MAGIX VEGAS MOVIE STUDIO 14 PLATINUM SYNAPSE CIRCUIT REVIEW

 SYNAPSE CIRCUIT 

Reviews... MAGIX VEGAS MOVIE STUDIO 14 PLATINUM

£69.99

#MAGIX #Vegas #Studio #VegasStudio #MusicMaker #DVD #Architect #DVDArchitect 
The MAGIX acquisition of Sony video and music applications must have come as a shock to the die hard users. I would imagine that many people using Vegas Movie Studio have not heard of MAGIX until now. So, if you're on version 13, read on… And if you are taking your first steps in video editing, read on...
MAKEOVER

One of the most off putting aspects of Sony multimedia software is the bland interface. Thankfully, MAGIX have given Vegas Movie Studio an aesthetically pleasing makeover; it doesn't hurt my eyes.

The workflow is smooth and logical; given a bit of time, MAGIX will perfect the interface for the next version. You should upgrade now if you're on version 13!

STABILITY

Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum is a very solid performer and did not crash on the AMD FX based PC used for the test. There was no stuttering during playback.

Users of version 13 have experienced constant crashes and I suspect that this is due to the system and software optimization. It appears to me that Sony didn't spend too much time on optimization. It's quite a hard task to optimize software for various PC configurations. This is why a lot of people have gone Apple Mac, Apple has a tight control over the hardware as well as the software.

However, MAGIX have more than a couple of decades of experience with intricacies of the PC. MAGIX has done wonders for Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum and will no doubt continue to do so for future versions.

COMPLIMENTARY

You're not just getting a video editing package! Uh-uh! No! You're getting excellent add-ons to compliment Vegas Movie Studio 14! You've got great transitions from New Effects; DVD Architect and the standard version of MAGIX's Music Maker DAW!

You're not going to get a better deal.

CONCLUSION
Vegas Movie Studio is in great hands! MAGIX have done a brilliant job of updating it and it will continue to get better.

If you are new to video editing and you are looking for a solid and inexpensive means to get started with a video editor then Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum could very well be for you. Again, you are getting more software in the box - DVD Architect and Music Maker! And, to top it off, you have some very useful plug-ins from NewBlueFX! And all for £69.99! How could you possibly go wrong!
SCORE
MAGIX Vegas Movie Studio 14 Platinum scores a Synapse Circuit Gold!

Start your YouTube channel right now!

Thanks for reading! Synapse Circuit/Blue Gene

WYSIWYG WEBPLUS IS DEAD, SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

 SYNAPSE CIRCUIT 

SERIF

WEBPLUS NO MORE

X8 IS A LEGEND 

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! 

Above: WebPlus X8

WEEP, WYSIWYG WEB DESIGNERS. WEEP!

#Serif #WebPlus #WebDesign #HTML5 #WYSIWYG #Affinity #AffinityDesigner #AffinityPhoto #AffinityPublisher

A SAD DAY FOR WEB DESIGNERS...

London, UK, January 21, 2017, At last! Yes, I finally managed to install Serif WebPlus X8... I received my copy of this legendary WYSIWYG web design application quite some time ago but I fell ill and didn't manage to have a play with it.

X7
WebPlus X7 was something of a strange update for Serif. It felt incomplete in some ways; one aspect that fell short was the HTML5 video player. Users had to purchase a premium version of the HTML5 player in order to remove the logo watermark. That was uncharacteristic of Serif as they keep their applications gimmick free. Not much had changed from X6.

Although WebPlus X7 was flawed it was still a very, very usable application for web design. I honestly think that WebPlus is a better application than Adobe Dreamweaver. Dreamweaver started off with great promise but it soon turned into frustration-ware; I remember having to search through a load of third party plug-ins to extend its capabilities. I was frustrated most of the time because I thought that a majority of the extensions should have been implemented by default instead of badly programmed downloadables.

Once I discovered WebPlus I appreciated its simple interface and how it enabled fast productivity. I didn't look back. And because I didn't keep up with Dreamweaver it meant that I was essentially saying goodbye to professional web development. Good riddance! It so irks me when the Design Industry blanks a great application that is WebPlus because it doesn't have the Adobe name.It is stupid!

X8
After playing around with version X8 I can say that Serif made a significantly better effort! The video player is great - even though you could add a custom HTML5 video player by using jQuery HTML5 solutions. Check this out: http://jplayer.org/











The audio player is jQuery but somehow Serif didn't create a means of customizing the interface. That is a shame as you are stuck with the 'Pink Flag' player. How hard would it have been to create an interface to customize the audio player?

The interface has improved to make productivity even more efficient. I like the 'Task Monitor' that basically tracks your progress and warns you of any mishaps in your design such as an image overlapping text, etc? You can also see tutorials to help you add components and content to your website.

THE GOOD, BAD & UGLY
What I find with WebPlus X8 is that it is great for happy amateurs and small businesses; it'll do the trick! But the bad thing is that it is not using PHP for databases and forms. The ugly, Serif no longer supports WebPlus X8. You cannot buy it as part of its collection of legacy applications. No! Uh-uh! You can only purchase the following from the Serif website:

PagePlus X9 - Affinity Publisher; beta coming this year. When? TBA! It remains to be seen if Affinity Publisher will extend its digital output to include web pages and/or HTML5 apps for Android, iOS and Windows.

DrawPlus X8 - Affinity Designer. This is a great awesome alternative to Illustrator! It is a surefire winner! I am studying the Affinity Designer Workbook as I want to get into Digital Illustration in a big way!

PhotoPlus X8 - Affinity Photo. Hailed as the "PhotoShop Killer", Affinity Photo has taken the digital photo editing and manipulation world by storm. I am currently studying the online tutorials for Affinity Photo; it looks very comprehensive!

&

CraftArtist - It looks as though Serif won't be putting out an Affinity equivalent; that said, I don't see why it CraftArtist couldn't become a plugin for the Affinity range as it would encourage people in Arts & Crafts to get to know photo editing/manipulation and desktop publishing (once Affinity Publisher is ready).

They are all great value at £19.99 each!

HEADSUP
There are other great WYSIWYG web design applications out there such as Incomedia WebSite Design 13 and Magix/Xara Web Designer. Hopefully, I can bring you a review on those applications very soon!

Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading! 

WEBANIMATOR TEMPLATE COLLECTION II SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

INCOMEDIA ANNOUNCES NEW WEBANIMATOR TEMPLATE COLLECTION II
Creating Web Animations Has Never Been Easier or Faster!

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! How’s it going? It is great to see you as always! I hope that your tech projects are going as planned if not better!

Did you get Incomedia WebAnimator? Are you a little stuck for ideas? Check this great bit of news out! Read on!

#Incomedia #WebAnimator #WebAnimatorTemplateCollectionII

INTERACTIVE HTML5 ANIMATIONS
Ivrea (TO) 27th May 2015 - Incomedia, a company with over 15 years’ experience in the development of website creation software, has released a new collection of templates for their WebAnimator product.

WebAnimator lets you create Web animations, without using Flash! Instead, it uses more modern technologies, such as HTML5, CSS and JavaScript. This means you can be certain that your animations will be correctly displayed on all main browsers, as well as smartphones and tablets (including iPhone® and iPad®).

INTUITION
WebAnimator requires no special knowledge of programming and provides an intuitive and complete package with all the tools necessary to create animations that can then easily be integrated into Web site pages or e-commerce carts.

With WebAnimator Template Collection II, the process of creating animations is even easier and faster. Select your template, insert your own content, follow the step by step customization process and your animation is ready for use on the web.

"Thanks to the WebAnimator Template Collection II, anyone can easily design banners and animated slideshows to add to your Web pages. Using a Template means not having to go through the difficult process of designing from scratch using a timeline: simply insert your own content and you're done!" Stated Federico Ranfagni CEO at Incomedia.

The Incomedia Template Collection II is a valuable addition to the gallery templates already available in WebAnimator and includes a range of banners and slideshows; complete with effects, transitions, text and buttons.

Template Collection II is available for WebAnimator and WebAnimator Plus.

Availability and Pricing:-

WebAnimator and WebAnimator Plus are available in Italian, English and German at £44.99 and £64.99 inc VAT respectively.

WebAnimator Template Collection II is priced at £14.99 VAT inc

System Requirements:-

* Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8

* Video resolution min. 1280 x 1024, 32 Bit

* 2 GB RAM

* Internet and e-mail account for product activation

More information, video tutorials, a trial version of the software and previews of the Template Collection are available on the official website: http://www.webanimator.com

About Incomedia:-

Incomedia (incomedia.eu/en/), founded in 1998, is a leading independent developer and publisher of multimedia software for the PC.

Incomedia’s flagship product WebSite X5®, currently sold in over 40 countries through a well-established network of International distributors, resellers and retailers, was developed with the aim of bringing high-end website creation software at affordable prices to home, business and education users. The software is designed specifically for users who want to publish high-quality websites and online shops, with a professional look and feel in just 5 simple steps.

Thank you so much for reading Synapse Circuit!

Expect more reviews, news, opinions, competitions and more from Synapse Circuit! 

SORENSON SQUEEZE PRO 9 REVIEW SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

 SYNAPSE CIRCUIT

SORENSON SQUEEZE
PRO 9 REVIEW

PRICE: CHECK ONLINE FOR BEST PRICES. VERSION 10 (PRO) COSTS $749!

Goodhour, Synapse Circuit Readers! How are you? I hope that all is well and your tech is functioning as it should! I also hope that your tech projects are coming on a treat!

Last night MAGIX Video Pro X9 was brought to your attention (review coming up very, very soon)... If you are serious about video then you need to take a look at multifaceted Squeeze Pro 9 by Sorenson. Yes, I am well aware that the version 10 is out but you can still get an idea of how powerful and versatile Squeeze Pro is through this review.

#Sorenson #Squeeze #SqueezePro9 #SqueezePro10 #VideoEncoding #VideoStreaming #VideoFormatting #HTML5Video

SORENSON SQUEEZE:
SWISS ARMY KNIFE OF VIDEO

Above: The Sorenson Squeeze video tutorial that pops up when you first launch the program. 

Let me take you back a bit to 1997 when video on the web was in its infancy... When I worked for a web design company in Holland, Amsterdam I was charged with the task of finding out the best and cost effective solution for video streaming (on the web). Video is something that my former company wanted to offer to prospective clients as the goal was to transfer the CD ROM (remember that) to the web browser. After sitting through various options that offered a tiny resolution, 320 x 240, in comparison to YouTube’s full HD 1080p and 4K that we enjoy today. At the time I thought that RealPlayer and the RealVideo plugin was a good option; my former company agreed and soon enough we were streaming video, albeit small and pixelated, for clients. Unimpressed, many clients would ask me to re-imagine their PowerPoint presentations into a multimedia format for CD ROM distribution.

One of the main problems that many PowerPoint / multimedia producers faced was getting the right video format for various PC set-ups! No two PCs are alike as users tend to install various video players such as QuickTime (I think QuickTime is extinct now), MPEG (1 & 2), Windows Media and so on... And not to mention that some PCs were underpowered and while the video format was supported the processor wasn’t powerful enough to play it... Oh, the amount of times a CD ROM player would whizz around threatening to shatter the disc inside... We’ve come a long way from 1997! Sorenson Squeeze was one of the tools that I used back then to encode videos that would guarantee that the videos would be played back on virtually any PC powerful enough to play them! I thought that Sorenson Squeeze was a Godsend to multimedia producers way back then (for CD ROM).

VIDEO TODAY: BROADBAND
It never ceases to amaze me at just how far we’ve come in terms of video streaming; YouTube has revolutionized not only the Internet but TV as well! Let’s not forget that Adobe’s Flash video format had a great part to play in it as well. Now we can watch high quality video from our smartphones without thinking! However, there are times where you might not want to upload your video to the likes of YouTube...

 

Above: The many presets broken down into purpose i.e. broadcast, devices (Android, iOS and other mobile devices), Web and more. 

Let’s say that you run a very successful music – for argument’s sake – website that gets over 1 million views per day... Would you want to upload videos to YouTube and split the ad revenue when you have a possibility of hosting your own videos? I thought not! Dare I say it; your video content might not fit the YouTube criteria? Therefore the solution is to bypass the likes of YouTube and self-broadcast. One of the most annoying things about YouTube is those irritating banner ads that obscure the frame and subtitles. Enter Sorenson Squeeze Pro 9!

Sorenson Squeeze Pro takes all the guess work out of video encoding thus making light of converting video into the appropriate streaming format such as WebM or MP4. All you would need then is a HTML5 based player such as the one found on: http://www.jplayer.org

These days Flash video is dying and will be totally obsolete like QuickTime is and it’s not worthwhile using the Flash FLV or SWF formats for video content.

IN USE
Just as it is with earlier Squeeze versions I found no problems with finding the appropriate video format(s); it is a matter of adding the desired formats to the job and then clicking on “Squeeze it”. It is possible to encode many video formats at once i.e. the original video, WMV, can be encoded to MP4, WebM, FLV, MP3 (yes, it’ll output just the audio in a variety of formats), QuickTime and more. The process does take a short while but it gets done!

Below: You can see the encoding process.







Squeeze Pro (9) can capture video from any DV source such as a camcorder for example. But these days you’d be more likely to import video off a (micro) SD card.

The process is as follows:-

1. Import a video file.
2. Add the desired video format or formats to the job list.
3. Click on “Squeeze it” and wait for the video(s) to encode.

It doesn’t get more complicated than that. The interface is very intuitive and you don’t really need to look at the tutorial video when you first launch the program as the interface does speak clearly to you. Well, it spoke and still speaks clearly to me! All the video formats that you are likely to need are there in the form of templates so you don’t have to worry about resolution, formatting, etc. I told you, Squeeze Pro (9) takes all the guess work out of the equation. And if you happen to be an expert at video encoding you can create your own presets for recall.

CONCLUSION
Sorenson Squeeze Pro is indispensible for serious video producers / broadcasters. If the price seems steep then you are not a professional. Don’t misunderstand me... I am not trying to guilt trip you into purchasing the Pro version of the Desktop edition as there are two other versions that may suit your budget: Squeeze Lite ($199) and Standard ($549).

As a professional you’ll know that the pro version will pay for itself. Fortunately you can decide which version is right for you as you can download trial versions of the software. The pro version gives you practically every video / audio format under the Sun to your disposal; you can’t go wrong! Depending on what format / resolution is chosen Squeeze Pro can cut the file size down to the lowest without sacrificing the quality (implied by “Squeeze”).

SCORE
5 / 5

A solid Synapse Circuit Double Platinum!


You just can’t go wrong with Squeeze Pro (9). It is solid! It certainly allows you to move away from YouTube and similar video online facilities. If you do your business right you could charge businesses ad rates to appear on your video broadcasts! Check it out! http://www.sorensonmedia.com

RECOMMENDED!

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