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Make Premiere (CS5.5 or CS6) Act More Like FCPX
Forgive me for the title, as I know many of you see FCPX as a child’s plaything.
I was curious though if there was a way to make the PP interface work more similarly to FCPX – for example, in Premiere, a clip on the timeline shows one thumbnail, and the rest is just a blue rectangle – I feel it would be a much better use of screen real estate to show thumbnails along the entire clip like FCPX – is there a way to get this to happen?
Also, the visual editing and manipulation of audio on the FCPX timeline is truly delightful – is there any sort of setting or modification or plugin for PP that would allow that same visual functionality?
Premiere is all around more powerful and flexible, and its integration with Encore and After Effects make it a must for me and my career, I just would love to get the interface usability up to speed with Apple’s controversially limited offering.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!
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7 Replies
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Funny. We are all flocking to Premiere precisely because it DOES NOT act nor work like FCX. And here you want it to me MORE like FCX.
That’s funny.
[Evan Heckert] ” I feel it would be a much better use of screen real estate to show thumbnails along the entire clip like FCPX”
I hate that with a passion. FILM STRIP…ugh. Makes the timeline look so “busy.” Very distracting.
Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def -
Yes, there is a way to see it like a filmstrip.
First, twirl down the video track to see the track options (keyframes, etc…)
Then, you can grab the track and make it taller if you want to get really big thumbnails.
Finally, there is a drop down menu next to “show keyframes” called “set display style.” Click and set to “Show Frames.”I’ve never used FCPX so I’m not sure what you are looking for with the audio.
I am a FCP switcher too – good luck exploring Premiere!
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Wonderful, thank you!
Any other tips on how to make the interface more pleasant to use? Any extensions or modifications you all would recommend? I don’t need intense special filters and special effects, since I’m developing instructional basketball DVD’s, but anything that enhances the efficiency and simplicity of the editing process would be a worthwhile investment.
Thank you!
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Well, that is the beauty of Pr – you can customize all of the windows. You can place/dock your windows, pallets, timelines, etc anywhere you want by picking them up by the dotted lines and dropping them on other windows, make them into tabs, resize, or undock them and let them float. There are tutorials out there which show you exactly how to do it – just google customizing Premiere interface. And now with CS6 you can customize your transport buttons below the program and source monitors, or remove them completely for a very minimal look.
Hope your transition to Pr is smooth.
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Shane Ross “I hate that with a passion. FILM STRIP…ugh. Makes the timeline look so “busy.” Very distracting.”
Totally agree. I don’t like the still version, and the fact that in FCPX the frames change as you skim over them makes it even more annoying. And I don’t like the idea of the cursor scrubbing the timeline without the playhead being moved either. I know some people are totally into that, but I like to be able to stop and think before making an edit, without being bombarded by stimulation. Using FCPX is like being inside a casino or something.
One thing about X that I DO LIKE though, and wouldn’t mind seeing in Premiere Pro, is the dynamic nature of the audio waveforms. I like the fact that they change shape on-the-fly when you adjust the levels, and turn yellow then red when the level is too high.
(Other than that they’re crap though. They’re too small and the shape is all wrong.)
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“THAT’S our fail-safe point. Up until here, we still have enough track to stop the locomotive before it plunges into the ravine… But after this windmill it’s the future or bust.” -
Nothing can enhance the efficiency and simplicity of the editing process more than a solid familiarity of the software being used. Premiere lets you change the interface to suit your desires – use that.
I loved Avid Media Composer. I absolutely loved it, but Adobe CS looked interesting. When I decided to switch to Premiere CS, it was rough. The interface was so different, the method was foreign. However, the more I used it, the better it felt. Then, at one point I had to start up Avid to re-animate an old project, and it felt like I was editing in a block of stone with a hammer and chisel. I needed to have the user manual on the desk at all times to look up the most mundane techniques.
So…give it time.
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“98% of all computer issues can be solved by simply pressing ‘F1’.”
Steve Brame
creative illusions Productions -
In these videos about Premiere Pro CS6, I go into quite a lot of detail about how to customize the user interface:
https://www.video2brain.com/en/videos-13051.htm
https://www.video2brain.com/en/videos-13053.htm
https://www.video2brain.com/en/videos-13055.htm———————————————————————————————————
Todd Kopriva, Adobe Systems Incorporated
product manager, professional video software
After Effects team blog
Premiere Pro team blog
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