Hello there! Welcome to this video! Let's see how to use Cyberlink
PowerDirector 12, in a short time.
Check the smart index in the video description to get what you are
looking for.
Correct us in comments in case you notice mistakes in our pronunciation.
PowerDirector 12 is a video-editing software used to create and edit videos
and slideshows in full. This is a great alternative to Sony Vegas Pro, if
you find it expensive.
When you open the software, a welcome window appears. Here you can choose
the aspect ratio of your video, in 16:9 (HD) or 4:3. On the right, you have
three options. Full Feature Editor is the aim of the software, when you
manage and edit your video project, with full control of what you can do.
The other two ones are guided and made auto. Easy Editor edits a collection
of photos and videos and, with audio chosen, puts all of them together,
using a ready-made template.
Slideshow Creator works just the same, but with photos only. Here you have
other templates, and each one puts a different effect to your final video.
We are going to see how to use the main video editor. If you know how this
works, you are able to create anything with PowerDirector 12.
Let's get a general overview on the workspace. On the left, above, you have
all the windows, called Rooms, that contain all this software offers, from
the samples to the effects and transitions. On the right you have the
Preview of your project or the sample selected. More on top, you have some
quick buttons. You have others below the rooms and the preview. Then, at
the bottom, you have the Timeline, where you are going to work and
edit clips.
Let's start with the Rooms. On top you have some big buttons, that
represent the phases of your project. Capture is used to record from your
webcam or microphone. Edit has inside all samples and effects of the
software, useful while you build your video. Produce is used to render
properly, whereas click on Create Disc to burn your video in DVD.
While in Edit mode, you can choose the Room through the buttons on the
left. Media Room is used to import files and/or samples in your timeline.
To import samples, simply select one and drag it onto your timeline. You
can choose the kinds of files to show, and the zoom level through the bar
on the right. You can import external files going to Import media and then
browsing, or simply dragging the file on the list directly. Once it has
been added, you can add it into your timeline.
All you need to know to go on, is how to use the timeline. This is composed
by different rows, called tracks, that welcome your files, such as videos,
audio and pictures, that are called clips. There are different kinds of
tracks. Video Tracks, indicated through a blue frame icon, welcome pictures
and videos, so anything that is visible. Audio Tracks are used for audio
files or audio included in videos. Effect Tracks are used to rule effects.
We won't see the effects in this beginner tutorial. Watch the related video
in this guide if you are interested in these.
You have other tracks, such as Title, Voice, and Subtitle Tracks, but
these are not important.
If you enlarge the column, you can see and edit the name of the tracks.
You need to remember the order of the tracks. The tracks lower in position
have clips that are shown above the others. This values for the Video
Tracks only, where the overlappings are important.
You can add new tracks using the third small icon in the top left corner.
Besides the track icon you have other two icons. Use the central one to
hide or show the whole track. An hidden track doesn't show any of its clips
inside. For Audio Tracks this corresponds to mute or not sound.
The Lock icon is used to block or unblock the track. A track blocked locks
its clips, so that you can't edit them in any way.
Let's see the clips. Each clip is shown in the timeline in a proper way. To
see them clearly, zoom in or out the timeline, using the bar in the bottom
left corner. You can drag the edges of the tracks to show bigger the clips
themselves. Each clip has its own name on it. Pictures show a thumbnail
at the beginning. Audio clips show their waveform. Videos show thumbnails
of the frames and the waveform of the audio background, if present.
The Preview on the right shows your project where the playhead is set.
Click on the timeline to set it. Click and drag the playhead to see the
succession of the frames. You can select a clip clicking on it. The Preview
shows both clips and the full project. In Clip mode, the Preview shows how
the project looks like until the clip interested finishes its part. In the
Movie Mode, you are going to see the project as it is.
You can set the zoom, the time placement, the volume or you can take and
save snapshots or use the player.
Double-click inside to watch a full screen preview.
When in Clip mode, you can apply basic transformations. Click and drag to
move the clip on the project screen. Click and drag on the squares to scale.
Hover the blue squares to distort. Approach the blue circle on the centre
to rotate. The transformations are like effects applied on the clip,
indicated through an orange i in a corner.
In the timeline, click and drag to move a clip through the track container
or in another track. Drag the edges to set the clip's length. You can't
stretch video and audio clips over their natural duration. Otherwise you
can trim them. Trimming is the operation that stretches a video or an audio
clip but slows down the playing speed of these. To trim, hold CTRL down
and drag the edges. If you stretch, the clip will be played slower. If you
shorten the clip, you will play this faster.
Approach the top of the clip to set its opacity level. In Audio clips and
in the audio background of videos you will set the Gain level instead, so
its volume.
You can right-click on a clip selected to cut, copy or paste it. You can
use the cut command to delete fast a clip. Simply press CTRL+X when
it's selected.
Video files have a visible and an audio part that always move together.
Right-click and go to Unlink Video and Audio to manage them singularly.
To split a clip in two, simply select it and press the Split button more
above. If you mistake anything, remember to use CTRL+Z to undo.
The timeline can be seen in another way. Click on the second button in the
left corner to activate the Storyboard view. This lets you see the clips
componing your project. Click on the first button in the corner to come
back to the classic view.
There are many other Rooms you can use, for example to add Text, effects
and transitions. Check the next videos to get into these other features.
The Subtitle Room is used to add captions to your video. Click on the plus
to add a line. Then set when it has to appear and disappear. Try it out!
The subtitles have their own track called Subtitle Track.
When your project is done, save it. You can quickly use the floppy-disk
icon on top, or go to File and then to Save Project As...
PowerDirector project files are saved as .pds, and are useful if you want
to open and edit your work later in the future.
Next to the floppy-disk icon, you have others. For example the undo and
redo buttons. You can change anytime the aspect ratio of your project. And
you can set the software preferences using the last icon.
However, saving a project doesn't mean to save the video. You need to
render it. Click on Produce, next to Edit. PowerDirector is one of the
fastest softwares in rendering a project.
There are four kind of renderings. Standard 2D is good when you want
to export your video for personal use. 3D is used to export videos in 3D
format.
In Device you can choose the device where the video must be sent. Online
sets the right settings to play the video in a general website.
For each kind of render, choose first the format for the video, the quality
and the video resolution. On the right you can see a general preview of
your final rendered video. If you use a Trial version, you will have
additional text on top at the beginning. This can't be removed, unless you
go and purchase it.
Choose below the Output Folder, so where the rendered video must be saved.
When you are fine with the settings, simply go to Start at the bottom.
One of the amazing features that PowerDirector has, is the ability to
create Discs. Go to Create Disc section. Here you can set settings to burn
your video into a DVD. On the left set the content to be put in the Disc.
By default, your full project is added, but you can add other videos and
other projects as well. Each of them represents something called Title.
You can delete a title using the bin button. Check the occupation at the
bottom, next to the CD symbol.
The Disc creation is not a simple video put in the disc. It is made
interactive just like the commercial DVDs. The software offers you
templates, that show an intro and an initial page, where the viewer can
choose to play or go straight to the different chapters of it. Firstly you
choose which Title, that are listed in the Content section, and then, if
present, you can choose the proper chapter of the Title selected.
Each Title can have its chapters, simply click on the central icon when
the title is selected. You will be brought to the Edit section in the
Chapter Room, to add and set the chapters for each Title.
The template can be fully edited through the preview you see on the right.
You can change templates or even create new ones going to Menu Preferences.
In 2D Disc and in 3D Disc you can set the right settings and the kind of
output disc. Watch how it looks like going to Preview at the bottom;
using your mouse to select options and pressing Escape to exit.
When you are ready, simply click on Burn below!
Thanks for watching this video! Check our next videos to discover more
about PowerDirector 12!