Just about to quit Power Director 365

austenjlennon

Newbie Joined: Dec 15, 2022 16:00 Messages: 3 Offline

Solved by

Aug 06, 2023 17:26

Hi guys, I am used to Final Cut Pro but needed something different so I have been using PD365 for a couple of months now. It is a shame but I think I am just about to stop using it for the second time. The things that really bug me are the lack of keyboard short cuts to move about the timeline and the lack of a centralised 'library'

I had to quickly create an video advert on a tight timescale and dove into it with PD365 but I found that having to use the mouse to grab a pointer to move about from place to place slowed me down considerably. On FCP all you have to do is hit a couple of keys to get around the timeline but the biggest thing I cursed myself for was not being able to centralise the library.

I worked 12 hours straight to get the advert out and had clips, images, sound parts and text everywhere. (Yes, I should have been more methodical... but, the worst is yet to come.

I finished the advert... produced the master and started tidying up my computer and not thinking a deleted files which where in the downloads folder in the documents and in the store....

Then I got a call that the client wanted a tiny change.... so i opened up the project again and many files were missing. That added another couple of hours of editing for me.

Botton line, yes, I should have been more organised but that is not necessary in FCP or iMovie.... all your files are brought into a library.

With these things in mind I will move away from PD365 and hope that someday they will fix the issues and I can come back.

optodata

Senior Contributor Location: California, USA Joined: Sep 16, 2011 16:04 Messages: 8630 Offline

Aug 06, 2023 18:33

Sounds like there was a misunderstanding about the library (aka imported clips) as PD never changes or copies your source clips in any way. It simply keeps track of where they're each located on your hard drives.

If you choose, you can use File | Pack Project Materials and save everything, including all the original clips, to a folder for easy retrieval in the future (even on a different machine if you save to a cloud folder or USB drive).

It also sounds like you would benefit from looking at the online help system (simply press F1 from within PD). For example, a search for hotkeys will show you all the ways you can move the scrubber and while editing the main timeline.

Koen41

Member Joined: Feb 15, 2016 09:05 Messages: 63 Offline

Aug 07, 2023 09:33

Quote Hi guys, I am used to Final Cut Pro but needed something different so I have been using PD365 for a couple of months now. It is a shame but I think I am just about to stop using it for the second time. The things that really bug me are the lack of keyboard short cuts to move about the timeline and the lack of a centralised 'library'

I had to quickly create an video advert on a tight timescale and dove into it with PD365 but I found that having to use the mouse to grab a pointer to move about from place to place slowed me down considerably. On FCP all you have to do is hit a couple of keys to get around the timeline but the biggest thing I cursed myself for was not being able to centralise the library.

I worked 12 hours straight to get the advert out and had clips, images, sound parts and text everywhere. (Yes, I should have been more methodical... but, the worst is yet to come.

I finished the advert... produced the master and started tidying up my computer and not thinking a deleted files which where in the downloads folder in the documents and in the store....

Then I got a call that the client wanted a tiny change.... so i opened up the project again and many files were missing. That added another couple of hours of editing for me.

Botton line, yes, I should have been more organised but that is not necessary in FCP or iMovie.... all your files are brought into a library.

With these things in mind I will move away from PD365 and hope that someday they will fix the issues and I can come back.

lack of short cuts ?? Please read your manual

Cindy5230

Member Joined: Oct 30, 2008 22:53 Messages: 57 Offline

Aug 07, 2023 17:23

Quote Hi guys, I am used to Final Cut Pro but needed something different so I have been using PD365 for a couple of months now. It is a shame but I think I am just about to stop using it for the second time. The things that really bug me are the lack of keyboard short cuts to move about the timeline and the lack of a centralised 'library'

I had to quickly create an video advert on a tight timescale and dove into it with PD365 but I found that having to use the mouse to grab a pointer to move about from place to place slowed me down considerably. On FCP all you have to do is hit a couple of keys to get around the timeline but the biggest thing I cursed myself for was not being able to centralise the library.

I worked 12 hours straight to get the advert out and had clips, images, sound parts and text everywhere. (Yes, I should have been more methodical... but, the worst is yet to come.

I finished the advert... produced the master and started tidying up my computer and not thinking a deleted files which where in the downloads folder in the documents and in the store....

Then I got a call that the client wanted a tiny change.... so i opened up the project again and many files were missing. That added another couple of hours of editing for me.

Botton line, yes, I should have been more organised but that is not necessary in FCP or iMovie.... all your files are brought into a library.

With these things in mind I will move away from PD365 and hope that someday they will fix the issues and I can come back.

Great shortcut tips video here from Maliek. Well worth the ten minutes

https://youtu.be/6jU4np5_hBU