CyberLink PowerDirector 8

With its self-important title, PowerDirector 8 certainly sounds like it should be one of the best movie-editing software suites around. Happily, its eighth incarnation sees the addition of some impressive new features for a price that still offers good value for money.

If you’re familiar with the basic movie-editing software that comes bundled with most computers, getting to grips with PowerDirector 8 should be easy. Its interface is divided into three panels – the top two are for reviewing, compiling and organising your clips, while the third is for editing.

One quirk of the program is that it uses icons instead of labels for its tools and features – scroll over one and the function is revealed. The workflow runs along the top of the interface and when your movie is ready for screening you can publish directly to Facebook and YouTube, or copy to Blu-ray and DVD in a range of formats. The two versions of PowerDirector 8 have many features in common, but Ultra is geared towards people who record and publish in HD.

CyberLink has increased the Picture in Picture tracks in PowerDirector 8 from six to nine, letting you insert more layers of video. There are new special effects and transitions too. One niggle, though, is that the program crashed several times once installed, but thankfully this was not a recurring problem.
After buying PowerDirector you are entitled to join the DirectorZone, an online community with more than 180,000 members. It’s a great place to share ideas, watch videos and get new templates.