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Hi,

here we gather Magix's thoughts and focus of action today. It is clear that nowhere on the page, unfortunately, is there any reference (link) to the VPX or MMS product line. Thus, it is clear that they are not focused on investing in them.

@Roberto-Goncalves

@Roberto-Goncalves

Hi.

It's a very mixed message on the Magix website depending on where you look within its online pages.

For instance, looking at any pages for practical tips in video editing and the results come up squarely in favour of Magix Movie Studio. The main loser in program information is as @Reyfox pointed out at the beginning is VPX.

Ray.

This is depressing... Hoping that in the near future that some attention is given to VPX.

@johnebaker

Hi John EB,

Yes. I was counting on fair-use for educational purposes.

@Reyfox

See Moviemaker.com. I have a free subscription and there is a lot of good stuff there and I recommend it. However, many of the reviews leave a lot to be desired. The article that I was referring to is a recent comparison of two major video editors. Basically, and trying to avoid plagiarising, one of the programs is full of features and tools, what, the article doesn't mention, you can put all kinds of different video formats on the timeline and do nesting, it has a mixer and can use VSP (sic) plugins. It sounds like almost any video editing software. Not very inspiring and i wouldn't be tempted to purchase it, but maybe the text is okay in the context of a comparison of two similar programs. Still, I was expecting more detail. I wouldn't want to see a description of VPX like this.

As shown by Al above, Magix should just add to the main advert screen the list of features shown on the comparison page, without the comparison. I think that that would give a much better idea as to what the program can do. From my experience, most people browsing never get to the comparison page.

@Roberto-Goncalves - yes, the Magix message is discouraging, particularly the mention of Sound Forge and especially ACID Pro, defunct for quite a while. They could have mentioned at least Movie Studio.

John CB

@Reyfox

Hi,

I looked at Magix' website in more detail. Granted that the Overview page, which is what we have been referring to, could use more detail and panache, I think that it just needs a big button - See Details/Functions - or something like that, that entices the viewer to go to the Functions page. Take a look at it as it's very detailed, with videos. One of the problems is that Functions is not in a tab by itself, but under the 3 ... Who looks there.

What I thought was missing, because I just didn't see it as it looks like it's greyed out, are the links to all how to's about Video Editing - All Guides and Tutorials at a Glance page. Scroll to the bottom of the Functions page and you'll see links to to all of the how to video editing guides. These complement the user manual.

Why not make this more obvious?

The user manual is lacking links to these topics, as is VPX under Help. For example, look up Split and Trim in the VPX16 user manual and you'll find a short description in a couple of paragraphs. Scroll down on this web page for MMS and you'll see the instructions for split and trim with an image. On the VPX Functions web page, near the top under CUT, you get a description and a video for Split and Trim. I was sure that I saw another detail page just for VPX, but I can't find it, so maybe I imagined it.

Anyway, a big link to this on the Overview page would probably help sell the product.

Looking at all of the detailed video editing information on the Magix site that seems to be difficult to find, one would think that Magix would find easy ways to access this information from within the manual and from within the program. Under Help, Magix could add in a topic with a drop down list with links to of all of those topics shown in the above image.

John CB

@browj2,

Yes, things are hidden on the webpage. But there is nothing when you first go that that even tries to entice someone to look further. First impressions are extremely important, and there isn't anything to make someone say "wow, that looks great!"

Those links that describe how to do something are nice, but we are talking about a visual tool. There should be videos, and there aren't unless you consider MMS/MEP videos.

I am talking about the Magix flagship video editing software, VPX. It should be better represented than this.

There are a host of quick tutorials for Vegas Pro. Something should be done to highlight the software. Show is in a much better light than it already is displayed. And the website has been like this for a long time.

Go to the Davinci Resolve website. Oh, nothing too fancy at the top of the page except actual films that have used the product, like Marvel Studios, etc.. Yeah, I can get into that. Premiere Pro has a bland website, but they have the "name". The same with Avid Media Composer. Then there is Lightworks. These four have Hollywood pedigree, but Lightworks and Resolve have free versions, and you can pay once if you like or subscribe. Lightworks Create costs the same as VPX. Resolve Free offers a ton of features not available in VPX. And there is the other sibling of VPX, Vegas Pro. This is the competition. No VPX can not compete on the same level, but a visually exciting website showing some "whizz bang" things that can be done would at least cause someone to pause long enough to evaluate the software.

Video is a visual medium. The website should reflect that.

@Reyfox

Video is a visual medium. The website should reflect that.

Very well said!

Another website that encapsulates your comment and uses a lot of visuals and interaction is Filmora

https://filmora.wondershare.net/

Just out of curiousity I just looked at Premiere Pro, their site is crap but they do have a very well known name & their products are in many many YT videos.

@Gid Premiere and Avid are generic. But they can "afford" to be. Adobe is stockpiling cash. Everyone knows the product line. Avid is a Hollywood staple. So they don't worry about how their websites look. They can point to the movies done with their software.

@Can-Dive yes, Filmora's site makes you want to explore and see what it can do. Even if I'd never use the software, I did click around the site to see what it was capable of. VPX? I'm not going to spend time looking around at all. Why should I be spending time reading when I want to "see" what it can do.

They have this image of Franco Aversa, who has been the "face" of the product for years. I'd like to see what he's edited with the software. Point me to some of the "high quality" video he was mentioning.

@Reyfox

They have this image of Franco Aversa, who has been the "face" of the product for years. I'd like to see what he's edited with the software. Point me to some of the "high quality" video he was mentioning.

I found Franco's youtube channel. He's done quite a few tutorials on VPX in the past but he covers a number of video editors in his playlist.

https://www.youtube.com/@FrancoAversa/playlists

@Can-Dive thanks! But it is in Italian. And when was the last time he created a video using VPX? I see Resolve in his current tutorials along with BluffTitler.

I would think that if he is the "face" of the software, that there would be a better effort in showing something, anything created with the current software. Yes, a lot of information from the past is also applicable today,, but when you see "years" since anything new. And if you go to his Youtube channel, you see Resolve. Not a good advertisement for VPX and shows how long it has been since they've updated the website.

Makes me wonder who is running things in Magix marketing.....

Just woke up so barely conscious thoughts 🥱 ... Every person under 25, their first phone will have had at least a half decent video/camera, kids start filming very young.. lets say 10-16yrs old, they can't afford to buy video editing software nor to begin with do they feel they need to, but soon realise they need to or want to trim the wasteful parts & ends off, there's some simple built in video software in a lot of hardware/software that will do that.

After a while they want to progress further, they see TikTok's etc. & want to experiment themselves, but still not having any money they feel they want to invest 'Free' comes in to the picture in a huge way, Free Resolve can do a lot, the timeline might not suit some that know of other software but you don't need to go into the node system to create a movie, Resolve does have a Cut & Edit timeline that is similar to .. (use your own words to describe it) like this -

Learning Resolve if you're just starting out isn't hard if that's where you start & all you know, there's a huge list of online videos & help .. Like I say Resolve can do a lot, there's a large list of fxs & transitions, OFX support is better, there's a huge array of render options, there's a long list of things Resolve can do .. So why would anyone when looking to purchase software choose VPX ..

Some software have a bigger name than others. Everyone who wants to edit, know about the free version Resolve. It is a more than just capable editor, it's an EXTREMELY capable editor, and it's free, getting updates all the time, along with introducing new features. Starting with Resolve and learning it, can be overwhelming. But to do basic edits and titles, you don't have to go to the Color Page and is fairly simple. Forget Fusion. And while a lot of people use it in the industry, layer based compositing is my preferred method, not nodes, although Nuke, Maya, Boris FX Particle Illusion use nodes. But one of the industry leaders After Effects is layer based. So is VPX, Vegas Pro and most other editing software. My brain can handle layers. Nodes? If I have to, I can, but prefer not to.

It is hard, more like, impossible to beat the free version of Resolve. I've owned the Studio (paid) version for several years, yet have not edited from start to finish, any video. Dabble yes, I just prefer editing in Vegas.

As for why someone would choose VPX over free Resolve? That is a good question. I look at things with a yearly price tag, divide by 12, and figure if it's worth it. Sacrificing potato chips, soda, etc., to edit is something I am willing to do. So I have Resolve (with the Speed Editor) as an experiment and also as a backup "just in case" something happens with Magix. But VPX? It's a novelty to own VPX14.

Like I say Resolve can do a lot, there's a large list of fxs & transitions, OFX support is better, there's a huge array of render options, there's a long list of things Resolve can do .. So why would anyone when looking to purchase software choose VPX 

@Gid you make a valid point. Resolve is a formidable foe to all professional video editors (and wannabes) including Vegas Pro. And no-one will pay the new purchase price for VPX when they can invest in Resolve Studio for a little more and one-off price.  

Ironically, Magix Movie Studio can complete with Resolve in the consumer space. Its reasonably priced and has bells and whistles for the consumer video editor that Resolve doesn't have; wizards, templates, effects etc. I don't profess to be a professional editor, and I don't want to spend all day in Resolve making a slideshow. In MMS, with the help from the slideshow wizard, I can make a slide show in a snap that my family and friends will enjoy. And by extension, VPX can do that and more, so I use it.

The target market for VPX is not Resolve users, its not Vegas users and its not even Cyberlink users. In fact, the target market for VPX is MMS users. The majority of VPX users are MMS/Video Deluxe users who decided they want to upgrade to the premium version of the software they enjoy using.

So the business strategy is to allocate most of the marketing budget to promote MMS because it captures a wider audience. Eventually some of these users will upgrade to VPX and that is icing on the cake for Magix because VPX's cost and upgrade is much more than MMS. There may be some exceptions to this case but in general this is how VPX is sold. In reality, VPX is an upgrade rather than a stand-alone product. It can't compete with other Professional editors so it is marketed specifically to MMS users as if it was.

Think about it. You are a long term user of MMS and you decide that your skill level now warrants an upgrade to a Professional Editor. For a couple hundred bucks or subscription, you can invest in Davinci or Premier, but these come with a time commitment to learn the software and may be a bit overkill for your needs. Then for about the same amount of money (actually a little less), you can invest in VPX, purportedly a professional editor (it has "Pro" in its name!) with zero learning curve and all the bragging rights! What do you go for?

Magix understands that it's easier to retain a customer than to get a new one. VPX fills that inherent need and reduces the chance of a customer leaving. And if you truly want a professional editor then there is Vegas Pro - again keeping the customer! So, Magix's marketing strategy is not so dumb after all.

In the end @Reyfox, VPX probably doesn't need a fancy webpage for its target audience because that audience has already been sold. In fact, it doesn't need a webpage at all. As I have stated previously, for a number of cost/efficiency reasons, MMS and VPX should be consolidated and marketed jointly.

@Can-Dive while I do consider Resolve free to be a formidable foe too, I don't think VPX is for those that want to venture into the complex world of nodes, zillions of menus, several pages, tons of export settings, and the steep learning curve along with having a computer up to the task. While it can be free, that doesn't mean it will be someone's "cup of tea". Especially when looking for something more than the average consumer editing software. MMS certainly competes in the "ease of use" at a very reasonable price for just about everyone.

I do agree with you on the complexity of MMS vs Resolve. For the new user, who wants some easy to use templates (and that's most new users), Resolve doesn't have them. And MMS will work on a lesser powered computer better. And yes, those familiar templates in MMS are there for those upgrading to VPX, along with a more robust set of editing tools. Templates for sure, speed up the slideshow/editing process instead of doing things manually like in Vegas. So as an upgrade path for MMS users, VPX is the logical upgrade path IF someone wants to stay with the familiar. But after a while, even templates can be come boring to the editor. Like using the same music in every video you do. Not for me.

There are those that will upgrade to VPX, but what about those who are willing to venture into the more "pro" editing software market, who want to see what all the "fuss" is about? When they will see what the pro editing software can do compared to MMS? They still have MMS for those template driven projects, but now want to experience the total control that the other software give you? They can keep MMS and learn Resolve free in their spare time, as some I'm sure have done. And when they see that major movies are done with the software, they too want to join that crowd. In spite of what people think, the masses are driven by peer acceptance. In video editing, which do you think will garner more "street cred" when asked what software you use? Where does that now leave VPX? Heck, even Vegas Pro offers more compelling reasons for someone to upgrade to it for pennies more than VPX, while you still can keep MMS as you learn Vegas Pro. Now, we are only talking about MMS users upgrading. What about someone looking from say PowerDirector/Filmora/Premiere Elements/etc.? You've basically eliminated all of those potential customers by not having a website, or a poorly designed one such as what VPX has now. No one goes into business expecting repeat customers to carry them forever. There is a need for growth, new customers, in order to stay in business. If Magix thinks like this, ignoring the VPX potential, VPX is dead.

VPX deserves better. A better website, better marketing, etc..

Also, notice in the top Important posts sticky? You will see Feedback about VIDEO PRO X15, and VIDEO PRO X15 - Release 06/12/2023 but nothing about VPX16? Is there a reason why?

@Reyfox

One behind? Try MMS! We're 2 behind. 😂

Is there a reason why?

If it's a choice between a conspiracy and $%^&up, I'll take the second choice every time. 😉

@AAProds yes for sure! MMS is two behind!

One of the first things I do before considering buying software, is to go to the user forum to read and see what has been posted. To see if there are recurring issues (not useless ranting) with the software, and what the user experience might be like, pros and cons. Not even having VPX16 and MMS2025 listed at the very top of the forum is a huge misstep as I see it. It shows that there is no MMS2025 and VPX16 interest.

@Reyfox

One of the first things I do before considering buying software, is to go to the user forum to read and see what has been posted.

+1 👍

But are either of us typical consumers?

Ray.

@CubeAce, I would think so. People do use the internet to research before buying. And with video editing software and all the choices, yes we are.

I know a young lady who wanted to do some slide shows as she has seen me do. She did the research and downloaded Resolve Free. Now, she knows nothing about video editing software, yet got Resolve by reading what it was capable of.