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CyberLink PowerDirector 8 Deluxe (PC) |  | From: Cyberlink
Category: Software
List Price: £39.99
Buy New: £31.99
as of 10/9/2010 16:58 CDT details
You Save: £8.00 (20%)
Seller: Amazon.co.uk
Rating:  reviews
Sales Rank: 86
Format: CD-ROM
Platforms: Windows Vista, Windows XP
Media: CD-ROM
Operating System: Windows 7/Vista/XP
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.3
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 1.6
MPN: PDR-E800-RPX0-00
Model: PDR-E800-RPD0-00
UPC: 884799000614
EAN: 4711162032582
ASIN: B002LSHLUQ
Release Date: September 4, 2009
Shipping: Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews:
 so easy to learn, so much fun to use October 22, 2009
Rick
16 out of 16 found this review helpful
Before I used PowerDirector 8 Deluxe, I was a novice to video editting. Tried Windows movie maker before but found it too basic devoid of effects. The most fascinating thing of PowerDirector is how easy it is to create slideshows! The layout is user friendly too, saving time.
Another unique feature is the 20,000 worth of free download effects accessed within the software itself or online. Countless motion objects, title effects, frames and dvd menus are at your fingertips. It's quite fun with such a large selection. When it came to producing the video with my new HP notebook, it was surprisingly easy.
All in all, I am quite satisfied with the features and performance. I highly recommend to all editing beginners.
Great with Canon SX1 HD video November 6, 2009
Patient Learner (UK)
12 out of 12 found this review helpful
Just thought I'd add a comment here regarding usage of PD8 with the Canon SX1 (and similar digicams which handle 30fps HD video). When I first purchased my SX1 several months ago I found little PC video editing software which did a really good job with the SX1 video. In the end I found myself using the free tool WinFF to convert the .mov files into .avi, and then editing them using Windows Movie Maker. That worked, but it was cumbersome, and WMM tends to crash when working on projects > 10 mins long in HD.... so to make longer videos I needed to work on 10 min segments at a time, then join them all up afterwards....
...well, I've finally found a new package which seems to do a really good job with Canon SX1 video. It is Cyberlink Power Director 8. It can import the Canon's .mov files directly, does so very quickly, and is easy to edit video with. Everything worked smoothly and slickly and it is packed with options. But the best bit is that it creates 30fps output video properly, in various formats including MPEG2, WMV, and AVCHD. It also created 30fps DVD for me. It didn't crash (!) and so far has done all I'd want from a video editor to edit my SX1 video.
Don't be put off by negative early reports about PD8...(some of the poorer reports on here are probably based on an earlier release of v8) as it initially had some bugs, but CyberLink appeared to have fixed most of these, and the .2013 version I have tried seems very stable. So... if you're an SX1 user, or are considering the SX1, SX20, 5DII, 7D, or one of the Panasonic digicams like the TZ7, but want to know how to edit their video.... I think you'll find PD8 does a good job (only real ommission at present being to output 1080p in the .mov format which the Canon itself creates them in).
UPDATE on 24 November 09
Just thought I'd add a little postscript to my review here. I see several others have now posted reviews, and they seem (like my own) to be very positive. This confirms to me that the current release of PD8 has fixed the majority of bugs found in the initial release (which prompted some negative responses). So, hopefully the rating of this product will become more representative of how it currently performs - which in my judgment is very, very good. And I say that have toiled with a number of other packages which have really just been a headache! Video editing on PCs (especially of HD video) is a memory and processor intensive task.... and many packages seem to crash or exhibit bugs if they are not run on a suitably powerful machine. But quite frankly that shouldn't be the case, and is not an excuse which users should accept. Well written software (and I'm speaking as one who works in the industry) should cope with any situation in a stable manner. If the software needs a certain amount of memory to perform a task, and doesn't have it, then it should simply show the right error message - not crash. Given that PCs, by design, use virtual memory on their HDs when real RAM is unavailable, most PCs 'should' have enough memory to cope in some fashion. Likewise, when it comes to speed.... you shouldn't NEED the fastest PC to edit video - it should simply be the case that the fast PC copes well, the slow PC copes - but slowly! I simply don't buy all these excuses being made for all these packages 'falling over'.... so it is something of a relief to finally find something which (in my experience) just works. ABOUT TIME! (I was on the brink of writing my own software....)
But... just wanted to add that I recently made a 30+ minute video using PD8 which had over 80 video clips in it, taken as 1080p .MOV files from the SX1, which I quickly threw together, added lots of different transitions between clips, titles, and so on - then generated as several different output video files (WMV, MPEG2) and also a 30fps (NTSC) DVD (which plays perfectly well on most UK, PAL, TVs and DVD players). All worked fine - no crashes, very quick, very good results.
Highly recommended.
A Powerful & Easy Piece Of Software for Anyone to use. November 24, 2009
shaz17 (England)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
Took quite a while for the installation maybe around 20 minutes. It was easy to register, no problems at all with either installation or running it on my XP machine.
I must admit as soon as I read about it lighting up dark scenes, I knew I had to have this software. I had a few little films that I had made on my camcorder of my grand children and their first birthdays and they were very dark. In the Producer part of this software you can edit your movie to compensate for this and I was totally thrilled with the results. That was all I wanted really, but I got the bug.... And that was it, I was off trying all sorts. I put in a Title, music, cut bits that I didn't want and added frames and sliders.
I even went and signed in to DirectorZone (there's a link on the interface to do so, which allows you to open an account on DirectorZone) to download more frames, pips, scenes etc and looked at what others had made with film or photos. Inspiration everywhere. The choice is staggering for your home movies. And can be made to look really professional as you can download the first bit to Paramount Pictures etc...
I love the interface and it is easy to work around and get used too. I like to learn as I go along and if I get stuck there is plenty of help on the disc or the website. The interface and layout has been thought out really well, that even amateurs like me will get into the swing of it pretty quickly.
My first attempt didn't turn out that brilliant, but hey Im learning and enjoying it while I do. I had to clear up a bit of space to work as one movie can take up a lot of space so don't forget to check you have loads before starting. But it does tell you how much it will need when you click produce. You can turn it into quite a few different formats, but I chose .mov for high quality dvd. It counts down and tells you how much space it has used and how long it is going to be before it is finished.
You can upload to DirectorZone website or you tube or even facebook, plus a few others. But me, I just wanted to burn them to DVD for a special Christmas present for my girls.
It does things like you do with a photo and cleans it up lovely, sharpens, brightens etc. HD DVD's are easy to achieve, learn as you go. This is not just for amateurs, professionals will definitely love this very versatile software that will make them look like Hollywood Producers. I hope to get better each time I use Deluxe PowerDirector 8, I have loads of old home movie's to try in it.
And yes here it comes, the bit about the price. Is this worth the money? Yes, I would say every penny, marvellous piece of software that I wouldn't be with out now.
An excellent product for home DVD production April 20, 2010
Mr. P. HAIGH (Shropshire, UK)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was a bit nervous about getting another piece of software that purported to be God's Gift to home video editors after a dire and expensive experience with Ulead VideoStudio 9. However my fears were unfounded - this has turned out to be an excellent piece of software and a very pleasant experience all round.
My primary use for this software is to burn recordings of my favourite TV programs. They come as raw MPEG streams and this is the first piece of software I have come across that handles them with simplicity. The software is easy to use, well thought through, has yet to crash, and generally performs well - although I'm running it on a four core processor with 2Gb of fast memory with Windows XP. Strongly recommended.
Look Out Tarantino, here I come! November 22, 2009
Sassy Brit (UK)
4 out of 5 found this review helpful
How to Install
This is so easy to install I thought I'd first run through the process: Slip in the disc, and click PowerDirector for a screen that will give you a short introduction and three icons, which lead to a "Read Me" file, a 126 page PDF "User Guide", and "Install". Click this Install button for the InstallSheild Wizard. Read and accept the License Agreement (you have to do this) and then approximately 12 minutes for it to install. That's how long it took me, only stopping midway with one pop up that asked me if I wanted to install the SmartSound feature (26 music files). Then eject disc and click on your new desktop icon to start. You need to add the activation code (supplied on the disc cover), wait for a second pop up and then you're ready to go!
What can this do?
For the proficient, which I am not, it lets you create professional looking video movies and photo slideshows with music, voiceovers and all sorts of special affects. For newbies, it does the same, but with clear instructions and easy to learn buttons to help you on your way.
How did I cope?
I played around with this and within ten minutes I had made my own, very short video with music and a frame, titles and special effects. Now I understand totally how to take this one step (well, actually several steps) further and produce something that I really want. It is surprisingly and quick easy to learn, and I fully recommend it. Admittedly, I'm not an expert so I am unclear to what other similar products are on the market, but this proves that for a beginner it's an easy programme to get along with.
What features do you get?
There are several features, listed as "rooms" that have clear, recognisable buttons. You get the Media Room, Effects Room, PiP Objects Room, Particle Room, Title Room, Transition Room, Audio Mixing Room, Voiceover Recording Room, Chapter Room and finally the Subtitle Room.
Simply chose your picture, or music track and select or drag it to add to your Video track or PiP track. Then continue with other features from different "rooms"; themes (birthday, baby, Christmas, etc), select media, background music, specify movie duration, Magical style (analyses what you have so far), preview and then save to create. After this you are then ready to output movie as a video file (for places like YouTube) or burn it to disk. Another simple, but great feature is that you can save (lock) each item individually. So if you make a mistake you don't lose the whole lot. A welcome bonus in my book!
What are my favourite features?
You can sign into the DirectorZone, a space for sharing your creations with other users. A great way to see what can be accomplished, if you do not already know. Plus, after creating an account in a few easy steps, you are then registered once for both sites, the DirectorZone and Cyberlink, where you can download, share and manage your favourite creators. The downloads are good too, since you can get proper looking DVD menus, picture frames, gadgets, scenes and fancy titles, to name but a few items available there. I found this so useful to get a feel of what I can confidently learn to achieve, but you know what this means don't you? You are going to see a lot more mini-movies on my website from now on! Lucky, lucky you! I'm as pleased as punch and hope to be the next Tarantino! (Well, I can dream!)
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