Corel VideoStudio Ultimate Review – Updated 2022

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate Review

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate is a very well-featured, easy-to-use video editor that is widely used by professionals and amateurs alike. However, we ran into a few performance issues while using it, so it may not be the answer for everybody. Read our full VideoStudio review for the details.

video editor reviews

We’re taking a look at a highly regarded piece of software today in this Corel VideoStudio Ultimate review. VideoStudio is a video editing tool published by the Canadian software company, Corel. Originally developed by Taiwanese developer Ulead Systems, it has been around since 2006.

We’ll see how it shapes up compared to its rivals today. First, we’ll look at its features to see what it can do. We will factor in its price, as will its accessibility. We’ll also look at its performance and see what formats it supports, as well as the tools that come with it.

We found a lot to like in VideoStudio, with plentiful features, a good-looking user interface and readable controls. However, it didn’t perform as well as we would have liked, and we had a few issues with it, but it was a positive experience, overall.

Features

90 % – Excellent

VideoStudio Ultimate includes all the basic editing features you would expect. You can import video clips, and easily cut and paste them. You can add audio, overlays, text and captions — including 3D text — and apply a selection of effects.

Though extras are certainly important, doing the simple things well is arguably more so, and VideoStudio gets that right. 

It is a cinch to drag clips to your timeline, move things around and make cuts. You can also easily drag your video to reposition and scale it. VideoStudio Ultimate also makes panning and zooming effortless, which are good ways to make things look more professional.

VideoStudio Ultimate goes much further than the basics here with its color adjustment levels and options. You can automatically adjust colors or tune everything yourself. 

There are also options to work with the white balance, along with tools like the tone curve and HSL tuning that let you change the hue, saturation and lightness. You can use the presets to make quick changes or take your time to set things up exactly how you want them. 

VideoStudio Filters

You can also apply loads of filters to change the look of your videos. Using these is just a question of dragging and dropping.

There is a good selection of transitions to help you move from one clip to the next. The latest version of VideoStudio Ultimate includes seamless transitions, as well as morphing. 

Transitions have plenty of settings, so you can customize them, too. Helpfully, the transition and effect icons are all animated, so you can see what they do without having to test them out.

corel-videostudio-effects

VideoStudio lets you use most video, picture and audio files as sources. We’ve listed all the supported formats in their own section.

Importing Clips

You can capture video directly from external devices and import existing video. Clips imported from various sources appear in your media panel, which you can drag into your main timeline, as needed. There’s also screen capture, discussed later in the tools section.

In addition to making video files, you can create discs in various formats, such as DVD and Blu-ray, and also work with ISO files, so VideoStudio works as a video convertor, as well as an editor. For other options, check out our best video converter roundup.

corel-videostudio-music

If your movie masterpiece needs a soundtrack, you can take advantage of the royalty-free music library. There are lots of snippets, ranging from classical to electronic and including everything in between. One reminded us of an old sea shanty. Just drag these to your timeline, and you’ve got some free background music.

Volume levels are a breeze to adjust, and you can fade audio in and out from different clips to get the mix right. By default, the timeline includes multiple layers for your video, an overlay, titles, as well as voice and music tracks. You can also use audio ducking to help certain tracks stand out over others.

VideoStudio Ultimate’s animated overlays are a useful way to add atmosphere to your videos, such as creating rain effects or adding particles. There are also animated transition effects for slideshows. Playing with these is a lot of fun, and the results are impressive.

Stop motion is supported, if you feel like creating the next Wallace and Gromit, and motion tracking is there if you want to make those school-sports-day videos a bit more professional.

Overall, we were impressed with the offered features. We feel that budding amateurs will have a lot of fun exploring them, and professionals won’t feel short-changed, either.

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate LogoVisit Corel VideoStudio UltimateOperating SystemWindows

Mac

Linux

Features4K Editing

Action Cam Tools

Chroma Key (green screen)

360-degree Video Editing

Multicam Editing

Export to YouTube

Export to Facebook

Export to Vimeo

Device OptimizationMobile device export option – no settings for specific devicesBurn to DVD

Burn to Blu-ray

Pricing

85 % – Very Good

Corel VideoStudio comes in two versions, Pro and Ultimate. They are currently discounted by 20 percent and 30 percent on the website, so do keep an eye out for offers if you decide to make a purchase. 

You get a 30-day money-back guarantee, too, in case you aren’t satisfied. There’s also a 30-day trial version that you can download from the website, with no card required.

The trial does launch pop-up ads after you close the software, though. Additionally, if you close it via the top right button, you have to confirm that you want to close it; but, hey, it’s free. If you’re seeing too many pop-ups on the web, though, take a look at our best pop-up blockers guide.

The Pro version is an excellent package, but the Ultimate includes extra features, such as color grading and video mask creation, along with enhanced versions of other features, such as the 3D title editor, split-screen video templates and video stabilization. You also get a much wider selection of effect plug-ins with the Ultimate version.

Both versions are solid choices, but the Ultimate package is the one to go for if you want every feature.

Corel VideoStudio Ultimate Logo

Pro

    Lifetime plan

    $1.53/month

    $54.99 one time payment, Monthly price for 3 years of use

    Ultimate

      Lifetime plan

      $2.22/month

      $79.99 one time payment, Monthly price for 3 years of use

      Ease of Use

      85 % – Very Good

      To get started, you download the installer, fill in a few details, including your email address, then wait for the 1.37GB download to finish. While you’re waiting, it might be a good time to check out the user guide. This is a free document that runs more than 200 pages long, so there is plenty to learn. You could also check out our online privacy guide.

      corel-videostudio-welcome

      The user interface is detailed and professional-looking. The crowded interface looks complex, at first, but it is well laid out with the buttons and controls clearly conveying their function. You can customize your workspace layout and move windows to other monitors, if you have them.

      There is plenty that you can discover by playing around and trying things out. However, if you’re looking to do something specific, it isn’t always obvious how. For example, rendering your finished video requires a visit to the share tab. The documentation usually puts you back on track, though, if you get stuck.

      The controls are generally responsive, but not perfectly so. For example, there is a small delay when changing tabs. There are also sometimes delays when performing complex operations, but that is to be expected with video.

      VideoStudio Tutorials

      VideoStudio’s welcome screen lists more than 30 tutorial videos, with more on its website. As detailed in the tutorial, VideoStudio’s templates can help you add a little class to your first videos.

      The tutorial videos are pacy and detailed. We found them useful, but felt some would have welcomed a gentler introduction. We recommend the “getting started” video as your first port of call when first using the software.

      The application and website support languages other than English. Messages about subtitles appear in multiple languages on the website, which will help out non-English speakers.

      VideoStudio Help

      You can also ask questions on the community forum. There is plenty of activity there, so you should be able to get help, if you ask nicely. VideoStudio also offers customer support via phone, chat or email, so Corel do a good job of looking after you.

      We tried asking a question about cloud saving in its chat window. We needed to enter our email to do that and got a response in less than a minute, telling us that cloud saves aren’t supported. We were a little surprised by this, as the documentation mentioned saving to Dropbox and Google Drive.

      Video is one of the most space-hungry activities, so if you find yourself running short, check out our best cloud storage for video article. The best cloud storage for large files is worth checking out, too.

      We did see slowdown and the occasional crash. When juggling videos in Explorer, we got an error when it failed to find a deleted clip and ended up having to restart. We also found issues scrolling with the mouse wheel.

      The best online backup services will help protect you from losing data if your system crashes. Our guide on how to automatically backup video will also help.

      Overall, though, VideoStudio Ultimate does a great job of presenting itself and making itself accessible. You can figure out much of it through experimentation, and its tutorials and documentation help you with the rest.

      A tool like this will take a long time to master, but you don’t have to worry about getting up to speed with it.

      File Formats & Resolution Support

      80 % – Good

      VideoStudio supports a huge number of formats for import and export, as the tables below show. You can also produce videos and publish them straight to YouTube, Flickr or Vimeo.

      Import formats 

      Video:AVCHD (M2T/MTS), AVI, DV, DVR-MS, HDV, HEVC (H.265), M2TS, M4V, MKV, MOD, MOV (H.264), MPEG-1/-2/-4, MXF, TOD, UIS, UISX, WebM, WMV, XAVC, XAVC S, 3GP, Non-encrypted DVD titles

      360 degree video:equirectangular, single fisheye, dual fisheye

      Audio:CLP, CUR, DCS, DCX, EPS, FAX, FPX, GIF87a, ICO, IFF, IMG, JP2, JPC, JPG, MAC, MPO, MSP, PBM, PCT, PCX, PGM, PIC, PNG, PPM, PSD, PSPImage, PXR, RAS, SCI, SCT, SHG, TGA, TIF/TIFF, UFO, UFP, WBM, WBMP, WMF, 001, Camera RAW

      Export formats

      Video:AVC, AVI, DV, HDV, HEVC2 (H.265), M2T, MOV, MPEG-1/-2/-4, UIS, UISX, WebM, WMV, XAVC S, 3GP

      Device:Apple iPod/iPhone/iPad/TV, Android devices, Sony PSP/PS3/PS4, Nintendo Wii, Microsoft Xbox compatible formats, DV, HDV

      Disc:VD, AVCHD, SD Card, Blu-ray

      Web:YouTube, FlickR, Vimeo, Niconico

      Audio:M4A, OGG, WAV, WMA

      Image:BMP, JPG

      There are plenty of export settings and resolutions available. The largest we could find was 4096 x 2304 for MPEG-4 videos.

      corel-videostudio-output

      While editing, you can see a preview of your video in the top left of the screen. When adding a clip to your timeline, you can change your project settings to match it. You can also change resolution and output settings while you’re midway through working on your project.

      It doesn’t include everything, though. For example, we couldn’t import an FLV video produced using OBS Studio, and had to convert it with HandBrake. After importing the converted file, playback was poor in VideoStudio’s player, despite it looking perfect in VLC media player.

      Performance

      75 % – Good

      Video editing is one of the most demanding things you can do with your PC, and VideoStudio has some steep system requirements. It needs at least an Intel Core i3 or AMD A4 3.0GHz processor, but you’ll need an i5 or i7 1.06 GHz or higher for AVCHD and Intel quick sync video support. 

      Multi-camera, UHD or 360 degree video need an i7 or Athlon A10. You’ll also need a 64-bit operating system and at least 4GB of RAM, with 8GB recommended for the more advanced features.

      VideoStudio is Windows only, needing at least Windows 7. It takes up 3.5GB of hard drive space. The first time we installed and ran VideoStudio, it caused our test system a little stress, and our office applications hung.

      We tried rendering a test video to a selection of output formats to see how long it took. We closed all other software before doing so. Our test PC runs on Windows 10 with an i5-7600 processor and 16GB of RAM, along with a GeForce 1060 6GB graphics card and SSD storage.

      When converting a video for testing, we got an error saying the format was only supported on Windows 7, 8 and 10. However, we were using Windows 10 at the time.

      Eventually we generated several minute-long videos for testing and got the following results when rendering them to different settings.

      Settings:F1 ClipMusic ClipInterview ClipAverage

      720p 30fps14.9018.2112.7215.28

      720p 60fps57.741.24.0833.5658.46

      1080p 30fps24.5730.0820.2224.96

      1080p 60fps1.59.242.45.311.08.881.57.81

      As you can see, the 60-fps videos take much longer to render than the 30-fps ones, especially at 1080p. That’s what you’d expect, though, and these speeds look respectable. Even the best video editing software can test your hardware, but VideoStudio Ultimate ran well, most of the time.

      We also tried rendering our F1 clip with a few different hardware acceleration settings to see what difference these made.

      Setting:Time:

      Intel Quick Sync Video Acceleration1.52.09

      NVIDIA CUDA1.55.89

      Acceleration disabled1.58.56

      Intel’s Quick Sync wins, but there isn’t much difference here. If your system struggles, though, it might be worth adjusting this setting. This is the first tool we’ve benchmarked like this, so how good those results are will become clearer in the coming weeks.

      When using the trial version of the software, we saw poor image quality in the preview window and in videos we created. We have heard these issues are limited to the trial version, but we recommend you test the software yourself before buying to make sure it renders output properly.

      85 % – Very Good

      VideoStudio comes with several other tools, each with its own features. You can directly capture video from your PC using its screen-capturing tool, MultiCam Capture Lite. This did a reasonable job, though not as good as a dedicated tool, like OBS studio.

      Capturing video from your screen brings up plenty of options. There’s also an overlay displayed on-screen showing key presses while you do this, making it a great way to create tutorial videos.

      These do lag, though. When typing during screen capture, we found that we quickly overtook the capacity of the software to keep up. This means keys were still being slowly plastered across the screen a few minutes after we stopped typing.

      corel-videostudio-capture

      We decided to test capture performance by trying it out with a game to see how our system coped under pressure. Assetto Corsa, a sim racing video game, ran perfectly, though it didn’t capture the in-game footage. 

      Dedicated capture software, such as OBS studio, allows you to tweak the settings to capture game footage, but we couldn’t do that in MultiCam Capture.If you’re up for making your own game, read our article on the best game development tools.

      Corel FastFlick is another bundled extra. It lets you create quick slideshows from whatever images you have on hand and will sort out all the blending, transitions and music for you. It’s quick and easy, and the results are acceptable.

      You can also burn your creations straight to DVD with the included MyDVD software. This is a simple application that lets you add clips and split them into chapters. You can also change your menu music and background.

      There’s also a 3D text tool. You can manipulate various properties of your text, such as adding your own textures, changing the lighting or color and adding beveling. You can also animate the text, moving and rotating it over the top of your movies.

      We saw one of the occasional bugs here. Clicking the 3D title button brought up a window that said the title editor was running and that we needed to close it to continue, but the tool didn’t appear for a minute or so. The tool worked well once we got it started, though.

      Overall, these tools are useful and mostly effective. They aren’t as good as dedicated software, but, as part of VideoStudio’s overall package, are excellent tools to have available. If you’re interested in the world of rendering, read our best 3D modelling software or best 3D graphics software articles.

      The Verdict

      VideoStudio Ultimate looks the part and makes basic video editing easy. It is also packed with features and extras that can add quality to your videos. We did find few bugs and UI issues while using it, along with the occasional crash. We were able to edit and work with it, though, and we much prefer it to VideoPad, which you can read about in our VideoPad review.

      Unfortunately, we saw consistent issues with rendered video in its trial version, and most of the output it produced was of poor quality. Fortunately, the trial version is free, so you can test it out to see how you get on. It does have a money-back guarantee, if you want to test the full version, too.

      VideoStudio has a lot to offer if you’re patient and willing to get used to its quirks. Rendering issues aside, it can deliver good results. You’ll have to work with its imperfections, though. 

      If you’ve tried VideoStudio Ultimate, or any of its competitors, please let us know your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading.

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      1. User Rating

        Crash prone: I’ll have to wait for updates/corrections: up to now I did not manage to finish a simple project

        1. I’m having crashes. But this is even worse. I need another copy to use at home while COVID-19 keeps me here. They will not allow me to install it on a second computer without paying them again! Even though I am practicing fair use and only would be using it on one computer at any time.

      2. User Rating

        Absolutely horrible and crashes!!! I have a top of the line computer (2019)…the program constantly crashes while adjusting colour etc. Customer service…useless as of now…

      3. When the video is playing, if you want to go through an effect, even a simple effect /for example crossdesolve/, the video file after
        the effect starts strob and the program throws you away without any message.

      4. i have been an editor for 25 years and have not seen such a miracle all the time. sorry i bought the program

      5. User Rating

        I have been using Video Studio for a very long time and have upgraded to newer versions which seems to be every year. The software will also crash if the correct codecs are not in the PC that Video Studio is actually on. There is software out there downloadable and Free which will put all the codecs in that you might come accross. Make sure also that your PC is in tip top condition plenty of memory. Yes even doing all of this you may encounter a crash, but up to a point the program will have saved your data, so restart and you are given the option to reinsert your work, However saving as many times as is possible will prevent you from having to start at a given point all over again.
        A lot of problems are not usually anything to do with the software, Just make sure everything is up to date, Drivers, codecs, memory, even Processor speeds, confliction maybe with certain programs, so far i have found no conflictions.
        Absolutely brilliant software

        1. User Rating

          Was good until last 2 years – the system crashes every 30min. So stupid

        2. User Rating

          What? “make sure everything is up to date”??? I’ve been making computers since 1985, all my other programs work fine, VideoStudio and ESPECIALLY Multicam Capture constantly crash. Even if it is an issue with Windows or PC configuration, there is no excuse for a program being that delicate and written with no safeguards. And the crashes have been happening for so long now, are they even looking at their own code?

      6. User Rating

        total dog crap. I’ve tried Pro 2018, 2019, and Ultimate ’19. I’ve purchased a Dell GEFORCE GTX and ultimate still crashes while using simple MP4 files. If you want to get no where in life use Video Studio.

      7. User Rating

        I tried several video editors for processing simple video and realized for myself that Corel VideoStudio is by far the best. Yes, the program is not suitable for editing professional videos, but it’s able to cope with effects, music, and transitions. In particular, VideoStudio was handy when I bought a video camera that shoots in MTS format, which not every player can read.

      8. User Rating

        i been using corel videostudio ultimate for some years i been upgrading to every new edition they come up with but the 2019 the latest is the worst i do a lot of projects, investing a lot of hours of video editing wich i have lost because this program crashes a lot, start rendering and than crashes. i am very disappointed, i do not see them coming with updates or patches to fix problems.

        1. User Rating

          Hope you learn where the shift key is on your keyboard and how/when to use it.

      9. User Rating

        A very good and powerful program if only they would fix the bugs which cause frequent crashes. Compared to its competitors it is easier to use.

      10. I have just purchased the 2019 product and there are ceaseless attempts to get me to upgrade. Called India 2 X to try and get this off the screen without success. The first three screens in the tutorial have do not have any similarity to the actual screens in the program. This is NOT intuitive in any way shape or form. I am frustrated beyond belief. Also cannot load this onto my spouse’s computer – only allowed one loading. I would have been better off using the windows program from 10 years ago. Garbage – recommend that you not buy.

      11. User Rating

        Every time I click on “track motion” it crashes. I tried uninstalling/installing and used one their video samples, once I click on track motion same thing. I really need that function. Without that function is useless for me.

      12. User Rating

        Awful program! very limit tools. the technical support doesn’t know anything. It’s already they delete the program with all my videos (they forgot to mention that). Awful. I’m not recorded at all! If you want the record for my conversation with them by email, just ask! Awful!

      13. User Rating

        I would write how totally non-intuitive an how often this crasheds (since moving to Win10 it’s the only program I have experienced this with that I can recall). Seriously I’ve just wasted a lot of my own money. I moved back to MovieMaker, it’s really that bad. It has a lot of features for the price (I required Ultimate for Multi-Camera compilation and split screen use), but it’s not stable enough to deliver on what it promises.

      14. User Rating

        I have issues with in edit playback with 2018 and 2019 where the palyback is jerky and slow. I have contacted support and they suggested I update my computer. So I am running an AMD Ryzen 5 2600 6 core 12 thread with 16gb 3600 dram. All updates and drivers installed and its blazingly fast. Not for Videostudio though which still performs just the same as it did on my old AM2 AMD64 4000+ 2.61ghz. Although I upgraded the GPU I noticed it does not use it but uses the CPU instead. Support from them has been poor. Not recommended until they stop tinkering with the bloatware and concentrate on fixing the underlying problems !!

        1. User Rating

          i have same issue

      15. User Rating

        I have not been able to find a single update for my 2019 version – Poor performance and NO help from Corel

      16. User Rating

        The program truly is a nightmare due to the constant crashes. I spend hours creating a video only to have it crash on rendering or during the editing. I wasted money and time on this program and will steer far away from anything Corel in the future. If I could give it less than a one star rating I would.

      17. User Rating

        Wasn’t so bad until I upgraded to VideoStudio Ultimate 2019 and now its so bad that with the constant crashes, I have to do videos in 4 – 5 minute sections and stick them all together at the end. Often crashes on render, crashes if you use some of the functions or just crashes for something to do. It can be very frustrating, unless they come up with some sort of patch to fix the issues, I won’t be upgrading any further the 2019 version. 🙁

      18. User Rating

        After using it for about 8 weeks it crashes about every 3 or 4 mouse clicks. This is on a state of the art gaming computer with a lot of RAM.

      19. User Rating

        I have used Corel VideoStudio Ultimate for many years and am currently running it on an old machine with just the minimum requirements, no GPU, and in Windows 7 if you can imagine. Yet, I have never had problems with crashing or poor rendering quality. The trick is to do three things:

        1) Make sure you have all your codecs, drivers, and system updated to the most current. My system can’t run Windows 10 so I am stuck at 7.
        2) Make sure you are importing file types that VSU is designed to take. It can handle dozens of file types, more than most, but what flavor of MP4 is it? For example, people love the shove Mac based content into a PC program and then are upset with the odd results.
        3) Make sure you review all your settings for your movie, for bit rate, frame rate, resolution, compression, etc. I have been able to output 1080p x 60fps and it looks super professional.

        It really comes down to the User. Learn what your computer can do, learn about the program’s strengths and weaknesses, understand something about rendering, and realize that it probably is crashing because of something you are doing wrong.

        Here’s a clue to VSU’s capabilities:
        If one digs down into some of the professional filters, like ProDAD and the like, the module is the same at that used in other top-of-the-line editors. With a decent machine and rigorous tests VSU tests about in the middle for rendering times. The fact that it does this with a highly praised interface, allows beginners to start and grow, and still costs so little, shows why it is the best selling video editor behind Adobe and Mac only titles.

        Because it was mentioned earlier, I have always had the best technical support from Corel. In fact, one of their techs wrote some “by-passing” code to allow my particular installation to run on my CPU as it technically met the requirements but was being blocked by an internal checking bit of code. Yes, I have very long rendering times, but I am patient, and the results have been great so far.

        In a little while I will be transferring over to a machine with an i7 chip, 8 processors, tons of RAM, etc. and should see a big jump in speed.

        1. User Rating

          @Nim, if I wanted to do all that I would have stayed in LINUX. Furthermore, if those things you list are the definitive things to do, then the software should be smart enough to know when something is amiss and give a message, not crash. That is just sloppy and irresponsible programming.

          “…it does this with a highly praised interface, allows beginners to start and grow, and still costs so little…” If it is going to crash and I am not going to get anything done, all that is moot and I would get the same results for less money by taping a pretty photo onto my monitor screen.

          “In a little while I will be transferring over to a machine with an i7 chip, 8 processors, tons of RAM, etc. and should see a big jump in speed.” Guess what, we’ve got i7’s and it still crashes. Don’t get your hopes up.

          1. User Rating

            @LS Allen, I agree that if a program crashes all the time it has little worth, although I would never put all the blame on the software. That being said, I agree with most of the posters here that starting with Corel VideoStudio Ultimate 2020 (now 3 versions old) things started to get rather problematic.
            I mentioned above that I have been using VideoStudio for a very long time (2002) and Ultimate since version X4 (2011). I was capped at CVS Ultimate X8 as my machine could not upgrade to Win10. That machine and setup is still pushing out renders with hundreds of effects, and using several of the 3rd party plug-ins. So, yes the older program works well.
            I have been working on CVSU 2019 on my newer i7 machine for about two years and apart from a single crash right after installing it, the program has been able to run just fine. It simply took my installing the latest patches (available at the time directly from Corel support website). Rendering times have improved. Importing old projects have worked fine.

            Testing the same 60 second video I got:
            Intel Pentium, 8Gb RAM, 64-bit, 2.6Ghz, Win 7, CVSU X8 was –
            18 minutes, 23 seconds.
            Intel i7, 8Gb RAM, 64-bit, 2.6Ghz, Win 10, CVSU 2019 was –
            11 minutes, 57 seconds.

            Just a few days ago I built a machine at these specs:
            AMD RYZEN 7, 16Gb RAM, 64-bit, 3.0Ghz, Win 10 Pro
            However I have encountered problems with installing the Trial version of CVSU 2022. So, it appears that something changed around 2020 much like people have mentioned.

            The one consistent problem I have had since X4 has been with minor audio artifacts. I could hear intermittent clicks or a random hiss. Recently, I have encountered odd tiny clips of sound appearing after a crop in the audio or video track. This is a known bug and the only work around from Corel is to convert all your sound files or video files with audio to some format other than MPEG3/4. Seeing as the handling of audio is one of CVS’s weakest points, one that has been unchanged in years I am considering making the jump to another platform, after 22 years.

            I considering DaVinci Resolve 18.

      20. Corel should be ashamed of themselves. Video Studio 2018 crashed during rendering….hmm maybe its the computer, so I bought brand super gaming computer hex core…yada yada yada. I purchase VS 2019 Ultimate, and upgraded to the 4 camera input. I have spent a small fortune over the years with Roxio, and Corel, and I’m sick and tired of spending more time with Tech Support than with making videos. I’ m lucky if I get a three minute video… anything longer and it crashes or locks up while rendering, I’ve tired different settings etc. and done everything Corel told me to do , and still it crashes. They’ve had tch “take over” the computer, and I get a “huhhh, that should happen…” I even had to take a day off work to electronically get a tech super star to solve the issue… and I got 2 short videos, before… it started again. Last month they told be to clean up my boot etc, and then yesterday the same fricken thing. Why can’t they just admit the software if fately flawed and they should provide a permanent fix. Either that or stop selling it all together.

      21. i just bought a video studio ultimate 2020 and tried the fast fill and when i click on the text , nothing happen and i clicked again and it crashed. tried the video studio for video and several times my screen froze and hanged.. i bought it for office use and company paid for and now im seeing several crash and hang already, i still have 205 gigabyte of free space, i bought it today after comparing in the store between pinnacle and video studio for 99.00 plus tax . i just hope it will improve as i start using this on a regular basis. i am now trying to transfer more files out from hard drive to external drive hoping if i get more, the software will work better.

      22. User Rating

        Big problem rendering a long MPEG video–on playback,after about an hour it judders and stops. No problem rendering WMV or MOV, so I have to render to one of them and use a conversion program to get an MPEG. Very disappointing!

      23. User Rating

        I was on a hunt for slideshow to build a Blu-Ray compilation of a guy’s vacation. Compared several.. NCH, Movavi, Cyberlink director, etc…. Video Studio 2020 seemed to be decent contender.

        I downloaded the trial version of Video Studio 2020 and first impressions were good. Numerous transitions, media support, titles, effects, etc. I initially had issues with importing video from a point-and-shoot Sony. I contacted support and the suggested I buy the full version suggesting the trial version doesn’t have all the codec/file support. I picked up a black Friday deal for ~$50 for Video Studio Ultimate.

        The Sony camera videos worked with the full version and the additional functions, filters, sample projects looked promising. After getting into building my slideshow, I’ve been running into crashes constantly. The Boris FX tools crash as soon as I click on one. Crashed when using effects or applying motion and zoom. I’ve gotten into the habit of saving before accessing any function that may open a new window and ESPECIALLY if you are trying to create a menu for DVD/Blu-Ray. Super buggy software.

        Poor programming and very poor error handling. The software regularly just disappears and crashes, no warning, no error message, no log errors, nothing.
        When trying to render a Blu-Ray (had to pay another $8 in the program for Blu-Ray despite buying the ultimate version) the software crashed at 3%, rebooted and tried again with just MPEG4 (thinking I would author a disc after I get the mpegs built)… also crash with “Convert got some problems”.

        Looked up online and suggestions were a corrupt video or file. I removed an overlay (one that was provided by Corel) and tried again, this time it worked. Output quality appears good. I used 1920×1080, 30p but some of the input videos were from mid-2000s so the upscaling is not that great but not sure I can tag this to Corel. As the say goes.. sh*t in, sh*t out.

        I had contacted support on chat and said the technical people that could help me were busy and she would generate a ticket to have someone respond as soon as possible. It’s been 3 days and no response from support. I have the ticket # as the person on chat generated but no follow up. Support is very poor one you purchase.
        I thought I would support a long standing Canadian software company but I’m beginning to regret it. I think they tried to stuff too many disconnected packages together, Boris FX, I’m sure there’s ULEAD software in there and also looks like there is a poor integration with command window and other external sub-applications showing in Windows Task manager.

        I have mixed feelings. I will eventually get a 1 hour slide show out with around 300 photos and a peppering of videos but it’s been a struggle. For the price, not sure what I was expecting. I’ll update once I’ve completed my project. Aiming for a holiday video gift for my friends.
        Keep hitting that save button.

      24. User Rating

        Wow….after working in Pro Broadcasting for 40yrs, albeit as an engineer who was primarily chasing the bugs, the reviews on this page are worrying. Corel 2020 was working for me until it started crashing when I was previewing clips. Part way through playing a clip, it simply crashes. No warning…just gone. I’m running an I7 with 8Gb of ram on 64bit Win10. I’ve just spent a lot of time clipping up/trimming audio tracks for a bed and now it continually crashes. It had been fine for a couple of weeks but now…splat. I’m grateful that everyone has taken the time to write a review. You’ve saved me a lot of time pouring through Windows logs. It’s a shame because I was just starting to get familiar with the program.

      25. Hi all, I have both Video Studio 2019 and 2020 on the same pc
        I7, 24GB RAM, nvidia1050Ti, 1T SSD. Video Studio 2019 works fine, but when I use 2020 the end result files are flickering (sony and gopro 4k mp4 files 30p and 60p)
        2020 is an upgrade version but somehow I can run them both independent
        Any ideas on how to fix the flickering and pixelation?
        Smart proxy and hardware acceleration Cuda are enabled.

      26. User Rating

        I have been using video studio and upgrading almost yearly. Unfortunately with the crashing and very few new additions to the program I have no intentions of buying the upgrade. Shame on you Corel for releasing software that should still be in beta test and is in no way ready for general release.

      27. a few days ago I launched corel video studio 2020 ultimate and I wanted to create a video from the celebration but the video studio will not play dolby digital audio from the video clip other audio formats go (LPCM, AAC)
        in the pc i also have the version of CVS 2018 ultimate and there the sound of dolby digital goes smoothly. if you have advice help.

      28. in corel videostudio 2020 ultimate when loading a video clip dolby audio does not load me other audio formats like LPCM, AAC, MONO loads without problems please advise if you know

      29. I have the same problem with corel video studio 2020 ultimate on Win7. Dolby audio is not working. Support can not help much and recommended switching to WIN10. No love.

      30. I purchased Corel Video studio 2021 Ultimate because it looked promising. From the very beginning, it would not open passed a certain point at startup before crashing. The program did launch after install, but not after that. Contacted support, and I would say that they are helpful, I think. They went thru options on my computer that ended up having me go to the Ulead folder_Corelvideostudio(64)_24 folder, and renaming to 24_old. Worked for a moment, but the software crashed after importing footage, and would not start again passed initial startup like before, unless, I restarted the computer, This happened again and again. It’s been about a month at this point, and I have not been able to really do anything, but troubleshoot the problem. Honestly, the program looks promising, and has a lot of great features, that I was excited about, but with that said, I am at the end of my patients with the crashing, I wish I would have read these reviews before jumping in and buying, instead of doing the trial. Would have saved me a big headache. I hope that this review helps someone else out there. My advice. Get the trial first, and make sure it works for you, before buying.

      31. User Rating

        I’m quite sad how VideoStudio has become in recent years. I’ve been an avid user since 2012 and I love the program. I’ve tried other video editing software but I always return to VideoStudio. Sadly, it has been crashing on my laptop recently. I thought it was my computer but I read it’s a known issue now. I am forced to switch to PowerDirector. I miss the simplicity that VideoStudio offers but the speed and stability that PowerDirector has are way better. I hope the developers fix the program soon.

        1. User Rating

          Same issue with me, they take your money, give you a known issue of crashing then want you to take your chance to upgrade and charge you again.. absolute garbage! I can’t believe how bad it is, I can’t even get through a single video without it crashing. Contacted support and they had me clean the program out and fresh install, worked for one video and now it goes white screen or just disappears. I don’t have time to keep re installing the program and I surly will not give them yet another $70 for 2022 when I never got my money out of the last one.. Worst company ever.

      32. Bought and installed {win10/Dell I7}. Program crashes immediately after launching (memory error)….I re-installed Win10 and installed to software immediately…same result, same error (heap memory error)..Their tech support must be going crazy with all the issues.

      33. User Rating

        The early Corel was great but the latest 2021 is total rubbish. It crashes all the time It’s a waste of money and time.

      34. User Rating

        Another glitch in VS ultimate 2021.. I insert a jpeg into the FLIP album transition customizing option on “2020 VS” computer I was able to insert a jpeg and continued editing.
        On 2021 VS Ultimate on another computer ( same components), tried inserting a jpeg on FLIP album and when I did, VS 2021 just crashed. shutting VS down. Tried several times trying different options..with no solution, just shutting. Some conflict between both versions? does not make sense! Tried smart package from 2020 to 2021 version and transition wouldn’t work. Project played through but transition didn’t execute.
        To top it off, I downloaded VS 2021 on a new powerful laptop and performed the same transition effect ( flip album) and added a customized jpeg insert in the flip effect. As soon as I did, the programed crashed..Shut VS down.

        So now I have 2 powerful computers with totally different components.( amd processor and an intel processor ). Both crashed on me when introducing Jpeg into FLIP ALBUM. Now what this is stating to me.. 2021 VS cant perform this action. Its there to use but cant use..I am sure others are having this issue, as I have used few new computers to perform tests. ( this transition, FLIP album is commonly favored in our projects.)
        It sounds like another glitch in VS. I wonder what 2022 will bring. or not.. hope a fix can be applied. I will do trial version first before purchase.

      35. QUESTION? Will 2022 Still crash when I EXIT TEXT?

      36. I paid for full version 2022 and it will not install, and customer service does not have a clue, and technical help will not even answer their phone.

      37. User Rating

        I have been purchasing and using VideoStudio Ultimate for several years now. I do not expect to get the best quality encoding from it when you consider the price, yet, it is not all that bad. However one thing really bothers me and it is an issue that Corel does not seem to care about. I know, I know…many people don’t care about Bluray and/or AVCHD disk menus. But then again others do. Well, Corel allows you to do just that… BUT, it just does not seem to care that the resulting disks are Interlaced and NOT PROGRESSIVE SCAN. Yes, in fact you can make a nice video project in progressive scan format (much better than Interlaced), and when it is time to make a disk or ISO of the project WITH A MENU, it will reencode EVERYTHING to interlaced specs and you end up with an interlaced disk. I will remind you that if you only need a finished progressive scan file that wiil be no poblem at all, but ONLY if you need tha video nicely presented with a menu.

      38. User Rating

        I have bought the last 3 versions of Video Studio with my last one being 2021, its a train wreck, crashes all of the time, screen video capture doesn’t work and reports and error when the program closes. Customer/Tech support is useless, I won’t be purchasing 2022, apparently it has the same buggy problems.