VEGAS Movie Studio 14 Platinum and Suite – REVIEW

vegas movie studio 14 platinum is the highly anticipated first new version of “vegas movie studio” released by the new owners of magix software as they replaced sony creative software.

Source: usscouts.orgI am writing this review with both new and existing users in mind. My guess is that some people reading this, are already using one of Sony’s older versions of Vegas Movie Studio and maybe wondering if it is worth upgrading to the first “Magix” version of Vegas Movie Studio Platinum.

On the other hand, newbies, who are just beginning their video editing adventure, are probably completely overwhelmed with the incredible amount of video editors they can choose from.

vegas movie studio platinum 14 is a consumer video editing program. Competition in this category is fierce, which means it can be very confusing to find the product that best suits your needs. some of the alternative brands have added so many “special features” to their programs, the only thing missing now is the kitchen sink! The lines between free, consumer, and professional video editing software have become very blurry and confusing in 2017.

In order to find some clarity, there are three main questions I will explore and answer in this review:

1. is vegas movie studio 14 platinum easy to learn and use?
2. is vegas movie studio 14 platinum still a good video editing program for beginners and more advanced users?
3. is it worth upgrading to vegas movie studio 14 platinum after using an older version of “sony” for many years?

#The vegas movie studio platinum 14 build version I used for this review is build #122.

Disclosure: I have been using vegas movie studio and vegas pro software since 2008 and am not being paid to write this review, which means I will give you an open and honest opinion, based on user experience. real world.

quick links to topics covered in this review

This is quite a long review, so if you don’t have the time and energy to travel with me to outer mongolia, you can use the quick links below and jump straight to the section that interests you the most!

*click on any image in this review to see it full screen!

1. summary of pros and cons2. a brief history of (sony, now magix) vegas movie studio3. what is the difference between the 3 versions of vegas movie studio 14?4. new common features5. A quick overview of the three versions of Vegas6 Movie Studio. vegas 147 movie studio. vegas 14 platinum8 movie studio. vegas dvd architect 9. vegas 14 suite10 movie studio. warning about newbluefx titler pro express11. smartsound sonicfire pro 612. tools and features included with vegas movie studio 14 platinum / suite13. welcome screen / show me how tutorials / new project wizard 14. list of main tools and effects included with the program15. timeline tools and features16. multimedia project and explorer windows17. transitions and video effects windows18. media generators window19. window trimmer20. Preference settings 21. make a movie – output rendering options22. conclusion and recommendations

pros and cons summary

{grid6}{jb_icon-plus-sign}pros{/jb_icon-plus-sign}{/grid6}{grid6_last}{jb_icon-minus-sign}cons{/jb_icon-minus-sign}{/grid6_last}

{grid6}{jb_icon-plus-sign}{/jb_icon-plus-sign}intuitive workflow{/grid6}{grid6_last}{jb_icon-minus-sign}{/jb_icon-minus-sign}no sign mode storyboard{/grid6_last}

{grid6}{jb_icon-plus-sign}{/jb_icon-plus-sign}unbeatable timeline editing tools{/grid6}{grid6_last}{jb_icon-minus-sign}{/jb_icon-minus-sign } without masking tool{/grid6_last}

{grid6}{jb_icon-plus-sign}{/jb_icon-plus-sign}professional dvd & blu-ray disc authoring{/grid6}{grid6_last}{jb_icon-minus-sign}{/jb_icon-minus-sign}no 360° video support{/grid6_last}

{grid6}{jb_icon-plus-sign}{/jb_icon-plus-sign}large support community{/grid6}{grid6_last}{jb_icon-minus-sign}{/jb_icon-minus-sign}limited to 2d x , y-axis movement{/grid6_last}

{grid6}{jb_icon-plus-sign}{/jb_icon-plus-sign}Deep level of customization available{/grid6}{grid6_last}{jb_icon-minus-sign}{/jb_icon-minus-sign}compatible with missing gpu, render video can be slow{/grid6_last}

a brief history of (sony, now magix) vegas movie studio

If you have just arrived on planet earth, you should know that Vegas Movie Studio was developed by Sony Creative Software for many years and has a large number of loyal users. The last version of “Vegas Movie Studio” released by Sony was Movie Studio Platinum 13 and that was over three years ago. Which means it’s been a long time between drinks, because three years in “software-land” is almost an eternity!

it is important to note that sony movie studio platinum 13 was universally rejected (even hated), due to the simplified user interface. sony movie studio platinum 12 & 11, on the other hand, were much loved and many users are still using these older versions today. many longtime users (myself included) of vegas software for a long time were worried about the direction things were going but then in september 2016 it was announced that sony had sold most of its software range to magix software in Germany.

vegas software and the vegas community are now going through a massive transition. transitions can be painful, because not everything from the past will survive, but there is also an opportunity for a new beginning. Where this will all end is still uncertain, but hopefully Magix will use legendary German ingenuity and a love of precision to surf “Vegas Movie Studio” back to the front of the wave in the highly competitive video editing market.

i think existing vegas movie studio platinum and vegas pro users need to give the new magix development team time to transition the software and add new features. It’s great that version 14 has been released, but I think version 15 will be the true test for magix and the future of vegas movie studio and vegas pro.

This review is for the consumer grade Vegas Movie Studio 14 software and is not to be confused with the professional grade Vegas Pro 14. you can read my vegas pro 14 review here.

what is the difference between the 3 versions of vegas movie studio 14?

There are three versions of Vegas Movie Studio 14 available: Vegas Movie Studio 14, Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum, and Vegas Movie Studio 14 Suite. To learn more about the specific “less fundamental” differences between these versions, you can read this detailed product comparison chart on the Vegas Creative Software website.

{grid4}Vegas Movie Studio 14 {/grid4}{grid4}Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum {/grid4}{grid4_last}Vegas Movie Studio 14 Suite {/grid4_last}

Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum – User Interface

new common features

All versions now support 4k monitors and feature a new darker user interface and redesigned buttons, giving the program a fresh, more modern look. removed the ability to switch between the new darker theme and the original white theme, which means not everyone is happy with this change, but it’s light years away from the horrible interface in version 13. the buttons are back to having a smaller size, so less desktop space is wasted. The timeline toolbar has also been dramatically improved, so that the most powerful and useful tools can now be easily accessed, without having to discover hidden menus within menus.

all three versions come with an add-on program called magix music maker, for creating music using loops, samples, and software instruments. the platinum and suite versions also come with additional features and tools, which I’ll explain in more detail below.

Magix Music Maker

a quick overview of the three versions of vegas movie studio

las vegas 14 movie studio

Vegas Movie Studio 14 is the most basic version available and is designed for quick and easy video editing, without the need to know much technical detail. Since I started using Vegas Movie Studio in 2008, I have never used nor recommended this version, because it lacks the ability to customize many different settings and will normally frustrate anyone needing to create videos that are a little more advanced. The difference between this basic version and the Platinum version is night and day. For less than an extra $30, the Platinum version gives you a massive amount of extra tools and settings compared to the basic version. If you are trying to decide between Vegas Movie Studio 14 and Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum, I recommend the Platinum version every single time.

vegas 14 platinum film studio

Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum has a complete range of video editing tools, that you would expect to find in a consumer grade program at this price level. One of the strengths that Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum still has, is the intuitive way you can edit on the timeline. Many other video editing programs, still use overly complicated techniques to achieve basic functions on the timeline, which adds greatly to the time it takes to learn how to use a program. The original developers of both Vegas Movie Studio and Vegas Pro, created a logical set of tools for doing common tasks on the timeline, which is one of the reasons why Vegas users love using Vegas software.

An example of what I’m talking about is creating a transition on the timeline. all you have to do is overlay two pieces of media and you instantly have a basic crossfade transition. More advanced transitions from the transitions tab can simply be dragged into the overlay area and you’re good to go. try doing a similar logical process in adobe premier pro (a professional-grade video editor) and you’ll soon be tearing your hair out in utter frustration.

Most of the settings in the platinum version are fully customizable and there is also a professional level feel about the program, because vegas movie studio is based on the same code and design that vegas pro uses. Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum can be considered the “little brother” of Vegas Pro 14, which means that if you ever upgrade to Vegas Pro, you won’t have to learn everything from scratch. vegas pro will feel like an expanded version of vegas movie studio.

vegas movie studio platinum 14 now has the ability to edit multi-camera video in the timeline. so if you’ve recorded an event with more than one camera, you can sync all the shots from your camera in the preview window and watch them play side by side. As you play the project from the timeline, you can switch between shots and your videos will be automatically edited into a new video stream.

The trim window has also been improved and gives you the ability to hover and scroll through any video and quickly find the parts you really want to add to the main timeline.

The platinum version also comes with a small sample collection of newbluefx transitions, which is called newbluefx platinum complete.

VEGAS DVD Architect – DVD and Blu-ray disc authoring program

all previous versions of vegas movie studio platinum & vegas movie studio suite, included another program called dvd architect studio, which was an excellent program for making dvd and blu-ray discs. Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum now comes with a rebranded version of DVD Architect Pro, called Vegas DVD Architect. This is the same version that comes with Vegas Pro 14, meaning movie studio users now have access to the same professional-grade disc authoring tools, like the ability to create animated disc menus and add movie tracks. multi-level subtitles.

the addition of the professional version of vegas dvd architect is a great {jb_icon-plus-sign}plus{/jb_icon-plus-sign} for content creators who still prefer to make dvds. and blu-ray discs. This program is a $100 value if purchased separately, making its inclusion with Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum and Vegas Movie Studio 14 Suite a great addition and upgrade for Vegas Movie Studio users.

vegas 14 movie studio suite

Vegas Movie Studio 14 Suite is the “hamburger with the lot” version and my personal favourite out of all three options. Everything from Vegas Movie Studio 14 and Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum is included with the “Suite” version, plus the following bonus features.

hitfilm tool pack: Includes 20 different video filters and effects. hitfilm’s toolkit gives you a good sample of their awesome plugins and includes all of the following: 4pt color gradient, animated lasers, bleach bypass, bulge, cartoon, color gradient, film grain, flicker, fractal noise, glow, heat distortion, insect vision, light rays, lightning & electricity, magnification, professional skin retouching, radial blur, tint, and witness protection. preview some of these effects here.

Complete newbluefx suite – This is a sample pack of various newbluefx video effects and includes all of the following: active camera, background generator, drop shadow, flying pip, image grid, screen split, mosaic, viewer. preview some of these effects here.

newbluefx titler pro express: titler pro express allows you to create 2d and 3d text titles. There are many different versions of New Blue’s degree programs floating around the universe now. Most of the competing software companies seem to offer some kind of starter version of Titler Pro with their software. If my memory is accurate, I believe that Sony Creative Software was the first company to package versions of the New Blue title programs with Vegas Movie Studio and Vegas Pro.

Warning about trying to install newbluefx titler pro express!

*this warning only applies to anyone who is interested in or purchases the vegas movie studio 14 suite. if you are not interested in the “suite” version of movie studio, click here to skip directly to the next part of this review.

If you have never installed any version of new blue fx titler pro express on your computer, it is perfectly safe to do so and if you decide to buy vegas movie studio 14 suite, you are definitely It’s okay to install all the extra features that come bundled with the suite and you can safely ignore the warning I’m about to explain.

However! If you have older versions of nbfx titler pro express or more advanced versions of nbfx titler pro on your computer, I recommend that you not install the version from Titler Pro Express that comes with Vegas Movie Studio 14 Suite! This is a simplified version of Titler Pro Express, compared to the version that came with previous versions of Vegas Movie Studio Suite. installing this newer version may also break any other new blue titles products you may have already installed on your system.

this is exactly what happened on my own computer and it created a huge mess!

After completing the installation of the new included blue fx, video fx and titler pro express transitions, I discovered that the more advanced versions of nbfx titler pro that were already on my system had become corrupted and unusable. i tried using windows system restore but that didn’t fix the problem and i was forced to do a complete reinstall of windows 10 and all my programs.

Losing three days on this issue was devastating, to say the least! this big problem was also the zero-day event, which largely led to my review here being delayed by over 4 months…

Another frustrating thing about this problem is that the setup file for the new transitions & video fx pack is included with the titler pro express installer, as a single file. which means you can’t install nbfx & video fx separately from titler pro express. this was the same situation I found myself in when I was trying to test the program. so after my first try i messed up my computer i gave up trying to see what additional nbfx transitions & video fx came with the “suite”.

why did this happen?

this problem was not caused by magix/vegas. the problem with titler was caused by the way new blue fx handles different versions of titler pro and titler pro express on the same computer. new blue fx has configured the installers to overwrite any previous versions of their titling programs so that only the most current version will work. in my honest opinion this is a terrible way to trade for new blue fx. it would be much better if multiple versions could remain installed on the same computer system. Unfortunately, New Blue FX does not agree with this position, which means that they are unnecessarily creating big problems for unsuspecting people. this is deeply disappointing, because new blue fx makes very good products that are a joy to use when they work properly.

in fact i own nbfx titler pro 5 and its full suite of video fx products. i use newbluefx on almost every project i create in vegas, however now i know i can’t install titler pro express for evaluation purposes.

If you already have any nbfx titling software installed, such as titler pro 3, 4, 5 or earlier versions of titler pro express, don’t be tempted to install this stripped-down version that has been bundled with vegas movie studio 14 suite!

please note: if you buy any of the new blue fx premium products like nbfx titler pro 5, stylers, transitions, filters etc… they will work perfectly on any version of vegas movie studio or vegas pro and it doesn’t cause any problems. i have all of the premium nbfx products installed on my own system and they work perfectly, but these basic versions of their “honey trap” titling products have proven to be more trouble than they are worth. Unless New Blue FX can provide a properly working title program, it may be time for Magix to drop Titler Pro Express as one of the additional features and offer something completely different instead.

now back to some positive news!

smartsound® sonicfire® pro 6: the final bonus program that comes with the vegas movie studio 14 package is smartsound sonicfire pro 6. this add-on program is worth nearly $200 when purchased for separately, making its inclusion with the suite excellent value for money. SonicFire Pro 6 gives you the ability to create custom royalty-free music tracks. So if you want to set a background audio track for your Vegas movie studio projects, Sonicfire gives you the ability to create any mood you want. this is one of those programs that you can spend hours and days playing with, especially if you love creating your own custom content. the program comes preloaded with a large library of music samples and you can also purchase additional music types to expand your main library of audio samples.

if you already own an older “sony” version of vegas movie studio, i think the inclusion of sonicfire pro 6 with the vegas movie studio suite 14 is a great incentive for existing owners to upgrade to the vegas movie studio suite 14, especially if you like or need to create your own music for your video projects!

Smart Sound Sonicfire Pro 6

tools and features included with vegas movie studio 14 platinum/suite

vegas movie studio 14 vs vegas movie studio 14 platinum vs vegas movie studio 14 suite

my discussion in this section is mainly for newbies (virgin vegas users) who have never used a version of vegas movie studio before and would like to know what kind of tools and features come with vegas movie studio 14 platinum and vegas movie studio 14 suites.

If you want to avoid any possible disappointment, don’t waste your money and time by buying Vegas Movie Studio 14, the most basic version available. remember the old saying: “you get what you pay for!”

I do recommend that new users only consider buying vegas movie studio 14 platinum or vegas movie studio 14 suite.

the number of tools and features available in the platinum version is significantly more than the non-platinum version. If you want to get serious about video editing and create compelling videos for youtube, facebook, and your grandma, you should have access to the tools that come with the platinum version.

Please also note that Vegas Movie Studio 14 Suite comes bundled with the identical Platinum version of Vegas Movie Studio. Everything I am about to explain is available in both Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum and Vegas Movie Studio 14 Suite. the only difference between the platinum version and the suite is the extra programs and video effects you get with the suite, like sonicfire pro 6 etc… the video main editing program is the same in both versions.

list of the main tools and effects included with the program

welcome screen/show me how tutorials/new project wizard

welcome screen

When you first open vegas movie studio 14 platinum, you will be greeted by the welcome screen. any recently saved projects can be found and opened from this window. there are also links to the new project wizard and show me how tutorials.

new project wizard

If you’re ready to start a new project, you can select new on the welcome screen and the new project wizard will open. here you’ll find a decent list of preconfigured video templates that will automatically set the project properties for you. this is extremely helpful for a beginner who doesn’t yet understand what frame sizes and frame rates really mean.

show me how tutorials

if memory serves me correctly, i believe sony creative software was one of the first software companies to implement animated tutorials and now magix continues to be used. selecting show me how on the welcome screen will take you to an extensive list of tutorials for beginners. each tutorial will walk you through what to do step by step, using an animated box that highlights the window you should be working in.

{grid4} Welcome screen{/grid4}{grid4} New Project Wizard{/grid4}{grid4_last} Show Me How Tutorials{/grid4_last}

timeline tools and features

summary

the vegas timeline and available tools is the #1 best feature of vegas movie studio 14 platinum in my honest opinion. When I look back in 2008, when I bought my first copy from Vegas Movie Studio, I didn’t realize at the time what a great choice I had made. I now consider the “vegas” timeline to be the gold standard in many respects, when I compare the timeline functionality of similarly priced competitive products.

Specifically, I’m referring to the intuitive way you can split media and rearrange it on the vegas timeline. If you can imagine the timeline as an operating room in a hospital, then the tools available to the surgeon will determine the level and complexity of surgery that can be performed on the patient. In this regard, Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum gives you the ability to perform many different types of surgery on your media in the timeline.

greatly improved timeline toolbar features

Anyone who already owns movie studio platinum 13 will notice a huge improvement to the timeline toolbar. Many Vegas Pro tools are now included in Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum and you have easy access to those tools as well. I won’t bore you to death and list each timeline tool individually now, but I’ll show you more specifically what I mean in the video review at the top of this page.

Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum – Timeline

video pan – zoom – picture in picture

There are two main timeline tools, which are important to mention. one tool is the track motion window and the other is the event pan/crop. Both of these tools give you the ability to zoom in or out of the video frame and also change the size and position of any video. These two important tools can also be keyframed, which means you can animate your videos to change size and position, for a set period of time that you can choose.

The motion tracking tool is what you would use to create picture-in-picture and video wall effects.

The event pan/crop tool can be used to pan and zoom any video or still image on the timeline.

{grid6} Track Motion{/grid6}{grid6_last} Event Pan/Crop{/grid6_last}

2d and 3d workspace

it is important to note that vegas movie studio platinum can only work in 2d space (two-dimensional x, y-axis), as far as the video frame is concerned, and does not include a masking tool to cut out irregular shapes. Remember high school math and plotting logarithmic functions on an x,y graph? that’s 2d space.

if you need to work in real 3d space, to be able to pan/tilt a video in x,y and z axes, you should consider buying vegas pro instead.

compositing and masking modes

compositing modes available to mix different videos are also limited to basic modes in vegas movie studio 14 platinum. only vegas pro 14 allows 3d movement in x, y & z-axis, complex compositing modes, and a masking tool.

This is one of those areas that has been blurred when comparing free, consumer-grade, and professional-grade video editors. Increasingly, some of the competing video editors at this price now include more professional-grade tools like the ones I just mentioned. however, for most home users, the standard features that come with vegas movie studio 14 platinum are probably more than enough.

if you understand and need these more advanced tools, you should work with a program like vegas pro 14.

perhaps in the next version of vegas movie studio, more of these pro-level tools will be included, but if that happens, vegas pro users will want to see many more cutting-edge tools added to the vegas pro version.

3d video that jumps off the screen

I just explained that vegas movie studio 14 platinum only works in 2d (x, y) space and not in 3d (x, y & z) space. This is not to be confused with a 3D video, such as a Hollywood movie being projected in 3D. you can definitely import, edit and export 3d videos using vegas movie studio 14 platinum.

grab some basic red/cyan glasses and you can start editing and viewing 3d videos in real time with the vegas preview window. if you have a 3d camera, you can create videos exactly like this with vegas movie studio 14 platinum!

project media and browser windows

The project media tab is the area where everything you are using in your project lives. vegas movie studio will automatically classify media types into separate audio, video, and photo folders (containers), which can be useful when working on large and complex projects. you can also manually create your own media bins and arrange your files in the way that suits you best. an automatic preview function can also be activated, so that a mouse click will start playing/previewing that file in the preview window.

The explorer tab gives you full access to any folder on your computer or network and is useful for importing the media files you want to use in your project. the same auto preview feature is also available in this tabbed window.

{grid6} Project Media{/grid6}{grid6_last} Explorer{/grid6_last}

transitions and video effect windows

vegas movie studio 14 platinum comes with a decent amount of video transitions. Each transition type includes a wide range of different presets, displayed as small video thumbnail previews. this makes selecting a transition very easy to do.

A lot of video fx is included with vegas movie studio 14 platinum. Nothing new or significant has been added to version 14, compared to the last two versions of this program. New users who have never used this program before will discover video effects for color correction, creative effects, blur effects, and utility effects like chroma key (green screen).

{grid6}Transitions{/grid6}{grid6_last}Video FX{/grid6_last}

Video FX Control Window for Colour CorrectionAll Transitions and Video FX in Vegas Movie Studio Platinum are completely customizable and can also be key-framed. A control window will automatically open when you apply any transition or video effect and give you the ability to control individual settings that relate to it’s behaviour. Key-Frames can also be applied to any control setting, which gives you the ability to animate individual settings for each effect, over time. This is a very powerful feature of the program.

A quick and simple real world example of what I mean is this:

example #1: applying a black color & white filter to a color video. by adding keyframes you can make the color image slowly fade to black & white for a certain time, that you choose.

Example #2: Creating a slideshow within a video project is a very common scenario. By applying keyframes, you can make it look like a camera is slowly zooming in and panning over the image.

media generators window

Media GeneratorsThe Media Generators window is where you will find the Titles & Text presets. You will also discover animated Text presets, Credit Roll presets, Test Patterns, Noise Textures and Colour Gradients. Like Transitions and Video FX, all these types of Media Generators are completely customizable and can also be key-framed (animated).

setting window

Trimmer WindowAs I mentioned earlier on in this review, the Trimmer Window has been improved and gives you the ability to hover and scrub through any video and quickly find the parts you actually want to add to the main timeline. You can drag out a region and create a new sub-clip from the original video and then add it to the main Vegas timeline. The Trimmer window in version 14 is lightyears ahead of the horrible version 13 design, with all controls now visible at all times.

preference settings

One of the things I’ve always appreciated about using vegas movie studio, compared to other video editing software, is the level of control the user has access to in adjusting particular settings. If you just downloaded the free trial version of Vegas Movie Studio Platinum 14, go to Options/Preferences right now. here you will find detailed controls for all aspects of the program, which is sure to delight all nerds and geeks who love to get under the hood of their software programs.

make movie: output rendering options

The technical term for making a new video of all your media in the timeline is called rendering. In Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum, rendering is referred to as make movie or render as, which mean the same thing. the program offers a wide range of different output formats and optimized templates, reducing the need for a beginner to learn complex and detailed settings. more experienced users also have full access to customize their output settings. this is another area where vegas movie studio 14 platinum offers much greater control, compared to many similarly priced competitive products.

{grid6}Render As{/grid6}{grid6_last}Custom Settings{/grid6_last}

render gpu acceleration

there is one important aspect of video rendering, where vegas movie studio has unfortunately fallen behind. Most video editing programs will use a combination of CPU (Central Processing Unit) and/or GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) to process the video. vegas movie studio uses its gpu to render gpu-accelerated effects and playback in the preview window, however it only has a limited ability to speed up video playback.

some of the major formats it can process, like mainconcept avc/aac, use old technology that can’t take advantage of the processing power of modern gpu architecture. if you are still using a much older model of nvidia or amd graphics card you will see much faster render times. However, if your computer uses a newer graphics card from the last few years, it won’t be able to speed up rendering, which means your computer will have to rely more on your cpu to do the heavy lifting. what this means in a real world situation is that your render times may be a bit slower when using cpu only, however the type of cpu your computer uses will also determine how fast or slow it can render the video .

this problem is well known in the vegas community and by the vegas developers. It has been talked about ad nauseam in all the forums of las vegas on the internet. When Sony Creative Software put Vegas in limbo at the end of the program’s development, the competition had the time and resources to get ahead of Vegas in the GPU acceleration department.

I hope and pray that magix is ​​working on this important issue and fixes it by the time version 15 is released.

I’m prepared to give magix/vegas a grace period, to work on major issues like this and make some major improvements. In the meantime, I think it’s important not to let this annoying problem take away everything that’s still great about vegas movie studio 14 platinum.

conclusion and recommendations

At the beginning of the review I asked three important questions:

1. is vegas movie studio 14 platinum easy to learn and use?

All video editing programs require time and patience to learn how to use them correctly. There is no magic way for a beginner to become an expert user in just a few days, however, having said that, Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum is definitely easier to learn and use compared to many other alternative programs that you can try. The Vegas community is very large and friendly, which means that there are many expert users and teachers you can find who will help you learn how to use Vegas Movie Studio. that includes the website you’re on right now!

hint: visit the msz forum

2. is vegas movie studio 14 platinum still a good video editing program for beginners and more advanced users?

If you’re a beginner, the answer is definitely yes! vegas movie studio 14 platinum may lack some of the newer features that other similar programs have, such as 360° video editing or storyboard view on the timeline, however, the core part of the program includes a advanced “toolbox” that is very intuitive to learn and use. For most average home users or small business owners, Vegas Movie Studio has more than enough features to help you easily create your videos. there is a large community of vegas movie studio users on youtube, who have been using the program for years to create their gaming videos, makeup tutorials, cooking channels, daily vloggers, etc…

More advanced users will also appreciate that you can customize a wide range of settings in Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum. some similar programs don’t offer much in this department, which can be very frustrating for nerds and power geeks, like me. The other big advantage of Vegas Movie Studio for more advanced users is that everything you learn in Vegas Movie Studio will also work the same way in Vegas Pro. So if you reach the stage of needing professional-grade video editing tools, transitioning to Vegas Pro doesn’t require learning everything from scratch. This is because Vegas Movie Studio is based on the same core code and design that Vegas Pro uses.

3. is it worth upgrading to vegas movie studio 14 platinum after using an older version of “sony” for many years?

There is no black or white answer to this question, because not everyone uses the Vegas movie studio in the same way. so I can only speak from my own experience here and don’t wish to step on other people’s toes, however here are my thoughts.

If you have sony movie studio platinum 13, I think it’s definitely worth upgrading to version 14. The UI in v13 was so awful I couldn’t put it down fast enough. version 14 returns the user interface to a more professional design and style. the only thing some older users don’t like about version 14 is the new darker color interface and the inability to select the original light color interface.

Version 14 also includes a much larger set of tools in the timeline toolbar, so if you’re a more advanced user, you’ll definitely appreciate the tools that have been moved from vegas pro to vegas movie. studio.

If you like to make a lot of DVDs and Blu-ray discs, upgrading from DVD Architect Studio to Vegas DVD Architect (Pro version of DVDA) is another great reason to consider upgrading to version 14. This is a new addition by Yes, alone. , makes vegas movie studio platinum a much more powerful program now.

I think if you’re considering upgrading from an earlier version of sony’s vegas movie studio, it makes sense to get the “suite” version, which is called vegas movie studio 14 suite. the additional bonus programs like sonicfire pro 6 that come with the suite are excellent value considering what the upgrade costs.

last personal comment

I’ll admit I have a slight bias towards vegas movie studio, because it was the first “proper” video editing program I bought, way back in 2008. I’ve tried many other video editing programs over the years and definitely there are some good alternative shows you can try, however i always end up coming back to vegas.

like many long time vegas users we were all worried about the future of vegas movie studio and vegas pro when sony sold it to magix, however 12 months after magix took over it seems that magix is ​​committed and serious about continuing to develop these programs. vegas movie studio 14 platinum is a very useful product, however i consider it a transitional product from the new owners, magix. the real test of the pudding will be when version 15 is released and if we can see some really big improvements and additional modern tools added to the program.

I love the intuitive way that Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum still works and that’s why I still recommend Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum in 2017, especially for a beginner who wants to learn how to edit videos properly.

beginners guide tutorial

I’m working on a beginner’s guide tutorial for vegas movie studio 14 platinum, which will upload in 3-4 days. If you need urgent help on how to use the program, check out my beginner’s guide tutorial for version 13, which is not that different from v14.

personal message to my subscribers…

I apologize to all my long time subscribers for not posting this review sooner. this should have been completed 4 months ago, but I had a serious ongoing health issue to deal with and was in no condition to use my brain for long periods of time. I also experienced a bad case of writer’s block, which has passed. Now I look forward to starting a new chapter on Movie Studio Zen and doing more than just answering questions on the forum. Thank you all for not jumping ship msz and all the wonderful messages I have received over many months!

regards, derek moranmovie studio zen, australia 2017