Ease of Use:  

PowerDirector 8 Deluxe (and Ultra, for that matter) is extremely simple to use. The interface is sleek and intuitive, and makes for a pretty efficient workflow. The workspace is quite flexible, allowing you to resize the windows and adjust various components.

The 16 track timeline makes it easy to edit your movie with ease, but also adds some impressive utility. The timeline accommodates simple drag-and-dropping of various elements as well as full copy and paste functionality.

One feature we found particularly easy was making a video slideshow. Simply upload your images, choose from 8 slideshow choices (one more than last edition), and choose some music. The software features beat-detecting technology so your slideshow can be synchronized with the beat of the music without setting the timing manually.

Editing Tools:  

PowerDirector 8 Deluxe has a solid lineup of editing features, and (more importantly,) they work very well. Trimming long clips into smaller ones is as easy as determining where you want it to start/end and clicking a button. Drop-free frame previewing even lets you look at every frame, and the ability to zoom-in on the timeline makes it possible to trim the video exactly where you want to.

It’s similarly easy to split your long clips into shorter clips, or scenes (particularly useful if you wish to burn a DVD with scene selection). You can easily cut the scenes manually, or you can use the smart Scene Detection, which essentially breaks the video into scenes for you by detecting dramatic changes in your source video.

If you’re all about automatic video editing, let PowerDirector do the work for you by utilizing the Magic Cut tool. This tool lets you take a specific clip, designate how long you want it to be (and if you want transitions), and let PowerDirector edit for you. Of course the magic tools aren’t flawless, but we found that they usually do a pretty good job, and certainly make for a quick editing process.

The other magic tools include:

• Magic Music- automatic music compilation to match the length of your video
• Magic Motion- instant transitions and animations for photo slideshows
• Magic Fix- stabilize shaky-cam footage and optimize the lighting and color
• Magic Movie- quick automatic edit, using your footage on a themed template

The newest installment of PowerDirector also features new Power Tools, giving you the advanced ability to easily crop, rotate, and even reverse the direction of your videos. You can also take care of white balance issues with a click of the mouse. Simply locate a poorly balanced area of the video and click the area that should really be white.