screen is the Library. This is where you can insert all of images, movies, transitions, and more. It acts like a repository of your files to insert into your movie. Sadly, it gets kind of sluggish when you try to load up 200 pictures into one section. Fortunately, you can add your own categories to the list. At the very bottom of the screen, there is the Timeline area. There you can put your images, movies, sound clips, music, filters, and transitions.
Doing movies in this is pretty simple. It comes down to inserting the image or movie, adjusting the length, adding some music, and creating the movie. It can be used for simple slideshows, or complex movies, and it handles both of them equally well.
It also comes with a bare-bones DVD burner, which lets you take your movies, and make VCDs and SVCDs out of them. While it does offer a motion-menu option, it only shows the first 5 seconds of each movie, and has no configuration options. Hopefully the next the version of the program will give greater control in that area.
Before I wrap this review up, there are a few other things that need mentioning.
First, it comes with a lot of transitions. Most of the transitions are highly configurable, which is even better, and it gives you far more control over the finished product. There are also sites online where you can get more transitions for free, just look for VFX transitions.
Secondly, it does support blue-screening. While it doesn't work as well as the blue-screening in Adobe Premiere, it works well enough.
Finally, it supports creating movies in almost every imaginable format, including MPEG4.
This is a great program, and is a steal at $99. I would recommend it to anybody who wants a great video editor, but doesn't have $600 to put into one.
| Pros | Cons |
| Cheap Lots of options Exports to many different formats Easy to use |
Slow Library Non-configurable motion menus |