Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9

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If you’ve got movie footage to edit on your PC, chances are you have already sampled Windows’ built-in video-editing software Movie Maker. This is great for many people, especially if your requirements are simple. But if you want to add a little more to your videos, you need something more sophisticated.

Sony Vegas Movie Studio 9 works well as a next step for video enthusiasts. It’s got plenty of power and lots of options, so you can make more of your footage. The interface is complex, with a lot of the features shown on screen at any one time, though you can easily customise it to create a more agreeable working environment. You’ll also need to work out and learn all the keyboard shortcuts, as many of even the most useful functions are otherwise tucked away in the menus and require multiple clicks. Although this gives it a steeper than average learning curve, it should make you a more efficient video editor.

There are two versions of the software available, starting at £44.79 for the basic program, which will edit standard video and output to DVD. If you want to edit HD footage and write to Blu-ray discs, you’ll need the Platinum edition, costing £74.69.

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