Nice little video editor.nyone who wants to install this, think twice. It comes with a lot of stuff you don’t want, almost impossible to uninstall and slows up your pc to the bottom.. Firebird server for example. Even when the programm wasn’t running it used about 95% upc and I could not do anything normal anymore.
Installed it with Shampoo Uninstaller 4, but even that program had a hard time uninstalling and left a lot of trash.
After a system repair all looks fine, thank god

I'm just going to add one piece of info since many have already covered most aspects on this program more eloquently and informed than myself.
I have run tests in comparing this program's conversion speed against WinX (which was offered here awhile back) and WinX beat this program by more almost 45 minutes (on a very large video file). It was painfully slow in comparison, and the quality was no better. If you have WinX from giveawayoftheday, I suggest sticking to that one unless there is some special feature in this app that isn't included in WinX.

Just thought I'd share my findings.

Hello. I noticed that this program needs to be closed and reopened between projects due to a huge memory leak. Win 7 32, 4 gb Corsair. Ran 3 separate conversions with 10 (approx 8 minute) FLV video snippets with the intent of merging each of the 10 into one FLV output file, and at the end of the third conversion, this program was using almost a full gig of memory. If I close it out and relaunch it, it only latches on to about 200 mb of ram (same criteria as above). Not a killer flaw, but this should be addressed by the developers.

I was able to use this with still pictures and titles by first converting the stills and titles to video, then using the resulting video stills as clips in Video Studio!!! I'm surprised no one else thought to do this. I do admit that having this available in the application would be easier and better overall.

BUT if you want stills and/or graphics and/or titles, this is your workaround!!!

Cheers!!

Ya know, I wasn't gonna try this because I know it's pretty limited. But, I kinda liked the looks from Wondershare's page for this app. So I downloaded it and, hey, it's pretty nice here there. I likes it! The effects are really good although there's not that many, and I love the fullscreen preview AND that the transitions are prerendered in the preview. I mean, it really feels professional. Just wish it had titling, line 21 captioning capability, and either more transitions or the ability to import transitions.

Thanks GAOTD & WONDERSHARE.

Nice little video editor. No bells and whistles but it does what it does and it seems VERY stable (think Windows Movie Maker (WMM)). Pretty good for noobies and those looking to make a simple little movie to send to granma on her birthday etc. I particularly liked the split tool, which never seems to work right in WMM. The crop tool seems unique to this app. I wish WMM had that tool!

Thanks Wondershare and GOTD!

won't run in wine on linux :(
I could have used this...

#27: Hello Mike,

Thank you for your feedback. As it turns out, I CAN accomplish what I want to do (Post #22) with this software thru a feature called "unlink". The BIG problem now is the 3 to 18 second video to audio delay as soon as I put so much as a single clip in the timeline. This puts any serious editing completely out of the question unless I can resolve this problem. (or perhaps, today's vendor would like to chime in).

I'll go and investigate your other recommendations as well. Thanks again.

Peter

Update about my last comment - actually, I tried converting the file to .avi and surprisingly enough, the converted file was in sync.

This works better as a converter than a video editor, though.

I was pretty excited because this program supports .mov input, which is exactly what I was looking for.

However, when I actually tried it, the audio was completely out of sync with the video. The video ran too slowly while the audio was at normal speed. Extremely disappointed because that was the only thing that made this better than Windows Movie Maker.

Wondershare Video Studio Express is a simple software and falls short of features which other comments here already stated.

I like to add one more comment which is directed to Wondershare. Why it stopped developing and selling Wondershare Movie Story? This wonderful software was offered in GAOTD awhile back.

Wondershare should improve on Movie Story instead of canning it and coming out with Video Studio Express, which is neither here nor there in terms of features. While Movie Story had some bugs in its transition preview, it is a real shame that the product was canned.

#18: "Just installed, Receive Microsoft Visual C++ error every time I click “Add Media”. Running on XP. Looks like great software. Any suggestions?"

While it doesn't narrow it down much at all, probably something else audio &/or video related you have installed that's incompatible with Video Studio Express -- when you click to add media it *opens* a lot of other media related files (.dll files etc), and there's likely something there that today's app doesn't like. About the only thing I can think of that you can do easily is try renaming folders for any audio/video related apps, one by one, & see if it fixes it.

* * *

#22: "Is it possible to lay down a video track (A) with its synchronized audio and then cut or dissolve to video (B) while keeping the audio from track (A). Then, at the conclusion of track (B), have it resume the video from track (A) without loosing audio sync?"

Drag *A* to timeline as separate audio & video files [as nec use a demuxer to get them that way] --> try dragging *B* (video only) on top of *A*, or you can cut/split *A* twice, deleting the middle portion where *B* will go. [see videohelp.com for tools that can demux combined audio/video]

"Unrelated: I’d love to have an editor that can pan and zoom over selected areas of large BMP or Jpeg files. Any freeware recommendations would be gratefully received."

The Ken Burns sort of FX are pretty common nowadays. If your definition of free is free *now*, check out the sales like at Frys. If you mean always free, check out WAX & apps like DVD slideshow GUI. There are more free video editors on *nix than for Windows, including packages on LiveCDs where you boot from CD/DVD disc, or you can use them in a *nix Virtual Machine.

* * *

Guess I'm just unlucky today. I've never had trouble installing GAOTD packages - but this one just wont install. I am admin on my Vista 32 PC - but I get a windows error about not being able to access the device, path, or file...

Think of Wondershare Video Studio Express as more of a really nice video converter than a video editor & I think you'll be pleased with it. But be careful & test 1st if you're exporting HD -- at least one of the format profiles [.ts], produced a file that other video apps [Sony DVDA 5 & Roxio MyDVD (w/ Blu-Ray add-ons)] couldn't begin to work with. On the plus side it handles both DVD & Blu_Ray (AVC HD) input Very well -- it was no more trouble, & took no more time to import HD compared to DVD, which is a bit rare. On the negative side video editors normally give you more freedom with output settings, & in that respect this app was more restrictive than many converters, something I hope Wondershare keeps in mind as they continue to develop the software. Sony's Vegas uses a multi-tiered approach, where you 1st select type of output, then from pre-sets (profiles) that, in another window you can customize -- users don't have to go any deeper than they want, need, or feel comfortable with... Wondershare already uses the same basic idea, but perhaps not trusting their users, doesn't go nearly as far as they could -- if they want to compete with other video editors IMHO they have to, as there's a LOT of competition in the <$100 & <$50 range. They also need to spend time on FX & Transitions -- Roxio bundles VideoWave with their Creator suites, which go for ~$60 on sale (std. version), & it has far, far more of both [FX & transitions], and you can control them Much better. And while $60 is a ways from $35, you're also getting many more apps.

Working with Wondershare Video Studio Express is nothing if not easy -- you import your media files, which puts them into what other editors might call an asset bin, then drag them from there onto the timeline. Here Wondershare falls down in 2 respects -- there's no way to easily clear that asset bin [it should empty with new projects, or at least have a Clear button], & they leave out the option of a StoryBoard view that many users prefer [that view shows separate clips as single boxes, regardless their length, making it Much easier for some people to manage]. Once you select a clip (in either the asset bin or on the timeline) it's available in the preview window as well. What's missing is the ability to set markers or in/out points from the preview window itself -- it's not a huge deal as you can easily go to the timeline and hit the split button, but it's easier/faster at the preview itself, and really sort of expected... most video editors not only have that feature, but build their whole workflow around the preview rather than the timeline. Otherwise editing Video Studio Express amounts to dragging your imported clips from the bin to the timeline in whatever order, trimming individual clips as needed, adding transitions as desired -- note that you can drag transitions anywhere on the clip & it'll go to the end -- note too that you can drag right end of the rectangle with the transition to set duration. If you use a separate audio track be careful, as shifting the *B* clip forward to blend with the *A* clip in a transition won't necessarily bring the audio forward as well. And if you're used to dragging the *B* clip over the *A* to blend, that won't work here -- you just shorten the *A*. You can do minimal editing for either audio or video clips, but IMHO if your project's more than assembling your clips & encoding, prepare them &/or do any editing elsewhere, then import that edited content into VIdeo Studio Express for assembly. Mjpeg works well in that case for DVD & lower resolutions, but you might have to try several other codecs for HD -- I normally use UTVideo but it's incompatible. :-(

All in all I think Wondershare Video Studio Express is a great alternative to many video converters simply because it'll take separate audio & video files, & that's how you'll often have them if you work with a lot of video. It'll probably work well for stuff like editing out commercials, but if you're recording TV it's easier IMHO to use a home theater app that uses comskip or similar & eliminate them both from saved files & original viewing. For most other editing it's just not there yet. And FWIW, till the 2nd Frys has a few video editors for $0 after MIR.

Program is a basic one less the editor of text. This has a ton of trans and render saves from the lowest to the highest 1920x1080 and fps. It is very simple to use no guessing

dble clk the video you can crop/effect with ease. click transitions and just drop and drag in. Music, just dbl click audio and add in your own sound. all from the media import.

to convert the clips taken about as long as it took me to type this 2 min 40. and wished after it finished a Auto play. no it's in my folders.

while watching the playback there is LAG, a lot of paused scenes an makes this no perfect , but something on the go . still a good program for free.

Clicking "Get KeyCode" does open a web page, but I don't see how to find the code there, and none has been received at the mail address I gave, even in the junk mail filter. Others seem not to have had this problem, but it's a show-stopper for me.

(Vista Business as Admin)

To those that have tried today's package... Is it possible to lay down a video track (A) with its synchronized audio and then cut or dissolve to video (B) while keeping the audio from track (A). Then, at the conclusion of track (B), have it resume the video from track (A) without loosing audio sync?

Unrelated: I'd love to have an editor that can pan and zoom over selected areas of large BMP or Jpeg files. Any freeware recommendations would be gratefully received.

Finally: Happy upcoming holidays to all.

Peter
Vancouver

Happy Thanksgiving to all the GAOD folks and the hard work they put in to give us some freebies and all the folks that make their comments... I am very thankful for your comments since I am not very good on computers softwares I appreciate very much your comments folks... keep them coming.. Have a Happy Day wherever you are! and whoever you are...
Thanks again....

What does this software ($35.) accomplish that Microsoft Moviemaker (included, & 'free') does not ?? ?

This will NOT work with JPG files! Get serious!

Just installed, Receive Microsoft Visual C++ error every time I click "Add Media". Running on XP. Looks like great software. Any suggestions?

Ashraf, MAGIX Movie Edith, on technical specification says:
Platform - Windows 7 (32 bit)
Windows Vista (32 bit)
Windows XP
So,Your advice for free alternatives in a strange way does not make a lot for the 64 bit system owners.

Magic movie edit pro 15 silver that was described in #2 is no longer available.

Although nice piece of software, no subtitles possible really makes it incomplete !

I've just downloaded & will post more later, but for now in case it helps anyone...

One of the feedback suggestions was to add fade in/out -- the traditional way of doing that, &/or the fades between clips or scenes, it to use a short back or white clip at either end of the regular video clip [&/or between 2] & then use whatever transitions. BTW & FWIW, fancy transitions are often [but not always] considered fairly amateurish. When it fits with what you're doing, the most commonly used pro transition is called an L cut, where you use simple audio & video fades, but not at the same time, hence the name: L cut [on the timeline the different start points look like an L or it's mirror image].

* * *

RE: subs or CC [#3, #6, #7]... On a DVD & with digital broadcast in North America standard CC is text that is embedded inside the mpg2 video -- DVDLab & Encore are the 2 apps consumers use that I'm aware of that will do this embedding, & without re-encoding. Cable broadcast HD CC is more like subs [can't pass regular CC over HDMI], which are a separate, graphics overlay stream included in the VOB file of a DVD, or m2ts files with Blu-Ray & AVCHD. AFAIK no video editor really does anything with subs -- the text files they're based off of can be created in several free apps just for that purpose, & those or other apps, plus a few DVD &/or Blu-Ray authoring programs can turn them into the normal image based sub files or streams that players overlay on the video. Windows media, Real Video, MKV, Nero digital mp4 files, DivX etc., even Shockwave Flash can also do subs or captioning, but the players that will display it are limited. In most of these formats the subs are also separate from the video itself, created with the same sorts of tools used for DVD & Blu-Ray subs, then combined in a container with or stored alongside the video, usually as text rather than graphics-based files. Creating those text files has been traditionally done in a way that's very similar to typing up dictation &/or court reporting, but for the last several years there have been advances in voice recognition -- Google is IMHO leading the way, putting this tech to work with YouTube & their phone apps... YouTube can create captions or subs using your uploaded video. Finally, several apps including a few of the video converters that have been on GOTD can hard code or burn subs, meaning they're overlaid on the video before encoding -- generally this isn't that popular or widely used because it forces everyone to see them, not just those who want or need them.

* * *

#7: "... because every time you render a video its quality diminishes."

Generational loss has always been a fact of life for digital video -- if it helps, the usual strategies are 1) start with original video at greatest possible quality, 2) stick with (near) lossless video formats (codecs) for intermediate video files, 3) when possible & when it applies, use apps that feature Smart Rendering... you can also minimize quality loss by avoiding changes in the video format's color space or method of storing color data [effected by both your choice of formats & software]. The way Smart Rendering works, is video that doesn't change is not re-encoded but just copied as-is into the new file; it works very well when the only changes are where scenes come together, but not at all when you change everything, e.g. do something like change the brightness or color.

* * *

#9: "... One such example is the very popular Windows Live Movie Maker..."

The problem with Microsoft's video stuff is it of course relies on wmv... Windows Media Video has loads of good things going for it, but it's just plain hard to work with, there aren't as many tools avail as there maybe should be (many advanced encoding settings have to be made in the registry for example), & it's *very* slow, with inefficient encoding/decoding. Yes the VC1 version did make it as a standard for HD, but there aren't many ways to encode it [Windows Media Encoder won't -- in fact MS only released the code on how to write an encoder, not a VC1 encoder itself], & it's still a PITA to work with.

* * *

If it's of any interest, while not direct competition to Video Studio Express, if you need/want more, Adobe is running a special till the end of month on Premiere Elements [I've seen $50 after MIR], but be aware it won't do full HD.

Happy Thanksgiving

I took the tutorial and read all the support docs. I see this is very much like windows movie maker that came as part of XP SP3. Having the ability to use single or sequences of images is a must for me.
Adding animated text / titles / credits is also a must have. WMM3 has these features, today's offering does not.
Contrast, brighness, and hue are not technicaly video effects. These are adjustments typically done on your monitor.
I see no place to import plugins?
48 trasitions are nice to have, but what about new ones when they come out? WMM3 also has an auto movie feature that I can not find in Video Studio Express.
I like the exportable HD formats, but beyond that, the free movie maker that comes with windows is actually more functional and therefore more usefull.
IMO Video Studio Express needs some more work.

1. the ability to create/edit/insert text and titles.

2. the ability to import still images (jpeg , png, gif) and export sequence of images from the video (img001, img002..).

3. Automation of movie creation and effects. set styles of movies(animation, old scratched film effets, snow-static, and so on.

4. Make the program expandable with plugin support. If joe macbook writes a cool new trasition that everyone is using/wanting, let it be a matter of importing it into the editor.

A program like this , with set transitions is a serious limitaion and becomes obsolete quickly if you cant do new things with it. to update transtions and effects, you will need to re-write and release a new version everytime a new trend of fresh ideas some along. I hope wondershare keeps working on this program. It is a good start, but,IMO,it is not worth charging money for yet. Thanks to giveaway again. and oh, thanks for coming back online, I was afraid the site was gone for good.

Happy Thnanksgivawaying

Verry easy to use and install, Installed under windows 7 32bit. Like the fact you can ad music and transitions. #9 Why are you giving 2 thumbs up if you have not tried the software, the point of the comment area is to comment on the software given away that day not to guess or speculate on something, please keep comments like that from this area.

I do recommend this for beginners.

Nice package for free, but it's missing the one feature I NEED in a video editor, and will still be using the Free VirtualDub for until something better comes along.

Image sequences.

Why so few video editors refuse to accept image sequences is beyond me. I do lots of animation, from 3D stuff to Fractal Animation, and almost all of the software I use creates numbered image sequences. I hardly ever use video files as a starting point (don't even own a camera!) and really need to be able to compile image sequences into video files. Fortunately, VirtualDub does this, and it is free! Get it at http://virtualdub.sourceforge.net/

If Wondershare's offering did this, it would be a Wonderful Tool, as it is - it's just mediocre at best (for my purposes).

I hope the kind folks who provided this software will consider adding this feature to a future version (and give it away here??).

Otherwise, it does support many video formats that are hard to find editors for (like rm, and mkv and even some I never heard of!), so I'm still likely to find uses for it on rare occasions, but only on rare occasions.

Thanks for this giveaway!

If you want to make a video of the kids for the grandparents, or slop together something quickly for YouTube, this program will work. But beyond that this video suite is very limiting. Not worth 35 USD, maybe 4.99 to 9.95 in the bargain bin at Walmart

Pros:

Not bloated with thousands of annoying, useless visual effects

Easy to use once one figures it out.

CONS:
Has no effects to truely speak of

Highest HD resolution is less then true HD, and much less then a well made CRT monitor.

So close but no cigar. I gave this a "thumbs up" because well, it looks like it's a good piece of software. I unfortunately can't give any real input on the software itself due to me not downloading it and giving it a try. (Which I would, if my net wasn't screwy.)

But I wonder, most of us here would want to use this to make home videos pop a little more or even upload videos to Youtube. If that's the case, why not try a free alternative?

One such example is the very popular Windows Live Movie Maker:
http://explore.live.com/windows-live-movie-maker?os=other

I never looked twice at it until I wanted to upload to youtube. Some things Windows Live Movie Maker does is it allows you to easily add text, transitions and effects as well as add a soundtrack.

It's easy to learn and provides a good result for home movies and Youtube videos.

Only real negative I have is that it's bundled with the Live Installer which just makes everything take longer to install. Plus, it's from Microsoft. ;)

I didn't see option for watermark or inputting text. As for me this is of no use. I have AVS Video Editor 5.1 and that is awsome.

@5 Of course it's possible to add subtitles and captions post-production. The issue here clearly is an important because every time you render a video its quality diminishes.

@2 (eilien) Ashraf did not notice the ability to add subtitles (captions) with this software directly. It might be possible however, to use some freeware video utilities (Aegisub, VirtualDub, AviSynth) to add them as an additional step. Because this is still downloading, I haven't yet had a chance to check.

http://www.wondershare.com/guide/video-studio-express.html
Here is the guide.Thank.

Allready have Wondershare Movie Story GAOTD ed., what are de differences ? Do I need this one for other uses ?
thanks

Can i add subs there ? Txt or whaetever diferrent type. If not u should add it in the future.

The Good
* Straightforward and easy to use.
* Supports many input audio/video (HD & SD) formats, output video formats (HD & SD), and a handful of electronic devices.
* Users can add custom background audio (in addition to the audio that comes with input videos).
* Allows users to perform basic edits on input videos.
* Has 48 transition effects users can use.
* Allows users to modify volume level of input audio (the audio that comes with input videos and the audio files imported separately).
* Can upload videos directly to Youtube.

The Bad
* Lacks the ability to add custom text (such as titles, captions, and credits).
* Lacks the ability to use still images (JPG, PNG, etc.) in videos.
* Has many transitions but lacks on number of effects (only has four).
* Once a transition has been placed on a video, it is impossible to tell what transition it is short of previewing the video.

Free Alternatives
MAGIX Movie Edit Pro 15 Silver
Windows Movie Maker/Windows Live Movie Maker

For final verdict, recommendations, and full review please click here.

A message from Wondershare Software:

Installation and Registration

1. Unzip the package you've downloaded and install the software;
2. Run the software you installed;
3. Click "Get KeyCode" button, enter your e-mail address on the popup page to get keycode;
(Note: After enter your e-mail address, you can directly get the keycode on the webpage, and you also can find it in your mailbox.)
4. Type your e-mail address and the keycode to run the software;
5. Then you can use all the functions of the software now.

Please follow above steps to register the program. You are recommended to run the program under administrator account.

Wondershare provides free online support for this giveaway. If you have questions about this Video Studio Express, please feel free to contact our technical support directly at Wondershare Support Centeror mail us at: support@wondershare.com

More benefits:
To celebrate Thanksgiving, Wondershare has released exclusive discounts only for GOTD users.
Get Video to DVD Burner and Photo Collage Studio for Thanksgiving and Enjoy 60% Off, to make your holiday memories live for long.