The Rookie Asks: The Best NLE?

x-angel

x-angel

Well-known member
Ok I see that there are some favorite NLE's around here.

I use Premiere, which seems to have a bad rep. (I dont even have pro, I have Premiere 6.0)

The top contenders here, in this forum, are Final Cut Pro (aka FCP) and Vegas. Avid is also mentioned. After Effects is also thrown in there.

Before I go out and invest in these I would like to know why I should.

I hate premiere for a couple of reasons. But it's what I got. I would just like to know what you guys think.

Maybe this is chum in the water, but hey...it's there.

Also let it be known that I am an "avid" PC user. I don't plan on buying a Mac. So I guess my overall question is what is the best NLE for a PC???
 
Wanting to stay on a PC gives you an advantage -- you can try the contenders for yourself. Download the demos. I think Vegas, Avid, and PPro all have downloadable demos.

You could also try Liquid Edition, but I don't think there's a downloadable demo for that. You'd have to order a demo CD.
 
I'm not any professional but I really like the Premiere, AE, Photoshop and Encore set-up. :) For me they feel just the right tools...but I haven't tried Avid...I would like to test it also...But as we all know, in the end it's not which app you use, it's how you use it. You have to know your app inside out...
 
David Jimerson said:
Wanting to stay on a PC gives you an advantage -- you can try the contenders for yourself. Download the demos. I think Vegas, Avid, and PPro all have downloadable demos.

You could also try Liquid Edition, but I don't think there's a downloadable demo for that. You'd have to order a demo CD.
Click to expand...

Yeah but if you are using a DVX and 24P you can't use Liquid.
 
x-angel said:
Ok I see that there are some favorite NLE's around here.

I use Premiere, which seems to have a bad rep. (I dont even have pro, I have Premiere 6.0)

The top contenders here, in this forum, are Final Cut Pro (aka FCP) and Vegas. Avid is also mentioned. After Effects is also thrown in there.

Before I go out and invest in these I would like to know why I should.

I hate premiere for a couple of reasons. But it's what I got. I would just like to know what you guys think.

Maybe this is chum in the water, but hey...it's there.

Also let it be known that I am an "avid" PC user. I don't plan on buying a Mac. So I guess my overall question is what is the best NLE for a PC???
Click to expand...

It's all opinion and what works for some people. Some people like the layout of one over another or its feel.

They ALL have pluses and minuses otherwise there would be one mass NLE everyone else was trying to catch up to. Try the demos, see which one you like. Find out what their strengths and weaknesses are and how that will affect you (ie:is it something you would ever care about?).

I have and use the Adobe Video Collection and really like the interface and layout of their products. I also have and use Vegas as well for different uses.

Try. Find what works best for you, whatever that combo may be.

Happy hunting!

-Robert
 
I have been considering investing in the Adobe Video Collection. It's seems to have the most uniformity between apps. (Like importing and all that good stuff)

I have over a year before I start my real ramp up...which gives me a year to practice. The Adobe suite seems to offer the most in not only options, but also portability...thats why I was so confused when people were giving it such a bad rep.

I honestly think Premiere is more of a finishing tool than a ...ummm... gee what is the word... I guess effects tool.
 
All the answers in this thread have been great. It all comes down to pushing pixels and the creativity/preferences of the artist. When you are talking about which NLE to use, the only real way you can find out is to try them all. I know people who swear by Combustion and Digital Fusion, Shake and Inferno and so on. Same thing with 3D apps. Some will say Maya is king, others like Softimage, others still like Max, Lightwave, Cinema 4D and so on.

Of course, software is limited to the hardware you have, and dedicated systems incorporating hardware and software will always be advantageous. Still, there are few who can really look at or listen to something and tell you definitively it was put together using "X" program/s. Personally, I use multiple combinations of all kinds of software for any given project, depending on what I have found to be the strong points of each. My pipeline could go something like this:

Capture, Final Editing, and Output - Vegas
Video Editing, Motion Graphics, Compositing, Visual Effects: After Effects
Sound design: Sound Forge & Wave Lab (with Waves power and restoration pack and BBE Sonic Maximizer), Audition
3D Work: Lightwave and Modo for modeling, rendering, and visual effects (particles, volumetrics, hard and soft body dynamics), Maya for particles and hard body dynamics for visuals
2D Effects: Particle Illusion (2D particle effects generator), Photoshop, and Illustrator
Photos, Textures, and various Maps: Photoshop and Illustrator
DVD Architecture: Encore

Any and all of them in different amounts, for differing reasons.



So, my advice is to try them all. Don't be turned off or intimidated by some of the higher end apps like Digital Fusion either. The beauty of forums like this one and the Internet is the amount of resources at your disposal. Get and try everything that you can find. Only you can figure out what you like and why, and in what areas each package can give YOU the results you are wanting.

Have fun.
 
Rapier_100a said:
All the answers in this thread have been great. It all comes down to pushing pixels and the creativity/preferences of the artist. When you are talking about which NLE to use, the only real way you can find out is to try them all. I know people who swear by Combustion and Digital Fusion, Shake and Inferno and so on.
Click to expand...

This could prove to be frustrating for a beginner though, because these aren't NLE's, these are all compositing packages, same type as after effects. That said though, I still use them for short form work as an editor. It's all in the tool you prefer to use.
 
kai said:
This could prove to be frustrating for a beginner though, because these aren't NLE's, these are all compositing packages, same type as after effects. That said though, I still use them for short form work as an editor. It's all in the tool you prefer to use.
Click to expand...

Good point.
 
yes. if you like Adobe then stick to it. You will find all you need there.
Premiere has done well recently, and if Matrox Axio supports it....it must be good.
After Effects is simply amazing, but you will never ever be able to use it to its limits. nobody does.....Combustion, Fusion, Inferno etc ditto. These things are made for certain tasks, not editing.
 
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