CyberLink PowerDirector 21 Ultimate | Easy-to-Use Video Editing Software With Thousands of Visual Effects | Slideshow Maker | Screen Recorder [Retail Box with Download Card]

I like video editing as a personal hobby creating some vacation videos whenever I have time and Im not an expert by any means. Ive used several video editors from PC, OSX based to mobile video editing apps. Ive been using PowerDirector 365 in the last year and Im assimilated into its processes. Its powerful and relatively easy to navigate and use its features. I can say that Power Director is one of the best editing software currently available now. The menus are intuitive and user friendly. I really like how the menus are arranged and accessible. At first, it can be overwhelming to see the many available features of this app. The way I approached to learn is to google and search YouTube for tutorial videos and theres a LOT out there. If youre a beginner, start with something basic as adding videos and transitions. Learning layers is important if youre already getting comfortable with menu navigation. Then the more exciting part of adding texts, background music, adding a voice over and special effects will be on your action list. So getting this Ultimate version vs 365 vs Ultra is a hard decision. It really depends on what you value as they offer very similar feature set. The main benefit of the PowerDirector 365 is you get all the up to date premium plug ins and effects, you get 8 in Ultimate, 6 in Ultra. For some people like me, who only occasionally edit videos, Ill prefer getting either the Ultra or this Ultimate edition so that I only have to pay one time. If youre editing videos all the time then maybe the 365 is better for you as it offers a lot more in terms of plug ins and effects. Installation Theres an option to download the installation file. Install file is not in the CD disk anyway, just the Cyberlink Application Manager app. Now, I can say that this latest offering from Cyberlink is so far the best video editing out there offering many features and theyre easier to implement. The learning curve is not that bad and theres a lot of video tutorials in youtube that helped me go through the feature set one by one.

I’ve been dabbling with video editing for a few years now. Prior to this, I’ve used Final Cut Pro on Mac, and a bit of iMovie on iPad Pro. Transitioning to PowerDirector was relatively easy compared to other PC video editing softwares I’ve used. Overall, the interface is nice. By default, the screen space is a bit cluttered, but everything is laid out in a way that makes sense. Some things (like how to apply chromakey) are a bit harder to find, but easy to use once found. For the most part, it can walk through the steps needed for each individual effect you want to add. Rendering isn’t the fastest, but it’s not as slow as some open source options either. The output was clear, it didn’t look like it dropped any frames at 4k, and I really can’t complain. Overall, this is a pretty good piece of software. For someone who wants to get into video editing for the first time, this is a great place to start! I can definitely recommend this!

I used to have access to the Adobe suite and primarily used Premiere for video. I cant afford Adobe outside of education. And with the frequency that I use video editing software, its not worth a subscription anyway. Thats why I quickly snatched this when I saw it available on Amazon vine. It gave the perception that Ill own this software (which is $119+ for a more introductory tier). But as other reviewer has pointed out, the digital code is only good for one month, 30 days! after you activated the key. I didnt catch that part soon enough and threw away the box and CD already; my laptop doesnt have a CD slot. By any chance I need to switch device or reinstall the software, I cant just download it back. The other thing could be my own problem. Im used to Premier and previously Final cut pro that Cyber link just feels weird to me. Its basic but also bundled with different gadgets that I dont have the patience to learn over. So is the user interface with simple things but visually expanded into different chunky sections. The software runs a bit slow and laggy and moderate amount of loadings. Im a bit disappointed.