What I DON'T like about Movie Studio 13

Steve Grisetti wrote on 1/26/2014, 4:27 PM

- Why can't I put the TRIMMER in with the Project Media, Explorer, transitions and Video FX? I don't like it as a pop-out window.

You can't lock it into the tabbed set. But you can dock it to the rest of the interface, in between the Project Media and the Preview windows. In Advanced mode -- if you hold down the Ctrl key as you drag the window into position.

geekazine wrote on 1/26/2014, 4:45 PM

That is acceptable. Thanks Steve!

vkmast wrote on 1/26/2014, 5:07 PM

I'd expect that some of the points made by the OP will be considered for later builds of MSP 13. After all, this is the first build of an "overhauled, redesigned, and simplified" (SCS words) new version and some fine-tuning of the UI is clearly called for.
As the actual developers probably do not frequent this forum, feedback for "features you would like to see" might better reach them through a product suggestion.
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/support/suggestions

Btw, they do seem to have done away with the actual Selection (and Zoom) Edit Tool buttons, but you can still find them in Edit > Editing Tool. A couple of clicks, but then you can find the keyboard shortcuts there as well. (D for Next Tool, Shift+D for Previous Tool)
And the Preferences / Display tab has the option to "Allow floating windows to dock (hold Ctrl to override)."

Paul E wrote on 1/28/2014, 12:02 PM

I dont like the thick black line that now surrounds clips. It is quite possible to have a tiny gap or overlap between clips which is masked by the thickness of the line.

Editguy43 wrote on 1/28/2014, 11:30 PM

I also do not like the fact that you can not configure the toolbar and I do not like that you have to click the fade button to fade then the normal button to edit. To me this is just wasted clicks, I can see this in simple mode but not in advanced.

Someone mentioned( maybe another thread) that perhaps this is a way to force more advanced users into going to the PRO version, this could be the case, I use the PRO version all the time but I have an older PC that I also use for small projects when my main edit PC is busy, and this version does seem to slow me down.

I hope they will consider some of the things we have mentioned here and update 13 to include at least some of the main ones.

Paul B

Paul E wrote on 1/29/2014, 7:07 AM

Its odd that they've given us buttons for 'Normal Edit Tool' and 'Envelope Edit Tool' but not 'Selection Tool'. I never use Envelope but use Selection all the time.
You can get to Selection with two presses of the 'D' key and the mouse pointer changes to show you are in select mode.

MSmart wrote on 1/29/2014, 7:55 PM

Has anyone tried the Options > shift-Preferences trick to reveal the Internal tab? Anything there of value?

Parallax Abstraction wrote on 1/29/2014, 8:13 PM

So am I correct in that the Fisher Price, touch-screen friendly, massive waste of space buttons cannot be disabled or reverted back to the interface of Movie Studio 12? Sony couldn't possibly be that mad could they? If that's true and that you also can't customise the toolbar, I'll be staying far away from this I think.

Editguy43 wrote on 1/29/2014, 8:37 PM

@MSmart,

I just tried and the internal tab is there I have not gone completely though it but at least it is there.

Paul B

UKharrie wrote on 2/6/2014, 3:56 PM

This may be true, or not?
/
Don't worry, Win8 is scheduled for a new version fairly soon as Win9 (really inventive those folks at MS). Rumour is that Sales of the "Touchy" OS have been sluggish, so we may find some of the traditional Win7 features will magically reappear. I understand that at least one PC-maker is shipping WIn7 as an Option....DYOR.....
What happens to an OS could move through to work-software.

There are many features that Sony M-S could improve, but for the price it has other movie Editors beat. Not that means Sony should rest on laurels - rather they should always strive to be ahead. But then I'm guessing the software writers are given limited time to perform changes . . . the "Touchy" v13 occupied a lot of effort, so the other features they wanted to include were dropped . . . . and the lack of new improved features was why Sony included ACID ( again, DYOR).

As I opened - This may not be true . . . .but then . . .

Jack S wrote on 2/21/2014, 6:19 PM

You set up the windows layout as you like it. You create a couple more tracks (1 video and 1 audio). You save the layout 'cos you like it that way. You start and finish your project and close the application down. You come some time later to start a new project. You open up MS 13 and ... the window layout is OK but you're back to square one with the minimum number of tracks. You load your window layout but no, you've still only got 4 tracks. The Save Window Layout function obviously doesn't include the tracks layout. It's not a big deal to create two more tracks again but MS 11 remembered how many tracks there were why couldn't they make MS 13 do the same.
Just a small moan but we are stating what we don't like about MS 13 aren't we.

vkmast wrote on 2/21/2014, 7:26 PM

As "A window layout stores the sizes and positions of all windows and floating window docks in the Movie Studio Platinum workspace", but not your own default tracks, maybe you could modify and use this workaround.
Another related thread here.
Btw, my MSP 11 could not remember my own tracks layout either. Admittedly, it had 6 default tracks, MSP 13 has 4 tracks.

BensNick wrote on 2/21/2014, 11:45 PM

Is there a compelling reason to go with 13 over 12? I have 11 and I'm considering moving up so I can take advantage of my 64bit OS and 12GB RAM.

D7K wrote on 2/22/2014, 1:17 AM

IF you are going the suite, I think the BBC optical stabilizer and the ability to color match and use proxy files is worth the slight cost of the upgrade.

vkmast wrote on 2/22/2014, 3:37 AM

+1 for D7K, and the 64 bit Support "means that Movie Studio Platinum 13 (and 12) can hypothetically use all the available spare memory (RAM) installed on your computer that isn't being used by other resources." And I expect some of the things discussed here will be reconsidered in the later builds of v 13.

Chienworks wrote on 2/22/2014, 7:56 AM

BensNick, one reason to go for 13 is because as soon as a new version is shipping, Sony Creative Software completely discontinues making the old version available. So, you cannot upgrade to 12 anymore.

I suppose it's possible that you might find some stores online that still have copies of 12 available, but you won't get the upgrade discount shopping through them. On the other hand, some of them might be selling it cheaper than the 13 upgrade price.

Jack S wrote on 2/22/2014, 9:09 AM

Thanks vk. Shortly after posting I realised that I could just simply create the number of tracks I required then save the project as a template.vf. Just goes to show, there's usually a simple workaround for most problems.
I didn't realise that MS 11 had 6 default tracks. I have always worked with 6 tracks (3 and 3) so I just assumed that it saved that configuration.

BensNick wrote on 2/22/2014, 9:24 AM

I haven't used DVD Architect, and I'm not sure I need it.

Is this standalone Movie 13 version the same as in the Suite?

http://www.amazon.com/Sony-MSMS13000-Movie-Studio-13/dp/B00HRQB108/ref=sr_1_3?s=software&ie=UTF8&qid=1393082518&sr=1-3&keywords=Movie+Studio+13

It's $33 - and I'm a cheapskate. I mean, I prefer not to pay for things I don't use.

vkmast wrote on 2/22/2014, 9:39 AM

BensNick,
I don't recommend the basic Movie Studio 13. It seems to have only the Simple Edit mode. See the Product Pages on this site and the comparison table.
http://www.sonycreativesoftware.com/moviestudiope/compare

See also the the latest SCS newsletter on this site under "About Us".

BensNick wrote on 2/22/2014, 1:30 PM

Well I bought and installed 13, hoping for a serious boost in performance. What I got was a measly 10 percent.

Exact same clips, about 9min total of 11 MP4 clips.

New SMS13 64bit
CPU 50%
Memory 30%
Time 6:56

Old SMS12 32bit
CPU 45%
Memory 24%
Time 7:21

Use GPU: Off

I had other things open too - but equal between the two versions. I expected more.

Markk655 wrote on 2/22/2014, 3:05 PM

I ran some AVCHD rendering comparisons and saw no difference with or without GPU when comparing V12 and V13. Nowhere in the specs/features for V13 did they say they changed the engine/codecs. I imagine that the small performance boost is due to 32 bit to 64 bit architecture.

Unprofessional wrote on 2/24/2014, 9:34 AM

I recently bought Movie Vegas Platinum 13. I'm not sure why it is called "Platinum", it should be just "Standard". But I don't really care.

All is great, fine or acceptable, but one thing is just terrible. Why on earth are there separate tools "Normal" and "Fade" now?

Any reason that makes sense? They used to be combined together and it worked nice, so why change it now to make it more complicated? I used to move clips around and play with fades at the same time and did not have to remember what mode currently I am. But now I have to switch the tool several times during editing, and let me add that I utter a swearword every time. Because in previous versions I didn't have to do this annoying switch. Now I have to click twice more often and move cursor around unnecessarily.

New version of software was supposed to improve things, not to make them worse. It should make UI more comfortable, not less.

Editing discomfort is so great now that I'm considering going back to Vegas 11. Actually, I'm not considering. I will go back. Until Sony fixed this issue stay with version 11 or 12.

So here's a little warning for you if you are using fades a lot, like I am.

vkmast wrote on 2/24/2014, 10:45 AM

>>>Why on earth are there separate tools "Normal" and "Fade" now?Any reason that makes sense?<<<
Maybe they wanted to make the use of "New fade and trim handles on events" easier? Seems they did not succeed in your case.
The keywords for many of these changes are obviously "touch screen" though.

Unprofessional wrote on 2/26/2014, 3:02 PM

Well, maybe they should name it "Vegas Studio for Touch Screen" then.

They said it worked well with touch screen, but they never said it works bad with a mouse.

Is anybody out there working with a mouse? I thought it was was still quite popular device, but now I start to doubt it.