CyberLink PowerDirector 8 Deluxe

You thought you had a lot of old home movies lying around before; a couple of cabinets full of film that you’re going to go through “some day.” Then everything went digital (and high-def). Now you have even more home footage sitting somewhere on your desktop. Or maybe you have a budding film producer in the family. Whether you’re trying to archive your footage, create wedding slideshows, pare down your travelogue to a palatable highlight reel, or create a full-length feature film, you’re going to need a solid video editing software.
Cyberlink’s PowerDirector 8 is one of the best video editing software solutions available, combining all the right features (and then some) in a professional and easy-to-use video editing package. We are pleased to award Cyberlink PowerDirector 8 Deluxe with our “TopTenREVIEWS Gold Award” for continued excellence in performance and innovation.
PowerDirector combines a good balance of simplicity and versatility. The software takes advantage of technology and has so many professional-grade tools, but it’s easy enough that you can actually use it.
Standout Features:

• Direct upload to YouTube and Facebook
• Particle Effects
• SD to HD up-scaling
• Impressive list of output formats, including files for your iPhone, PSP, PS3, Xbox, and Zune
• Automated “Magic” Editing Tools

We also have no problems with the fact that this intermediate video editing software is available with a low-end price. It’s even on sale for 20% off through online retailer Herman Street.
For all the great features found in PowerDirector Deluxe plus the added benefit of being able to burn Blu-ray discs (as well as capture and burn AVCHD), we definitely recommend the upgraded Cyberlink PowerDirector Ultra.

Review of PowerDirector 8 by Cyberlink

Image Gallery

 

Video Capture/Playback:  

Capturing video in PowerDirector 8 Deluxe is simple, whether you’re using input content from your camcorder or importing from a flash drive or hard drive. PowerDirector supports all major formats (MPEG-2, AVCHD, VOB, VRO, DVRMS to name a few, and will work seamlessly with your old SD camcorder, newer HDV camcorder, DVD camcorder, or even your digital camera. (Trying to get your VHS tapes to DVD? You may want to refer to our article "Copying VHS to DVD")

PowerDirector is fully equipped to provide faster input, rendering and output by taking full advantage of your PC’s power. PowerDirector supports Intel Core i7, nVIDIA CUDA, and ATI Stream technologies, so video editing is even faster. The software can utilize up to 8 cores (16 threads) of processing power, so even high-def video is easily dealt with.
For even faster video editing of HD content, PowerDirector can create a standard definition copy of the original and provide quicker response with “Shadow Editing.”
But don’t worry if you don’t have a top-of-the-line PC with advanced technology. We loaded the software on one of our (overtaxed) test computers, and had no problems installing or running the software. And if you’re thinking about upgrading, PowerDirector 8 is compatible with Microsoft Windows 7 and dual monitor setups.