Video editing for more than just home movies
There are plenty of options for editing videos. Windows Movie Maker is free and surprisingly good, and other software from Adobe, Corel and Pinnacle come in at under £100. But there’s a gap between these ‘enthusiast’ programs and what the professionals use, such as Adobe Creative Cloud (which is expensive) and Avid Media Composer (which makes Creative Cloud look cheap).
Catalyst Production Suite aims to fill that gap. It comes in two parts. Catalyst Prepare (also available separately) is used to get your video files ready for editing. Although compatibility focuses on Sony and Canon models (see www.snipca.com/17491), common MOV and AVCHD video formats used by DSLRs and action cameras are supported, at up to 4K resolution. Bear in mind you’ll need a 2GB graphics card and a fast drive, such as an SSD, to edit 4K.
Having made your basic corrections, such as fixing poor exposure, and set ‘in’ and ‘out’ points to determine which section of a clip will be used, you can move on to Catalyst Edit. This looks reassuringly similar to other video-editing software. There’s a preview window for your work in progress, a media browser where you find the clips you want to use, and a timeline that you drop them on to to make your film.
With a minimum of toolbars and menus, the interface is clear and uncluttered. Catalyst doesn’t provide a lot of quirky transitions, nor is it a special- effects studio; what you get is a professional editing workflow for quick, accurate results. Drag one clip next to another and it snaps into place. Drag it over the edge and you create a cross-fade. There are also tools for creative colour tweaks, known as ‘grading’, and sound editing. You can edit using a touchscreen, but a mouse or trackpad is also fine.
Don’t assume Catalyst offers more than cheaper programs; in some ways it does less. The difference is that it feels like a serious tool rather than one for the occasional dabbler.
With depth rather than breadth of features, Catalyst is a solid choice for serious editing.