DaVinci Resolve vs. PowerDirector

Overview
ProductRatingMost Used ByProduct SummaryStarting Price
DaVinci Resolve
Score 9.1 out of 10
N/A
Australian company Blackmagic Design offers their video editing application DaVinci Resolve for a wide range of high quality ultra HD effects, render queue, and video uploading options among other features.
$0
Free
PowerDirector
Score 5.0 out of 10
N/A
CyberLink in Taiwan offers PowerDirector as a consumer-grade video editing platform with a wide array of features and capability of publishing to social media sites.N/A
Pricing
DaVinci ResolvePowerDirector
Editions & Modules
DaVinci Resolve 17
$0.00
Free
DaVinci Resolve Studio 17
$295.00
perpetual license
No answers on this topic
Offerings
Pricing Offerings
DaVinci ResolvePowerDirector
Free Trial
NoNo
Free/Freemium Version
NoNo
Premium Consulting/Integration Services
NoNo
Entry-level Setup FeeNo setup feeNo setup fee
Additional Details
More Pricing Information
Community Pulse
DaVinci ResolvePowerDirector
Best Alternatives
DaVinci ResolvePowerDirector
Small Businesses
iMovie
iMovie
Score 10.0 out of 10
iMovie
iMovie
Score 10.0 out of 10
Medium-sized Companies
iMovie
iMovie
Score 10.0 out of 10
iMovie
iMovie
Score 10.0 out of 10
Enterprises
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
Adobe Express
Adobe Express
Score 8.8 out of 10
All AlternativesView all alternativesView all alternatives
User Ratings
DaVinci ResolvePowerDirector
Likelihood to Recommend
9.0
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
Likelihood to Renew
10.0
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Usability
9.9
(0 ratings)
-
(0 ratings)
Support Rating
1.4
(0 ratings)
8.0
(0 ratings)
User Testimonials
DaVinci ResolvePowerDirector
Likelihood to Recommend
DaVinci Resolve is perfect for any video editing needs. It provides a lot of tools to control images, logos, text, transitions, as well as any other imported media that has been dragged to the timeline. It lets you create deliverables of very good quality and control every single detail from setup to final video export. It might not be the best option for a quick, simple video edit if the user does not how to use it because it will take a while to get on board on how to use it, even for simple edits.
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Definitely suited for a business that has a presence on the internet. It is a relatively easy program to use and will make your video quality look professional. It doesn't matter what business you are into, if video is something that will take your company to another level than this is a good program to get the job done.
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Pros
  • Resolve isn't extremely difficult to learn, at least from a UI perspective. I've found learning the node system isn't a steep learning curve. Users who can visualize how they want a grade or match to look can find their way around the software and use simple tools to get close to their result. People can do this without a lot of experience with the software.
  • Resolve provides extremely complex color grading opportunities, depending on how deeply you wish to use the software. One can fine tune an image, or use a plethora of masks, camera tracking, effects, and small tweaks to get images precisely where they want. It's a versatile software with so many options for every color grading scenario.
  • Resolve is free to use. I'm not too familiar with the NLE function of the program, but as a free software, one can accomplish a lot of work without needing to pay. Noise reduction can be a critical element of Resolve, so in that case, you'll need to purchase the full version to utilize the software to its fullest.
  • Resolve is popular enough that the internet provides many resources, forums, and tutorial videos to better learn the software. This is a big deal for helping to navigate Resolve's capabilities.
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  • Video Editing
  • Audio Editing
  • Presentations
  • Cropping, Splitting, Effects & Transitions
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Cons
  • Working with multiple audio plugins can get a bit clustered with new windows for each. A simpler and more integrated functionality might be better.
  • Some of the keyboard shortcuts for executing commonly used functions can be confusing and takes time to get used to.
  • Maybe they could look into creating a more basic version that does not require so much CPU capacity to operate.
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  • Could have more features available.
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Usability
Da Vinci Resolve is up there amongst the big, professional video editing packages like Apple's FinalCutPro and Adobe Premier Pro. To just be included in this league, the package needs to have a plethora of features that the common man does not need. In essence, this overwhelming amount of features makes the product tricky to learn, but once you have the hang of it, it is a dream.
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No answers on this topic
Support Rating
Not only do they have classes available in Los Angeles, but they'll also allow you to work from home with the manual and demo materials, and then let you test out to get a certification. They get back to you quickly when you email, and they've got a "family" approach to customer service, they make you feel like you're important to them.
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Again, I haven't tried a whole lot of different video editing software over the years, but of the ones I tried, PowerDirector seemed to be the right fit for me and the team I worked with. It helped solve the need for tutorial videos and it allowed us to create a bunch of videos in a very small time frame. I recommend it especially for people without a lot of video editing experience
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Alternatives Considered
I learned so much from this instructional exercise, and I appreciated how the educator is an expert all-day colorist. The section on sound reduction was particularly instructive. I noticed a few inconsistencies between certain methodologies in this instructional exercise and approaches suggested in the Advanced Color Grading in Resolve 15 instructional exercise (e.g., where to place sound reduction in the hub tree), but this is to be expected given that there is no one right way to do any of this. I also learned a lot about Resolve's "Restoration" modules for working with authentic film. This instructional exercise will come up again and again in my work.
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I think I may have tried one or two others over the years (even if just mobile apps), but PD is probably the best I've tried. (I don't remember the names of others). I did try iMovie a very long time ago, though.
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Return on Investment
  • Davinci Resolve allows us to make quick edits and improve the sound on our company webinars and demo videos. This adds a lot of polish, and since we can do it in-house, it's cheaper and allows us to post and share those videos quickly.
  • We've used the software for some flashier marketing videos, and that does drive some positive attention and business our way. Most of that higher-level work is handled by outside agencies, but the fact that we can do some of it in-house saved us money.
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  • Positive. Makes my life easier as the "go to guy" for editing videos that need to be done "yesterday"
  • Positive. The price point is fantastic for a full feature video editor.
  • Positive. Saves on us having to have an Adobe license just for Premiere Pro.
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ScreenShots