11 Replies Latest reply on Apr 11, 2012 5:36 PM by Hoboken2012

    Premier or After Effects?

    Hoboken2012 Level 1
    Hoboken2012 Apr 1, 2012 11:15 AM

      Hi,

      I have no experience in video editing or using any of the two software. I have worked in Flash though. I have a video editing project to do in 4 weeks. Final product should be maybe 5-10 minutes long montage of video, audio, music and few images.

       

      What is the best software to use? Easier to pick up in few weeks time? I need to buy it, install it, learn it and use it. All in 4 weeks.

       

      I have Mac OS 10.6.8

       

      Processor 2.7 GHz Intel Core i5

       

      4 GB 1333 MHz DDR3

       

      My source footage is video .mp4 and audio m4a (I might not use this audio, it's boring...). Might use music instead.

       

      Thank you

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        • 1. Re: Premier or After Effects?
          Jim Curtis Level 3
          Jim Curtis Apr 1, 2012 11:29 AM (in response to Hoboken2012)

          Ae is a compositor.  Pr is an NLE.  Pr is also easier to learn, IMO.  So, Pr is what you want for this job.

           

          Good luck.

          • 2. Re: Premier or After Effects?
            Hoboken2012 Level 1
            Hoboken2012 Apr 1, 2012 11:33 AM (in response to Jim Curtis)

            Oh, thank you.

             

            What is compositor and what is NLE? I tried googling NLE but got weird results...:)

            • 3. Re: Premier or After Effects?
              Jim Curtis Level 3
              Jim Curtis Apr 1, 2012 11:44 AM (in response to Hoboken2012)

              Non Linear Editing.  Look on Wikipedia.  Good explanation there.

               

              A compositor composites multiple different elements to make a single image.  Keying, Picture in Picture, adding titles, name supers, etc.  Some of this can be done in an NLE, but a compositor is optimized for combining multiple sources into a single image.

              • 4. Re: Premier or After Effects?
                lasvideo Level 4
                lasvideo Apr 1, 2012 12:23 PM (in response to Jim Curtis)

                Since you seem eager to learn... buy this book

                 

                http://www.amazon.com/Editors-Guide-Adobe-Premiere-Pro/dp/0321773012

                 

                You will be very glad you did!

                • 5. Re: Premier or After Effects?
                  Jim_Simon Level 8
                  Jim_Simon Apr 1, 2012 3:18 PM (in response to Hoboken2012)

                  I have a video editing project to do in 4 weeks.

                   

                  I have no experience in video editing

                   

                  Those two facts create a rather untenable situation.  How do you deliver a product you have no idea how to create?

                   

                  Step 1b. FAQ: How do I learn Premiere Pro?

                   

                  Of course, just learning the software isn't quite enough.  There is the whole subject of editing in and of itself, without regard to the software used, so...

                   

                  Step 1a. http://www.filmschool.org/

                   

                  Of course, 4 weeks is not much time to bring yourself up to speed on that subject.  So the other option here is to farm the work out to someone whose already gotten the needed education. So...

                   

                  Optional Step 1. http://www.mandy.com/

                  • 6. Re: Premier or After Effects?
                    joe bloe premiere Level 5
                    joe bloe premiere Apr 1, 2012 3:16 PM (in response to Hoboken2012)

                    You might be able to learn enough about Premiere in two weeks

                    to get you through a fairly simple project, but learning After Effects

                    from a standing start in two weeks I would consider impossible.

                     

                    You should focus on Premiere, and here are a few more good places to start.

                    Premiere Pro FAQ list

                    Zip Past Common Hurdles

                     

                    Of course if you get stumped, as you can see there are plenty of helpful folks here to turn to.

                    • 7. Re: Premier or After Effects?
                      Hoboken2012 Level 1
                      Hoboken2012 Apr 1, 2012 3:35 PM (in response to joe bloe premiere)

                      Thank you so much for your answers and advice.

                       

                      Truth be told, I have done video editing. In Premier, no less, But it was years ago. Then I worked in Director (anybody remembers it?). Then I've done Flash animation lately. All nine yards; creative concept, storyboard, development...So, I'm not totally clueless...:) And very excited about this project!

                      • 8. Re: Premier or After Effects?
                        Hoboken2012 Level 1
                        Hoboken2012 Apr 8, 2012 3:13 PM (in response to Hoboken2012)

                        I am looking into the 30-day trial version of Premier Pro. It says that the trial version does not have Adobe Encore, meaning, I cannot create a DVD in Premier. What does that mean?

                        Can I finish my project, export in some format onto my desktop for example, and then drag into a blank DVD, and then burn a DVD on my computer, not through Premier? Maybe this is a stupid question, sorry...

                        • 9. Re: Premier or After Effects?
                          lasvideo Level 4
                          lasvideo Apr 8, 2012 3:16 PM (in response to Hoboken2012)

                          If you have Toast or a similar program you can export an MPEG2DVD file from PrP, then use Toast to create the DVD.

                          • 10. Re: Premier or After Effects?
                            the_wine_snob Level 9
                            the_wine_snob Apr 9, 2012 7:27 AM (in response to Hoboken2012)

                            If you have used an older version of Premiere, you should be able to work with the newer version. Some names and places have been changed, and as more power has been added, there are a few different steps now, but still, it is basically the same.

                             

                            That is the route that I would go.

                             

                            You might help bring yourself up to speed by reading the articles, and watching the tutorials, linked in the PrPro FAQ Sub-forum.

                             

                            Good luck,

                             

                            Hunt

                            • 11. Re: Premier or After Effects?
                              Hoboken2012 Level 1
                              Hoboken2012 Apr 11, 2012 5:36 PM (in response to the_wine_snob)

                              Thank you all so very much for your answers! What a great bunch here!

                               

                              So, I found this amazing tutorial on lynda.com, and it was immensely helpful to me:

                               

                              "Creating a Mini Documentary with Premiere Elements" by Jason Osder from 3/15/2012

                               

                              Now, I have two more very dumb questions:

                               

                              1. What is the difference between Premier Pro and Premier Elements?

                               

                              2. My source files are mp4 and m4a, and some mov. I need to post all raw files online first, so someone can pick which ones they want to use. So, I have these files and I have a web server. How do I post them so they become URLs anyone can see? If it matters, my the person who needs to review these files online, is on a PC, using IE8.

                               

                              So, do I just upload them online and send her URLs once they become live. Or do I need to somehow convert to like .wmv or something, cause she's on a PC? Or do I need to place each file into an .html page, and then upload that? Please don't advise me to upload to youtube.com because I assume my viewer does not want her footage to be that public...

                               

                              Lastly, can I change file names, to like video_1.mp4, video_2.mp4, etc. So, files rae easy to reference in our written correspondence...

                               

                              Again, thank you so, so very much. If I could, I would bake a big cake for folks from this forum...:)