CinemaForge

This combination video-conversion and creation tool boasts good speed and a nice set of features. CinemaForge’s polished interface is both handsome and rather simple to understand.

As a video converter, the application supports all expected formats, including SWF, WMV, AVI, and MOV. You also can choose to accompany any video with audio files of your choice rather than the original sound. When you click the digital-camera icon next to the File Input box, you’ll be able to browse your computer for still images to compile a video file. If you choose to perform this action, you can apply a few transition effects, determine the image interval, and add your own music files.

Although CinemaForge was quick to generate a slide-show video, the audio came out sounding much muddier than the original file did, even when we upped the bit rate. Elsewhere, the program lets you tweak certain aspects of your new video, including frame rate and quality. You also can choose to crop videos, apply a deinterlacing filter, and upload videos to the Web (if you have a CinemaForge account).

We should note the program can’t be uninstalled by traditional means; instead, you have to click the question-mark icon on the main interface. In spite of the aforementioned quirks, CinemaForge is overall a solid piece of software.