Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Version 12 [OLD VERSION]

I have used Studio 12 Ultimate to produce videos for two theater performances. I mixed multiple camera angles and audio sources. The software is powerful with many special effects and features. It allows two video and four audio tracks to be mixed easily.

The projects that I produced used HD AVCHD files as the input and I was able to produce both DVD and Blu Ray disks. However on the DVD copies, there were numerous places that the sound inexplicable dropped out. This would happen several times in an hour. If the DVD was played in a PC the sound was solid, the only problem was with DVD players. I tried many different approaches to eliminate this including mixing the sound to a wav file and using that as my single sound feed but nothing worked.

After Christmas I purchased Studio 14 and have tried re-rendering the problematic projects from 12 and the problem is gone. Apparently there's a problem with 12 that hasn't been resolved but is corrected in 14. I wrote the tech support, told them of my experience and if they intended to put out a patch for Studio 12 and got this reply:

"So the issue has been resolved in Studio 14. Regarding your question about a patch for Studio 12, the only patch available is Studio 12.1. We do not have full information if a patch will still be created on this version. "

Not exactly helpful customer service. So my advice is that if you're going to use a HD source and burn to DVD, get version 14 or another product.

I'm a long time Pinnacle Studio user and love the easy to use interface. When I upgraded to a Windows 7 operating system I upgraded my Pinnacle software also, to version 12 Ultimate. It's still easy to use and intuitive and it makes great movies. But there seems to be a Windows 7 conflict with one of the 3rd party add-ons call proDAD Vitascene (made by a German company) which adds cool lighting effects and transitions. It doesn't boot properly and is basically unusable. A customer service rep told me, and this is a direct quote from his email; "It might be also one of the reason if the Prodad is not properly working on your windows 7 machine. Since studio 12 and other 3rd party plug ins where not totally tested in windows 7 operating system." The other 3rd party add-ons work fine, but this proDAD Vitascene is a major part of the software and it's non-compliant?! I'm not sure if a patch or upgrade is forthcoming, but I will update this review when I find out more.

I'm a big fan of Pinnacle Studio but recommend it with reservation.

I made my first slide show in Windows Movie maker about 6 months ago. I thought that was great but there were things that I just couldn't do so I thought I would try Pinnacle Studio Ultimate v 12. I absolutely LOVE it. the thought of going back to the very limited Windows Movie Maker is out of the question. It takes a few days (or longer) to really get used to and work your way around but after a few Youtube tutorials (including on Boris Graffitti) I felt alot more comfortable.
I am able to import home movies and VERY EASILY cut out the parts I don't want, right on the timeline and insert transitions (fades, etc). I am still not too great with the titling but practice makes perfect. You can change the volume of your song or of your video's audio track and this can be done in various portions of the project so that you can have the music louder in some areas and when you want to hear the videos audio, you can lower it. I just love it.
Now I am tackling some of the plug ins which is all new but I can see that this is going to greatly improve my movies. If you want something that is more than basic but not necessarily professional and complicated, this is a great program. I have Windows Vista and it works great.

Do not upgrade to Studio 14. It is riddled with defects. I am trying to receive a refund for 2 months and it is next to impossible. But I will not give up. I do not have money to throw around. Ladies and Gentlemen, please try another product. I just ordered Sony Vegas and am hoping for a better experience. What frosts my banana's is that the phone help admits the product is defective but the company will not come out with a patch of refund money. I do not know how then stay in business. . .

I keep trying to do HD video editing on a Windows machine, and am constantly disappointed. I actually work for a company in the PC business (I'm writing this as an individual), so I'd naturally be inclined to recommend Windows apps. But in this case, you'll save a lot of grief just going to the Apple Store and plunking down some money for an iMac...

To brass tacks:

1. The included green screen is very nice. I use it quite a bit.
2. The installation process is pretty convoluted, and takes a long time. Another reviewer has pointed out that the licensing mechanism can cause a lot of grief -- particularly as you buy new systems (keys only good for two years, etc.). My guess is that if you buy into the Pinnacle universe, you'll wind up having to upgrade more often than that -- but I indeed had hassles just installing it for the first time.

I ran into several bugs and crashes, both on a Vista and on an XP system. YES, the crashes could have been caused by my system. Video editing apps are amongst the most demanding on graphics drivers and are the most sensitive to conflicts with other applications. What's so great about Macs is that the configurations are extremely limited, the OS is designed for better isolation, and Apple bloody well makes sure Final Cut and iMovie work flawlessly on whatever Mac hardware they produce.