Corel VideoStudio X7 Ultimate review

FastFlick is a standalone application that makes its debut as part of the VideoStudio X7 bundle. It uses themed templates to edit videos automatically, which is a concept we’ve seen many times before, although never with great success. FastFlick is a little better than most in that it presents videos so that they’re more like a slideshow than an edited video. In most templates, each clip only appears for a couple of seconds. In fact, FastFlick arguably works better for photos than videos. The templates cover the usual home-oriented themes such as Wedding and Travel. They look reasonably smart, but it’s annoying that they dictate which media must or cannot have a caption. Reordering the media made these captions fall out of sync. FastFlick projects can be sent to VideoStudio for further editing. The resulting timeline may seem pretty impenetrable for casual users, but it’s a good way to start experimenting with more advanced animation controls.

FastFlick takes a colour-by-numbers approach to video editing, although it’s better suited to slideshows

VideoStudio also includes a wide array of third-party plug-ins. Highlights include an extremely impressive video stabilisation effect, and another adds shakes for dramatic effect. It’s a strong collection, but the controls tend to be pretty complex and they don’t integrate neatly with the host application. For example, Boris Graffiti generates animated text but it appears in the Effects library rather than the Titles library. That means it must be applied to a clip rather than existing in its own right on the timeline, making it fiddly to manage. Meanwhile, the stabilisation effect lacks a preview window, and its controls must be closed after each adjustment before the effect can be previewed in the main preview panel.

This pattern of powerful features wrapped in a clunky interface is something of a running theme in VideoStudio. From its keyframe effects automation to its ripple editing options, the tools are all there but they lack finesse. Corel was right to focus its attention on performance and ease of use, but this isn’t the transformative update that VideoStudio needed. Admittedly, few video editors for Windows are truly beginner-friendly, but VideoStudio also lacks the attention to detail that more experienced users demand.