Mind you I am not the smartest techy person at all by no means this product is defiantly not easy, but I am stubborn when it comes to learn, I originally got this for my church live videos to share and I didn't know squat lol. But after doing a little research watching the tutorials I have successfully burned some dvd's edited them and got to the part where the preaching is as we are doing a study on the profit Isaiah. I can tell you when it comes to this stuff I am so out of my league, but none the less its not so difficult you can't learn. If I can do it anyone can.

I am a video editing hobbyist and have been using Pinnacle Studio since version 7. Over the years, I have been a software junkie and tried most other consumer level NLEs. But I always return to Pinnacle. There are a number of programs for novices that may be a little cheaper, and there are also a number of far more expensive programs for professionals. At this point in its development, Pinnacle is really in a prosumer class of its own. The price/feature ratio of the Ultimate version is outstanding, and frankly I would not bother with the lesser editions. However, pay attention to the program's specs. since some of the more advanced features require more robust hardware.
For many years, users have been complaining about Pinnacle's titles. At last, a new title editor has been introduced, and so far, it looks like the output is much sharper. The title editor also provides keyframe animation down to each line, word and letter.
So far, my favorite new feature is the mask face-tracker. It does a really good job of tracking faces and there are lots of options for effects that can be applied.
Another new feature that is speeding up my workflow is the ability to click and drag media using Windows Explorer direct to the timeline.
On the downside, for those who are new to the program, the NewBlue effects that have been part of the Ultimate package for years do not seem to be included. However, if you have those effects installed in a prior version, they will be transferred over to Studio 24. (I guess NewBlue is catering more to the professional market these days.) Most of the NBFX are probably available using other features of the program. And for those who have never used them, they won't be missed given the huge number of other effects and transitions that are available in the program. In fact, there are a number of new animated mattes and graphics that have been added, presumably to replace some of what has been lost.
It also looks like keyframing has been made more stable and user friendly. Multiple keyframe parameters can be easily copied and pasted.
So, yes, I am a longtime fanboy of Pinnacle Studio despite some of its shortcomings. But each new version brings some interesting new stuff and over the years stability has greatly improved. PS 24 is no exception. For me, I am enjoying the upgrade.

Importing your downloads from your computer into Pinnacle is easy.
Importing the videos you have selected to go to the moviemaker is a breeze.
Then dropping selected video clips to track two is optimal for audio clips or voice-overs to track three.
Intro/Titles; Endings; and Animations go to track one.
I don't mean to rhyme after this enjoy yourself and have fun with Pinnacle.

I do video editing on the side, but in that I try to render videos with a quality level that I can be proud of. Pinnacle studio has been fun to learn and grow into. Because of my limited budget I couldn't get Adobe Premier Pro (a month by month program) but that is ok. If you and I are creative it will shine through and I believe Pinnacle is a great editing program just for that. Enjoy the journey.

i have used this product since version 7. Version 8 was a mess. this version like recent ones, are based in Java and the preview is flaky and you need to reload Java to fix it. The preview (or editing window) will loose video or audio. it was a stable product after version 8 until they went to the Java based version. It is still good and works great when everything is cooperating. if you want to do really professional edits, i would stick with Adobe or Apple, but if you want to get "your head out of the clouds", use DaVinci Resolve or Vegas. DaVinci Resolve is free for all but the most specified features, but requires that all source video be constant bitrate (which you can convert, but takes more space. i haven't used Vegas after Sony sold it, but it was (and still is) my go to editor (rock solid and professional). Pinnacle is good for photomontages and for background music. in this version, they no longer provide moving backgrounds. So I use Digital Juice products for that along with lower thirds and etc.