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.

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.

Export/Production:  

PowerDirector 8 Deluxe supports a number of output formats. You can output to MPEG-1, MPEG-2 (with Dolby Digital 5.1), MOV, WMV, DV-AVI, QuickTime and RealMedia, iPod and PSP H.264 format, and MPEG-4. You can even write back to your HDV tape or HDD camcorder.

Uploading your finished masterpiece to YouTube or Facebook to share with friends and family or the world is super easy, and can be done from directly within the PowerDirector software. All you have to do is input your account/profile information, and the video will be directly uploaded. This version of PowerDirector now even supports the ability to upload HD content to YouTube.

Version 8 of PowerDirector now has SD to HD upscaling. Basically, it optimizes your standard footage and makes it higher definition. The TrueTheater optimizations also take care of some noise removal and lighting tweaks, provide virtual surround sound, and improve overall quality. We found that this feature works amazingly well; effectively refining the footage and upscaling with impressive results.

Editing Effects/Transitions:  

Impressive effects and transitions can take your movie to the next level, and PowerDirector 8 Deluxe has a great selection of both. With nearly 100 effects and filters and over 150 transitions, you can give your feature film a whole new look and feel whether you want a grainy old-time look, snowflakes, lasers, retro TV look, or even a hand-drawn feel, PowerDirector’s quick effects and filters make it easy.

PowerDirector can also be used to masterfully handle slow-motion. You can turn your intense scenes into extra-smooth slow-motion parts without getting choppy.

PowerDirector 8 now includes advanced particle effects. Whether you use the premade particle effects, or customize your own, they can add some really neat effects to your movies.

And if all those effects and transitions aren’t enough, purchase of PowerDirector also gives you access to the online DirectorZone community. Not only can you find several more user-generated effects, transitions and menus, you can share complete videos, so you can see how other users are editing their movies. With over 180,000 registered DirectorZone members and growing, at the time of this review the online community was hosting 1,187 custom DVD menus, 89 particle effects, 1,973 motion objects, and much more.

Disc Creation:  

It’s easy to create DVDs (as well as VCDs or SVCDs) with PowerDirector. You can even burn to a dual-layer DVD. PowerDirector Deluxe does not burn Blu-ray discs; for this functionality you should upgrade to PowerDirector Ultra.

It’s pretty easy to add a menu to your DVD, and you can even create your own with some pretty impressive results. You have complete control over the titles, scene selection, and the DVD menu structure. You can even add subtitles if you want from a TXT or SRT file.

Audio and Photo Editing:  

The music and sound of a movie can make or break the end product. So whether you’re using a full soundtrack, or just a few sound effects, it’s important to be able to easily add audio elements. You can import your own music (MP3, WMA, or WAV but not AAC) and add them to your movie timeline easily with PowerDirector 8 Deluxe.

The timeline features 4 audio tracks, which should be more than enough to accommodate all the music, voice, and other audio elements you want to use. Fading out/in is done just like fades to the video. You can adjust the volume by opening the integrated audio mixer.

Images can also be added and adjusted directly the PowerDirector software. Upload JPG, GIF, PNG, TIF, or BMP files and then adjust them as needed in the included PhotoNow software. PhotoNow is far from a full-function image editing software or online editor, but it’s nice to have some basic image tweaking built-in.

PowerDirector also features some great picture-in-picture capability. This lets you add static images or motion objects to your video. But the picture-in-picture feature doesn’t just mean static overlay images (think Blind Date); you can actually use picture-in-picture of videos (think Pillow Talk). PowerDirector lets you use up to 9 PiP videos (3 more than version 7), so you can create a 3x3 video wall (think Brady Bunch).

Help and Support:  

CyberLink offers a number of useful resources for getting additional help with PowerDirector if you need it. The built-in help file is pretty thorough, and you can find several additional resources online (FAQs, User’s Guide, and tutorials) that certainly come in handy.

PowerDirector 8 Deluxe continues to deliver the superior quality video editing experience we expected from CyberLink, with new features and functions to boot. PowerDirector is perfect for beginners and intermediate movie-makers looking for professional results.

With powerful tools, an easy to use workflow, and advanced video output and sharing capabilities, PowerDirector 8 Deluxe is near perfect. We also recommend looking at the Ultra edition of PowerDirector 8, which adds Blu-ray authoring and AVCHD authoring.