This program in the standard version will import standard definition video in both 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios from tape, hard drive and DVD camcorders and VOB files from DVDs. In addition, it will accept input from webcams, digital cameras and mobile telephones. <i>(What about camera-enabled refrigerators? -Ed)<i> In regard to high definition, MMEP can accept HDV in both interlaced and progressive forms. The Plus version can also handle AVCHD and, as an aside, perform two-camera editing.

It's in the Box!

Magix Movie Edit Pro (MMEP) comes on a DVD along with a bunch of other interesting programs. There is Photomanager 8 (reminiscent of Adobe Bridge, an application manages your digital images including slideshow creation, online storage and burning to disk) and Screenshare, a trial program for linking PCs online, both from Magix. In addition from third party sources there's, iClone 3 SE, a 'lite' version of a program for 3D animation, such as seen in many computer games, Mufin Musicfinder Base, which assists in finding similar music on your computer and Vasco da Gama, a travel route mapping application that unfortunately doesn't acknowledge the Asia Pacific region. Perhaps it is these inclusions along with the main program that makes it a SLLLOOOOWWW install - over 15 minutes on my quad core PC.

Record = Capture or Import

When first opened, the user gets to nominate the location for the project's assets and the format - 16:9 or 4:3 - and then you move onto the user interface proper. From three buttons on the top right of the screen you can navigate between Record, Edit and Burn.

MMEP opens a new project in a window with three options displayed - Record (from your camera or other video source) Import (from files already on the PC) and Video Recorder where with the correct connections via your display adapter, you can watch and record TV to your PC's hard drive. Recent projects are displayed below

Record is to Magix what Capture/Import is to other programs and runs in the expected way. Files imported subsequent to the first may be appended to that movie or used to start a new one. When determining the captured files destination, you can also elect to capture the file as an MPEG file.

Edit

This option displays the imported clips depending on your selection from the three icons above the track window. The views are either Storyboard with transitions indicated in between the clips, simple Overview clips-only or as a Timeline with its multiple tracks. Each one of these tracks will become either video or audio tracks, depending on what you drag into them. The video is seen in the Program Monitor, which if not visible can be turned on by selecting it under the Windows menu.

The major windows in the Edit section are dockable which is always a nice touch and works really well with two monitors. If you choose to dock the various window but would like to return to the default arrangement, Reset window arrangement (or F9) returns to the original display settings.

All the usual and expected functions are found when the Edit function is selected and most of the tools in frequent use are found on a Toolbar (surprise!) above the top right hand side of the Track box. In this program, as in many others, it is well worth checking out what lies hidden under each of the menus and tool icons, as well as under the right mouse button, a seriously underused tool of editing. Also, attention should be paid to the small arrows beside each toolbar icon for multiple options are also hidden there. One of the bigger surprises is the detailed Audio mixer brought to life by the icon at the far right of the toolbar and the Audio FX controls that become visible by pressing the Fx button on the mixer console.

Four tabs become available

(1) Import - for the importation of other assets into the project, (2) Fades - being a large range of transitions which are dragged to the clip junction points, (3) Titles and (4) Effects.

Import opens up an Explorer-like display that enables access to assets on the computer as well as online. It's of interest to note here that some cameras when set to widescreen have their files imported natively with a 'squeezed' appearance, and a 4:3 aspect ratio on the Program Monitor. While different programs treat this differently, in MMEP, it was simply a matter of using Movement effects then Size/position, unselecting 'Keep proportions', selecting Percentage (as opposed to pixels) and making both dimensions 100%.

Still on the matter of importing files already on the PC, it should be noted that MMEP doesn't like importing DV-AVI that has been captured using other programs. I suppose you can't blame it for that, but it's irritating that when importing, you can only import one file at a time, as opposed to a collection. This makes it a nuisance and time consuming later if the files were captured using scene select and then not saved as a project.

As to Fades, there are more options available here than any one sensible person would ever use - but whatever else is said, you will not be limited for choice.

Again, presets for Titles boggle the mind, there being over 60 individual choices that can be made under the umbrella of this heading. This includes a section for lower third labelling such as seen on news programs where a speaker has a banner displaying their name near the bottom of the screen. Text for titles (end credits can be imported from any word processor which can generate an RTF file), making this a much more convenient way of avoiding spelling errors and typos.

Some of the video effects under the Effect tab deserve individual comment. MMEP has one method of applying a simply crossfade that I've always liked, where one clip's beginning is simply dragged over another clip's ending. This gives easy control over the length of the effect and is very convenient and easy to use.
Another Effect preset which is impressive is the range of various 'intros' and 'outros' with titling options that are quite effective for use of themed beginnings and endings and are quite sophisticated in their appearance. To alter the text displayed by these effects, the Title tab has to be activated.

Many advanced functions are also included under Video Effects. Of note is Chromakeying, which offers a number of different colour choices for the key. Of course, picture-in-picture is there along with a variety of derived permutations and combinations, all depending on the availability of up to 32 video tracks.

The ability to export the movie from the timeline gives the user a lot of options covering a variety of situations. This of course is unrelated to burning the output to a disk and I must say this is one part of MMEP that I found disappointing.

Burn

Creating a DVD with an interesting intro and menu system is a mixed bag. Using the File/MovieShow Maker can quickly and easily get you a smart looking and sounding beginning to the movie plus/minus your tailored text, which would be a boon for newbies. Getting from there to a nice and relevant menu is another question and it involves changing from the standard view to the advanced. Intuitive - it ain't!

It strikes me as strange that in this day and age of widescreen and HD TVs that there are more templates for DVD menus for 4:3 than 16:9. The video tutorial on this section is rather limited, as for example, it failed to tell you how to change the title on the opening menu of the disk, defaulting onto the name of the original project. This was rather irritating until I lucked onto finding, under Advanced, that by double clicking on the title, a window popped up allowing this to be changed.

In summary

Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 is a good solid editing program but not an easy starting point for the editing neophyte. It has a lot of potential and power, but to me is let down in the output to DVD stage. Magix should also by now have accepted that 4:3 video is passé. If like some, you use a standalone DVD authoring program, then that would bypass this obstacle, but that's hardly ideal.

Vendor:     QVS Software | http://www.qvsoftware.com.au/ | 02 9748 2555
Price:      $110

AusCam Ratings

Performance:      7
Documentation:    6
Features:   8
Installation:     7
Value:      7
Help: 6

We liked:   number of tracks, range of effects, filters and titles, dockable windows, export options, audio controls.

We didn't like:   Cryptic help file (in parts), limited and inflexible DVD authoring ability.

By Frank McLeod

Dr Frank McLeod is a specialist physician who in his ‘day job' works in the area of Addiction Medicine. Frank reckons he ‘dribbled' into video as a way to get information across to his patients and their families in an accessible way that avoided information overload. From there, the monster just grew. With a long-time interest in things technical and gadgetry of all kinds, he had been writing tech review-type-articles on a casual basis for a medical publication for some time, when an introduction to David Hague led to his continuing this level of activity in the field of video.

Frank says that one of the parts he likes best about his involvement with Australasian Camcorder is the opportunity to play with other people's toys. The downside, he says, is having to give them back at the end of ‘playtime' that precedes publication of the resulting review.

"I suppose I want to present information from the non-professional point of view, which is not difficult, given that I am the only amateur punter in the camp," he says. With a strong commitment to the amateur video club movement, he is the Secretary of his local video club. In part because of this, and with a long time history as an avid DIY-er behind him, Frank has an interest in the do-it-yourself construction of devices for the amateur videographer and strongly wishes to continue this type of contribution as part of his future involvement with auscam