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CyberLink PowerDirector 365 Review: Is it the Best Video Editing Software?

CyberLink PowerDirector is a best-in-class video editor with an intuitive user interface and professional-grade video editing tools. It is one of the fastest video editors when it comes to rendering performance. Overall stability, support for new formats, and a rapidly evolving library of effects and plugins put PowerDirector 365 in the league of pro-level video editors. The program is helpful for beginners as well as editors with moderate video editing experience.

It mainly focuses on quick and easy delivery of videos for YouTubers, Vloggers, Streamers, Short filmmakers, and home or vacation video editors.

CyberLink has continuously upgraded its video editor with cutting-edge tools over the last few years. The performance and stability of the program are well-appreciated by the users. If you are the one who is looking for a video editor with excellent speed, CyberLink PowerDirector 365 is your next gear.

Read this article till the end to know PowerDirector 365 benefits and drawbacks. In case of any doubts, you can comment, and I will try to answer them personally.

It is impossible to cover all of the features even in a lengthy review like this because of the fact that the software packs numerous tools and effects. But we tried our best to answer all the possible questions an average video editor may ask.

Beginners and intermediate-level video editors mainly use this software. Many questions about compatibility, tools, effects, basic video editing, rendering performance, and much more need to be answered.

So we have decided to do the heavy lifting for you. Now without any further ado, let’s begin.

Editor’s Summary

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 Review
Source: CyberLink PowerDirector 365 Pricing Page

Overall Rating – 4.8/5 stars
Price – $19.99/month or $5.83/month for an annual plan
Basic Editing, Effects, and Libraries – The program packs the best trimming tools similar to industry-leading software like Adobe Premiere Pro. PowerDirector 365 has a plethora of video and audio effects, along with impressive text animations that will help beginners get started quickly.
Ease of use and learning – PowerDirector 365 comes with an intuitive user interface. The most commonly used tools are spread across the entire dashboard so that users can find them easily. In-app guides, how-to videos by CyberLink, and tutorials by the experts on YouTube will help everyone to master this program within the shortest possible time.
Performance – When it comes to performance, the CyberLink PowerDirector 365 outcompetes almost everyone. We have tested and reviewed several video editors in the last few months and found that the PowerDirector offers the fastest rendering performance. Also, the overall stability of the program is top-notch.
Support – CyberLink’s official website is packed with FAQs, blogs, and easy-to-understand video tutorials. With PowerDirector 365 subscription, users will have access to priority customer support through email and phone. Also, undoubtedly, the team is knowledgeable and responsive. 

What has impressed us so far?

CyberLink aims at beginners and video editors with moderate experience by packing professional-grade tools in easy-to-learn software. A massive selection of effects, transitions, audio tools, and plugins supports it. Apart from that, we are mainly impressed by the royalty-free stock media from Shutterstock and iStock by Getty Images. In contrast to its rivals, PowerDirector 365 offers excellent speed and rendering performance.

What could we love to see in the latest update?

You will come to know (as we will continue to discuss further) that the brand has recently launched the Mac version of PowerDirector 365. It now comes with limited features and tools compared to the Windows version. We would love to see the fully featured MacOS version of the PowerDirector 365 soon, as most creators prefer working on Apple nowadays.

What’s new in CyberLink’s PowerDirector 365?

What's new in CyberLink's PowerDirector 365?

CyberLink is one of the leading brands when it comes to video editors that upgrade their programs frequently.

Recent PowerDirector 365 releases are packed with powerful AI tools that have put the software in the elite group of video editors.

The following section summarizes all the major upgrades released during 2022. Note that apart from the tools and effects mentioned below, each update includes lots of sound effects, transitions, sticker packs, background music, and trending fonts which you can explore by visiting this page here.

#1 – AI Tools:

  • Object Selection Video Effects – Create nice-looking and engaging TikTok videos, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts with 20+ video effects that track moving people and objects.
  • Sky Replacement – Turn blue skies into dramatic sunset, vice-versa, and more with 68+ default sky templates. Also, be more creative with a personal collection of skies.
  • Audio and Video Denoise – Use Nvidia Broadcast and leverage AI to remove background noise from the audio and low light camera noise from the video.
  • Wind Removal – Remove distracting unwanted wind noise to make your dialogues crisp and clear using AI.
  • Motion Tracking – For accurate and faster motion tracking, PowerDirector is now using AI.

#2 – Automatic Speech to Text: Generate automatic English, Chinese, or Japanese captions with just one click. The intelligent tool generates accurate captions for your videos.

#3 – Minimalist Video Outro Templates: Decorate the end of the video with a range of simple and effective outro templates. The templates include a few call-to-action buttons encouraging viewers to subscribe and like the video.

#4 – Excellent selection of LUTs: Apply impressive color schemes to video projects with vibrant and energetic LUTs such as Tokyo, Revenant, Cyberpunk, Faded Film, Porcelain, Fresh Food, and more.

#5 – Audio Smart Fit: This tool automatically adjusts the background music length to match the size of the footage.

#6 – Intro Designer and Templates: Create fantastic video intros and share them with the CyberLink PowerDirector community. You will also get free access to hundreds of templates shared with the community.

Pricing

Monthly Subscription – $19.99
Yearly Subscription – $69.99 ($5.83/month)
PowerDirector Suite 365 – $129.99

You will get CyberLink PowerDirector 365 for $5.83 per month with an annual commitment, and the month-to-month option with no commitment costs $19.99. Obviously, the yearly plan with monthly payments is far more affordable than a month-to-month option.

Apart from PowerDirector 365, you can choose PowerDirector Ultra and PowerDirector Ultimate, which are available with a lifetime license. You need to pay a one-time fee of $99.99 for Ultra and $139.99 for Ultimate. Note that PowerDirector Ultra is the best fit for basic video editing because it lacks access to stock media, AI tools, third-party plugins and effects, and more. Whereas the Ultimate version is nearly similar to the 365 version except for the limited access to premium plugins, effects, background music, etc. It is also not supported by the stock media by Shutterstock and iStock.

The final option, CyberLink PowerDirector Suite 365, goes above and beyond to take multi-media editing and production to the next level. It includes robust audio editing, image editing, and color correction programs. You need to shell out $29.99 per month without an annual commitment and $10.83 per month with a yearly commitment (which makes it $129.99 for a year).

Windows and Mac Compatibility

PowerDirector 365 is famous as one of the best video editors for Windows users. And a couple of years ago, the program was not supported by macOS. But to keep up with the trend and empower Mac users with state-of-the-art video editing tools, CyberLink finally announced the first macOS release of PowerDirector 365 in 2020.

Although it is hard to say, the Mac version of the program lacks a few essential features and tools compared to the Windows version. It is under development, but CyberLink’s team is working hard because, with each release, we see new features and tools in the program.

The program offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you figure out there are better choices for you.

Make sure to follow me while I take you through the interface, navigation, presets, effects, transitions, and more in this article. We would suggest you sign-up and download the software by clicking on the following links,

Windows Click Here
Mac
Click Here

Interface

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 Interface

The ease of use and the learning curve of a video editor depends upon the user interface. So PowerDirector 365 comes with a simple and intuitive interface.

The welcome screen will ask you to choose from four options: Full Mode, Storyboard Mode, Slideshow Mode, and Auto Mode. The Storyboard Mode and Slideshow mode offers ready-made video templates. Users need to import media, apply effects and transitions, and select background music to create videos.

We will be discussing Full Mode in detail in the following sections.

The software offers a traditional user interface, as seen in Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. The dashboard of the program is split into three sections as described below.

1. Source Panel

This is the main area where you will be importing and managing source files, configuring assets, applying transitions and effects, and more. You can directly drag-n-drop raw videos, audio, and images in this area. The program lacks an internal library but has excellent sorting capabilities and a Search tab for quickly finding assets.

Source Panel

On the left side of the Source Panel, you will find a couple of buttons for Media, Video Intro/Outro, Title, Transitions, Effects, Video Overlay, Particle Room, Audio, and more.

2. Preview Panel

On the right side of the dashboard, you will be able to preview the results of the changes and adjustments done to the raw video clips. One can control the preview playback with a couple of buttons at the bottom of the panel. Most editors use keyboard shortcuts to control the preview playback, like using Spacebar to start the playback.

3. Timeline Track

Also known as the video track, this section runs across the entire bottom of the dashboard. PowerDirector 365 allows users to add up to 100 tracks each for video and audio. As per our experience, 100 timeline tracks are more than enough for all types of projects.

You can add video, title, voice, effects, and music tracks. You will find three pairs of video and audio tracks by default. Unlike most video editors, such as Adobe Premiere Pro, where the higher objects in the timeline appear on the top, PowerDirector uses a different approach, and the lower objects in the timeline track appear on the top by default.

But users can change this default layer ordering by heading to the settings icon at the top and then selecting the ‘Editing’ option.

Users can import files by dragging and dropping them directly onto the timeline. Several buttons placed above the timeline tracks are used for performing various operations on raw video, audio, voice, and sound clips.

Note that you can move and adjust the relative size of the panels as per your convenience.

Effects and Transitions

PowerDirector 365 lets you work with hundreds of effects and transitions. Moreover, you can install third-party plugins from Pixelan, ProDAD, etc. to leverage fantastic effects and plugins by creators around the world.

Access the effects and transitions from the Source Panel. Use the Search option to find the specific type of effect or transition. You can also mark assets as a Favorite to see them quickly in the future.

All effects and transitions are represented intuitively. When you select the effect or transition that got your attention, a preview will be displayed in the Preview Panel.

New effects and transitions are frequently added to the program to ensure the users will never run out of creativity and stay up to date.

The program supports Keyframe Editing, which allows precise control over the starting and ending of the effects, transitions, and more.

Color Correction

The program allows you to change brightness, exposure, white balance, contrast ratio, sharpness, and more.

We are particularly impressed by the Color Match tool and CLUTs. The color match tool is helpful for creators who shoot videos with different equipment and from various angles.

CLUTs stands for color lookup tables. Using LUTs will bring uniformity and add a specific mood to your videos. Few LUTs, such as Tokyo, add up the cinematic mood to your videos. You can choose from Tokyo, Revenant, Cyberpunk, Faded Film, Porcelain, Fresh Food, Color Tones (for specific styles), Bright & Airy, Autumn Vibe, and much more.

For advanced color correction, CyberLink offers a different application called ColorDirector, which is a part of the PowerDirector Suite 365. This powerful application has much to explore apart from the standard color grading tools in PowerDirector 365.

AI Tools

Image: AI Sky Replacement Tool by PowerDirector 365
Image: AI Sky Replacement Tool by PowerDirector 365

There are a couple of excellent AI tools offered by CyberLink. Most of them work like a charm, and you will hardly be disappointed. Tools such as Motion Tracking, Audio Denoise, and Speech Enhancement will boost the video production speed and help users create beautiful videos within the shortest time.

As the years pass, video editors are becoming more intelligent and automated with the help of AI. And CyberLink’s progress in this regard over the last year is really appreciated.

1. Sky Replacement

After clicking on AI Sky Replacement, a separate window will pop up and ask you to import a raw video clip to work with, then choose the sky and replace it with your preferred sky from the available option or local drive. The program allows you to tweak Feather, Land Ambient, Sky Fade, and Position to sharpen the results.

2. Speech Enhancement

This AI-powered tool removes the background noise to make the dialogues clear and loud. It worked flawlessly with video footage recorded in the balcony of our office. It completely removed the noise of the wind and vehicles from the video.

3. Object Selection Video Effect

These 18 video effects will add more creativity to your TikTok and Instagram videos. Just make sure that your videos consist of a flat background. It lets you play around with a selected object or person by encircling, extending, or even duplicating them. You can choose from Ghost, Light Snake, Aura, Motion Trail, and more.

4. Audio and Video Denoise

Unlike others offering Audio denoise only, PowerDirector 365 comes with denoise for audio and video. You must ensure high-end Nvidia Graphics for the proper functioning of this feature. Click on the Fix/Enhance option above the timeline track to use this feature. It worked well on a video shot using a drone camera.

Stock Media

Stock Media

One of the best perks of choosing CyberLink PowerDirector 365 is the access to stock media by the industry giants Shutterstock and iStock by Getty Images.

Previously the program used to support the ShutterStock library with limited media. I searched for many terms in PowerDirector 365, which just returned only 10-15 results, whereas the exact searches on the ShutterStock website displayed hundreds of results.

But now, the scenario is different because you can access millions of royalty-free music tracks, images, and videos from the software. Apart from this expanded ShutterStock (6,400,000 assets) library, the program has included iStock (2,800,000 assets) by Getty Images, which again empowers PowerDirector 365 users with millions of creatives by the experts.

Chroma Key

Powerlink PowerDirector 365 Chroma Key

If you haven’t heard it before, this popular technique or so-called tool allows you to put the object in a different environment or remove the background from your videos.

You must use a solid-color background, such as a green screen while recording the videos. Then take this recorded video into PowerDirector 365, select the background, and replace it with the background of your choice.

Use Color Range and Denoise sliders to sharpen the object’s borders for better results.

Chroma Key allows creators such as YouTubers, Teachers, and Influencers to get rid of dull and unprofessional backgrounds.

PiP

Motion Graphics PiP in PowerDirector 365

If you are a how-to video maker, this is the tool for you!

PiP stands for Picture-in-Picture. You can simultaneously play two videos on one screen with this tool. Either you can play them side by side or overlap them. You may have seen many tutorial videos consisting of two videos, one showing the screen recording and the other including the person who guides you.

From video walls to slideshow videos and complex projects with object or person overlays, PowerDirector offers lots of flexibility when it comes to PiP videos.

Text Editing

Nowadays, videos are incomplete without nice-looking text animations. PowerDirector 365 comes with a couple of text animations that will help beginners get started quickly.

Text animations are proven to improve the video engagement rate.

You can design your own text presets with a massive selection of fonts and have complete control over the size, color, gradients, shadows, glow, and more. Also, add preset motions such as fire, electric, and waves to make the text more attractive and engaging.

PowerDirector 365 already includes plenty of fonts, and this list keeps expanding because new and trending fonts are added to the program with each upgrade.

Audio Editing

As discussed earlier, CyberLink PowerDirector 365 comes with a wealth of AI-based tools for removing background noise, enhancing speeches and dialogues, and audio ducking. You will surely praise the Audio Denoise and Speech Enhancement capabilities of PowerDirector 365.

The Audio Smart Fit feature impressed us the most because it saved significant time spent adjusting the audio length to fit the size of the project. The tool automatically reduces or increases the audio length.

The program offers a plethora of royalty-free sound effects and background soundtracks.

When you add an audio track in the timeline tracks section, it is represented by the waveform line; you can lower or higher this line to increase or decrease the volume. It is a useful functionality that is available in every popular video editor.

Users are allowed to play around with the distortion effects, normalization tools, equalizer, reverb generation, and a lot more useful effects. 

PowerDirector Suite 365 subscribers will have access to AudioDirector for detailed audio editing.

4K Video Editing

CyberLink PowerDirector is the pioneer of 4K video editing. Nowadays, nearly every popular video editor supports 4K editing, but PowerDirector 365 takes it to the next level with improved performance and a wide range of file formats support.

The program uses Proxy Files (Shadow Files) to improve the editing speed. Users can import, edit and export 4K video clips without compromising performance.

It comes with HD and 4K preview, but you should test the latter using a high-end PC with gigantic specs.

More Editing Features

A few more things that the editors use frequently are discussed below.

Stabilization – This tool will help you reduce the shakiness in your videos. The videos captured mainly using Drone Cameras and other action cameras include instability due to winds and other issues. Head over to Fix/Enhance and select the Video Stabilizer option.

Stickers – PowerDirector 365 offers a wealth of stickers to decorate your videos. New stickers are added to the arsenal with each update. You can add smileys, arrows, and even subscribe buttons to make videos more interactive.

Slow Motion – Make your videos fast or slow with dynamic speed changes. Go to Tools and click on Power Tools to see the video speed option. You can increase the video speed by 100 times the normal speed. After every speed adjustment, the tool shows the original and new video lengths. You can directly type in the video length; the tool will automatically shorten or lengthen the clip.

Intro Designer – The tool allows you to design short intros for your YouTube or Marketing videos. You can share your masterpiece with others in the CyberLink community. Also, you can use thousands (8,000+) of intro templates shared by the community. Intro Designer is accessible from the left-hand side buttons in the Source Panel. There are 23 categories of templates, including Love, Music, Nature, Pets, Technology, and more.

Screen Capturing – Screen capturing tools are most often used by how-to video makers. PowerDirector 365 comes with a built-in screen recorder. You can start recording your screen and also create a PiP video using your webcam. YouTube streamers will appreciate the PowerDirector’s Game Mode.

Video Recording – PowerDirector allows you to use your webcam to record videos right from your PC or laptop.

Magic Movie Wizard – Select the Auto Mode option at the startup to jump into the Magic Movie Wizard. Leverage ready-made video templates to create a home, travel, and slideshow videos quickly. All you have to do is select the template, import your media, pick up a background soundtrack, and boom, you are done. Apart from built-in templates, users can also download a range of easy-to-use and attractive templates from DirectorZone.com. This is the easiest and quickest way to create videos using PowerDirector 365.

Exporting and Sharing

CyberLink PowerDirector 365 supports a wide range of video and audio file formats during import as well as export.

Exporting your final project is a breeze, and it starts with the Produce button at the top. The exporting dashboard is quick to navigate and includes big buttons that showcase popular export choices. For enhanced and customized exporting, experts can dig deep into the details, such as resolution, bit rate, etc. The program supports device-specific export as well.

The program allows you to share your projects directly on YouTube, Dailymotion, Vimeo, and Niconico Duanga.

I uploaded my final project to YouTube. It was really fast. You just need to sign in and allow a few permissions. After adding the title, description, and tags, your video is ready to upload.

Rendering Performance

This is the area where CyberLink PowerDirector 365 shines brightly. As per the PCMag statistics, it is the first ranker when it comes to the lowest rendering time. Refer to the following image,

Rendering Performance Compared
Source: PCMag.com

Rendering is a huge task that takes up lots of computing power. Many video editors fail to offer what we call a respectable rendering performance. But PowerDirector 365 is one of the exceptions here, and also it outcompetes everyone when it comes to rendering.

The software uses 64-bit optimization, GPU acceleration, OpenCL, and Intelligent SVRT to deliver excellent rendering performance. I prepared a 4:28-minute video project with mixed raw video clips to test things from our end. They were both HD and 4K clips. I applied a couple of effects and transitions along with color enhancement.

It took only 54 seconds to render a video project of 4 minutes and 28 seconds. I am really surprised by the performance.

My home workstation is Windows based with an Intel Core i7 CPU with 16GB RAM and Nvidia 4GB Graphics Card.

If you are looking for a video editor with the fastest rendering performance, then look no further because CyberLink’s PowerDirector 365 is a perfect choice.

Support

CyberLink’s how-to tutorial videos and user manual are worth trying if you get stuck somewhere.

You must submit the ticket if you have to contact the team. As a PowerDirector 365 subscriber, you will have access to Priority Customer Support. CyberLink’s team is knowledgeable and responsive.

PowerDirector 365 uses an intuitive user interface optimized for beginner-level video editors. The availability of ready-made video templates, text animations, and support for third-party plugins adds flexibility. It makes PowerDirector 365 one of the easy-to-use video editors of all time.

Numerous YouTube videos will help you a lot while learning this program. Also, when you start the program, you will find helpful in-app guides that will take you through the dashboard and essential tools.

Rating

Performance – 5/5

Our 5/5 star performance rating includes excellent startup time, stability while editing, and rendering time. PowerDirector 365’s overall speed and performance are well appreciated among the users. The program consists of all the features and tools a beginner or intermediate-level video editor may ask for. This consumer-level video editor offers remarkable 4k editing capability, motion tracking, video stabilization, chroma-keying, and much more.

Price – 4.5/5

If you go for a monthly subscription that costs $19.99/month, then it will definitely break your bank. On the other hand, by choosing an annual subscription plan, you will have to pay $5.83/month, which is affordable to even beginners with a tight budget. At this price, CyberLink offers a competitive set of tools compared to professional-grade video editing software that costs hundreds of dollars.

Learning Curve – 4.5/5

PowerDirector 365 comes with an intuitive user interface and traditional dashboard. You can master this program within a couple of months with consistency. A handful of YouTube videos available by experts will help you along the way. How-to videos by CyberLink are also easy to follow; you can try them.

Effectiveness – 4.8/5

CyberLink’s PowerDirector 365 is the best tool for YouTubers, Teachers, short filmmakers, and Social Media Influencers without any doubt. It has a wealth of effects, transitions, pre-made templates, text animations, LUTs, and more. Popular tools such as Motion Tracking, Stabilization, Chroma Key, Multicam Editing, and PiP work seamlessly.

Best Alternatives to CyberLink PowerDirector 365

Let’s talk about the software that offers the same functionality at the same price and focuses on beginners and people with moderate video editing experience.

Programs like Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro are made for experienced video editors who rely on their creativity instead of using ready-made templates and presets. We will not discuss such programs here as they are not the direct competitors of CyberLink PowerDirector 365.

1. Corel VideoStudio

VideoStudio is available for Windows users only. It packs fantastic tools for video editing. The program offers almost similar stability and performance compared to PowerDirector 365. You are allowed to add only 50 timeline tracks. VideoStudio is a more affordable option because you can purchase this software with a one-time payment of $99.99.

2. Movavi Video Editor

If you are using a Mac, then you can look at Movavi Video Editor. It is available for both Windows and Mac users. The program offers respectable performance when it comes to startup time, stability, and rendering time. The only thing that may disappoint you is the lack of Multicam Editing. Regarding pricing, Movavi Video Editor is more affordable than PowerDirector 365 because it costs only $49.95 per year.

Conclusion

There is nothing serious to complain about CyberLink PowerDirector 365. It is an all-in-one video editor focusing on beginners and people with moderate video editing experience.

When it comes to rendering performance and support for new file formats, the program dominates even giants of the market, such as Adobe Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro.

Ease of use, flawless editing, excellent performance, and availability of a massive library of stock media by Shutterstock and iStock are the selling points of this program.

FAQ

Is PowerDirector safe to use?

Over its decades of journey, CyberLink’s PowerDirector 365 has undergone many improvements and attracted a huge fan base. It is one of the top video editors of 2023 and is trusted by over a million users.

For the sake of this article, we downloaded the program from the official website and took it through Malwarebytes Antimalware. It successfully passed the virus and malware scan.

Is PowerDirector free to use?

No. You need to immediately pay the monthly fee while downloading the software from the official website. The good thing is that PowerDirector 365 offers a 30-day money-back guarantee if you do not like the software.

Disclosure: This page may contain a few affiliate links, which means if you buy something through them, we may get a commission (without any extra cost to you).