Liquid Edition 5.5

This is a professional video editing package created by Pinnacle Systems.

Contents

Review

by Allen Pilgrim

INTRO (from Pinnacle's Site)

    Liquid Edition is the most powerful video editing, effects, compositing and DVD authoring solution available. Features include Liquid CX Color Correction, Dynamic Slow Motion, and the ability to edit in a networked environment and much, much, more.

    Introducing Liquid Edition™ version 5.5, the most powerful and comprehensive DV editing solution available today. It combines the professional expertise and esteemed broadcast heritage of the Pinnacle Liquid™ line with the plug and play power and ease of use of Edition. Liquid Edition is not just another editor. On top of providing the strong editing features that professionals demand and require, Liquid Edition delivers stellar tools for impressive real-time compositing, effects and DVD authoring, all from the same intuitive interface.

FEATURES

    Two of the major new features of Liquid Edition (LE) 5.5 are: 1) Color Correction and 2) Dynamic Timewarp.

    One of the effects that has been of the most benefit to me is the “Auto Color Correction” (ACC) feature. I filmed a Christmas concert and had a second camera operator. The person filming had their camera adjusted differently than mine which caused some fairly stark contrasts when doing a dissolve between the clips. I was able to use the ACC feature to correct the color on both his footage as well as mine. This can be modified to get just the right effect for each clip. Now this video looks much more professional. This is something I simply could not have done with Studio.

CAPTURE/LOGGING

    The capture feature is how you get your video footage from your camcorder to your computer. The method I use is to connect my Sony DCR-TRV720 directly via a FireWire cable to the FireWire card.

    This is much different than the methods used for capturing in Studio or other NLEs.

EDITING

    Many have noticed that there is a fairly sharp learning curve to edit with LE. However, once you understand some of the basics it is a pleasure to work with. There are so many features that it is overwhelming at first. My suggestion is to work through the tutorials. Read something in the manual every day until you start to get a grasp on how this all works. Also create test projects and experiment with different settings. I did this and ended up completely removing everything and starting fresh; it was a good experience.

PROBLEMS/BUGS

    The first bug I discovered is more of an incompatibility and not necessarily the fault of Pinnacle. When using the latest nVidia drivers (52.16 at the time of this writing) you can not use the Accelerated OpenGL setting for Hollywood FX. It immediately crashes LE. There is a workaround and a solution. The workaround is to change to software rendering. The fix is to go back to version 45.23.

FEATURE REQUESTS

    Probably one of the most common requests is to include SmartSound music. SmartSound is very popular and is included with most other video editing packages. Why Pinnacle has chosen not to include it with LE is puzzling. Many people are scratching their heads and asking the same question. If Pinnacle wants to remain competitive they should consider this feature request.

    Other features that people would like to see: Image Stabilization, "Old Movie" filter, MPEG import, effects preview to name a few.

BOTTOM LINE

    LE is a robust editing environment that offers an almost infinite number of possibilities. The learning curve is pretty steep but it is well worth the extra effort.

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Main Screen

Standard Editing View

Another Editing View

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DVD Authoring

DVD Templates

DVD Edit

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Special Features

Picture-in-Picture (PIP)

3D Picture-in-Picture (PIP)

Chromakey

CX Color Correction

Cylinder Output

Explosion

Gradient Wipe

Water Drop

Magnify

Page Peel

Pleasantville Effect

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Liquid Edition Tools

Hollywood FX Interface

TitleDeko

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Latest Version of Liquid Edition

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Links

Check here for information on the latest LIVE Webcasts. Learn more about the Liquid Edition features and techniques to make great videos. These LIVE workshops will help you to expand your creative abilities.

Allen was a guest speaker for a LIVE Webcast at Pinnacle on March 16, 2004 at 8:30 a.m. PST. The topic was about the differences between Studio 8 and Liquid Edition. Here are some of the concepts covered on the Webcast:
1) Some of the differences between Studio 8 and Liquid Edition
2) The basic concepts of using Liquid Edition
3) Advanced editing such as Pans and Zooms (aka Ken Burns), Picture-in-Picture, Keying and a couple others if time permits
4) Answers to questions submitted

Also on March 23, 2004 at 1:00 p.m. PST Allen and Jim did a pre-recorded Webcast about "Weddings and Events." Basically I shared about the decisions made in creating a special event video as well as business aspects.

Both Webcasts are currently available for download.

Here you will find some great tutorials for both High Band as well as Low Band.

Check this out for up-to-date information on Liquid Edition from fellow video enthusiasts. Here you will find several experts who started out just like you and are more than willing to offer help. The webboard is a rich source of solutions and also a place where you can exchange ideas.

This is probably the most comprehensive site for Liquid Edition on the web.

Mike Shaw has one of the most comprehensive sites on Pinnacle products on the entire Internet. Here you will find some helpful tips on Liquid Edition

If you want to learn how to do some cool stuff with Liquid Edition then check out some of the training materials available.

Check here for updates that may correct bugs or add new functionality.

If you have a question related to a Pinnacle product you might want to check here first. The database contains around 1,500 answers to various questions.

This is a user's forum for Liquid Edition issues

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Last revised: January 19, 2009