Cyberlink’s Powerdirector isn’t as well known as rivals such as Adobe Premiere or Pinnacle Studio, but it provides some impressive video-editing tools at an attractive price.

Like most video-editing programs, Powerdirector splits its workspace into three main areas. There’s a Library section that displays audio and video clips, as well as additional tools such as transitions and effects. Immediately next to this is the Monitor, which allows the user to view individual clips or to play back the entire edited project. Finally, there’s the Timeline that occupies the entire lower half of the screen. To assemble a video project simply use the mouse to drag clips from the library and arrange them in sequence in the timeline.

Anyone new to video editing can get some help from the program’s Magic Movie Wizard, which automatically edits together any set of video clips. However, this latest version concentrates on more advanced tools that will appeal to people who already have some editing experience.

There’s a new set of ‘power tools’ that allow users to play video in reverse, adjust the speed of a clip to make it play faster or slower, or crop a video clip in order to zoom in on a specific section of the video image. Clips can even be rotated.

You can use the new Particle Designer to create special effects such as falling snow or a glittering trail of stars in the night sky, and there’s also a clever upscaling option that can enhance the quality of standard-definition video clips so that they look a bit more like high-definition video. Our only real complaint is that the manual was a bit unhelpful at times – we searched in vain for any mention of the upscaling option and had to telephone Cyberlink to ask for their help in finding it.

The manual could have be a bit more helpful, then, but at just £50, Powerdirector certainly offers good value – especially for more advanced users who are prepared to spend a little time mastering its more powerful tools.