But the program bogged down as projects got more complex, and the program occasionally displayed alerts or failed to complete a task. VideoWorks does not save uncompiled project files or reconcile different frame sizes and rates automatically in the workspace. The ability to apply a filter to a selected portion of a clip adds real power, functioning as pseudo-keyframing for special effects. The suite also earns high points for its close integration. Thanks to previews of the actual source video in its dialog boxes and straightforward controls, creating a custom 3-D path or a chroma key is a snap.
Quality suffers, however, from the lack of subpixel positioning and anti-aliasing.
Our testing with audio leads us to conclude that VideoWorks cannot adequately handle stereo .WAV files. Using such files yielded more static than sound. And VideoWorks does not allow you to specify an audio codec at output time. Presto is working on a 32-bit version of VideoWorks that promises to address many of the program's shortcomings. For the moment, VideoWorks' below-par rendering quality will leave professional and corporate users disappointed.