Sony added 'Show Me How' tutorials for users new to the software or digital video editing. Both versions also ship with a cut-down version of Sony's DVD Architect software, called DVD Architect Studio, replacing the Sonic MyDVD program bundled with the software when it was titled as Screenblast Movie Studio.

With version 7, Vegas Movie Studio Platinum Edition added the ability to export to iPod and Sony PSP, a feature that was originally only available in the full version of Vegas and is becoming increasingly common in consumer-level video editors. The software is also compatible with Sony's ACID Music Studio software, and an even more cut-down version called ACID Xpress ships with the 1001 Sound Effects CD included. Movie Studio has 13 different audio effects, and the Platinum version adds more, in addition to 5.1 Surround sound mixing and editing. Movie Studio supports a wide variety of file formats and codecs and can use 'Video for Windows' codecs to support even more. However, if the user upgrades to the full version of Vegas, then the user still gets to keep those same effects. Movie Studio features significantly more effects and transitions than the full version of Vegas does. However, it cannot capture analog video without the use of a FireWire video converter. Version 6 also added the ability to capture from Sony Handycam DVD camcorders. Like Vegas Pro, the Movie Studio versions can also perform DV batch capture, a feature usually found only in high-end video editors. It also adds HDV and AVCHD-editing capabilities, but does not support SD or HD-SDI formats. The Platinum Edition of Movie Studio has powerful color correction tools similar to the version on Vegas Pro, including a three-wheel color corrector. It also does not have the same advanced compositing tools as Vegas does, and does not have project nesting or masking. It can edit in multiple as well as standard 4:3 and 16:9 aspect ratios, and it's one of the very few consumer editors that can also edit 24p video (after a manual frame rate setup). The Platinum Edition of Sony Movie Studio, furthermore, can edit with 20 video and 20 audio tracks. Unlike its professional counterpart, Movie Studio can only edit with ten video tracks and ten audio tracks (originally it was set with two video tracks, a title overlay track and three audio tracks).

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