15 best video processing apps

Review of the best according to the editorial board. On the selection criteria. This material is subjective and does not constitute advertising and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.

More recently, video editing was in demand only in extremely limited areas – television and related areas, private services for video recording of events and several very specific areas. The explosive spread of the Internet and the same rapid development of digital technology has radically changed the situation, and now video clips are being edited even by junior high school students who lead video blogs. The editorial office presents you with an overview of the best today applications for video editing and comprehensive video stream processing.

Rating of video processing applications

Nomination	a place	Name of product	rating
Best Paid Video Processing Apps	1	Adobe Premiere Pro	5.0
	2	Sony Vegas Pro	4.9
	3	Pinnacle studio	4.8
	4	Edius Pro	4.7
	5	Corel VideoStudio	4.6
	6	Magix Movie Edit Pro	4.5
	7	Camtasia Studio	4.4
Best FREE Video Processing Apps	1	Avidemux	5.0
	2	VirtualDub	4.9
	3	VSDC Free Video Editor	4.8
	4	ZS4 Video Editor	4.7
	5	Movie studio Windows (Movie Maker)	4.6
Best Video Processing Apps for MacOS	1	Avid Media Composer	5.0
	2	Final Cut Pro	4.9
	3	Lightworks	4.8

Best Paid Video Processing Apps

In the first nomination of the rating, we will consider the top-end software packages with wide functionality and a lot of features. All solutions listed in this category are distributed on a paid basis, providing a free trial period for trial.

Adobe Premiere Pro

Rating: 5.0

We'll start with the most feature-rich app of all time. This is a product of the famous Adobe Systems Corporation. It really can do absolutely everything in the world, and in principle, you don't need anything else to fully work with video. Let's go through the key points in more detail.

Even the basic set of functions of the application, without a single third-party add-on, is sufficient to cover most of the needs of a professional video editor. Here, convenient frame-by-frame video editing, selective color correction, intelligent noise reduction, import and export in a variety of formats, including the most exotic, the widest selection of all kinds of special effects, rich tools for manually adding vector graphics elements, compatibility with VR video and much more. Premiere Pro supports ultra-high definition 4K video, unlimited tracks, importing online streams, and more. What is not found in the base set is sure to be found in one of the many plugins and add-ons.

Against the background of all these advantages, one cannot fail to mention the weakest point of this product – optimization. The application is extremely gluttonous in terms of resource consumption and the basic system requirements for the most recent versions are too high for many users. And far from all this is explained by objective reasons. Unfortunately, for Premiere Pro freezes, lags and crashes are by no means uncommon, and in order not to lose the results of many hours of work, you need to remember to save, or even better, set up automatic saving of project backups. It is this circumstance that regularly takes the application from the first places of all kinds of ratings. Fortunately, this is actually the only objective drawback of Premiere Pro.

Now a few words about licensed use. More recently, when paid software needed to be purchased only once, it was prohibitively expensive to afford licensed Premiere Pro. With the proliferation of a business model using a monthly subscription system, the application has become available to literally everyone – by subscribing to the Adobe Creative Cloud service, you get licensed access to Premiere Pro for an almost symbolic monthly fee. You can try this solution in practice for free within 30 days of the trial period.

Adobe Premiere Pro is 100% professional all-in-one tool, no caveats. To be more convincing, let's say that it is Premiere in the professional assembly that is used by many television and radio companies, including even the BBC, with its help they edit full-length Hollywood films – for example, 'The Social Network' or 'Deadpool'. Today it is the highest-level and at the same time the most massive video editor in the world.

Advantages

• almost limitless possibilities;
• convenient, understandable and familiar to many interface;
• affordable subscription price;
• professional Russian localization;
• continuous development, improvement and support;
• many specialized plugins;
• comprehensive integration with software from other manufacturers;
• multi-platform.

disadvantages

• faulty optimization, resulting in high system requirements and sporadic crashes.

Sony Vegas Pro

Rating: 4.9

The rating is continued by another professional software product created within the walls of the legendary Japanese corporation Sony. Although the Vegas Pro application is hopelessly lagging behind the previous solution in terms of functionality, all other developments of other studios, without exception, are lagging behind in the same way, so this cannot be considered a drawback.

The software package provides the user with a wide range of tools for nonlinear editing of footage, many video filters for creating special effects and improving the quality of the 'picture', convenient tools for creating animated objects, the ability to render and save the project in a variety of video formats. Vegas Pro does not impose any restrictions on the number of tracks during editing, can import online broadcasts on the fly, and allows you to work with footage in ultra-high resolution 4K without any restrictions. It also has a very successful implementation of support for multi-monitor mode and work with MIDI keyboards.

Compared to the previous software solution from Adobe, Vegas Pro is much more democratic in terms of system requirements. Not being so overloaded, the application is also very well optimized, it is characterized by a much higher speed of work, other things being equal, the characteristics of the hardware, stability and resilience to failures.

As for the features that may not be in the Vegas Pro package itself, most of them are contained in other Sony products that can be installed additionally.

Vegas Pro is popular among the professional web development community, but it doesn't stop there – Premiere can be seen on the work computers of a number of Hollywood film studios.

Advantages

• professional level;
• wide functionality;
• full work with video in 4K-resolution;
• unlimited number of tracks;
• stability;
• good optimization;
• high-quality Russian localization of the latest versions.

disadvantages

• one-time and not cheap license.

Pinnacle studio

Rating: 4.8

The third number in our rating is another super popular application, well known to almost anyone who has had at least some business with video editing. This is the flagship product of the eponymous software company, which has been owned by Corel Corporation since 2012. At the beginning of 2019, the freshest and most complete version is version 22 Ultimate.

The full version of the application has a wide functionality that can cover the vast majority of tasks of modern standards of video editing and processing: many ready-made filters, thousands of special effects, support for an unlimited number of tracks, work with 4K resolution without restrictions, editing at three and four points, split screens, efficient cross-validation, multi-format compatibility and more.

The striking advantage of Pinnacle Studio is its intelligent accessibility, logical and intuitive interface, and overall ease of learning and use. This makes the product noticeably different from the previous solution from Sony, being a kind of transit link for beginners – it provides an opportunity to easily create professional creative products even with very modest theoretical training.

The application is provided in three versions of functional sets: basic, extended and ultimate. It is distributed through the purchase of a license and costs half the price of Vegas Pro, even in the most complete assembly.

Advantages

• availability and ease of use;
• ease of use;
• wide functionality;
• work in 4K;
• unlimited number of tracks;
• high-quality wide-angle lens correction function;
• official Russian localization.

disadvantages

• relatively long recording of the finished video in the desired format;
• limited functionality for creating your own special effects (leveled by a huge set of ready-made pre-installed ones).

Edius Pro

Rating: 4.7

Further in the ranking of the best video processing applications by version, we will consider another prominent and popular product. This Edius Pro is a multifunctional non-linear video editor created by the famous American company Grass Valley. The application was first released in 2003, and at the beginning of 2019, version 9.10 is the freshest and most complete.

In Edius Pro, the developers have paid serious attention to processing high-definition broadcasts that come from different hardware sources. The application allows you to flexibly, conveniently and quickly direct the television broadcasting process, apply numerous special effects 'on the fly' or offline, use a chroma key, etc.

The 'trick' of Edius Pro is support for an almost impossible number of formats and codecs with continuous tracking. As soon as a new noteworthy solution appears on the market or in a professional environment, you can be sure that Edius Pro will receive a corresponding update in a matter of days. The situation when the sent video has an unknown format and is not imported is almost excluded.

Finally, one of the most striking features of this product is its unique multi-format. Thanks to the effectively implemented transcoding technology, the application makes it possible to edit video sequences from a variety of sources with different resolution, format, frequency and other parameters, all in real time.

The application is distributed under a proprietary license and is very expensive for an ordinary user – at the level of a good laptop.

Advantages

• speed of work;
• optimization;
• ease of use;
• full support for 4K without restrictions;
• support for a record number of video formats and codecs, instant updates in case of new notable solutions;
• unique multi-format process;

disadvantages

• expensive proprietary license, no subscription access.

Corel VideoStudio

Rating: 4.6

The rating is continued by another brainchild of Corel, this time from the studio of the head office, not subsidiaries (initially another well-known company, Ulead, worked on the creation). This is a family of VideoStudio software packages. As of 2019, it includes two versions – Pro and a slightly more expensive Ultimate.

Unlike the above-described Pinnacle Studio, which also belongs to this legendary company, no one doubts the professional level of VideoStudio of both assemblies. Many are captivated by the loud 'Corel' in the product name. In fact, this solution is much simpler, more accessible, easier than any of the above. This application has noticeably lower system requirements, it can be easily mastered by a beginner, and in general, his specialization is more amateur than professional.

Nevertheless, the functionality of VideoStudio is quite decent, so even many professionals do not feel a significant difference. There are many filters and ready-made special effects, online video streaming import is supported, there are no restrictions on 4K ultra-high resolution video processing, many formats are supported. The app even knows how to work effectively with 3D and 360-degree format. Although the number of tracks is limited, there are quite a few of them – 25.

The 2019 Pro version includes an additional set of transformation and continuous transitions, post-production tools, an improved title editor, 360-degree effects – a tiny planet, a rabbit hole. The Ultimate version offers additional plugins and formats, video stabilization tools, extensive consulting and technical support, and a few other additions.

Corel VideoStudio is distributed under a proprietary license and is relatively inexpensive. Subsequent updates are free. A 30-day trial period is provided.

Advantages

• fairly rich functionality with low system requirements;
• availability in development;
• ease of use;
• interesting special effects;
• support for 4K;
• speed of work.

disadvantages

• some users consider the cost of the program to be inconsistent with its capabilities.

Magix Movie Edit Pro

Rating: 4.5

Continuing the smooth transition of our rating from monstrous professional heavyweight programs to simpler and more affordable solutions, we will consider an interesting product of the German software company Magix – Movie Edit Pro.

This is a fairly inexpensive and at the same time quite powerful video editor, capable of multi-sided processing of video sequences in a variety of formats. The user is provided with a convenient and understandable toolkit for changing the basic video parameters, stabilizing, correcting shortcomings in audio tracks, overlaying captions, creating smooth transitions, applying special effects from an impressive basic set.

Movie Edit Pro can easily and quickly capture video from a wide variety of sources, automatically record broadcasts at a specified time. Historically, this particular program is often used by amateurs around the world to digitize old recordings on analog media. The software complex is well optimized, so that even video processing in ultra-high resolution 4K is quite comfortable, fast and without emergency situations.

The application contains many ready-made solutions that will save the user a lot of time and help to give the finished project a professional look without any special knowledge and experience. For this, the software package contains dozens and hundreds of sound and video templates. You can also create your own special effects in the Movie Edit Pro environment without problems, but this is for experienced professionals.

A noticeable advantage of this video editor is the built-in task scheduler, with which you can flexibly configure offline scenarios. So, the program can, at a set time, without human intervention, record the desired TV show or online broadcast and save it in the specified format for further processing.

The minimum cost of Movie Edit Pro is about $ 70, and the final price depends on the selected set of built-in effects and tracks. The seven-day trial period can be extended to 30 days by registering on the developer's official website.

Advantages

• wide functionality;
• sleek interface;
• maximum optimization for rendering speed;
• rich set of ready-made special effects;
• support for 4K;
• simple and effective means of image and sound stabilization;
• integrated scheduler;
• nonlinear formatting in real time;
• relatively affordable price.

disadvantages

• minor omissions in terms of workspace organization.

Camtasia Studio

Rating: 4.4

The selection of the rating of the best paid video editing programs according to the version is completed by the simplest, but at the same time very functional and generally interesting program Camtasia Studio. Actually, quite recently, the developers removed the Studio prefix from the nomenclature, but we will still call it the old-fashioned way for better recognition and to avoid confusion with other products.

At the very beginning, at the time of the creation of the first market version, Camtasia Studio was a simple utility for capturing and translating what is happening on the monitor screen into a video sequence with a minimum set of elementary processing tools. Over time, the project has been actively developing, and now Camtasia already boasts a wide functionality for capturing video from different sources, many filters and built-in special effects, 4K support, convenient tools for creating interactive tables of contents and other interesting and useful features.

With the development of the program itself and the rapid growth in popularity and availability of YouTube and streaming services, Camtasia Studio has steadily expanded its audience of fans among video bloggers and streamers. The fact is that its initial main function – capturing what is happening on the screen and receiving a 'picture' from various sources, remained the main leitmotif and was brought to perfection by the developers. And this is exactly the order of actions that reviewers have to perform from release to release. Simple, lightweight, fast and undemanding to the hardware, Camtasia did an excellent job with this job.

Unfortunately, the cost of an official license of several hundred dollars significantly spoils a very favorable picture, and against the background of a penny subscription to the same Adobe Premiere Pro, it is puzzling. Fortunately, this is almost the only drawback of the program.

Advantages

• low system requirements;
• speed of work;
• ease of use;
• work with 4K resolution without restrictions;
• unlimited number of tracks;
• many built-in special effects and filters.

disadvantages

• not quite a reasonable price.

Best Free Video Processing Apps

The second nomination of the rating of the best video processing applications according to Epertology includes optimal solutions for those who are not ready to pay for licensed software, but at the same time do not want to violate the law and copyright. Here, our experts have collected five examples of video editors that are distributed completely free of charge, and which are quite capable of solving a fairly wide range of problems.

Avidemux

Rating: 5.0

Let's start with one of the most powerful video editing software that is completely free. This Avidemux is an open source application. It works as a very good and affordable video converter and provides a fairly rich toolkit for cutting and gluing pieces of footage, creating visual effects, applying filters, simple nonlinear video processing, noise reduction, deinterlacing, resizing, and more.

Avidemux supports a wide range of video formats, both the most popular and quite exotic. Conversion from one format to another is carried out literally 'in two clicks' or, if desired, with additional options.

The application allows you to edit video in multi-threading mode, encode video by presets, create scripts, easily resize and orientate, insert and delete fragments. Separate functional modules provide tools for working with subtitles, allow you to process data in a semi-automatic batch mode, import and export video and sound separately. For PlayStation Portable and other wearable gadgets, the program has special encoding presets. For especially advanced users who can literally make jewelry changes to the material, Avidemux provides a command line mode.

Advantages

• speed of work;
• support for many formats;
• many ready-made filters and special effects;
• support for 4K;
• balanced characteristics;
• editing video files without transcoding.

disadvantages

• does not support capturing streaming video;
• minor comments of subjective users about the menu structure and the convenience of setting parameters for new projects.

VirtualDub

Rating: 4.9

Our rating is continued by another free solution, the functionality of which is enough for more or less full-fledged video editing. VirtualDub is famous for its ascetic interface, which causes confusion among beginners and doubts about functionality. But it is enough to get used to such brevity at least a little, and the broad possibilities of the program become obvious. Among the free solutions, VirtualDub and Avidemux have perhaps the most extensive set of functions.

Most often, according to surveys, VirtualDub is used as a simple tool for video capturing and processing multiple clips in batch mode. The functionality of the program allows you to split and combine video fragments, swap, insert, synchronize sound with the video. Built-in graphics editor and a set of integrated filters and special effects.

A separate interesting feature of VirtualDub turns out to be unexpectedly useful in a team – it is support for distributed work on several workstations connected to a local network at once.

The package is installed with lightning speed, the distribution file 'weighs' very little, which, taking into account the functionality of VirtualDub, unequivocally hints at excellent optimization. The package works equally efficiently on both 32-bit and 64-bit systems.

Advantages

• speed of work;
• compactness;
• stability and reliability;
• support for many formats;
• responsive technical support;
• distributed work on several computers in a network.

disadvantages

• an unusually ascetic interface repels some potential users;
• no Russian localization (important in the context of this particular software product).

VSDC Free Video Editor

Rating: 4.8

The rating is continued by another very good free video editor, created by a team of talented programmers, who, practically out of sheer enthusiasm, also provide consulting and technical support by e-mail.

VSDC capabilities include a fairly rich set of functions for non-linear video editing: stream capture from any device or directly from the desktop; cutting and gluing sections of the video sequence; application of special effects, including selective areas using masks; applying filters and transitions; creating slides in any of the popular raster graphics formats and much more.

The application supports many formats for both import and export. This also applies to web formats such as HTML5 or WebM.

An important difference and advantage of VSDC is a well-implemented system of profiles for saving and publishing finished videos on social networks and on video hosting sites.

This program is appreciated for its outstanding combination of compact size, functionality, performance and convenience. Working with this product, one cannot fail to note the zealous and principled attitude of the developers to every detail. VSDC continues to evolve continuously, with each update only confirming its good reputation.

Advantages

• convenient and intuitive interface;
• speed of work;
• import of online broadcasts;
• deeply worked out optimization;
• support for many formats;
• Lots of comprehensive YouTube tutorials.

disadvantages

• small sporadic comments from users; no objective shortcomings have been identified.

ZS4 Video Editor

Rating: 4.7

Now let's turn your attention to the former rather popular free software for video editing ZS4. It has not been updated for a long time and its prospects raise questions, but still it has a large audience around the world that does not want to change its beloved reliable and time-tested assistant.

ZS4 is an extremely simple editor, devoid of such 'premium' features as 4K support, capture of online broadcasts and multitrack work. But in contrast to these limitations, it is extremely fast, stable, works flawlessly, and includes a sufficient set of functions for easy editing and even creating very impressive effects.

Using the basic toolkit, you can cut and paste individual fragments, synchronize video and sound, and perform color correction. For more colorful processing, you can use any of the more than 150 ready-made special effects.

As of the beginning of 2019, the official website of the application is still 'alive' and continues to work. Whether the developers will develop the project is still unknown.

Advantages

• speed of work;
• compactness;
• stability;
• concise but well-thought-out feature set;
• support for most popular video formats.

disadvantages

• no Russian localization;
• there have been no updates for a long time, the project may be frozen.

Movie studio Windows (Movie Maker)

Rating: 4.6

And at the end of the selection of the rating of the best free video editing applications, we could not ignore the unpretentious Film Studio application Windows, which is better known to users as Movie Maker. This choice of our experts may seem strange, but there were very good reasons for including the Film Studio in our review.

Every user of the operating systems of the family Windows has seen this application for video processing at least in passing, since it is included by default in the operating system itself, as well as other 'textbook' miniature applications like Notepad or Paint. With all the limited functionality and the complete absence of any serious add-ons, the Film Studio can be ideal for those who need to make basic video processing with their own hands, edit a simple video as a memo, gift or presentation. Also, the Film Studio can be used as an effective “springboard” for comprehending the basics of video processing and editing from complete, absolute zero.

The tools of the program allow you to edit and edit video at an elementary beginner level. You can capture a video stream from a webcam or screen, save, crop, crop, glue, add titles and captions, add simple screensavers and transitions. The available formats and resolutions are extremely limited – only AVI and WMV with no more than 720p quality.

The Movie Studio workspace consists of a timeline, a preview window, and a content area. The taskbar contains links to commonly used commands and tools. Everything in this application is aimed at saving the user as much as possible from thinking about what this or that parameter, command or tool means. A simple video with a nice design can be edited here literally 'in a couple of clicks'.

Advantages

• exceptional simplicity and accessibility for beginners;
• simple but generally pleasant effects;
• capture video from the camera and screen;
• minimum system requirements;
• stability;
• in general, a successfully implemented focus on comprehending the basics of video processing by beginners.

disadvantages

• the ultimate limited functionality is not a drawback, but a perceived need.

Best Video Processing Apps for MacOS

The third nomination in the ranking of the best video processing applications by version includes applications compatible with MacOS, and which, in general, are more associated with this particular operating system and, accordingly, desktop computers and laptops Apple. Some of the solutions described above are multiplatform and can work without problems on Macs, but in that context it is more of an option than the mainstream, and we did not specifically emphasize this point so as not to confuse the reader. Here we will look at the 'native' video editors for Apple.

Avid Media Composer

Rating: 5.0

First of all, we will consider an editor for processing top-level videos, which in all respects, including indirect ones, has confidently left any alternative options far behind. This is Avid Media Composer – the top flagship product of the large well-known Avid Technology studio. It first came out a long time ago, in 1989, and was originally designed for Macintosh II computers. Now it is already a multi-platform complex, and it is used with the same success on OS of the family Windows, but still the MacOS environment is more organic for it.

In terms of features, flexibility, customization options, compatibility and a whole range of parameters, this product is comparable only to such a heavyweight as Premiere Pro. At the same time, Media Composer even surpasses the brainchild of Adobe in many important ways. It's no joke – this is the favorite video editor of the legendary director James Cameron, and it was in this program that most of the scenes of the equally legendary film 'Avatar' were edited.

Speaking about the capabilities of Media Composer, it is extremely difficult to say that this application does not know how or is not enough. The possibilities here are endless: capture video from any source; full work with ultra-high resolution 4K; a huge set of filters and special effects, as well as convenient tools for creating your own; rich tools for 3D modeling; the finest settings for anything and much, much more. The application is available in various modifications, from basic to maximum (Ultimate). Like a certain 'living organism' from Media Composer, in the process of development, separate functional modules have spun off, which have become stand-alone products – the news system Avid NewsCutter, the application for 'finishing' Avid Symphony, and a whole series of others.

The cost of an unlimited license is prohibitive, and an ordinary user cannot afford it. But this product also uses a monthly subscription business model, and it is already available.

Advantages

• endless possibilities;
• an industry standard in the television and film industry;
• stability;
• optimization;
• compatibility with anything;
• low-cost subscription access;
• multiplatform.

disadvantages

• no objective pronounced shortcomings have been identified; rare claims of users are subjective and controversial.

Final Cut Pro

Rating: 4.9

The second position in this collection of ratings is occupied by another professional and super popular video editor for computers Apple – Final Cut Pro. This is also a top-level product, the best evidence of which is its widespread use among film and television studios. Final Cut contains dozens of famous Hollywood blockbusters. Not so much as in Avid Media Composer, but still. Initially, the application was developed by Macromedia, then it was bought and further developed by the corporation Apple, and then the Cupertinians rewrote it completely from scratch and slightly renamed Final Cut Pro X.

Final Cut has the broadest set of tools like any self-respecting professional video editor, but its interface is very similar to the simple free iMovie editor. This move attracts newbies, making it easier to transition from hobbyist software to high-end professional software.

Features such as working with ultra-high resolution 4K, many fine settings, sets of filters and special effects, the ability to import video from any source, integrate third-party modules – all this is more of a standard and an absolute necessity, and all these features are fully implemented here. Only the highlights are worth highlighting: a set of tools for working in a virtual reality environment, support for the 360-degree format, compatibility and a set of tools for processing HDR video. All this is implemented with the characteristic Apple laconicism, elegance, deep study and incredibly careful optimization.

You can get acquainted with the application for free during a 30-day trial period. The license assumes a one-time purchase. As of March 2019, this product costs quite decently – about $ 300, but it's still not thousands that will have to be paid for unlimited Avid Media Composer.

Advantages

• ample opportunities;
• ease of use and ease of use;
• support and compatibility with innovations;
• carefully designed optimization;
• stability and continuity;
• large community;
• an industry standard in the film and television industry;
• relative affordability.

disadvantages

• requires good special knowledge of English – there is no official Russian localization.

Lightworks

Rating: 4.8

Completing the rating-review of the best video processing applications according to the version is another powerful professional solution for Apple – Lightworks. This software package is in a number of ways inferior to the two previous solutions, but rather insignificantly, which does not knock it out of the professional league. Lightworks has also found its rightful place in the workstations of Hollywood film studios – with the help of this application many hits, including such Oscar-winning ones as 'The Wolf of Wall Street', have been created.

It supports all common formats and codecs, and not only common ones, but also very rare, highly specialized ones. Imports ultra-high definition video without any problems, places an arbitrary number of video files on any number of tracks without restrictions.

Lightworks is a software package focused on working with large projects and final editing. In this regard, the developers have placed special emphasis on creating tools that would facilitate and automate the organization of work materials, structuring and organization of the workspace. This is one of the notable advantages of the application.

The interface cannot be called simple – it is a natural consequence of the high concentration of all kinds of tools, settings and adjustments. It is worth noting that the developers did not really bother with the availability of the interface and the entire complex in development. The application is initially aimed at professionals, and before starting to work with it, it is advisable for an amateur to undergo a separate training.

Lightworks is distributed under a proprietary one-time license that costs about $ 400. The amount is tangible, but for those who do not need high-level functions or who want to get acquainted with at least basic functionality in advance, there is a free version of Lightworks Free available.

Advantages

• professional level;
• rich set of functions;
• comprehensive compatibility;
• speed and stability of work;
• prompt implementation of innovations;
• sparing system requirements;
• effective tools for organizing the workspace;
• multiplatform.

disadvantages

• Difficulty in mastering (not a disadvantage for experienced pros).

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Attention! This rating is subjective and does not constitute an advertisement and does not serve as a purchase guide. Before buying, you need to consult with a specialist.