Read about Magix Video Easy

Complete software for video editing and DVD release.

It can be downloaded from www.magix.com/uk/movie-edit-pro (£69.99 in February 2010) or you can buy the boxed version with many useful extra programs included. (e.g. amazon UK had it with Photo and Videoshow Soundpool 6 for £39.99 in February 2010)

A free trial version (7 days without registration, a month with registration) is available so that you can try it out.

Overall rating: Excellent * * * * *

Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 Plus is here tested in the international, English-language version. There is some help you can buy for using this system, but only if you read German. The following cover Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 including the Plus version in depth:

• Video deluxe - Der Meister Kurs by by Rainer Hagner (amazon uk £33.82 in February 2010)
• Magix Video deluxe 15: auch für Version PLUS (Broschiert) by Martin Quedenbaum (amazon.de 16.95 Euro in February 2010).

Furthermore there are the following DVD courses:

• Einsteiger-Lernkurs auf DVD (Video deluxe 15) (20 Euro) from Magix.
• Video Lernkurs auf DVD (Video deluxe 15) (25 Euro) from Magix.

Will these books/DVD's be available in other languages? The answer can only be a maybe. Magix will initially assess the reception in the German-speaking market, and might later proceed with an English version of each of the books.

Installation

The download is 205Mb. Installation is straightforward - but takes some time for there are a lot of files to be copied. When installed the program may ask to go online and look for any updates available.

All codecs are included in the Plus version, and that eliminates the need for later activation of the individual codecs, (something which was criticised in the previous release.)  All screens have had a sprucing up of their graphical design. The user interface is now only available in the dark version which I actually prefer, because a white background seems to be tiring to the eyes with modern, spacious and bright computer monitors.

Many details have been improved and problems in earlier versions resolved. There is now a clearer menu structure, and there are slightly fewer ways to access the program features. In some places Magix have, perhaps, gone too far in simplifying, but you can work quickly with a look at the shortcut list in the help section.

In the past the changes from one version to the next were almost imperceptible, when it came to basic functions. Previous users will quickly get used to the small differences, while new users can rejoice immediately as the program has become less "geeky" than before, but it will take some time before they can frolick effortlessly into all its possibilities.

I can only advise that you initially concentrate your efforts on the elementary functions.

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The main screen is split with the video window on the top left. To its right is the window where you can browse the files you have access to in the PC. In setup you can choose instant replay of the file you point to. So you can see a video clip or listen to an audio file simply by pointing. Simple and effective. At the bottom we find the timeline, and here we find, where Magix differs from other editing solutions in the price range. Depending on the setup 4, 8, 16 or up to 99 tracks are available. These tracks can be freely used for video, audio, text or graphics - and in a random order. A neat detail is that you can change the text label on the individual tracks from, for example, "Track 1" to "Video 1", so that clarity is facilitated. To the left of each track there are 3 buttons offering: (padlock) = Locks all objects in their position on the track. S = Solo show - you only see / hear the contents of the marked track. You can choose S on multiple tracks to play several at once. M = Mute - that track is suppressed so you do not see or hear it.

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It is also possible to see the project in storyboard form, as shown here, and you can choose between different presentations according to what best fits the current stage of editing.

Recording

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Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 is easy to work with. Video input is accepted from both FireWire, USB, a possible analogue to digital video card or TV cards. While some other programs can only record if they also receive the time code data from a running tape, there was no problem in accepting a clean video stream - for example from a video mixer. In the recording window one has control of the required settings, for example: Location and name of video file Optional automatic scene splitting Direct copying to CD / DVD Building a cut list for batch Dubbing Automatic start / stop the player. You can just start the transfer and let the Magix program perform scene detection afterwards. Or you can create a cut list, which is then copied in a batch process.

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Picture Correction Video scenes can subsequently be treated with a variety of video effects, which can be reached via the "Effects" tab. The example here shows the colour correction tool.

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Sound Recording The module for audio recording offers many options in terms of source, quality, file location and filename. Furthermore, there is a useful function to maximize ( "normalize") the recorded level after recording is finished, so that the sound mixing in principle operates on recordings with the same maximum level.

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Sound editing

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The Master Audio FX module provides a wealth of opportunities to shape the sound stage with many presets. Presets are good in principle - but you also have the ability to change all the parameters to suit your personal taste. The Graphic Equaliser is similar to leading analog sound devices, which would cost many times more than the entire Magix program. The simulated devices include: Graphic Equaliser Stereo processor Reverb / echo processor Compressor Audiometer with peak and spectrum display Remember, it is necessary to control listening to a speaker of good quality. Cheap computer speakers  are no good for his process.

Furthermore, there is access to a wide range of pre-programmed sound effects. For the final mix, you can either take each track individually and provide the desired level manually - a process which can be quite time consuming if there are many tracks. OR instead, you can choose Master mixer, which - of course - shows just as many channels as you have chosen number of tracks in the Magix program setup. Each channel has a volume indicator, and then your main concern is to be careful that the total signal does not overload. Since the mixer module works on all tracks - video, as well as audio - it can also be used to match the video tracks themselves..

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This is only a cursory overview of the functions available. There is a much more, so there is really a lot to investigate.

Production

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The finished product will end in a file on tape or burned onto DVD / CD. The project should be transferred to a file or tape is used the "Export Movie" function, where you can choose output in all popular formats. Here it is also possible to extract the audio separately in a wav file and grab stills from video tracks.

To burn the project onto DVD / CD there is a disc authoring module allowing the creation of chapter points, menus and so on, which should suit most needs. The system allows you to open several productions at the same time, if you want to put them on the same DVD. But you do not need to have all the DVD content in the same timeline. That gives a great advantage in clarity and flow of work. DVD production has been very satisfactory.

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Conclusion

Magix Movie Edit Pro 15 Plus has great versatility, and there are many more functions beyond those mentioned here. It also handles both a mixture of 4:3 and 16:9 recording and SD (standard definition) and HD (high definition) on the same timeline - with either black bars or pan-scan. It will automatically remember the setup and select the format of the finished production.

Rendering takes time, but the program is optimised to exploit all the resources in your PC.

You will be surprised again and again about how much is included in the package - especially at this price. I have found it a very stable program and I can highly recommend it

Right from the start all the functions are included and it is pretty easy to use. I thinks it is a bargain for the price.

Like much computer software it comes in various versions, so check the Magix website to make sure you find the version that best suits you. Watch out for any later versions in this fast-changing market. Find out more on www.magix.com/uk/movie-edit-pro

- Leif Christiansen (former webmaster of NordFilmNet)

Video often does not get caught by screen capture systems, so some illustrations of the movies being edited are photos from Stock Xchng.

Read about Magix Video Easy