Wondering if it's worth it to purchase Adobe Premiere?

this_is_the_real_me17 · Post by **this_is_the_real_me17** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 9:15 pm

Hello! I am currently a user of a video editing program known as Magix Movie Edit Pro 10 which I have been using for a few months now. Although it provides me with nice results, I have always been thinking about Adobe Premiere and if it's the right program for me. First of all, I have been so intrigued by the AMV's that are created in Premiere that I just had to learn how it's done. For example, I always try to figure out how people are able to cut a character out of one clip and paste him in a different clip. So, I just wanted to try a figure out if Premiere is good enough for me.

I currently am using a Windows computer that has probably had enough of what I've given it over the past years.

I know that Premiere requires an up to date computer. Many people recommend a Mac.

Next, I was wondering if it's better to purchase Adobe Premiere Pro first or would Elements work as well?

Lastly, if anyone could inform me a little bit more on the run down of Premiere before I head out to check things out, could they please let me know? I'd just like to see if this program is good enough for me to use. Any tips/guides would be awesome.

Thank you in advance!
this_is_the_real_me17

RichLather · Post by **RichLather** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 9:37 pm

How much RAM does your computer have, and what processor speed? Also, how much hard drive space do you have available for projects? All of these questions may help determine if Premiere is right for you.

One other thing that you may already be aware of: Premiere Elements does not have all of the power that Premiere Pro has. I guess I'd have to say that if you're just looking for a more robust editing program Elements would be fine, but if you'd like to do more effects work then go for the full Premiere.

Org Profile · Post by **808-buma** » Fri Apr 07, 2006 10:11 pm

yes, keyframing is lacking in Magix Movie Edit Pro 10, but you can still do masking with it. If you export the area you want to mask frame by frame, you can open them up in a painting program (such as Photoshop, GIMP, or even MS Paint) and create a mask so that it blocks out all video information that you don't want to see. Keyframing is exactly the same idea, but you do it in the program rather than having to export, modify, and then re-import it.

Anyway, another factor you might want to consider is the cost of Premiere (any flavor). Even Elements (about $90) is more expensive than Magix MEP-10 ($70 or so), and you can do so much more with MEP-10. Premiere Pro sells for somewhere in the $400 - 600 range IIRC, so maybe a bit of lacking in the keyframe department might not be too bad...

You could download demo versions of the software you'd be interested in and see just if those added features is worth it to you.

CHAMELEON_D_H · Post by **CHAMELEON_D_H** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 4:17 am

If price is a problem you could try searching eBay for previous version.

Pwolf · Post by **Pwolf** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 4:28 am

well, personally, premiere isn't going to really let you do anymore then what magix can already do. i would suggest getting premiere or the lesser premiere elements if and only if you don't like how magix is set up as an editor.

You can pretty much do anything premiere can do... personally i think it's harder because i'm used to premiere's interface but those that use Magix love it and can't stand premeire for the same reason.

If you want to be able to cut characters out of other animes and put them somewhere else, i would suggest investing in After Effects or just switch to Vegas. Or just learn how to do it in Magix, which it is very possible.

Pwolf

BasharOfTheAges · Post by **BasharOfTheAges** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 12:20 pm

CHAMELEON_D_H wrote:If price is a problem you could try searching eBay for previous version.

Finding legitimate software on ebay is a crap-shoot. Cracked versions are widely available for download, so people make a lot of coppies of them and try to sell them as the real thing, complete with stock-photos of the real thing and assertion that "this is the real thing."

Zarxrax · Post by **Zarxrax** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 12:36 pm

BasharOfTheAges wrote:
CHAMELEON_D_H wrote:If price is a problem you could try searching eBay for previous version.
Finding legitimate software on ebay is a crap-shoot. Cracked versions are widely available for download, so people make a lot of coppies of them and try to sell them as the real thing, complete with stock-photos of the real thing and assertion that "this is the real thing."

Of course, you can usually tell the real ones by the fact that they mention they also include things like the box and manual...

imuneekru · Post by **imuneekru** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 1:26 pm

If you are thinking of getting a Mac, you are probably better off getting Final Cut Pro. It comes only in the full studio version, but I've heard if you purchase an old version off ebay and then upgrade, it's cheaper. I've not used either (I use iMovie, souped up with lots of effects and compositing plugins), but I know Mac applications tend to run more smoothly and have fewer bugs than Windows apps. They're also, in my own humble opinion, simpler to use.

Final Cut is, by the way, the software used in producing such movies as Pixar's animated features as well as Lord of the Rings.

gangstaj8 · Post by **gangstaj8** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 3:33 pm

imuneekru wrote:Final Cut is, by the way, the software used in producing such movies as Pixar's animated features as well as Lord of the Rings.

OMG!! LOTR was animated!

Oh, and on topic, I'd have to reitterate what others have already said. Try the downloadable trial of Premiere (if your computer can handle it), and see if you like it or not. If you do like it over Magix, and can afford it, then why not go for it. Or, keep Magix and look into After Effects to do specalized stuff. Adobe's website has the current trials for Premiere and AE, and Download.com still has the trials for one generation back of both those programs.

I'm still using Premiere 6, mainly cause I can't afford Pro, and I love it. Of course, the only program I've bothered to compare it to is WMM, which is really in a class of it's own if you ask me. Class: S, for suck. Good luck.

Pwolf · Post by **Pwolf** » Sat Apr 08, 2006 3:48 pm

imuneekru wrote:If you are thinking of getting a Mac, you are probably better off getting Final Cut Pro.

there is a lesser verion (final cut express) but i don't know how it stacks up to the full version. As for the full version, it's a lot like premiere but different in its own way. Pesonaly i think it's harder and more time consuming, BUT it's a lot more powerful with the right setup and configuration. few problems with using FCP... first you'll end up paying more money unless you get a crapy mac which FCP wont run very well on. Then you'll have a harder time getting your footage for editing. For amvs, i think it's a lot harder (compared to a pc) to use because of the way we get our footage. On a PC you have a lot more options.

Finally, as far as i know, FCP doesn't have masking tools so if you wanted to do the masking/rotoscoping to cut chars out of scenes, you'll have to buy or find photo editing software and the like, or get After Effects. If you go for the mac, don't do it for AMV editing. Do it because you are switching to a mac and are never going back to a pc again, otherwise you just spend a lot of money that didn't need to be spent. It's true FCP is one of the products high budget movies use to edit to together, but so is Premiere and AVID.

As gangsta said, get the trial versions first and try them out. Figure out which one you like before you make any kind of decision.

Pwolf