Video editing is a natural extension of Magix’s audio range and, as seen by its version number, Movie Edit Pro has been around for a while. This eleventh iteration now supports high-definition video and high-definition TV (HDTV) and can handle DVB-T (Freeview) transmissions.

The interface follows a pretty conventional layout, with a preview window at top left, a tools and effects panel to the right of the this and a timeline along the bottom. Three buttons at the top of the screen switch between its main three working modes: record, edit and burn.

Magix Movie Edit Pro 11 Plus can grab video from digital and analogue camcorders (although for analogue, you’ll need a video grabbing card), DVB-T TV broadcasts, again with the appropriate hardware, as well as from video files, in most common formats.

By default, Movie Edit Pro 11 Plus displays a timeline mode, where each of up to 16 tracks can be filled with any supported media: video, photos, sound, transitions and effects. There are two viewing alternatives, though; storyboard and scene-overview modes. Either of these gives a less complex view of the video under construction.

There are over 200 scene transitions in the program’s library and a lot of effects, including picture-in-picture, plus 30 templates for credits and subtitles. When it come to creating a CD or DVD at the end of an editing session, there are 100 pre-designed menu templates to work with, though these can be built from scratch, too.

As expected, audio control is a particular strength of the application and it now supports Dolby Pro-Logic multi-channel sound, de-hiss and normalise functions to improve the quality of original or created soundtracks. 2D or 3D sound effects can be created by dropping pre-defined envelopes directly onto sound objects (easier than it sounds).

While the interface is busier than some video editors, the easier, automated features, such as one-click correction for lighting, colour and sharpness, and auto-soundtrack maker, which creates music to suite your video, are in there, too.

This is a pretty comprehensive piece of software that will suit beginners and serious editing fans, but you'll need to spend a while getting to know it.

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