When it comes to video editors that deliver professional production quality, few other names can measure up to Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro. You’ll come across tons of professionals who swear by either one of these two products. And they’re almost an unspoken area of competition between the two tech and software giants, Adobe and Apple when it comes to the video and visual editing industry.
So, which one actually comes on top when you square up Adobe Premiere Pro vs. Final Cut Pro?
It’s time to find out.
If You’re New to Editing
As a new user, you’ll find that it’s not all that difficult to learn either Premiere or Final Cut Pro. It’s only when you delve into professional-quality editing that you start building a preference between the two (which we’ll discuss further below).
If you’re already familiar with any standard workflow software, Premiere Pro will be easier to use. The control you have over the footage and unmatched capability in layers makes it a breeze to work with. The big plus with Premiere Pro here is the seamless integration it enjoys with Adobe’s suite of programs. As a video editor, its easy integration with After Effects will help you make the most of it even during tutorials or basic editing tasks.
Premiere Pro’s integration and easy workflows aside, Final Cut Pro is also equally intuitive and easy to use for most users. A great feature (or drawback depending on whom you ask) is how the advanced features are initially hidden from view in Final Cut Pro. This allows new users to instantly get started with basic actions and gradually move on to the hidden features in their own time.
As far as ease of use for new users goes, we’re confident that you’ll be comfortable with whichever one you start out with. But for users more comfortable with workflow arrangements, Premiere Pro may be slightly easier to master.
On Features and Capabilities
We can say straight off the bat here that there’s no clear winner when you look at capabilities in the Adobe Premiere Pro vs. Final Cut Pro debate. Both options come packed with professional-grade features that provide some of the best results.
Premiere Pro may come with a longer list of features if listed out. But Final Cut Pro is no pushover in terms of capabilities. It’s only in the interface and grouping of actions where you’ll find major differences. But the end product is equally good for anyone well-versed in either software.
Premiere Pro users maintain that it has better flexibility and more customizations, especially when dealing with more complicated projects. For instance, if you need to work with four or five tracks simultaneously, Premiere Pro fans will certainly prefer it over FCP.
However, this issue is large because Final Cut Pro is geared more towards being a non-linear editor. So, many of the features look like they’re inversely set compared to Premiere Pro. As someone already comfortable with Final Cut Pro, this isn’t really a problem.
Budget and Pricing
Features aren’t really the best way to decide the Adobe Premiere Pro vs. Final Cut Pro debacle. That’s because both are so powerful and feature-rich that it becomes a matter of personal preference.
But if you’re still on the fence, sizing both options against your budget can be another way to decide. Looking specifically at the pricing structures, Final Cut Pro probably has a slight advantage because of its one-time purchase. With Premiere Pro’s subscription-based fees, you’ll run up a few thousand dollars extra even within the first year.
On the other hand, Final Cut Pro allows you to get the whole thing from the app store for a single fee. But if you don’t already use a Mac, it isn’t really an advantage because FCP exclusively runs on Mac OS 10.15.6 or later.
Also, if you’d first like the test both programs before purchase, they both have a trial period. Even here, Final Cut Pro offers an ample 90-day period. In comparison, Premiere Pro’s 7-day period feels like a rush given all the rich features it offers.
Performance
A common issue with Premiere Pro is that render times may be longer on bigger projects. Also, there are issues with minor crashes that users often report. However, if you can put together a rig that has higher processing and graphics capabilities, these aren’t major downsides. And given how powerful Premiere Pro is, minor glitches on ordinary PCs are sort of expected.
Final Cut Pro runs like a breeze on its intended Mac OS. In fact, you can expect fewer glitches as far as FCP’s performance is concerned. Plus, its blazing speeds make it a joy to edit on even with projects that are heavier on resources. However, if you’re making the switch from Premiere Pro, it may take some time before you’re fully comfortable handling major projects on the Final Cut Pro. As a creator who’s already familiar with NLE timelines, you may have to let go of some time-tested habits before you’re fully proficient with Final Cut Pro.
Final Cut Pro comes specially designed to make the most out of a Mac Pro’s graphical and processing capabilities. But professionals have used Premiere Pro on maxed-out PCs to churn out some of the best video content for Hollywood and entertainment industries.
The Verdict
The only verdict one can reasonably conclude with the Adobe Premiere Pro vs. Final Cut Pro debate is that there’s no absolute winner.
If you’re on a Mac, Final Cut Pro may be faster, more elegant, and easier to get things done. But that doesn’t settle the argument because you can’t use it on a PC. Meanwhile, Premiere Pro is regarded by most as being more versatile and with more capabilities. Plus, you can operate Premium Pro on your Mac, and still get professional results without any glaring drawbacks. And if today, you are working in one of the programs and you are not satisfied with the processing speed and you are thinking about trying something else, do not rush to conclusions, perhaps the problem is not in the software, but in your PC. Go here and find that PC that fits the ever-changing software requirements.
It’s obvious that neither one is particularly limiting software. And both are incredibly powerful and equally capable on most counts.
The bottom line is that you may get the best experience sticking with the one you’re comfortable with. That said, making the switch from one to the other should still be a worthwhile exercise. We leave it to you to decide.