I'm Cheap: Is 13 Ultimate Ok Instead of 14?

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OffTheMark

Member Joined: Jun 12, 2016 10:39 Messages: 114 Offline

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Jun 12, 2016 11:02

I am trying to save money (plus I don't have a discrete graphics card).

Can I save a few $$$ by getting version 13 of PowerDirector Ultimate? Or do I need version 14?

Or neither...

I know, penny wise, pound foolish, but for the foreseeable future I only need something pretty basic.

1080p at 24fps

basic trimming and joingin tracks

basic titling

basic audio tracks (right now, just a music track with no voice over, but possibly in the future, music plus voice over)

color grading

simple (or simple-ish) to use

However, GOOD stabilization would be worth paying a premium for.

And does version 13 ulimate have lens correction for common DSLR lenses? (One of my lenses has some moustache distortion if uncorrected).

I shoot real estate videos. Most shots will be from a tripod. But I will be doing SOME (about 25%) of my shots handheld from a DIY steadycam (Home Depot, $15 DIY job), or a DIY shoulder rig, where I will be walking through a house.

Most of what I need to do can be accomplished with something like windows movie maker (except color grading, and stabilization)

Here's what I shoot with:

Nikon D7000
Sigma 17-50 f/2.8 OS (Optical Stabilized) lens
DIY Steadicam / shoulder rig

Here's my computer hardware:

i7-3770 @ 3.4 GHz (the NON K version, so not easily overclocked)
Intel HD Graphics 4000
16 GB DDR3
Win 7 64-bit

Thanks in advance.

and yes, I am on a tight budget now. Thanks!

This message was edited 1 time. Last update was at Jun 12. 2016 11:22

stevek

Senior Contributor Location: Houston, Texas USA Joined: Jan 25, 2011 12:18 Messages: 4663 Offline

Jun 12, 2016 12:02

Wow, that is a lot of information.

Since you are on a tight budget and know what you want to do, why don't you download a free trial of Cyberlink Power Producer. They have 2 versions.

This is a very simplified version of PowerDirector.

Your camera already has a stabilized lens so you may not get enough of a stabilization in PowerDirector without a stand alone stabilizer like ProDRENALIN. (ca $50) They also have a free trial.

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SoNic67

Senior Contributor Joined: Sep 27, 2014 14:14 Messages: 1308 Offline

Jun 12, 2016 12:04

See here a comparation of features:

http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdirector-ultra/compare-upgrade_en_US.html?&r=1

OffTheMark

Member Joined: Jun 12, 2016 10:39 Messages: 114 Offline

Jun 12, 2016 12:17

Quote: Since you are on a tight budget and know what you want to do, why don't you download a free trial of Cyberlink Power Producer. They have 2 versions. This is a very simplified version of PowerDirector.

Thank you for the response and the suggestion. I will try it out (although it SEEMS like it is geared toward creating DVDs / blueRay, and my projects will end up on the web - motly hosted by youtube or vimeo).

Thanks again.

OffTheMark

Member Joined: Jun 12, 2016 10:39 Messages: 114 Offline

Jun 12, 2016 12:19

Quote: See here a comparation of features:

[url=http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdirector-ultra/compare-upgrade_en_US.html?&r=1

]http://www.cyberlink.com/products/powerdirector-ultra/compare-upgrade_en_US.html?&r=1

[/url]

Thank you for the lin, I really appreciate it.

Neil.F.1955

Senior Contributor Joined: Mar 07, 2012 09:15 Messages: 1303 Offline

Jun 12, 2016 12:53

Hi, Offthemark

Power Director has features that not everyone is going to find a use for, but you can do some fairly basic edits even in the most elaborate of software! It's really up to you to decide which of the features you want to use, and if you don't want them, just ignore them! Your fourth requirement in the list from your opening post: basic audio tracks (right now, just a music track with no voice over, but possibly in the future, music plus voice over), well, all video editing software will include(along with the native audio track from the video itself) a narration(or voice) track and a music track! It doesn't mean you're compelled to use them!

As to the price of PD14, I notice they're really flogging it off at 60% off the original asking price(in American dollars, mind you) Wouldn't know what the discount price would be here in Oz, or even if a discount applied, but then it would differ from shop to shop. So it's back to you! You could make a few enquiries, of course, if you're a-lookin' to save some moolah, but with PD15 iminent, remaindered stocks of PD14 will start to go at "canary" prices(cheep, cheep! er cheap, cheap, that is! ha-ha). I'll leavi it with you!

Cheers!

Neil.

Richmond Dan

Senior Contributor Location: Richmond, VA Joined: Aug 07, 2014 17:17 Messages: 673 Offline

Jun 13, 2016 16:15

The current version of PD is usually reduced in price when the new version is released. It is also reduced in price incrementally over its life before the new version is released. No guarantees, but this has been the case for the last several years.

(In addition to price reductions, additional software is often bundled with the current version, as it ages and before the new version is released). Regards,
Dan
Power Director 21-Ultimate
v 21.0.3111.0
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Intel Core i9-10900 processor
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NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 SUPER 8GB GDDR6