VEGAS Pro|16 EDIT|1 Device|Perpetual License|PC|Disc

It's good.

I have used Sony Vegas, non-pro, versions for several years and really like their ease of use for basic video editing. I have used a number of pro packages in the past including Avid and Final Cut, but really don't need anything so powerful nowadays. Sony Vegas pro has a lot that the amateur versions don't have - more by way of extension and the complexity that you can add to video; one thing that I find useful is the way that picture in picture and cropping works. There is a learning curve with few printed resources out there, - a version 11 manual may be helpful, but there are online tutorials. Some of the things that are easy to do in the non-pro versions seem more complicated, but I probably haven't got my head around it all as yet. Completed projects can be rendered to a whole mass of formats and the resulting video may require downloading a new codec as I had to do, but it is not too difficult. Overall, I like using this version Sony do have all sorts of offers around it, but I have ignored them, so far and the programme works well. I have used it to make short videos without any problems or crashes and have been, so far, pleased with the results, although the videos themselves have not been shot with this editor in mind, or for the quality it is capable of producing. Overall, a really good video editor, as you might expect. I include a very short lighting test I edited in Vegas Pro and will add other shorts as I complete them.

The new Vegas video editing software provides a wealth of tools to edit and create professional looking video presentations. VEGAS Pro Edit is basically Vegas Pro 16 so you'd imagine that this far in they'd know what they were doing and, thankfully, that's true here. Everything is well presented and it's fairly easy to use the basic tools if you're a beginner. If you've used any one of the number of editing suites on PC then you'll recognise the familiar setup here. The screen is split into an editing preview of your video, list of media files to use, which you can drag and drop and the bottom section is dedicated to the sequencer-like timeline where you can splice video, audio, text and effects together and watch them in the timeline. You can add new windows as well for things like trimming individual clips and changing more detailed settings of audio tracks, it's pretty flexible to get it working the way you want. This is just the tip of the iceberg, though. There are so many tools that work both behind the scenes and as drop down options such as the use of image stabilising on a fast moving image or where the 'shaky cam' effect is present but it also allows tracking of the movement in a video to place a mask around it if you need to crop it and replace the background or add effects. Tutorial videos are included here as well, helping those new to both video editing and Vegas Pro to get the most from the software. Despite the fairly high price, Vegas Pro 16 Edit is only the basic version of the package and misses out on some of the extras in the standard Pro edition. The DVD Architect which allows you to easily create menus for DVD and Bluray and the FX light add on are not found here, which is a shame, but you can download these as add-ons at a cost or find alternative software once you've edited your footage here. It's worth knowing what's not included before you pay out for this but the next version up is currently over £100 more so if you're just going to save to video files rather than burn to a physical disc it may well be worth sticking with this version. Overall, though, Vegas Pro Edit 16 is a pretty comprehensive package for those who will be looking to do a lot of video editing.

before choosing a level of installation check what you are actually needing this way way too capable for me and its doing a superb job for standard work its way capable of doing far more sophisticated editing that I require very easy to install and follow logically-excellent.

It isn't too difficult to pick this up and do simple editing with it but really it's for people who intend to use the very extensive features it offers and this will take an investment in time and effort. I used to think of Vegas as half way between cheap amateur software and the high end expensive stuff but with this version they are definitely getting nearer towards the high end. It's worth a try if you don't already have another favourite and if you are prepared to get to know it properly. You probably guessed I am not in this category. I am relying for my comments on my son and his friends who spend a huge amount of time editing videos and gave this one a thumbs up.

As a neutralised Adobe user, and I wrote off ever using FCP again when 10 came out, my first impressions of Vegas 16 is that it's like a slimmed down, simpler Adobe Premiere. For those used to previous versions of Vegas, there are some very slight changes. Some colour changes in transitions, but no new transitions. New audio effects - finally some slightly more pro level effects, such as de-esser. New video effects - a lot more Sapphire plugins for free. New video stabiliser - it's still hack. Other NLE's have way better stabilisers in my opinion, and though this is better than the previous 15 version, it's still not quite mastered. Extra capabilities for modern cameras, such as drone footage and 360 cameras. 4k rendering capabilities but that's of course machine dependent. Things I don't like mostly include the Magix interface itself. You don't just buy the thing and be done with it. There's constant emails and notifications about buying the extras. I know this is how companies make money and that's fair enough, but it is very annoying. Overall, not enough new stuff from 15 to warrant buying 16 if you already have a cop of Vegas Pro. However if you're new to video editing software, and want something better than iMovie, i think it's a very good attempt at a consumer level editor. I find Vegas is excellent for music video editing, as the plugins and transitions are designed for creative edits, whereas premiere pro is for more precise and technical editing.

There are plenty of in-depth reviews of Vegas, so I’m not going to try and outdo them. I’ve tried earlier versions of Vegas Pro and indeed Vegas Movie Studio but more recently settled on Cyberlink PowerDirector. That’s a fine editor but this version of Vegas is going to be supplanting it, on my PC. For everyday editing, it’s as easy to learn and use as any editor I’ve used. The interface is surprisingly intuitive for such powerful software, especially if you come from Movie Studio. The difference over Movie Studio is mainly the range of advanced features available, and there are even more in version 16. It has a number of genuinely useful enhancements, notably (for me) motion tracking and video stabilisation. There are many other pro-level tools such as multi-camera editing, stereoscopic 3D editing, motion-tracking, masking, chroma key and DVD/Blu-ray authoring. The software comes with lots of tutorials, many of them interactive, to help you learn how to use the more-advanced features. Anyone who’s used a video editor before is likely to be able to dive in and get started without help, though – it really is as intuitive as any editor I’ve used. The bottom line is that you’re unlikely to find a more capable video editor and yet it’s easy to get started. If you think you’ll progress to exploiting at least a subset of its pro capabilities, Vegas Pro Edit 16 is worth the high asking price. I love it and it’s firmly my new favourite editor.

Vegas seems tp be a very good video editor. The setup however lacks a few items leaving you floundering to install it. All you get in the Vegas folder is two programs: Vegas Pro 16 and Music Maker no setup program. You need to run it as administrator before it will install. Why not a simple auto? Installed, Vegas Pro looks daunting with all manner of empty windows and menu functions. The manual is not on the DVD. It has the Music Maker manual but not VP16... So a download is needed. The manual is quite good and covers what you need well. In any case just recall that its workflow is editing video - in, processed, out. The software should be geared to allow you to achieve this efficiently. I tried a few small projects as for You Tube and the process was straightforward. You could get Adobe Premiere Elements to do that and save a lot of loot. So this software is capable of more than that. I'm not a video geek so simple use is all I require. This will more than do that. If I fancy getting complex then this will handle it.