Premiere Pro makes me happy… then sad

[Ian Bailey]

One of the things that thrilled me most when I first opened FCPX was how clean the interface was and the reliance on keyboard shortcuts. For example, you can’t mark in and out points without using the I and O keys.

From the Help menu in Premiere, navigate to Adobe’s online pages — no doubt you will find keyboard shortcut info there. Can you enable tooltips in Prem that will reveal the shortcut when you hover over the button? FCPX shortcuts are available directly from the Help menu.

[Phil Hoppes]

You can use all of your old fcp keyboard shortcuts in PP. If you have CS5.5 you simply go to Edit -> Keyboard Customization and pick Final Cut Pro 7.0 from the drop down menu. If you are using CS5.0 (like me) the installed version of the shortcuts is bad. Go here and you can download the proper file for this. Follow the instructions and install it an you are good to go.

[Thomas Frank]

[Phil Hoppes] ” If you have CS5.5 you simply go to Edit -> Keyboard Customization and pick Final Cut Pro 7.0 “

Yup if you have that is the key word.
I do agree on the FCP interface clean and slick. I can see Mocha in the same dress.

[Joe Chow]

As an ongoing switcher to Premiere Pro, I too have issues with the clunkiness, but not so much the commands you refer to. I have opted not to use FCP keyboard defaults but rather to customize simple ones that have become second nature. So I have transplanted the “X” key from FCP, as well as Option-“I” “O” to remove in and out points, etc. On others I stay with Premiere’s shortcuts. What was “A” in FCP is now “V” in PP, what was “F” is now “M”…and I use page-up or page-down to go to the previous or next edit point.
So that’s all cool. What I do find clunky about PP, among other things, is the limited Trim tools it offers. In FCP, I loved being able to park my curser at an edit point, hit “R” or “RR” to turn it into a Roll or Ripple tool, and simply type in numbers as to how many frames or seconds I want to roll and ripple the edit point, or use the square brackets to move it back and forth frame by frame. In the last 5 years or so, I almost never opened the Trim Window in FCP. But in PP, incremental trimming of linked clips that you want unlinked is truly the definition of clunky.
Anyway, I’ve submitted my wish list, and hopefully they’ll come true. This is the link if you want to also:
https://www.adobe.com/cfusion/mmform/index.cfm?name=wishform

[Shane Ross]

If you think Premiere is different, then just try FCX. There is a demo. It is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from FCP, and Premiere, in almost every way. You would be starting from scratch in terms of learning how to use the app. Premiere is at least familiar.

But I too have issues with it. Like the mixer not adjusting the levels on the clips, but the entire track, that patching takes 2-3 more steps than it does in FCP or Avid, audio mixing taking 3-4 more steps than FCP or Avid.

But once you use the FCP keyboard setup, it’s pretty smooth to transition.

Shane
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[Richard Herd]

[andy lewis] “Are anyone’s fingers flying with joy through the FCPX interface? “

It’s really fast. I like it quite a lot actually. I decided to cut a short film for a first time director, offered him a deal while learning the software. Often, I’d have to stop what I was doing and read the manual. The first session took me about 3 times as long as it should have, but now that that’s over with, it’s actually faster, and I have a bunch of projects for another client in Legacy, and when I cut for him, I think “X is faster and better.”

As long as my client is happy, I’m happy. But yesterday I downloaded the 30 day trial of Avid, on PC.

[Thomas Frank]

I dont think Premiere is that familiar, it might look the same but sure feels like two different Apps.
How much confused FCP user faces I haven seen when they witnessed how Premiere handles stereo Audio.

But this is a good time for FCP7 users all Apps have trial if you need to learn choose the one you think will work!
Will it make your content and edits better, don’t think so 😉

[Lance Bachelder]

Love that folks are finding shortcomings in PPro. I was on the beta team through several revs and they would just never listen when we asked for “pro” features. Like marking clips, and how about setting and in/out to quickly export a clip? Or setting an in/out and sub clipping that section? Or moving a clip without using modifier keys? Or setting an in/out just to simply copy/cut? I don’t want to use the work area thingy – it’s fine for AE but slows me down in PPro.

All the “pro” EDITING features we use everyday with Avid and FCP7 are just not there! Sure the mercury-engine is awesome and the dynamic link is cool but when it come to editing and mixing it just kinda sucks. I also hate the Adobe Media export thing – just a pain to find the right settings for audio and video – nothing like the ease os export w QT conversion in FCP7. Also, the built-in color tools are just terrible, you’ve got to install Colorista or forget it.

FCPX is also still missing some of these everyday features – but I will say a lot of the new stuff just rocks and there is a foundation here that could blow everything else away if Apple doesn’t screw up. Using Tonalizer in FCPX for Color Timing is the most fun and best results I’ve ever had quickly timing shots and scenes.

Lance Bachelder
Writer, Editor, Director
Irvine, California

[Shawn Miller]

“Love that folks are finding shortcomings in PPro. I was on the beta team through several revs…”

Which revs were you testing?

Shawn

[Kevin Monahan]

[Phil Hoppes] ” If you are using CS5.0 (like me) the installed version of the shortcuts is bad. Go here and you can download the proper file for this. “

The fix was for Windows computers (and how many FCP users are there on Windows? Not many). On Mac, keyboard shortcuts are fine.

Kevin Monahan
Sr. Content and Community Lead
Adobe After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro
Adobe Systems, Inc.
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