PD7 is fairly stable,quick responding video editor. You can make professional looking videos with lot of creativity. PD7 is basically designed for newbies and advanced amateurs.

PD7 loads quick. It has 6 PIP tracks.You can download templates titles,sound
or can create your own.Motion path is fabulous.

PD7 does have its share of woes. For example once you lay a clip into one of the video track you cant move to another track by dragging and dropping.
You need to delete and re-insert into the new track.

Transitions are not customizable

Cant rotoscope videos and image clips from with-in PD7 PC specs :
OS Windows 10.0 Pro
MB - AS rock Z77 extreme 11
Intel 3770K @ 4.0 Ghz OC
Gskill 32 GB RAM 1800 Mhz
6 TB HDD, SSD bootable
nVidia ASUS GTX 660 Ti
BenQ 22" LCD monitor 1920x1080

A video or image in the main timeline cannot be dragged into pip.
However, anything in a pip line can be dragged into another pip line.
There are no transitions in the pips, other than fade in/out.
I have no problems with clarity in pip.
Try rendering your images in the main timeline, using the transitions you desire. Then bring that new video into a new project, placing it in the pip timeline, apply the frame you desire, with the background image in the main timeline.
I do it all the time.

http://seemyworldonvideo.com/view/252/car-show/

Works with pics, and vids. Lets me take 4:3 footage and use it in a 16:9 backdrop. Join/SignUp to SeeMyWorldOnVideo. We're PowerDirector Video Editors. Are you a member? - JOIN TODAY!

Clarification
I was talking about the video clip which gets laid onto the main video track.
You can drag video clips laid on main track to any overlay track & vice verses in Corel video studio Pro VS12

VS12 allows the user to customize transitions ie., you can choose the entry, exit points.

VS12 allows video clip to slide over each other to get a cross fade. The same goes for audio track.

VS12 allows transitions in PIP track, a useful feature

Well VS12 does not have motion path, a powerful tool while PD has.
You cant create templates,titles.DVD menus etc, another plus for PD7

I found VS12 handles MP4 efficiently while PD7 struggles while playing

PD7 titling is wee bit better compared to VS12

PD7 has good effects.

PD7 anti shake is better than VS12

The comparison can go on.

It finally boils down to one's personal choice and comfort working with the software






PC specs :
OS Windows 10.0 Pro
MB - AS rock Z77 extreme 11
Intel 3770K @ 4.0 Ghz OC
Gskill 32 GB RAM 1800 Mhz
6 TB HDD, SSD bootable
nVidia ASUS GTX 660 Ti
BenQ 22" LCD monitor 1920x1080

Hi drummer grl,

If I read you right you want a slideshow with a choice of transitions set within a frame of your choice. One template for 4:3 and one for 16:9.

The only way to get transitions of your choice is to place your slides in the main video track.

Therefore the frames must be in a PiP track. PD seems to import an image (your frame) in it's native format but scaled down and capable of being sized - with or without maintaining aspect ratio - to suit your purpose.

I've just played with a photo in Elements 7 - actually shot in 16:9, image size 3872x2176 - selected a 16:9 'inner' rectangle, filled with black, giving me an equal 'frame' all round similar to a layer mask, saved to jpg. Imported to PD, placed in PiP, resized to TV safe zone, chromakeyed out the black, and played the slideshow with transitions in the resulting 'window'.

However, an issue then is how much of the slides are 'masked' by the size of your frame and the balance between the 'frame' and the 'window'. That's a matter of your choice/artistic view etc.

Given that you can resize the frame in the PiP track I think I would produce such frames, either from photos or from graphics, on a canvas size similar to, or larger than, the output file you are going to use ie 1280x720 or 640x480 or whatever, to avoid any/too much distortion when resizing the frame in the PiP track to suit.

PD seems to be a fast, neat and flexible video editor that, by and large, does a good job for most 'consumers' and some 'prosumers' particularly at SD/DVD level. However, like most of its consumer competitors the HD side of things can be problematical depending on system specs and raw asset formats, complexity of project etc.

Personally I don't think it's any worse than its competitors, in many ways better, but having been around systems for 30 years or more, I've yet to find a piece of software that does everything for everyone - or even most things for most people, even in the £100,000 range.

Cheers
Adrian

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. (see below)
Confucius
AMD Phenom IIX6 1055T, win10, 5 internal drives, 7 usb drives, struggling power supply.

Thanks everyone.
Barry, I really liked your cars video. That is what I am trying to go for. Thanks for the helpful idea!
Adrian, Thanks for the tip on making the frame.
I am still a little confused on size. Although I might be worrying over something that is a non issue. It is just when I am creating something in photoshop and I need to set the size of it I am not sure what is best. I did one and set the size for 960 x 540 and opened it in PD with apsect ratio set to 16:9 it just didn't look right. Maybe I need to play with it a little more.
One other question on aspect ratio then. If I use a 4:3 video but want my to put it on a 16:9 back drop (kind of like Barry's car vido) so I can view it on a 16:9 tv do I open PD with ratio set at 16:9 and put the 4:3 video in it knowing the video will not fill the screen? Or does PD need to be set to 4:3 if I am working with a 4:3 video. BTW I did see the tut on how to change aspect ratio but I am not sure that I need to.
Sorry if this is not clear I am a newbie.

Thanks Drummer grl

Hi drummer grl,

Some of this just echoes Adrian’s excellent post, and some of this may not specifically apply to your questions, but for what it’s worth here are some more thoughts on aspect ratios in general.
(If any of it is inaccurate, I would welcome any member chiming in and setting me straight. I have learned so much from so many forum members, and I appreciate every bit of it.)

drummer grl wrote:

I did one and set the size for 960 x 540 and opened it in PD with aspect ratio set to 16:9 it just didn't look right. Maybe I need to play with it a little more.

- 4:3 -
If you have an image you want to use (be it either found or created), you can use the following formula/math to get a perfect 16:9 or 4:3 “fit” in the viewing pane.
For instance, in a 4:3 aspect ratio project, which in PowerDirector is typically 640x480 for standard definition. If you have an image you want to use that’s say... 1530x1250. Upon dragging it into the timeline, you’ll get those black bars on the sides. However if you import that image into a photo editor, and take the first number (1530) and multiply it by 0.75 (e.g. 1530 x 0.75 = 1147.5), and edit/crop/resize your image to now be 1530x1148, you will now fill the 4:3 screen without having those black side bars.
In short, if you take any image and multiply the first number by 0.75, and then crop/resize as described above, you will get a perfect 4:3 image that fills the screen.
I often put a white border around an image that is not the correct size for the aspect ratio I’m using. I then crop this image to the correct size (using above formula), with the image centered/placed where I want it to be in this white field. Then using a photo editor’s “Clone” tool, I capture little parts of the image or it’s background, and use them to fill in the white border. The result is that I now have a manipulated and properly sized full image, for what ever aspect ratio I’m using.

- 16:9 -
For 16:9 projects, same as above, but multiply the first number by 0.5625.

As far as your question about the best size for the best quality. Even though I am not a techie with respect to the technical architecture of PD7 and computers, OS, etc, it would seem to me that if one were to create an image in say MS Paint or Photo Shop for a 16:9 project, that one would want to start with a canvas if you will, of at least 1280x720, as that is one of the default sizes for a 16:9 video. And I’m assuming that the larger the image’s size, the greater it’s detail will be for HD projects.

drummer grl wrote:

...so I can view it on a 16:9 tv do I open PD with ratio set at 16:9 and put the 4:3 video in it knowing the video will not fill the screen?

If you want to create a 16: 9 project, then yes, you have to have PD’s aspect ratio set to 16:9 “before” you begin creating it. And you do have some options with respect to what you can do with an older 4:3 project that you now want to incorporate into a 16:9 project, by doing the following...

Open PD > set aspect ratio to 16:9 > load a clip (originally produced in 4:3) into the Master Video Track > right click on clip in the timeline and select Set Aspect Ratio > choose... The Aspect Ratio Of The Video Is 4:3
Now you will be presented with some options in the drop down box. You will need to experiment with each of them to see which one best suits your project. I often employ the “Use CLVP To Stretch Clip” option. But it can give a weird over stretched look to it some times, and it isn’t always the best option. Again, you just have to experiment to find what works best for that project.

Another option is to drag your previously produced 4:3 vid into a PIP of this new 16:9 project. With your 4:3 in a PIP of this new 16:9 project...
highlight clip > click Modify Tab > un-check the Keep Aspect Ratio box.
Now you can customize the size and aspect ratio of your 4:3 clip in the 16:9 viewing pane.
Or, get creative! Add a little flair to your new 16:9 production by creating a template to frame your 4:3 footage and images. For an example of what I mean, see the first few seconds (or as much as you can stand, hahaha) of the video at this link...
http://seemyworldonvideo.com/view/385/jitter/

Just some thoughts drummer grl. Good Luck.
Click here PDtoots for a collection of PowerDirector Tutorials and Tips

Cranston Thanks for taking the time to give me your answer. It did help.
I liked you video, cute. I always like watching other poeple's work because that is the best way to learn!!

Drummer grl