In the first part of “Intro to Video Production,” Staff Writer Eli Kell-Abrams gave an overview of recommend video editing software for those just beginning to explore video production. He also described the core elements of video editing and production. In this, second part of “Intro to Video Production,” Eli introduces popular video editing programs for advanced production.

What if you are looking for something more advanced? What if you have come and gone with iMovie or Lightworks and it’s just not doing it for you anymore? Where do you go from there?

In terms of popular, advanced video editing tools, there are three major competitors, all with their own unique ideas. You have Avid, Final Cut Studio, and Adobe Premiere.

Avid originally had a monopoly on the video editing world before the 1990’s. No one could match their advanced software editing technology. The program was initially geared towards working on Apple computers, however in the early 1990’s, Apple broke Avid’s stronghold on the market by introducing Final Cut Studio. Apple immediately turned into Avid’s #1 competitor so making their program for Apple computers now made no sense, so they geared Avid to PCs.

Final Cut Studio ended Avid’s dominance. Final Cut Studio contains more than just the video editing program, Final Cut 7. It also comes with Motion 4 (real time motion graphics design) and Soundtrack Pro 3 (advanced audio editing and sound design).
Adobe Premiere has newly emerged as one of the front runners among advanced video editing tools. Premiere was created in 2003 and reviews of Versions above 6 have been stellar. Users continue to sing praises on the audio editing efficiency and audio mixing capacity. The Adobe Premium package (for a higher price) also contains the entire photo editing packages and audio editing software.

As each of these products have grown (in the past) and continue to grow, there has definitely been a trend in new developments and additions given to them. The trend revolves around post production, a finalizing tool to help manage color coordination, sound and audio effects, and different animation effects. Adobe Premiere in particular has jumped into the lead with this developing trend as they have included (Adobe) Photoshop, Illustrator, and After Effects.

Instead of getting the reviews from a generic website, or a news article, I thought it would be best to hear about these programs from professionals and students who have not only used these tools in the field, but witnessed them being used for production on the highest of levels. Bilali Mack, a Motion Media Designer at Smoke and Mirrors (NYC) acknowledged the benefits of Premiere as someone who uses this software in his everyday job. He says: “It’s much better for effects and motion graphics.

A lot of the effects, along with the simplicity of Premiere, have to do with the accessibility of all of the different programs that Adobe offers like After Effects and Lightroom.” Final Cut has been apparently struggling as of late with its post-production software due in part to breakdowns with the new Final Cut X series. Alex Fauvr, a video production major at Emerson College, says that despite its popularity in the late 90’s and early 00’s, the newest version of Final Cut (Pro X) has “completely flopped.” He addressed its numerous similarities to Premiere, only without post production and footage conversion software.

“A big mistake with Final Cut X is the fact that you can’t convert footage or saved projects from any of the past versions of Final Cut, making all old work pretty useless.” Patrick Kudej, also an Emerson video major, got the opportunity this past summer to intern on two different movie sets in Hollywood, including Imagined and The Heat, starring Sandra Bullock. “It was awesome seeing how professionals were using Avid to piece together the footage of two very popular productions. It’s definitely the hardest to master, but gives you so much more from a technological point of view.”

Unfortunately, the farther away we get from the more basic programs like iMovie and Lightworks, the more expensive these programs become. Regardless, these programs are still accessible. You can find Final Cut Pro for the cheapest price of the bunch, at $299.99. You can access the Adobe Creative Cloud package (including Premiere and After Effects) for $49.99 per month (for 12 months), which ranges out to $600 (if you are a student, a parent purchasing for a student, a teacher or a staff member of an educational institution, the Adobe Creative Cloud package is $29.99 per month (for 12 months)—about $360). Avid, the most advanced of the bunch, is also the most expensive, priced at $999.00. Avid can be found and purchased on the Avid website.
This world of video editing is not for everyone. It is a complicated field, with many little details that take tending to in order to create a finished product. It is no easy task. With that said, the ability to know how to direct and edit movies is something that is becoming more and more popular in this day and age. It is a tool that can prove very useful on an academic or a professional level. If video editing is something that you think you are interested in, then I hope my words have proven useful. Be sure to stay tuned to Eduporium for my next article on “Sound Design and Audio Editing Software.”