MainActor 3.53 by MainConcept is a multimedia editing suite for Windows and Linux. It it comprised of five parts:

• MainActor Sequencer
• Main Actor Video Editing
• MainActor Video Capture
• Main Actor DV Capture
• MainActor Video Out

These components combine to make an extraordinary program that fulfills almost all one's editing needs. MainActor is easy to use once you orient yourself with its numerous elements. Despite my limited (almost null) knowledge of video editing, I was able to achieve professional quality work in a relatively short amount of time.

MainActor's five main parts are actually separate programs that are installed in one fell swoop when you download MainActor. The Sequencer is definitely the most fun. This program allows you to do a multitude of operations. You can insert a film clip, a bitmap, 2D or 3D text, moving paths, filters, audio, etc. The timeline allows the user to place any of the objects or effects anywhere with its drag and drop interface. There is a preview window in which you can view your work in progress. Once you have perfected your masterpiece, you can easily save it to almost any file format.

MainActor Video Editing allows you to compose and process animations. You can isolate single frames or combine many frames to make a custom animation. The three following programs are very basic in their functionality but are very useful nonetheless. You won't have any trouble navigating around these programs as their features are, for the most part, self-explanatory. Be aware that only the Windows version has digital video support for importing and exporting.

MainActor Video Capture captures video using analog video capture hardware equipment.

MainActor DV-Capture captures the output of a Digital Video device.

MainActor DV-Out sends digital video data to a Digital Video recording device.

I definitely recommend reading the help files and going through the provided tutorials. By doing this you will undoubtedly gain a better sense of all MainActor's capabilities. There is a plethora of sophisticated tools in this program that you can use to create and enhance your most complex video editing projects. A fully functional free trial version of this program is available. After seeing this program I could kick myself for all those times I paid a "professional" to do the kind of things I could have done myself and the way I wanted it.

I should mention that MainConcept has developed several other programs worth checking out:

• MainActor Plugins are small programs that add new functionality to MainActor.
• MainVision 1.0 is a high-end compositing, animation and effects program.
• MainConcept DV-Codec allows for super fast editing of DV material. It can compress / decompress DV material in record time.
• Motion-JPEG CODEC Playback M-JPEG AVIs (hardware or software created) using this codec in real time

For more information on this product, please use the links below:

BMT Micro Catalog:	MainActor
	Developer's Web Page