Adobe Premiere Interface

[Ryan]

Premiere is editing software and AE is compositing/Motion design software.

Two completely different animals. They compliment each other rather than compare to each other.

In other words, there is so much different that it would take a manual to explain.

More specific questions would be easier to answer.

Ryan

[Sahaba]

Wow ! You scared me brother 😐

Compliment each other? So what exactly do you mean by “editing” software.. because I see a lot of similarities between the two. And what’s the thing Premiere can do that is closest to After Effects?

[Sahaba]

I mean, I did used to use AE as an editing software (splitting layers and stuff)

[Ron Lindeboom]

The best way to say this, at least in my opinion, is that After Effects is a design and motion graphics/cpmpositing tool. Premiere is used to edit entire videos/films which can include *elements* that were created in After Effects.

Ron Lindeboom

[Sahaba]

Define Edit !! 🙂

[Sahaba]

Dont you think it is possible to do everything that Premiere does, inside AE ???

[Steve Roberts]

Yes, but much … more … slowly.

Anyone who tries to cut/dissolve video in AE is nuts. AE has to render every frame. NLEs (non-linear editing apps) such as Premiere are tied to certain codecs, where a sequence (like a comp in AE) will display video in real time without rendering in many cases. That lets you work quickly. AE is not tied to any codec — that’s why it has to render every frame … but you can have IMAX film and video in the same comp. But you have to render every frame. Say you have two clips and want to trim them both and butt them up against each other. Do it in AE and you’ll have to render the entire set work area. Do it in DV in Premiere and it will play right away.

Also, the tools for trimming, cutting, slipping and sliding clips (look up those terms) are much faster in an NLE.

My point is: a slow editor is an out-of-work editor. Editors have to work quickly, not just to make a buck, but to be able to find the timing and rhythm of a program quickly. If you have to render every cut, you have no time to fine-tune your rhythm. AE is very slow. Use it for effects, motion graphics and compositing. Not for editing if you can avoid it. If you only need a few effects shots, assemble your program in an NLE for timing, and use placeholders for the effects shots. Render (export, whatever) those placeholders and import them into AE. Add effects. Render out of AE and import back into the NLE to replace the placeholders.

(pretty much as Ron said)

Steve

[Sahaba]

Thanks a lot ! It was extremely helpful!

[Sahaba]

One last thing. Why the name “Non-Linear Editor” ???

[Ron Lindeboom]

Many of your basic questions could be easily answered using the Cow’s search engine. However, in the interest of preserving you from having to do any effort on your part, here is a quick example which may help you understand the difference…

Linear editing: Example: Roll a tape, find a section you want, record it to a place on a time line on another deck; roll first tape, find another sequence, record it to the 2nd deck, etc. (Think a linear, start to finish process)

Non-linear editing: Using software, you can import footage onto a harddrive and edit pulling from anywhere at any time from your files. It does not have to be as in the linear fashion where you have to rewind a tape to get back to a point which you may want to pull footage from. Using non-linear, you can grab anything from anywhere at any time in your project, as it is all available to the editor. Hence, non-linear.

Far from a perfect answer but the example holds.

Ron Lindeboom