Studio 14, a new version. What's inside?
For those who subscribe to our free newsletter, you found out exclusively on 09/09/09 in our article "Pinnacle Studio 14 HD, Ultimate and Ultimate Collection". Some questions have already arrived through the comment section. Of course, with every new version (and not only with Pinnacle products), we have people who are happy, those who are less satisfied, and many who are in between. That's what gives vitality to our website; we are open to all comments, as long as they stay objective.
Before going further, let's have a look AVID press release.
It's a pleasure for me to continue this second article, dedicated to Pinnacle Studio14, to better understand what it is composed of, and to try to answer those questions already asked. Of course, we will probably need more than one article to fully cover the product and to find an answer to every question. But let's go step by step! Beforehand, I would like to tell you about my computer configuration, so you can have a point of reference:
Don't forget to render any current projects (as AVI, MPEG, ...) so you can work with it under Pinnacle Studio 14 (I do not recommend working on an S12 project using S14, even if it works). I don't advise you to uninstall any of the previous versions, I started the switchover with Pinnacle Studio 9 and Pinnacle Studio 12...So, I installed the DVD Studio 14: it was fast, very few warnings ... In short, I was a happy user. You won't be asked to uninstall any previous version.
Regarding the speed of installation, it took less than 20 minutes to complete:
The most time consuming step is the one which uninstalls and removes all "installer file". Just be patient....On my side, I had just a small problem when registering, probably due to the fact that I quit in advance and the server wasn't prepared to see a Studio 14 user ?
We will do a quick overview of the general design, without going into details.
I like:
We do not like:
And what about SmartSound ? Today, I was unable to install it or to transfer it into Pinnacle Studio 14. I tried several times ! After being contacted on the subject, Pinnacle answered the following:
That's the BIG question, as usual: "{...} will my previous content purchased with Studio 9, 10, 11 and Studio 12 be usable with Studio 14 ?... and the answer?...". Yes, the good old "Transfer wizard" is still there...
The upgrade from Studio 12 to Studio 14 is taking into account part of Studio 12 plugins, all functionalities as well as HFX effects. Others plugins will be installed separately with the Content Transfer Wizard or manually, except for SmartSounds...
Summary: after installing Studio 14, here is what is automatically transferred:
What was missing ? The following plugins, that I managed to transfer using this method:
So now, you should obtain the whole Studio 12 content, without losing anything except SmartSound.For your information, I recorded the full install process, so I will be able to upload a tutorial pretty soon. This way, you won't have any problem to update, and you will be assisted in doing so, as usual with our website !
On my configuration, I have the same problem as the one I reported when closing Pinnacle Studio: studio.exe process is still alive, and I need to manually kill it (using task manager). That's not a big problem, I think it's only in certain cases, I never read similar problems on the forums.
Otherwise, I also have Pinnacle Studio 9 and Pinnacle Studio 12 installed. They all live together !! I can also open Studio 9 while using Studio 12 or Studio 14. But I can not open Studio 12 and Studio 14 both together. Probably due to the engine which is similar. But for sure, that's not a big problem, except if you want to do side by side comparisons!
What's new?
This interface has been slightly redesigned. Studio lets you incorporate many kinds of media in your video productions. When these are stored externally from your computer – on a camcorder tape or a memory stick from your digital camera – they must be transferred to local storage before you can use them. You can also capture your webcam activity, live ! Various controls depend on the task you are performing (DVD importation, ...). In this window, you will also use the famous "Stop Motion" mode, or the snapshot feature. We will detail these new functions later on.
That's rather simple: whereas the Album is a central library of available resources, the Bin contains only those items that either already belong to the current project or that you have specifically earmarked for possible inclusion. Pretty cool !! We will see in the future if we use it, or if we stick with old habits.
In my opinion, this is the most interesting part of this new version. Studio’s Motion Titler is a powerful tool for creating and editing animated titles and graphics without using plugins or HFX effects. As such, you will be able to animate text without using anything else than this new titler. But I have to admit that it is not so easy to use, not so intuitive... You will find the usual titling categories (ressources, objects, looks and motion or "effect"), as well as a timeline on which you will add layer and effect, customizing the effect on the timeline. Motions contains the animation routines that give the motion titler its power. They are divided into three classes based on the portion of the layer's lifespan they affect: Enter, Emphasis and Exit. In each three classes, several standard types based on their mode of action: letter-based, word, line or page-based.On my side, I had some difficulities editing the existing motion, to better understand how they are constructed and to better understand the working condition. I hope that we will later on have additional information.
Concerning Red Giant plugins, you apply it as any other plugin; access to the settings is standard, you set it with the usual window. No specific interface. Some presets already exist, and then you can do whatever you want, by modifying certain parameters. Try it, and give us your best settings !
After a few quick tests based on some comments received on our website, I found that:
We did not talk about SmartMovie or Pinnacle Montage, but they are of course still there... No Studio 12 functions have been lost during the upgrade... Phewww....
And for those who read this article completely, you will probably be more than happy to know that you can already order the Pinnacle Studio 14 upgrade by itself, with a $20 discount, following this link: Pre-order Pinnacle Studio 14 upgrade (I say again, it concerns only upgrade version).
Watch the demo video (click me)
UPDATE - New Article:
Disclaimer The opinions expressed herein are my own personal opinions and do not represent my employer's view in any way.