ShowBiz 5 FAQ

The limitations are listed as below:

1. It has a 15-day free trial.

2. An AC3 audio codec is not included in the trial version. So you might not be able to hear sound on video files that include AC3 audio.

3. Exported files will have a watermark.

It only supports English.

1. Download the program either from the download link included in your purchase confirmation email or from our online store.

2. Double-click the executable file to install the program.

3. After the program has successfully installed, use your Licensed Email and Activation Code to activate it.

4. Download and install the codec patch included in your ArcSoft Account (Order History > Invoice No.) or your purchase confirmation email.

You can activate the program in the User Center. Please click the i icon in the left of the title bar to access the User Center. Click the Activation tab to continue with the activation.

To successfully activate the program, you need to make sure that the activation information used is accurate and there are no blank spaces before and after the Licensed Email and Activation Code.

You can check it in the User Center. Click the i icon in the left of the title bar to access the User Center. Click the Activation tab. If the program is activated, you will find the activation information there with the message saying that you have already purchased the product.

The activation code can be retrieved from your ArcSoft Account. Please log in your ArcSoft Account, click the Order History tab, and then click the relevant Invoice No. to find the activation code.

If you receive an error message when entering your activation code, this may be due to the following reasons:

Make sure the software installed corresponds to the product purchased.

Copy and paste your activation code to avoid typing errors.

Make sure there are no blank spaces before and after the Licensed Email and Activation Code.

Contact us and include a screenshot of the specific error if you still have activation

You can follow these specific steps to reinstall the software completely with Anti-virus and Firewall disabled. However, you would have needed to back up the original installation files to be able to do this.

Note The following operations may cause other ArcSoft software to malfunction and you may need to reinstall all of them.

1. Uninstall the software using Windows Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Delete the program files in the program installation folder.

[drive letter]:\Program Files\ArcSoft\

2. Restart your computer.

3. Remove the following folders:

Windows XP:

C:\Documents and Settings\[current user]\Local Settings\ArcSoft\ShowBiz

C:\Documents and Settings\[current user]\Application Data\ArcSoft\ShowBiz

C:\Program Files\ArcSoft

Windows Vista/Windows 7 32-bit:

C:\Users\current user\AppData\Roaming\ArcSoft

C:\Users\current user\AppData\Local\ArcSoft

C:\Users\All Users\ArcSoft

C:\Program Files\ArcSoft

C:\ProgramData\ArcSoft\licensedata

Windows Vista/Windows 7 64-bit:

C:\Users\current user\AppData\Roaming\ArcSoft

C:\Users\current user\AppData\Local\ArcSoft

C:\Users\All Users\ArcSoft

C:\Program Files (X86)\ArcSoft

C:\ProgramData\ArcSoft\licensedata

You may need to show the hidden files to get access these folders.

Show hidden files in Windows XP:

1). Open Folder Options by clicking Start, clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Themes, and then clicking Folder Options.

2). On the View tab, click Show hidden files and folders, and then click OK.

Show hidden files in Windows 7/Vista:

1). Open Folder Options by clicking Start, clicking Control Panel, clicking Appearance and Personalization, and then clicking Folder Options.

Click the View tab.

2). Under Advanced Settings, click Show hidden files, folders, and drives, and then click OK.

4. Clean up the registry:

1). Click Start, click Run or the search box, type regedit and click OK.

2). Locate the following registry subkeys:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\ArcSoft]

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\ArcSoft]

3). Right-click the subkey, and then click Delete.

5. Reinstall ShowBiz after rebooting the computer.

Right-click on the program desktop shortcut and select Properties. On the open window, click Find Target or Open File Location to access the program installation folder. Move the cursor to the highlighted file to view the file version. Or you can click the ShowBiz icon in the program title bar to view the version number.

If there's any update available, you can download it from User Center. Please click the i icon in the left of the title bar to access the User Center. Click the Update tab to download the available patch.

In ShowBiz, you can either trim the videos from the advanced editing screen or split the video to cut out the unwanted parts.

Trim in Advanced Editing

Select the video you'd like to trim in the Timeline, and then click the Advanced Editing tool on the floating toolbar or click this option from the right-click menu.

On the trim area, use the Define Trim Area tool in the floating bar to set the area you want trim. Drag the two blue markers to set the trim start and the trim end. Once finished, click the Apply tool . You can also move the cursor to the place you want to begin the trim, and then click the Set as Trim Start tool . Use the Set as Trim Ends tool to set the trim end. Click the Play Trimmed Scenes icon to preview the trimmed video.

You can also use the Split tool to separate the video into two parts, and then adjust the trim area. The trimmed video clips will be listed in the Trimmed Video section. To delete a clip, you can just select the clip and press the DELETE key on the keyboard. Click Apply to save the result.

Split in the Timeline

In the Timeline, drag the yellow playhead or move the cursor to the place where you want to begin the trim, and then select Split from the right-click menu. The video will be separated into two parts. Move the playhead to the place where you want to end the trim, and then click Split. Select the clip you want to remove and click Delete from the right-click menu. You can move the cursor to the ruler scale and drag it in either direction to change the zoom level to get a better view of the Timeline.

In ArcSoft ShowBiz 5, you can customize the movie by using the tools on the Advanced Editing screen.

1. Use the Rotate feature to change the orientation for the project. Click the Reverse button to flip the current video or photo horizontally. You can also use the Crop feature to crop the file. You can set the crop size by dragging the crop frame on the media file. Click Apply to save the edit.

2. In the Color Correction section, you can adjust the values for hue, saturation, brightness and contrast of the current video or photo.

3. To reduce shaking due to a handheld camera in the video and noise due to low light in the video, you can use the Anti-Shake and De-Noise features. Drag the slider to change the value.

4. Use the tools in the floating bar to trim the video.

5. Click the wave thumbnail to access the advanced audio editing screen.

Add fade in or fade out to the audio and adjust the output volume. Drag the yellow playhead within the sound wave to increase or decrease the volume. Click the video thumbnail on the top right of sound wave to go back to the Advanced Editing screen.

Click the audio you'd like to edit in the Timeline, and then select Advanced Editing from the right-click menu. Here you can add fade in or fade out to the audio, change playback speed, adjust output volume, and trim the audio. Use the blue markers to select the trim area. Click the Play Trimmed Scenes icon to preview the trimmed audio.

To add audio files to the Timeline, first make sure that the Timeline is not empty. You are required to load videos or photos first before you add the audio files. If the Timeline is not empty, check whether the audio file plays back normally in the preview area. You can also contact us with a small audio file for us to check it further.

If you haven't finished editing the movie and want to save your work, use the project function provided in ArcSoft ShowBiz 5. Click the Untitled button on the top of the screen.

Click New to create the project file (.tms). Choose the save location and resolution. With the Project Properties option, you can set project properties such as category, author, company, title, keywords, and comments. Click Save to save the project. To edit the project file, you can just click Open to load the project file.

Note: Do not change the file location or file names of the photos, videos, and audio that makes up the project content. If you do, the project file will no longer open properly.

To capture frames from the movie, first import the desired video and play it in the Preview window on the right-hand side of the main screen. Pause the video in the position where you want to capture the frame. You can also click the Previous Frame icon and the Next Frame icon to pause the position much more accurately. Click the Capture Frame icon to capture the frame. The captured pictures will appear in the Photo bin. Use the right-click menu to add it to the storyboard, open its location, and more.

Select the video clip you want to add the effect to, and then click the Effects icon in the floating bar or click the Effects icon on the top left of the Timeline. Choose your favorite effect from the Category drop-down list. Click the thumbnail to preview the effect in the preview window. Double-click the effect thumbnail to add it to the Timeline.

After adding the video effect, you can click the Effect icon on the Timeline frame to modify the effect, add more effects, replace the current effect or delete the effect.

Note The effect will be applied to the whole frame you've selected. The effect duration cannot be changed within the frame.

Click the Text icon on top left of the Timeline to add scrolling text for beginning titles or end credits. Choose your favorite title or credit from the Category drop-down list. Click the thumbnail to view the effect on the preview screen. Double-click the title thumbnail to add it to the beginning of your video.

You can type in the content you want and customize the font, size, position, and color for the title text directly on the preview window. More text options like animation and text styles are available by clicking the Pencil icon in the preview window. You can also right-click the text item in the Timeline track, and then select Edit Text to access the text advanced editing mode.

Adding a marker to a project allows you to quickly return to that point. To add a marker, move the yellow playhead to the desired position, and then click the + button in the Marker feature. Right-click the marker or click the - button to remove it. You can also drag the marker to move it to a different position.

Click the + button in the Chapter feature to add a chapter to your movie. Right-click the marker or click the - button to remove it. Click the Auto Chapter button to automatically set a new chapter when the scene changes. Drag the chapter icon to reposition it.

ShowBiz 5 does not allow creating DVD submenus.

In Timeline, drag the second video beneath the main video in the Overlay track . You can also click the Add track icon to add another video track to add a third video.

Animation effects are available for you to customize the picture. Double-click the inserted frame in the video track to open the picture in picture editing window. Click a template and view the effect in the preview window. A yellow curve will display. Drag the yellow points freely to set motion path for the picture in picture video.

Once you've finished editing the project, click the Finish button on the bottom of the screen. You can share it to YouTube/Facebook, export to your hard drive, transfer to a device, or create a disc (DVD, BD and AVCHD).

On the Export panel, click the Create Disc tab. You can customize your DVD menu. Click the Template tab to choose your favorite background (from both still and animated options). Click the Buttons tab to select the desired frame, layout and menu button. You can also rotate and zoom the menu thumbnail. If necessary, you can click Add Slideshow on the bottom left of the preview area to add a picture slideshow.

Once finished, choose the DVD tab. Select the disc type, TV standard and the DVD drive. Click the Burn icon to create the disc.

Failure writing to disc can be caused by one of the following factors including a codec conflict, corrupt software, incompatible data and a hardware issue. We need to narrow it down by trouble shooting the problem.

1. Check to insure that the hardware is functioning properly. You can check whether it works with other applications such Windows Media Movie.

2. Check the data within your project to ensure that it is compatible with the ArcSoft program.

3. Try to create a project only with the sample files provided by ArcSoft. Then burn it to a disc or the hard drive. If the problem happens to the sample files as well, please uninstall and reinstall the software to resolve a possible corrupted software issue. Or you can try using a different disc.

4. If the problem still remains, contact us with the detailed information about the problem you've encountered and the methods you've already tried to resolve it.