Avid Studio review

It’s great to see comprehensive ripple editing options added too. These dictate how edits affect the position of clips later on in the timeline; Pinnacle Studio’s fixed, default action isn’t suitable for all occasions. Avid Studio’s ripple options could be clearer, though, with three separate buttons and a convoluted relationship between them. Also new are tabs on the top corners of clips for fading them to and from black and adding dissolve transitions. It’s a neat time-saver that’s clearly inspired by Sony Vegas, but this implementation isn’t as elegant as Sony’s.

Double-clicking a clip brings up a full-screen effects editor that looks and feels a lot more grown up than the one in Pinnacle Studio. It’s no more capable, though. The large preview window is useful for adjusting effects settings but keyframe animation remains clumsy. Keyframes are generated per effect rather than per parameter, and because many effects combine a number of different processes, keyframes for one parameter clog up the timeline, making it hard to animate other parameters. The effects themselves are the same bundle that’s included with Pinnacle Studio Ultimate Collection, but that’s far from disappointing. As we discussed in our review of version 14, this is one of the best effects bundles available in a consumer editing package.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 10 gives it some stiff competition, though. Its creative effects aren’t as impressive but its colour correction is far superior. Otherwise, the two are hard to separate, with both offering sophisticated features and impressively smooth previews. Avid Studio looks more inviting for new users, but it can’t quite match Vegas Platinum’s streamlined efficiency – or its incredibly low price, currently at just £38 from Amazon. Sony’s editor remains our top choice.