Video Explosion Deluxe

List Price: $79.99

Features:

• Over 250 ready-made video clips and a thousand sound effects and MP3 music themes -- sure to enhance any video clips
• Simple editing tools make it easy to Trim scenes, drag and drop, or pan and crop
• Work with two video and three audio tracks - offering multiple options for editing & enhancing your movies
• Hundreds of attractive special effects and transitions for Hollywood-style edits and fades
• Import video in MPEG1, MPEG2, AVI, and QuickTime formats

Customer Reviews:

Easy to use without the clutter. [Posted on 2004-11-29]
This video editing software is easy to use, feature rich, and doesn't have the annoying "skin" look that so many others have. It is incredibly good at applying filters on the fly and has a wide range of output formats. It is also very economical with your disk space. It uses the clips in-place without copying them into the project. The only blemish I have found so far is that it leaves files on your disk next to the imported media files. I am a programmer and my educated guess is that these are index files used to access the movies and audio files quickly during previews. Given the benefit they provide, I was unwilling to knock off even one star for this small annoyance. The files can safely be deleted and will be recreated the next time you open the project.

Not what I expected.  [Posted on 2005-09-25]
I am somewhat of a pro when it comes to digital video productions and have used several different software applications. I thought this one looked interesting due to the music files and included clips.
I wish I would have tried a trial version first, because I wouldn't have wasted my money.
First of all when you build a story line or save a project the imported files (if coming from the included CD's)do not stay with the project. You need to reload them each time. They don't load to the media pool upon import, so if you remove them from the story line, you have to load them over and over again. At least this is the trouble I have been having. The transition time is hard to adjust, and there is no option that I found to repeat the same transition, they have to be added one at a time. When transitions are added a screen pops each time up with some settings that are difficult to understand. All of the adjustments are tricky--and certainly would be even more difficult for the novice user. I have an older version of MGI video wave, which I would rate better than this program. However the one I like the best and seems to have a great interface is Arc-Soft, Show Biz- For the money, I would say that program is a much better value and a lot more fun than Video Explosion. I am giving this 3 stars because it is simple to clip the videos on the storyboard timeline, and you can accomplish a good production with work. I don't see an option to save the final recording in a DVD format however.

This program has alot. [Posted on 2005-10-17]
I typically use Adobe for this type of editing, but this program works well on the fly. You can add effects, graphics, and transistions in a small window then the software rewrites the file to burn onto disc, and it handles that also after you email them for the key. Anyway I really can't express how well the VE renders and outputs. Try it, and save big bucks not to mention excellent results. Totally worth the hundred bucks I spent, you might find it for less.

MyDVD 4.5 included is NO LONGER SUPPORTED [Posted on 2005-11-22]
I purchased my copy of Video Explosion from Atomic Park in August. The product comes bundled with Sonic MyDVD 4.5. Unfortunately, on September 15, about one month after I purchased Video Explosion, Sonic stopped supporting MyDVD 4.5, and the version I bought does not work with my DVD burner (a Sony).

I believe Sonic HAD a fix for my problem, but since Sonic no longer supports MyDVD 4.5, I can no longer get the update.

Unfortunately, this has rendered Video Explosion 1.5 nearly useless for me.

I understand it's far too late for any sort of adjustment for me. However, I think you should note on the description page for this software some sort of a disclaimer that states this limitation clearly.

Had I known of this limitation, I never would have bought Video Explosion. Other than this issue, I'm happy with the software, but now I'm stuck, needing to by CyberLink MakeDVD for $50, when I could have purchased CyberLink's entire suite for $90.

I also understand this situation is somewhat political in that Sonic bought Roxio, so naturally, Sonic will no longer try hard to work with Nova. So Nova won't be likely to advise me to purchase MyDVD 6.1; nor will they be likely to recommend CyberLink products. So I guess I'm just screwed.

Be strongly aware of this limitation prior to ordering.

Excellent, particulary for the money [Posted on 2006-07-25]
This program retails for less than $100. Don't expect it to be used by Steven Spielberg. I bought it several years ago in an Office Max because I was in a hurry to put together a crude edit of a home movie. However, from the day I started using it up until now, I continue to be impressed with its capabilities, ease of use, and reliability. I keep discovering new features, and am yet to outgrow it after creating about half a dozen pretty ambitious home movies.

I am retired now, but when employed as a software engineer, my specialty was user interface. I am very critical of poor interfaces. Video Explosion got it right. The ability to introduce and edit transitions and special effects on the timeline is excellent. Menus are clear, and provide good clues to drilling down to extra features. The help facility is first rate. And, most importantly, the program seems to be bug free.

I have not used any higher end video software, so my perspective is limited. I am not a pro, but I work very hard to make my home movies as professional looking as possible. For the price paid, this package continues to impress me, and certainly to fill my needs. In that sense, it is like my bicycle (a pro level Trek) - the tool is still much better than the user.

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