The #1 Consumer Video Editing Application
Gets More Than 25 New Features
Including the Exclusive Pinnacle
Montage
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., June 2, 2008
–Pinnacle Systems, Inc.,
the consumer division of Avid Technology, Inc. (Nasdaq: AVID), announced today version 12 of Pinnacle
Studio™, its market-leading consumer video editing software. Pinnacle Studio version
12 builds on the features that have established the Pinnacle Studio family as
number one in the consumer video
editing
market in the U.S. and Europe1. The new
version includes Pinnacle Montage, an innovative tool that makes high-end
compositing and animation effects accessible to consumers. With more than 25 new
features, version 12 adds many new capabilities requested by users, while still
maintaining the ease of use that has become the hallmark of Pinnacle Studio
products. More titles, DVD menus and templates have been added as well as new
professional audio and video controls and a complete HD workflow with Blu-ray
authoring in certain versions of Pinnacle Studio version 122.
The Pinnacle Studio
version 12 family consists of three affordably priced versions to meet the needs
of consumers ranging from novices to dedicated video enthusiasts. In addition to
Pinnacle Studio, the basic version, Pinnacle offers Studio Plus and Studio
Ultimate with more advanced audio and video tools, including a complete HD
workflow.
“The
video editing market isn’t just growing vertically,
it’s growing horizontally,” said Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research
(JPR), a leading market research firm based in Tiburon, Calif. “New markets have emerged led by casual and
younger users who simply want to quickly edit their videos and post them to the
Web, women who have become the designated memory keepers in the family, and the
growing number of folks over 50 who are becoming video hobbyists. The people in
these new markets don’t want to deal with a complicated application; they just
want the fun of quickly creating videos that are entertaining. Clearly, Pinnacle
Systems’ customer-driven approach has helped it unlock opportunities in these
emerging markets.”
Pinnacle Studio version 12
Beta users say the new photo and video Pinnacle Montage feature alone makes the
upgrade worthwhile. Designed to make it easy to achieve high-end results with
multiple video layers, animated text and graphics, the Pinnacle Montage feature
includes more than 11 pre-defined themes with over 80 single templates. In
addition, all Pinnacle Studio version 12 products now offer marker tools for the
timeline. Format compatibility has also been expanded to include photo import in
Photoshop’s native PSD format and the GIF format. With the new export options,
users can create MP3, Flash Video, WAV and 3GP files or upload files direct to
YouTube®.
Addressing the features
most requested by customers, Pinnacle Studio version 12 now incorporates
advanced capabilities for audio, with numerical audio volume, master volume
controls, a timeline VU meter and peak indicators. New convenience features
include the ability to reference images in the album and direct crop control to
automatically remove black bars of a video or image. The new version also offers
improved effects performance on lower-end PCs, advanced 2D editing, the ability
to rotate effects and new content for titles and DVD
menus.
Among the first to offer
native HDV and AVCHD
editing software, Pinnacle Systems Studio Plus and Ultimate now includes new
Blu-ray disc burning capabilities in BD-MV with motion menus. AVCHD 1920 and
support for various HD
camcorder types including JVC full HD, Canon Vixia, Sanyo Xacti have also
been added.
Designed for the most
serious video enthusiasts, Pinnacle Studio Ultimate version 12 also includes a
green sheet for Chroma keying effects and integrates a three of the industry’s
most highly acclaimed professional video tools:
·
ProDAD
Vitascene (a $399 value) – a complete library of highly customizable
transitions and lighting effects. The effects include film looks, blurs, glows,
sparkles, and glass effects. Transitions include film effects, ripples, wipes,
sparkle and starburst dissolves, and many others.
·
Red
Giant Software Magic Bullet Looks (a $399 value) – a powerful tool for
adjusting tone, color and focus to simulate the appearance of classic films or
specific production conditions. Offers more than 100 simple-to-apply presets to
match common looks found in television programs, commercials, and motion
pictures.
·
Boris
Graffiti (a $299
value) – the 2D/3D vector title animation plug-in that includes text on a path,
jitter, randomization, independent vector text, advanced type-on title animation
and automated rolls, crawls, fades and zooms. Comes with hundreds of presets to
streamline title creation.
Pricing,
Availability
Designed for
Microsoft® Windows® XP and Windows Vista systems, the
Pinnacle Studio version 12 family includes Pinnacle Studio, as well as Pinnacle
Studio Plus and Pinnacle Studio Ultimate with full HD support. MSRPs are
US$49.99, $99.99 and $129.99, respectively. The Pinnacle Studio version 12
family is available now for pre-orders at the Pinnacle Systems
estore and will be at e-tail and
retail stores later this month.
Upgrades from
all of the previous Pinnacle Studio versions to version 12 will also be
available from the Pinnacle Systems website with prices ranging from $69.99
(upgrade to Pinnacle Studio Plus) to $99.99 (upgrade to Pinnacle Studio
Ultimate).
For tips, tricks and
techniques on all Pinnacle solutions, visit Pinnacle Life.
About Pinnacle Systems, Inc.
Pinnacle Systems, Inc., a part of Avid Technology, Inc., is an industry
leader in providing a complete set of home video editing and TV viewing tools
for the consumer market. The company’s product lines including
Pinnacle
PCTV™, Dazzle®, Pinnacle
ShowCenter®, and its flagship Pinnacle Studio™ line, cover
the needs and requirements of any level of video storytellers or consumers who
simply want to enjoy TV from their computer. Pinnacle Systems has received nine
prestigious Emmy® Awards for its technical innovations and carries
the commitment to help consumers enhance, preserve and share their memories with
ease. For more information, visit www.pinnaclesys.com.
About Avid Technology,
Inc.
Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio, 3D animation,
gaming and broadcast professionals – as well as for home audio and video
enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign,
M-Audio, Pinnacle Systems, Sibelius, Softimage and Sundance Digital. The vast
majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and
chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used
by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid’s products and services
enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid
received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and
Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid®
Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more
information about the company’s Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy award-winning
products and services, visit www.avid.com.