Hi,
I am somewhere between novice and intermediate on the video editing
scale, and looking to move up, and am looking to upgrade my video
editing software. I have been using Pinnacle Studio 7 and it is so
buggy and crash-prone that instead of upgrading to 8 (or now 9) I have
instead been saving to switch to a different and better product. What
I am considering are the following (I am a student and in parentheses
are about what each costs for an academic version):

- Vegas Video 4 ($150)
- Adobe Premiere Pro 7 ($215)
- Vegas Video 4 +DVD ($260)
- Ulead MediaStudio Pro 7 ($300)
- Or should I just stick with Pinnacle Studio 9 (has it improved a
lot?)
- Or anything I haven't listed?

Frankly, of the ones with prices above, I can only afford the $150 one
right now but if your recommendations are strong enough I might wait
and keep saving for one of the other ones. My price range is basically $200 or less for the Academic version. I am an advanced computer user and learning curve is not much of an issue, and I like lots of features and reliable performance. What do you recommend?

Thanks,
Rob

Vegas is really powerful and you'll like it if you like the interface. Download the demo to try it out. Vegas does things differently so you might want to go through tutorials or the manual. If the interface works for you , then I don't think you can go wrong with it. Pros are that it's great for audio editing (the best of any NLE hands down), is very powerful for video (good compositing, useful filters) and very very stable. Cons are slow rendering and media management might be difficult on large projects like documentaries (you need to setup a working system).

PPro is buggy and is like a PC version of FCP (same designer). I personally don't like it but download the demo of it and see if it works for you.

There's Avid Free DV but it's crippled. I suppose it's free.

MY choice from the above would be Vegas+DVD - Great value at regular price - a STEAL at those prices (The AC3 encoder included with "+DVD" sells separately for $280!)

While you're waiting for answers, if you have hi-speed, download the demos, and check out the user forums of the software you're considering. I think at this point, it really comes down to preference and working style. If you have neither, you'll be glad you test drove before spending your money. The more you know, the better decision you can make.

Too, choose on the basis of what you think you'll be using in the long run. That way, each minute of time learning the specific software has value down the road.