Ulead VideoStudio 8: takes you from raw tape to your finished video better than ever.(Software review)(Product/Service Evaluation)

For several years now, Ulead's VideoStudio has been a contender as a low-cost but extremely powerful nonlinear video-editing (NLE) system. With the latest release now up to version 8, Ulead builds on a firmly established foundation, adding a broad spectrum of new features and functions well worth the $99 price or the $49.95 it will cost the VideoStudio user to upgrade.

In version 8, VideoStudio goes in both directions, adding easy step-by-step guidelines for the novice, along with sophisticated tools typically found on software costing five times or more the cost of VideoStudio 8. Whether you are a newbie or an experienced VideoStudio user ready to advance on to the next level, version 8 will take you down the road from raw tape to finished production better than ever.

WHAT'S NEW?

If you've kept up with our magazine over the years, you know this is not our first review of VideoStudio. You should know from the get-go that, like all other NLEs, VideoStudio 8 functions by assisting you in digitizing your clips, arranging them on a timeline and then sending the finished production to the format of your choice, be it tape, CD-ROM, DVD or to a streaming video format for the Web. In this article, we'll focus on the new stuff, features new to version 8. There's a lot to talk about.

MOVIE MAGIC

The next time you need a little movie magic, call on the wizard, VideoStudio's Movie Wizard, that is. VideoStudio Movie Wizard walks you through the editing process, providing you with editing "templates" of different styles that will give your video the proper feel for the subject matter at hand. VideoStudio 8 picks out the right music, graphic screens, titles, transitions and assembles them all with your video and pictures, turning everything into a finished, edited production in three simple steps.

The first thing you do is watch your tape and pick out the scenes you want to use. Capture clips from a tape in your camcorder or select from video clips and …