Adobe Premiere Pro is the industry standard among video editing tools.Â
It’s what the vast majority of professional editors use, there’s a huge community around it online, and thousands of plugins.Â
But is it worth learning as a rookie creator? Or should you invest your time elsewhere?Â
Here’s a full run-down.
Key Takeaways
- Adobe Premiere is the most widely-used video editing software among professionals.
- It has a huge range of functionalities, but can be intimidating for beginners.
- Learning Premiere takes some time. Many beginner tutorials are available, but it takes months or even years to develop the skills needed for high-level edits.
- To get started with editing quicker, beginner creators can opt for more simplistic solutions that provide templates, such as CapCut.
- In the long run, most professional creators outsource their editing to dedicated video editors, saving time, headspace, and costs for editing tools.
Keep reading for the full scoop!
The Upsides
Let’s start with the single biggest advantage of Premiere Pro – just how widely used it is.Â
Its popularity is one of Premiere’s major selling points because it makes the lives of users easier.Â
There are thousands of tutorials available on YouTube for every skill level. No matter if you’re a beginner wanting to get a quick 101 or a seasoned expert exploring new effects and AI functionalities, you’re sure to find content that matches your learning needs.Â
Similarly, if you ever run into an error or a problem you can’t solve, you can just Google it or hit the forums. Chances are, someone else in the global community of users has faced the exact same issue – and shared a solution.Â
At its core, Premiere’s functionalities are already extensive, and constantly getting expanded. Only recently, Adobe added a wide range of AI powered tools to enable text-based editing, auto category tagging, morph cuts, and scene edit detection among others. And let’s not forget the native integration with other Creative Cloud Apps, like After Effects, the industry standard for motion graphics.Â
However, in addition to all that, there’s a huge variety of third-party plugins to expand functionalities even further. No matter if that’s rotoscoping or slow motion.
The Drawbacks
That said, there are several major drawbacks of learning Premiere Pro for creators who are just getting started.Â
The biggest one is that Premiere Pro is complex. It’s a high-level editing suite and comes with countless options, menus, sub-menus, and toolbars. Especially as a rookie, this can easily become overwhelming.Â
Now, there are numerous tutorials to get you started, many of them very good. And it’s likely that if you spend a few days focused on learning your way around the platform and editing a few trial projects, you’ll be able to produce solid, basic edits at the end of it.Â
However, actually reaching the level of an editing professional in Adobe takes months, if not years. Most professional editors hired at video editing services like Tasty Edits have at least two years of full-time editing experience, most of them more.Â
Another drawback is that costs can quickly stack up. Premiere Pro offers a stand-alone subscription, but to fully leverage all its possibilities, many find it necessary to subscribe to Creative Cloud as a whole. Plus, many third party plugins are also paid. (And an increasing number of those are vibe-coded and correspondingly unstable.)Â
Finally, Premiere Pro’s collaboration functionalities are also limited. Project size quickly inflates and you need a computer with a solid graphics card and RAM to run Premiere Pro properly. Sharing draft projects is tricky – you usually have to export videos and send them to people if you want feedback.Â
The Alternatives
So what are the alternatives to learning Premiere Pro as a creator?Â
Essentially, there are two.
First, you can default to more straightforward, simplistic video editing tools such as CapCut. These come with a more intuitive interface and a library of templates, presets, and effects that you can use to hit the ground running. Since many of these tools are cloud-based, sharing projects with collaborators is also easier.Â
The major downside? Your edits will ultimately stay generic.Â
After all, there are thousands of other people out there using the same templates and presets. Yes, you can customize numerous aspects and adjust them to your personal style. But once you’ve looked at a certain amount of edits, you can tell the difference. And the audience can too. Those videos rarely go viral.Â
The second option is to outsource video editing. Instead of investing the time and effort into learning Premiere Pro or falling back on a simplistic editing tool, you can hand off your edits to a seasoned pro. This has a triple benefit. You save time and headspace. You instantly get access to the finely-honed skills of a professional editor. And you don’t have to pay for any tool at all or worry about choosing one.Â
Obviously, this option isn’t for everyone, but in the long run, the vast majority of professional creators outsource their edits and several other workflow steps to scale up their channels.Â
FAQs
I’m a new video creator - should I learn Premiere Pro?
If you have the time to invest in learning Premiere Pro as a new creator, it’s well worth the effort. With the help of beginner tutorials, you’ll be able to start working on basic edits within a few days. However, it takes months or even years to really master the tool and produce professional-grade edits. The alternatives are either more simplistic, intuitive video editing tools like CapCut, or to outsource your video editing altogether. Â
Do all YouTubers use Premiere Pro?
Most video editors use Adobe Premiere Pro thanks to its wide range of functionalities, rich community, and numerous third-party plugins. However, most professional YouTubers do not edit their own videos but outsource the work to video editing companies to free up their time and creative headspace.
What video editing software do YouTubers use?
YouTubers who edit their own content usually use Adobe Premiere Pro, due to its wide range of functionalities, rich community, and numerous third-party plugins. However, most professional YouTubers do not edit their own videos but outsource the work to video editing companies to free up their time and creative headspace.
