Magix Movie Studio 2023 Review

Full review

Video editing software for the non-professional should be fast, simple to use and contain useful features for editing home video and producing movies. The MAGIX system is user-friendly and full of features. We looked at the MAGIX Movie Studio to see what this version has to offer the amateur video editor.

Setup

Setting up with MAGIX Movie Studio is simple and you’ll find it takes a few minutes to load the software and get started. You will need Windows 10 or 11 to operate the software as well as a minimum 2.4GHz dual-core processor with 4GB RAM and 2GB drive space for the installation of the software.

Importing

Don’t worry about being unable to work with your recording device because MAGIX supports all the usual formats and sources, including digital cameras, TV cards, hard drive recorders and webcams. When you import video in different formats you can edit them at the same time with this program, without having to convert them to the same format. This is a useful feature and we found that the importing and loading process worked swiftly and smoothly. Movie Studio now supports the AVCHD Progressive (60p) format, as well as 3D videos.

Video editing

MAGIX may not be unique in the features it offers but this software comes near the top of the list because it combines a large number of tools and techniques together in one package, making it easier to create videos that look professional and interesting. Video editing takes place over 99 tracks; a large number compared with other software packages. MAGIX supplies a lot of transitions, both audio and visual, and you can add effects like blur and distortion to specific areas of the video. Adjust the color scheme of the whole video, correcting saturation and brightness, or correct color on small parts of the movie such as people’s complexions or clothing.

The green-screen effect is a good one for adding out-of-this-world backgrounds and MAGIX supplies a chroma key engine for isolating objects more effectively. The slow motion feature is also effective. MAGIX also has a travel route animation tool where you pick a vehicle, enter the places you stopped and let MAGIX Movie Studio add a map animation to your video.

Bonus features include trailer templates where you drag your completed video, choose a template, and the program generates a movie trailer with animations and soundtrack. And if you don’t want to spend any time editing then the MAGIX Movie Studio contains an automatic editing capacity – choose your style or theme (family party, vacation etc); upload your video and the software produces a professional-looking video with effects and music tailored to your theme.

Audio editing

A good quality video needs good quality audio and MAGIX Movie Studio provides the tools you need to get the sound right. In fact, this software offers a lot when it comes to audio editing – from an automatic dubbing feature to the real-time audio mixer and an effects suite for adding sound detail. Audio tools include automatic beat recognition and rhythmic adjustment. For audio dubbing automatically, use the Soundtrack Maker to add a soundtrack from the archive to match the mood or emotion in the video. And for sound quality improvements you can mix sound for Dolby Digital 5.1 (Surround Sound) as well as optimize the quality of old audio material.

Performance

MAGIX made some improvements in performance with the MAGIX Movie Studio release. We found the system to be faster and therefore easier to use, with a number of tweaks. The memory use on 64-bit operating systems was improved, making more RAM available which speeds up previews and loading. By calculating effects on the graphic processor the work the CPU does is reduced, leading to smoother playback. Importing AVCHD files is also faster with this version of MAGIX Movie Studio.

Disc Authoring

Movie Studio provides all you need to produce a professional video project. Upload your movie to DVD and Blu-ray disc and add customized menus. Features include the ability to add buttons you have designed yourself, extra menu pages, and your own text and graphics. The software has a positioning grid for placing elements exactly where you want them and you can edit multiple menu elements. Beginners or time-pressed editors can use something from the range of animated menu templates that are tailored to all kinds of genre.

Exporting

Export footage in 3D for viewing on 3D TVs and devices with MAGIX Movie Studio. 2D projects can be exported to mobile devices, DVD, or memory cards and you can also upload the videos directly to YouTube and Facebook, Vimeo and the MAGIX Online Album. MAGIX automatically converts the video into the correct format for social media sites and it takes one click after you have logged in with your details to the Movie Studio system. The export wizard makes it easy to see which export option you need and the settings you should use.

Ease of use

Along with improvements in performance MAGIX includes some improvements for the interface. The MAGIX software was always pretty easy to handle but now the system is even more streamlined. Use the Media Pool to play and trim video clips quickly before transferring them to the timeline, which displays video and audio from one source in the same track. You can also split these tracks if you want to. The interface is customizable, meaning you can add windows or toolbars or remove unwanted features, making the system easier to handle. Previewing without having to open a separate window is useful and you can easily switch between timeline and story board modes. In all, the system is user friendly and satisfying to work with.

Help & support

Find a basic amount of support on the MAGIX website including the usual support forum, newsletters, and FAQs. From the website you can also send an email request for customer service support or technical assistance. There is a phone line for customer service and sales and a list of numbers to call for technical support.

Overall

MAGIX Movie Studio 2023 is a solid, reliable and entertaining video editing package with a full list of features and tools attached. The interface is easy to use and the performance of this update is an improvement on past versions.