Here at Daytrum, we've been big fans of Pinnacle's Studio video-editing software (Daytrum review). In our opinion, Studio is the best program for home-users that's reasonably priced and fairly easy to learn. We were intrigued by higher-priced "prosumer" video-editing programs that cost hundreds of dollars more and promise the world. With this in mind, we evaluated Pinnacle Liquid Edition, Pinnacle's higher-end video-editing program.

The first thing we noticed about Liquid
Edition was the considerable hardware
requirements and the wealth of
documentation. To run Liquid Edition,
you'll want a fast Pentium 4 processor
and 512MB of RAM, as well as lots of
hard drive space. The documentation is
helpful and well written, but it takes time
to learn and use the software. But the
effort is well worth it considering the
program's considerable features.

Pinnacle Liquid Edition offers high-end
features that give you precise control
over video. Impressive real-time effects
let you perform compositing and
chroma/luma key effects, apply 2D and 3D effects and more. In-depth color correction provides secondary and selective color corrections and dynamic motion control lets you speed-up or slow-down motion. We were impressed with the audio tools that let us record voiceovers, mix audio and apply sound effects.

The program comes with comprehensive features for creating DVD/VCD/SVCD discs with moving menus and buttons. If you like, you may start with one of 40 templates, or use a helpful wizard that steps you through the process. Unlike other programs that we've evaluated, the disc-editing interface was similar to that in the main program, which made it easier to understand and use.

Power-users will enjoy the ability to create interface commands and customizable keyboard shortcuts. The software lets you map networked drives so multiple users may view and access the same media, and background processing lets you continue to work while the program renders video in the background. (With lower-end video systems you're stuck waiting as the computer renders final video.) The program's InstantSave technology lets you drop back to an earlier version of a project by using a comprehensive Undo History palette.

Undoubtedly, Pinnacle Liquid Edition offers far more capability than that found in Studio. And you'll have to ask yourself whether Liquid Edition at a higher price and steeper learning curve is worth it. Serious video-editors will enjoy the features found in Liquid Edition, while casual users will appreciate the real-time effects, color correction capabilities and DVD disc-burning features, but may not want to pay the extra money and take the time to learn them.

Bottom line, if you're happy with Studio or your favorite consumer video-editor, stay with the program. But if you're often confounded with the program's limitations, then you're a candidate for moving up to Pinnacle Liquid Edition.

Liquid Edition is priced at $699.
A Pro version costs $999 and comes with a breakout box and video card.

5/7/04 www.daytrum.com Editorial Staff

video-editing - Pinnacle Liquid Edition