Video Workshop 1.43

Video Workshop is a good video processing tool for home use. I say that this program is for home use, because it doesn't have many advanced features and is very easy to use. When I first started this application, I was impressed by its MAC OS look.

The user interface is tabbed. There are five tabs available, each representing one of the program's features. Video Workshop can play, convert, cut, and join video files, but it can also be used to add audio to a video file. Supported formats include AVI, MPEG, WMV, and RM (RealMedia).

I consider video conversion to be the most important of the program's features. You can select the input and output file when you convert a file. Then you can choose whether you want the output video to contain audio, and you can set the output size. The conversion may take a long time, depending on the resolution and the duration of the movie. Another thing, that has a big impact on the time it takes to convert, is the compression codec that you choose. Better compression usually means more time.

Pluses: You can use any codec that you have on your computer to compress the output movies. However, the best thing about this software is the fact that it's easy to use. With just a few clicks, any video file can be processed.

Drawbacks / flaws: I tried to convert one of my AVI files into MPG format. The program displayed an error dialog, containing the message "Out of memory". In addition, sometimes the user interface stopped responding or it displayed a blank white window. When this happened, I minimized and restored the application's main window. This way the whole interface is refreshed.

In conclusion: This program is a simple and efficient tool for converting, joining, and cutting video files. I recommend this program to any home user who needs to process movies.

version reviewed: 1.41