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Hi, Mike(Fenman)!
No, we don't have Amazon in Australia, we just have those ones I mentioned earlier. One,that has a store in Newcastle is Office Works, but the range of video editing software they carry is limited(I bought another brand of editing programme from there a couple of years back, but hadn't seen any Cyberlink product there). What I might do, before I attempt to get PD13 from Cyberlink, is to try another of those store I mentioned, JB Hi-Fi has a store in the Newcastle suburb of Kotara. If I can get it there, I might not need to get it through Cyberlink directly(though I don't hold out much hope of success). All I can do is see what they've got. I might phone them first or google them and see what they carry.
Cheers for now!
Neil.
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Okay, I'm back!
Had an AVG update to perform(that AVG can make a nuisance of itself at times!) I explained the reason for going for PD9, but if you suggest I should jump up to PD13, first I'd want to know what features it has. Cost and availability is another factor. I can't just walk into a Harvey Norman store here in Australia, put my money on the counter and walk out with a brand-new PD13 package! Unlike the USA where Cyberlink has a large network of shops carrying its products, as well as Cyberlink itself likely having its own stores in major centres, like L.A., Chicago, Washington, etc., many Australian businesses, like Harvey Norman, JB Hi-Fi, Leading Edge Computers, Jaycar Electronics, Office Works, Domayne and other retailers tend not to carry a great range of software items, so my only REAL option is to get the package directly from Cyberlink, and pay for it by International Money Order(nominally, Western Union). For this I'd need to know the cost in American dollars, and the equivalent cost in Australian dollars, taking into account, the exchange rate(Aus$1, buys roughly 72 cents, US), also I have to allow for the fee applied by Western Union on top of the product cost. So, you see it's a rather involved process.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hello Carl312 and Fenman!
The reason I'd go for PD9 is that it's the natural next step up from PD8, and PD9 is a quantum jump in facilities compered to version 8.
Will write extra in another post as soon as I've sorted out my AVG Security.
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Hi, Fenman, thanks for the jpg!
Okay, the Clipboard icon is straightforward(contents to be edited), the fan = effects, the old Track Manager icon has neow become "Magic Tools" and I'll have to get PD9 to find out what that entails, The "T" for titles, the transition icon still much the same, the Musical notes being the Audio mixer Icon, the rest, fairly much as it has been from PD7 but the star cluster has me baffled. What does it do?
I figure, what I know as "Power Tools" are now covered by "Magic Tools"(Video In Reverse and such) And I see there's a new icon replacing the Director's chair & megaphone symbol, a movie camera on a frame of film! Guess I'll have to organise a way to get hold of this PD9 version.
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Hi, Fenman(Mike)!
This looks fascinating! It appears you can add the extra PiP or audio tracks anywhere as the "Below Tr.3" might suggest. Where you said "but you can't add extra effects, title, voiceover or music tracks", the extra audio tracks could be used as music tracks as a default option. I might enquire about buying this version from Cyberlink(if it's still available), paying by international money order(Western Union, perhaps). If it gives me good, clear superimpose of graphics(on PD8, graphics superimposed on a video go blurry). With the extra PiP tracks, I could use my own alphabet letters(designed using Microsoft's Paint programme) to form, in one go, whole titles with characters numbering up to 100 letters(though my titles wouldn't go to that number of characters in actual practice). As for the "Track Manager" icon, it seems Cyberlink has found a different use for the 5-pronged asterisk symbol, as you pointed out.
Wouldn't mind seeing a full-screen image so I could see where everything was in PD9.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Tomasc!
All those extra tracks? WOW! I put a screengrab of my PD8 up for Mike(Fenman) to see, but on reading his last comment more carefully, I'm now aware he knows of the extra tracks available. I have utilised the 9 PiP tracks in my PD8 to create animated titles where each letter of the word in my title(9 letters maximum, of course) has its own motion effect. If I need to put extra words into the title, I have to create separate sequences for each word in my title. This is where PD8 falls down because the image of the letters becomes blurred. This is where reinstalling PD7 would've been useful as title overlays I did(not animated - PD7 only had 6 PiP overlay tracks, not enough to create useful animated titles) would retain their sharpness. I may well be stepping up to PD9 in future, the 99 PiP tracks give me endless ideas for my titling effects, not that anyone would EVER use 99 PiP overlay tracks, but having them available would be useful. For the moment, though, I create each animated word and marry the words together in a third-party video editing programme that has 20 PiP overlay tracks but the animation effects are limited. I use that other programme to superimpose the completed title onto my works, but bring them back to PD8 for any extra additions, like adding music and narration, and final disc authoring(burning).
Cheers!
Neil.
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G'day Mike!
I see you've downloaded the image I sent you, now check your own PD programmes and see what goodies are in store for you!
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hi, emmettfitz8394! Methinks you may have a bare-bones version of PD12 there. Sometimes "packages" come with bare-bones versions of software, just like some video capture card devices do(for VHS or Beta videotape to DVD conversion) as they expect the user to do "basic" video capture and edit, so all the "features" are disabled until you lay out the moolah to buy the "full" version, which you then install, aver having uninstalled the bare-bones version first.
Cheers for now!
Neil.
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Hi, Mike(We gotta stop meeting like this... people might start talking... ha-ha)
By PiP tracks, I mean video overlays where you can add extra video(and audio) to your clip, and not just one, either! PD7 had six overlay tracks, PD8 has 9 of them, it also has two extra music tracks. You call them up by clicking on what looks like two fve-pronged asterisks(large and small "*") with a "+" symbol overlaid. It's just to the right of the selectoricons for storyboard or timeline view(I always use timeline view there, for ease of editing). PD9 may have 10 PIP overlay tracks, and you may find extra title(caption) tracks. I've inserted a screen grab to show you what I mean.
Take a look at your PD8 versions and you'll get a surprise at what you may find!
Cheers!
Neil
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Hi, Mike! Re: your afterthought queston, "Another thought: does the installer give you a choice of where to install? I can't remember but if it does you could try changing the installation folder for PD7". Actually, I don't think it does give me a choice. Upon clicking to install, the first request I get is "language" and the only choice of English is(seemingly) US American English, rather than the oh-so-proper-and-correct variety, you and I speak, Cobber!(ha-ha). After that I get the warning about detection of the other PD version and that I should uninstall it. I think it gets down to the fact that, upon installation, neither PD7 nor PD8 actually append their folders for their particular versions, that's the most likely reason that newer versions can be successfully installed alongside older versions(Hard-drive space allowing) is because PD10 and upwards install themselves into folders so appended for their versions, just as your image showed, PD9's workings were i a folder simply marked as "Power Director" while your PD19 went into a folder so labelled "Power Director 13", but the installation process automatically created the folders in each case...... The thick plottens! Hmmm....
Just as a side question, PiP overlay tracks, how many are there in PD9 as against PD13, and how many extra music tracks are there in each, and how many title(caption) tracks? The reason I asked about the title tracks is because another(3rd party) editing software I have provides for two title tracks which I've learned to use to create very interesting "closing credit" effects.
Cheers for now!
Neil.
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Well Mike,
I think that fairly finishes this argument for me. As I attempted to reinstall an earlier version than those you have, then I do not think this will work at all. My now-unused PD is Version 7 Delux(A full version, mind you). The system won't allow these two to live side-by-side and "play nicely with each other like good little children", so I must now content myself with PD8-Ultra and leave it at that.
Thanks, everyone for help and advice but it's time I conceded defeat on this and moved on to other topics.
Cheers!
Neil
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Hi, Fenman(Mike)! How's it goin'?
Okay, I've seen the image you posted, so I'll put this question to you. Did you first create the folder for your earlier PD version(Version 9) before attempting to reinstall that earlier version? As I explained earlier, as soon as I attempted to reinstall PD7 where I already had PD8, the older version's installation disc immediately detected the existence of the (slightly) newer version and told me I should uninstall PD8 first, so, to get around that, should I first create a folder in which I direct the PD7 to be installed and will this prevent the warning to uninstall PD8? I'll leave that one with you. Get back to me anytime.
Cheers!
Neil.
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There is one problem with Power Director in regard to editing out spare frames, one cannot trim less than three frames out from a full second. For example, I'm editing shots together to form my "movie", I have a clip, the duration of which is 2 minutes, 25 seconds and two frames. If I set the scrubber at the very end of that clip while it's highlighted, if I count back the two frames to the exact point of 2 minutes 25 seconds, the split function is not available, so I now have to count back to 2 minutes, 24 seconds before I can split the scene and delete the excess(which, at 1 second and two frames, is much more than I wanted to "snip off", send to the cutting room floor, so-to-speak). Another third party software I have allows me to split, right back to just 1 frame out from a full second, I find this feature extremely useful when editing video clips and wish I could do likewise with Power Director.I still, however, return to PD for adding music and narration to my works, and to "author"(burn) them to DVD.
Cheers!
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As I'd already explained, any attempt by me to install my earlier version of Power Director(Vers. 7 Delux) has hit a brick wall. Upon loading the installation disc in my computer's DVD drive, the usual installation window came up, and on clicking the icon to commence installation, I'm greeted with a warning that my newer PD has been detected and should be first uninstalled. If I click "No" the process stops cold and goes no further.
I think there's something here that I've not been told, and that is, for those who have two(or more) versions of Power Director on their computer, have two(or more) internal hard-drives, and each variant is installed on one of those other hard-drives, but even then, the user would be told of another version of PD pre-existing on his/her computer and should first uninstall the other version. So I see no way around this and will content myself with PD8 Ultra for now until I can get a later Power Director from "somewhere".
Bye, Now!
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Carl,
Cyberlink may well have regional stores in the USA, but here in Australia, some of the major computer stores, like Leading Edge, Harvey Norman, Jaycar, Office Works and such, don't always carry Cyberlink product, and when they do it's limited to only Power DVD versions rather than also carrying Power Director or DVD Suite, or any other Cyberlink product. That's particularly true in a regional city like Newcastle, NSW, and when you come a bit further north to the Port Stephens region, the main centres here, Nelson Bay and Raymond Terrace don't have many of those businesses. So it can be difficult getting one's hands on any Cyberlink product, let alone the latest Power Director.
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Hi, Carl312!
Well, I have tried just a little while ago to re-install PD7. It's labeled as Power Director "Delux" V.7. When the window comes up to install, upon clicking on "Install" I get a notice saying Power Director has been detected, please uninstall.... I click "No" and the installation process ceases. So for me, it's definitely going to be just the one version of Power Director on my computer for the forseeable future. So, the question: "Can I run two versions of PD on the same computer?" has been answered in the negative for me. Never mind though, I still use PD8 to create my animated titles, I just have to use a third-party software in order to superimposethose titles.
Just a pointer, the two versions, PD7 Delux and PD8 Ultra were FULL versions!
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hi, CS2014!
The shutter speeds you talk about are very quick, less than 1 second(just a few frames each). I have, of late, started a practice of editing my videos down to exact seconds, cutting out frames beyond a full second, for example, a clip I've shot could run for 2 minutes, 35 seconds and 12 frames, it's those 12 frames that find their way to the "cutting room floor", so-to-speak. I edit my videos to run for an exact number of minutes and seconds so I can work out a bit better how much content I can squeeze onto a DVD.
Cheers!
Neil.
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Hi, CS2014. I'm curious about the Transition Designer! But in your comments about the shutter sound effect and its varying length, Pick the sound effect you want to use and make note of its length, then adjust your transition effect accordingly - 5 seconds audio = 5 seconds transition! Simple, really!
Cheers!
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I think all this proves one thing! The best way to market Power Director is NOT by download, but by individual packaged DVD discs carrying the PD software plus installation data and the all-important CD-Key number to get it all up and running as a permanent programme(as opposed to a trial). Cyberlink should be selling its product through reputable stores, like it used to do, not all that long ago. The tried-and-true methods are always the best!
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The trick with using "Worm-Hole" or any other transition effect that has only one direction, is that you need to reverse the clip you intend to which you want to apply the effect, then put the transition at the end of it. If you intend to apply the effect to several clips, you need to apply them to the timeline in reverse order to what you would normally arrange them(like counting backwards), then reverse each clip in its position before adding the wanted transition effect, then "produce" the sequence. the newly produced sequence is then brought into the timeline, replacing the clips just used, that new sequence is then itself reversed, effectively restoring the forward motion of the clips but at the same time reversing the transition effect.
Hope that explanation is of some help. And yes, you need PD8 or later to achieve this effect.
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I have a query as to how to achieve this having two versions of PD on one computer. If I am to reinstall PD7 but wish to retain PD8(which I do), what must I watch for upon loading the disc and starting the installation process?
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