Video Explosion Deluxe is the latest addition to the steady stream of new DVD video-editing suites currently hitting the market. These kinds of programs are ideal for turning unstructured home videos and pictures into slick and polished films. So how well does Video Explosion do the job?

Its editing interface is easy to master. You have a pair of video 'tracks' for overlays and transitions and three audio tracks for voice-overs, sound effects and music. These are arranged using drag-and-drop actions. Simply drag whatever file you need from your PC files and drop it onto a frame in the timeline.

Multimedia files are accessed in the Media Pool section of the Multifunction dialog box, which allows you to place all your video, audio, stills and backdrops in one location. You can also add audio from CD. When you drag files onto the timeline, a thumbnail representation of the clip appears, which allows for straightforward editing and mixing.

Once you have all your clips and tracks in the right order, you can fine-tune the arrangement. There is a handy Video Preview display in the bottom right-hand corner, which shows you exactly how your film appears at any given time.

Next to the Media Pool are all the tools for editing your film. There is a good selection of professional-style transitions, such as fades, rolls and slides, for cutting between different clips. You can also use the range of special effects to distort, blur and manipulate each scene.

Although fun to tinker with, most of the special effects are useless when it comes to producing and editing your film. They tend to make movies look rather amateurish, so their inclusion is more a novelty than a necessity.

The other tools, however, are useful for putting together impressive video films quickly. There is a large selection of title sequences, text and backdrops. These allow you to create credits, text overlays and all manner of clever presentation techniques.

Although Video Explosion is claimed to be equally as useful for professionals as for beginners, the program is definitely more suitable for beginners, with the amount of ready-made sounds and clips it offers. The software boasts that you will make your first movie in under 30 minutes, and this is a fair claim. A helpful tutorial gets you up and running, and introduces you to the basics.

The variety of available media is impressive. There are 200 royalty-free MP3 audio themes, 1,000 sound effects and 750 backgrounds and overlays.

Although much of this material is dire, some of it can be useful. You even get 25 storyboards to help you organise your movie's scenes, but this option is only for the truly unimaginative user.

When your film is completed, you can choose your format and media. You can save to videotape, VCD, DVD and even create videos for the web. The program sorts out all the encoding for you at the click of a button, using the MyDVD software, which is included free. This eliminates a major headache.

For DVDs and VCDs, you can also create professional-style menus from a large selection of templates; or, alternatively, create the buttons from your own fonts and photos.

The real strength of this package is the excellent, easy-to-use interface.

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Specifications

Price: £69.95 (inc VAT)
Contact: Guildsoft: 01752 895 100
www.novadevelopment.com