Premiere Elements 4

Elements 4 certainly looks different from Elements 3, and increasingly different from Premiere Pro too. The interface is neater and clearer, with a business-like look that contrasts strongly with competitors such as VideoStudio and Pinnacle Studio. The Monitor window has been reorganised, enabling you to switch between editing, creating menus and sharing footage.

Version 4 makes life easier for the new user, with automatic presets for effects filters being applied as soon as you drop the effects into place. The manual effects controls and keyframing tools are still there, however.

Audio has been upgraded with a useful new mixer, and Elements offers as many tracks as you’re ever likely to need, so you can create much richer sound edits than with its rivals.

HD users will be pleased that Premiere Elements can now detect cuts and separate footage accordingly. Titling animations have also been introduced for easily animating text.

There’s also a set of movie presets that enable you to drop in overlays and effects to give your movie an overall theme, but these are generic and unlikely to get much use.

Output tools have also been updated with the option of burning Blu-ray discs, as well as a nifty tool for uploading your edits directly to YouTube or other video sites. The creation of video for mobile phones and iPods has also been streamlined with a set of presets for popular devices.