Learn Premiere Pro, Final Cut or Avid for Video Editing?
- Published on September 10, 2018
Many entry editors wonder whether they should learn Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro or Avid for video editing. Existing video editors who have worked with Avid’s suite of video editing tools may wonder if they should also broaden their skills by taking a Premiere Pro course or one for Final Cut. The answer is less clear-cut than most video professionals would prefer. Adobe’s Premiere Pro, Apple’s Final Cut and Avid’s range of video editing tools are aimed at different audiences. Avid provides a comprehensive suite of video editing and video management tools aimed at the professional video market, while Apple’s Final Cut and Adobe’s Premiere Pro are often used by businesses with video editing needs. A full-length feature film or work on a live sporting event or newscast is more likely to include the work of Avid’s video and graphics tools. By contrast, a video created for a business that will be used online is more likely to be created using Final Cut or Premiere Pro, as design firms and agencies fit firmly into both Adobe and Apple’s target markets. Independent filmmakers are an area where all three have a strong chance of being used. Avid, Final Cut Pro, and Premiere Pro are all popular with independent professionals, and once a user becomes comfortable with one set of video editing applications, they are unlikely to switch.
Should an Avid user learn Final Cut or Premiere Pro?
Video editing applications are tools, and independent professionals are likely to find more video editing jobs when they know a wide range of those that are in use. While new editors should learn the video editing applications in use at the types of firms where they wish to work, existing editors have a more difficult time determining how to proceed. If a new editor wants to work in live sports or news, they can talk with professionals working at stations or networks where you would like to land a job. Many live broadcasters are using Avid’s tools, yet if wanting to work in a creative agency or as an independent filmmaker, the first step may be to learn Premiere Pro take some Final Cut classes. The specific type of video editing work provides direction for the applications that an aspiring editor needs to know. Existing Avid users who are looking for additional job opportunities will benefit from having Premiere Pro and Final Cut skills, as both have gained significant followings in the independent film and business video segments over the past decade.
Recent Avid News
Avid has previously announced staff layoffs and office downsizing as they look to cut costs as part of a restructuring. While video editing previously required dedicated computer systems, as new computers have become faster, the more advanced Windows and Mac OS computers can handle video editing functions. While Avid was once the leader in video editing as they provided both specialized computers and software, the rise of faster computers has allowed Final Cut Pro and Premiere Pro to become significant players in the space previously dominated by Avid. It is ironic that at a time when digital video is used much more widely than ever that the pioneer in video editing is facing increasing competition and having a difficult time adjusting to the new landscape.
About the author
Christopher Smith is president of American Graphics Institute in Boston, Massachusetts. He is the publisher and editor of the Digital Classroom book series, which have sold more than one million copies. At American Graphics Institute, he provides strategic technology consulting to marketing professionals, publishers and to large technology companies including Google, Apple, Microsoft, and HP. An expert on web analytics and digital marketing, he delivers Google Analytics training along with workshops on digital marketing topics. He is also the author of more than 10 books on electronic publishing tools and technologies, including the Adobe Creative Cloud for Dummies. Christopher did his undergraduate studies the at the University of Minnesota, and then worked for Quark, Inc. prior to joining American Graphics Institute where he has worked for 20 years.
