What’re The Best Video Editing Programs?

What’re People Using?

For a very long time, the Adobe Creative Suite was king. Although they had their problems, the workflow between Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects was hugely popular. For a lot of people this was due to Adobe’s presence with such fantastic apps such as lightroom and photoshop that are near monopolies. However, lately Davinci Resolve has been taking the industry by storm, with many creators slowly making the transition over. Is it worth it? Which program is Easier? Which is Harder? I’ll get into it below!

Which Is Easier To Use?

While neither program is hard to use. I’ll have to give this one to the Adobe Creative Suite. Premiere Pro and After Effects allow their users a simple and effective way to colour grade their footage. Unlike the complicated node tree within Davinci Resolve, Premiere Pro footage is often graded within one section. This means you don’t necessarily have to worry about layering and ordering your colour grading. The only one ease of access problem I encountered within Premiere Pro and After Effects, was working between the two with the Dynamic Link Feature. I personally had a lot of bugs whilst using this feature, having to constantly undo and restart footage to the point where it was nearly unusable. However, I do know this is a unique experience, and people often have no drama. One advantage of Davinci Resolve, is the colour grading and editing can all be done within the one program.

What’s Better for Beginners?

Again, whilst each program has their pros and cons, I do believe that Premiere Pro and AE is easier to use and to learn. For similar reasons to above, you don’t have to worry about developing a node tree. You can apply all your adjustments in the one area. I however would argue that you have less control with Premiere Pro, but that allows beginners to learn slowly, then when they feel ready they can take it to the next level! Or you could jump straight into the deep end which is Davinci Resolve. Drown, and repeat until you manage to wrap your head around it. If you however want to keep at least one level of your sanity, take things easy in premiere pro, learn and progress effectively and consistently. It’s important to give yourself the best chance to learn early on so you don’t get disheartened. Keep pushing! Another advantage of Premiere Pro and After Effects is that it’s a subscription based service. If you try for 2-3 months and don’t enjoy it or don’t enjoy colour grading, you can simply unsubscribe.

What’s Better for Advanced Colourists

I’d argue through and through that Davinci Resolve is a much better program for avid colour enthusiasts. I made the switch over to Davinci Resolve around 8 months ago, when Premiere Pro wasn’t quite allowing me the thorough control that I wanted. Davinci Resolve and their node tree structure allowed me to develop a strict process to follow each and every time I colour grade. This allows me complete control over creating the exact look I’m after. Now whilst these looks would definitely be creatable within Premiere Pro, it is a much more enjoyable experience within Davinci Resolve. Davinci Resolve also allows me to have a greater degree of control over my masking, allowing me to keep everything organised whilst applying different masks. Davinci Resolve’s active tracking masks are also fantastic, and were one of the reasons I switched over!

To Summarise

I’d suggest that beginners choose to use Premiere Pro and After effects for their simplicity, as well as their subscription based service. It’s easier to learn, and you can unsubscribe without wasting a large sum of money. However, for avid colour enthusiasts I’d recommend Davinci Resolve any day of the week. Just the extra level of control you can have over your footage is amazing, despite the hefty entry price tag.

What do you think? What Editing and Grading program do you use? Let me know!