TechRadar Verdict
A good easy-to-use video editing package, Movie Studio has a lot to offer for a very reasonable price. The latest updates make it even better.
Pros
- +
Improved tools
- +
Better import interface
- +
Faster rendering
Cons
- -
No change to interface
- -
PC-only
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Magix is a German company and the last time we took a look at their video editing software, Movie Studio was called Movie Edit Pro Premium.
We were suitably impressed with what we saw, giving the package three and a half stars in our review, and noting that it “has a few flaws and annoyances but it covers much more than the basics and even includes automated features” for novice editors.
Now, with a new name comes new updates that keep editing simple for novice editors.
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Under the hood upgrades
Launching the latest version of the video editing app, you’d be forgiven for thinking that nothing has changed. The interface looks exactly the same.
But performance doesn’t feel the same. One of the biggest changes isn’t one you’ll see, but will feel, as the engine Movie Studio runs, INFUSION Engine, has been upgraded to version 3.
According to the company, the engine “enables a seamless GPU workflow for all current graphics cards by Intel, NVIDIA and AMD.” This should allow for smoother playback of complex projects, or those with 8K footage, and also provide accelerated exports for AVC and HEVC formats.
When working with 8K, depending on your video editing computer of choice, you could preview your footage in real time, as you edit. This is a big boon as we’re slowly moving ever upwards towards larger and more complex video files, and it’s great that Magix are at the forefront on this one.
Stock footage
Magix Content is an excellent new addition for 2022, offering an extensive library of music samples, stock photos, stock videos, and animation to Platinum and Suite subscribers. .
This grants you access to royalty-free media to enhance your own projects. Stock libraries are nothing new. - although it’s always a bonus to be able to access them straight from within the editing interface. But is Magix’s offering worth the subscription price?
That would really depend on how much you use it and if you find the content to your liking.
Magix claims to have millions of video and audio files - all thanks to their partnering with Storyblocks - and we’ll have to take their word for it. The selection appears to be vast indeed, and thankfully you can locate what you need via a search field or various categories.
You also have the rights to use any of the available content for any type of project. Best of all, there’s no time limit beyond which you’ll lose the right to use that media.
True, there are a wealth of free and paid-for stock libraries online - including Adobe Stock and Adobe Stock alternatives. Magix definitely wins for sheer convenience here.
Revamped travel animations
You know those fun movie moments when travel is illustrated by a dot moving across a yellowed map?
Well, you don’t need the best video effects software to bring travel animations to life. You can recreate them with Movie Studio better than before. Again, though, Magix has locked this feature to Platinum or Suite editions of the video editing software.
There’s a new ‘fly-in’ option, designed to give your animated route a smoother introduction. You’re also given more control over the map itself, letting you skew and rotate and zoom in and out.
If your imported files contain GPX data (ie, general geographic information, including waypoints, tracks and routes), this feature can take advantage of that and display your elevation alongside the map - just to show off how high you went on your latest hike!
Extra Improvements
Many tools have been redesigned and improved upon for easier use and manipulation. This is true for new controls that enable you to move video clips around on the main preview section. It’s all about simplifying the creation of collages, split-screens, or anything of the kind, making it much more enjoyable.
The handles you use to manipulate your footage are bigger and easier to select, giving you more control over a clip’s position and scale directly from the preview section. The rotation tool gains more flexibility, enabling you to specify where the rotation point is, opening up even more creative opportunities.
If you’re aiming to produce videos that will be shared online, you’ll appreciate the new social media management templates, which simplify the creation of vertical or square formatted projects distinctive to each platform
Automatic alignment of smartphone media is another great feature we appreciated. Some video editing software have problems with shots taken from a phone, particularly from an iPhone, displaying footage upside down for some reason. This new feature automatically corrects a clip’s orientation, so you (and your audience) always see it the right way up.
Exclusive features
Joining the raft of new features available to higher end versions of Magix’s software is the new effects pack, which is designed to add atmospheric light effects to your projects.
You’re offered over a hundred templates, which can be fully customised as well. These effects include rays of light, and candle flicker, to help change or convey the perfect mood for your scene in post-production. But only by choosing the Suite version will you get this boost in creativity.
Prices and subscriptions
There are many ways you can grab yourself a copy of this video editing suite. You can purchase Movie Studio outright for $69.99 / £49.99 - ideal if you dislike Adobe’s Creative Cloud subscription model and want a consumer-level Premiere Pro alternative.
The Platinum edition costs $99.99 / £69.99, includes 600 more transition effects and titles, advanced colour correction tools, and the new travel route animation. If your budget stretches to this, we’d say it’s well worth the extra money.
Movie Studio 2022 Suite is currently on a massive promotional drive. Magix claims the usual price is around $1000 / £900, which sounds exceedingly high, but it can be yours right now for less than Movie Studio Platinum - only $79.99 / £64.99. Suite includes those cool new lighting effects. If you’re at all interested, grab it while you can.
If you’d rather take out a subscription plan, you can get Studio, Platinum, and Suite for a monthly cost of $2.99 / £2.29, $3.99 / £2.99, and $4.99 / £3.99 respectively.
As an added incentive, Platinum and Suite subscriptions include MAGIX Content (nothing for standard Studio users, unfortunately).
So confident are Magix of their product that they allow you to try their editing software for free as well. We’d recommend checking out Movie Studio to see if it’s right for you.
Final verdict
Magix Movie Studio is a neat, affordable video editor designed with ease of use in mind. Some issues persist, like the reverse track order, but this is clearly a choice and something to get used to if you work with other video editing tools.
Overall, the new additions will be of great benefit to many editors, both newcomers and more seasoned alike.
