If you've ever burned files to a CD or DVD using your Mac, you've probably used Roxio Toast. The latest version is called Toast Titanium.
With an updated drag-and-drop interface, Toast still burns files. But more importantly, you'll find it's the missing link between shooting digital films and your heavy-duty video-editing software.
It can handle footage from one or several cameras and can capture images from your monitor, even if you're use multiple recordings. Those videos can be shot from different angles and exported, along with audio, into your film presentation, cooking demo or YouTube project.
It works well with iMovie on Macs and with other movie-editing programs. But Toast has its own editing component that allows for cropping and trimming video. It's especially useful for what are called "unboxing" videos _ YouTube clips that explain and review new computer hardware _ and it can record video directly from a webcam.
Toast will convert video formats so that whatever you're working on will work fine with your tablet or smartphone of choice. Toast will let you insert chapters and menus in your film without having to transfer the footage to a more powerful video-editing program. If you're making a presentation, Toast is right up there with the big guns. But serious videographers will still want programs such as Pinnacle Studio for the kind of fine-tuning that makes amateurs look like professionals.
The upgraded Pro version will convert photos and videos to slide shows. Its movie-editing features alone make the upgrade worth considering. It will let you add transitions, music, text and templates to your videos _ and it's intuitive. Both versions have encryption features.
Some users of Toast have complained online that Toast is buggy. My download had an issue that made it hang when I tried to exit the program. Using force-quit did the trick, but bugs like this one shouldn't happen. Companies too often release buggy software, then offer updates that address the bugs.
Toast costs $100, and the Pro version for Macs costs $100. Both versions pretty much provide one-stop video capture, editing and burn-to-DVD programs. For more information: www.roxio.com
