Corel DVD MovieFactory 5

As a general rule, computer users want their video-editing software to do two things. First, it must enable them to build eye-catching home movies with minimal effort. They expect the software to gather the video footage; cut it into usable clips; combine selected clips with interesting transitions, background music, narrative tracks, still photos, and other special effects; and output a finished movie to any number of available media. Second, the video-editing software also must allow the users to stop the hyper-automated editing process at any time so that they can edit the video content and add personal elements to the mix.

Corel DVD MovieFactory 5 does both. And it does them quite well. The program’s friendly wizard-like interface allows harried amateur videographers to compile their clips and output a finished home movie by clicking the mouse fewer than half a dozen times. Users can add customized transitions, text effects, background music, and narration simply by clicking the mouse a few more times. The program supports practically all major multimedia formats, and it can export to practically any media, including HD DVD and Blu-ray. We especially liked the speed at which it worked. Never did we find ourselves waiting for previews to run or content to load.

If MovieFactory has any weakness, it’s that it makes things too simple. It eliminates the layout modes, for instance, and lacks the special effects that change the appearance of the video itself. Our guess, however, is that many users will not miss such features. After all, how many people actually use a monochrome or posterizing effect? And if so, why? In any case, MovieFactory will not appeal to users who want high-end editing capabilities. Users who want to make quality movies with minimal effort, however, will find it to be a great bargain.