Davinci Resolve or Adobe Premier?
Seems like in the video editing world, it always comes back to this debate: Davinci Resolve or Adobe Premier? Well, after using Resolve for nearly 5 years, I decided to give Premiere a try.
I’m going to set the record straight so as to not mislead anyone: this isn’t a 1:1 comparison. It’s not a deep dive on the features that one has and the other doesn’t. Those have been done many times before, and I don’t feel I could add anything to the already existing conversation. Instead, I want to talk about what it felt like going from years of Resolve over to Premier - what’s easy, what’s hard, and general likes and dislikes.
So for starters, the good news is that the two systems have a lot in common. And why wouldn’t they? They are both NLEs, and they are both leaders in the NLE space. I can say with confidence that if you know the basics in one well, you’ll pick it up pretty easily in the other. But it’s not all sunshine and butterflies. Relearning shortcuts can be a pain. Sure, you can reset most of your shortcuts in the keyboard preferences menu, but if you are using a Davinci Resolve editing keyboard like me, there are some shortcuts you simply CANNOT replicate in Premier - because those keys don’t exist outside of Resolve. Another thing that has been less than pleasant: no jog wheel. The jog wheel was the main reason I bought the Resolve keyboard. It saves soooooo much time. But Premier, for whatever silly Adobe reason, doesn’t have native support for jog wheels. However, there are some macropads with jog wheels that you can get and program using VIA, so there are ways to get access to a jog wheel (thank goodness).
Alright, so the ease of controls in Premier is diminished, but here’s a really simple default that Adobe uses that I WISH Resolve would: 1. When you copy a clip on track 2 and paste it, it pastes on track 2. So simple, but it is incredibly aggravating that Resolve insists on pasting the clip in the very first track rather than the track it was copied from.
This next one is very specific like that will NOT apply to everyone. This is only helpful if you have a Motion Array subscription - which I do. Motion Array can integrate with Premier directly, meaning you can search for and download your stock footage, images, music, sounds, etc. right to the project you’re working on. Unfortunately, it does not integrate with Resolve. On that note, if you are a professional video editor and you don’t have a subscription to Motion Array or a similar service, I highly recommend it. Saves A LOT of time when it comes to hunting down copyright free footage, music, SFX, etc.
And speaking of integrations, it is quite handy that if you work in programs like Photoshop, Illustrator, or After Effects, you can bring those files right into Premier, meaning no need to compress the files down to export them, AND, in the case of Photoshop and Illustrator (unsure about After Effects), you can bring in the layers. Now, on that note, Resolve is MOSTLY a one-stop shop because it took multiple separate programs and fused them together (editor, color grading, fairlight). Resolve remains king with color grading and Premier reigns supreme with integrations.
So it should come as no surprise that Premier has the upper hand when it comes to plugins. But I have YET to find a subtitle plugin for Premier that is as good as the one for Resolve.
Audio editing has its ups and downs in both programs, but frankly, I have found it to be quicker and easier to find a good balance of settings in Premiere than Resolve, and when it comes to ducking, there’s no contest: Premier wins hands down. Resolve’s ducker has been a right - [bleep]. It loves to go overboard, OR, barely make a difference. When you use the ducker in Premier, it creates keyframes for every time it falls and rises, giving you precise control. And as far as utilizing AI to shorten or lengthen songs goes - you both need to do better or quit while you’re ahead.
At the end of the day, there are a few hard truths we video editors need to face:
Premier is STILL expected by many employers and freelance clients - it is the standard for NLEs, despite Resolve making significant progress and becoming well known
If you are just starting out or don’t intend on making money from video editing, there is no reason to spend money on Premier OR Resolve - just use the free version of Resolve
Although Premier costs SIGNIFICANTLY more than Resolve, only using Resolve may cost you job opportunities (refer back to point 1)
Layers are TYPICALLY easier to learn then Nodes - if you’re not going into VFX and you need to learn how to do motion graphics, simple animations, masks, overlays, etc. fast, you should seriously consider learning the layers system instead
Video editors have different strengths, weaknesses, and styles - what works well for that YouTuber you watch all the time might not work well for you
It’s not about what other people say about the programs - it’s about your experience with them
So, to summarize all of this in a few words… if you can afford it, why not both?
