CyberLink PowerDirector 15 is the latest edition of this popular, feature-packed video editor.

The program includes everything you need to create professional videos. There's a 100 track timeline to organise your movie; more than 500 effects, transitions and objects to apply; smart filters to stabilise shaky camera work, remove noise and fix lighting issues; powerful audio tools, excellent 3D support, and a huge selection of export options: DVDs, Blu-rays, a host of video formats, direct uploading to Facebook, YouTube, DailyMotion, or your own 25GB of CyberLink cloud storage (free for one year).

That would be impressive enough all on its own, but PowerDirector 15 takes the franchise even further with some interesting new and enhanced features.

There's complete support for importing and editing 360 degree video, trimming, adding titles, effects and transitions, and producing the finished movie.

Created something special? The TRUE360 Viewpoint Designer imports 360 degree footage and allows it to be reused, with your choice of views, in standard videos.

An intelligent Colour Enhancement tool boosts hue and vibrancy, while detecting and preserving skin tones from any distortion.

New effects include Stop Motion, Zoom and Pan tools in the Action Camera centre, as well as web-like filters (Grunge, lighting effects) with the Video Blending feature.

The Mask tool enables building masks from multiple titles and images, giving many new creative possibilities.

There's new support for vertical video at 120 and 240fps.

All this is powered by the TrueVelocity 6 engine, which apparently offers "smoother previewing and significantly faster production".

PowerDirector is available in multiple versions.

PowerDirector 15 Deluxe is the baseline edition. It includes the core features we've described here, but drops 360 degree video support, the Action Center, Motion Tracking, MultiCam and Transition designers, Blu-ray and AVCHD authoring, 120/ 240fps video production and CyberLink's cloud storage, along with some templates and effects.

PowerDirector 15 Ultra is the edition we've described here.

PowerDirector 15 Ultimate is the next step up, extending the program with more content packs and effects.

But if you can afford it, PowerDirector Ultimate Suite has everything in PowerDirector Ultimate, adds the applications AudioDirector 7 and ColorDirector 5, includes CyberLink's Travel Pack 3 and NewBlue Video Essentials 5, and doubles your cloud storage to 50GB.

You will receive the full build, with PowerDirector 15 Ultra content packs, Content Pack Essential and Content Pack Premium, after purchase.

Review by Mike Williams.