Movie Clip Enhancing

very good
key review info
application features
  • Auto Filters: Magic Enhance, Auto Contrast, Auto Saturation, Auto White Balance.
  • (6 more, see all...)

Not a long while ago improving those home videos of yours was a tedious task reserved for the skilled users. Professional software was employed even for correcting minor issues like contrast or color saturation. Needless to say that the resulting file would be an example of quality.

But with today's rapid pace of technological progress tasks that used to take forever to complete even for professional users are now done in a matter of minutes. Simple video corrections are no longer a task for professionals and beginners can also get to it with ease.

EnhanceMovie is a video enhancement software tailored to provide beginner users to improve the quality of video clips in just a few minutes and sometimes even less. More than this, you can use it to apply a series of effects and filters to add a professional touch.

The application has a price tag with $39.95 written on it and the trial version has no other limitation save a watermark that will be applied to the saved file. Don't worry, the watermark will not hinder witnessing the quality of the video. Other than this there is absolutely no restriction.

The looks are great and would fit perfectly in Vista interface but unfortunately the software does not behave too good if run in Microsoft latest OS. In my case it kept crashing and could not even play the videos to the end. But on XP it works just great and you will not encounter any problems.

Once loaded EnhanceMovie will display the trial version limitation and inform you that the copy is solely for evaluation purposes. Continuing the evaluation will take you to main application window which shows all the options and features in full view.

Unless you load a video, there is nothing you can do with the application except peruse its options and function to make an idea on what it offers. Video standards supported range from popular ones (Avi, MPEG, WMV, VOB, IFO and MP4) to less used formats (M4V, 3GP, 3G2, 3GPP, 3GP2, MOV, QT).

Left hand side of application window contains the list of fixes, filters and effects provided by EnhanceMovie. The video window in the right side of the screen comes with playback controls for running the video inside the application. These also include skipping to next frame or returning to the previous one.

The movie clip can be adjusted automatically by using Easy fix options of the software. Users can automatically enhance the clip by using Magic Enhance which is designed to change the lighting and improves the colors by making them more intense. The feature removes color casts automatically and calculates the best balance of colors. It also works on brightness, contrast and levels.

Auto Contrast quick option enhances highlights and shadows lighting up light parts and darkening benighted ones. The result is obviously a better contrast. However, for the change to be visible you will have to use appropriate videos that permit applying the fix in visible manner.

In the case of Auto Saturation the name of the option is self explanatory. Colors are intensified without breaking the natural balance of the movie. Again, with some videos the change may not be quite visible, but used on appropriate movies the change is positive. Washed colors will be intensified making a better contrast.

Auto white Balance filter is the last automatic option available under Easy Fix category. It is tailored to provide the best white balance in the video according to lighting conditions. It will fix the errors when white color appears gray or blue.

Filters section debuts with Deinterlace option which removes interlace effect of the movie (the horizontal rows on the margins of objects during fast movements in the picture). Deinterlace process is automatic and does a great job breaking down interlacing made by camcorders. Additional options in the category allow for adjusting brightness, blur control, sharpening the video, setting up the color temperature and hue/saturation, midtones values (gamma), color balance (for shadows, midtones and highlights), chroma balance, denoiser and deblocking. Depending on the loaded video the changes will be more or less visible.

Effects section comes with few options (only six of them) but they can be adjusted to the desired amount. The list is composed of Mosaic, Add Noise, Posterize, Diffuse, Grayscale and color inversion.

The great thing about EnhanceMovie is that it offers an instant preview of the applied effect. This way you can decide on the spot if the clip is worth saving or needs more adjusting.

Video window provides three different views: original file, filters and split. The last of them offers a double view of the clip with original video in the left side and the one that has been treated in the right. The great thing is that you can run the video preserving the split view for a better grip of the differences.

Another pleasant surprise provided by EnhanceMovie is the ability of applying multiple video filters on different parts of the clip. The process is simple as all you have to do is add the filter and mark the part of the video you want to be affected by it by dragging the two markers on video seek bar.

I have to warn you though that the quality of the resulting file also depends on the codecs you use. As the application does not come complete with video encoding instruments it is up to you to install them on the computer. Even so, the software comes prepared with download links for QuickTime, DivX codec and K-Lite codec pack (one of the best codec packs today).

Resulting files can be saved under AVI, MPEG or WMV video formats and the codecs can be configured according to your standards.

The application does a pretty good job but it comes with too few options which do not justify the price. However, users need little knowledge on video editing in order to handle it and obtain improved copies of movie clips.

The Good

Very easy to use, EnhanceMovie comes with a complete help file which explains every option available in the software. It also provides examples of modifications to the video when a certain option is used.

Preview function allows instant view of the movie with applied effects. Split view lets you visualize and compare the differences on the spot.

Filters and effects can be applied only on user marked parts of the video.

The Bad

You cannot trim the video of unwanted footage. There are too few options available and this greatly limits the use of the software.

Under Vista it does not work properly and during our testing on Microsoft's latest OS no video was played to the end.

The Truth

The software offers beginners a fast solution for enhancing movie clips, but the effects list is quite short and the price is not justified.

Here are some snapshots of the application in action:

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user interface 5
features 4
ease of use 5
pricing / value 3


final rating 4
Editor's review
very good
 
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