Adobe After Effects vs. Premiere Pro: Which is Better for You?

Zacharia S
Zacharia S

16 Jul 2024

5 min read

Adobe After Effects vs. Premiere Pro: Which is Better for You?

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When it comes to video editing software, both Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects are household names, but they serve two very different purposes. Knowing when to use Premiere and when to use After Effects when starting a new project can determine the outcome of your project. Despite some functional overlap, the two programs are optimized for different stages of the post-production process.

Each program has its strengths, but much like salt and pepper, the two work best together. Most will notice that while they overlap in uses. Some features are more robust in one software when compared to the other.

Premiere Pro is widely considered to be a great software for people beginning in video editing. After Effects caters to the more experienced echelon. There isn’t however a compulsion to use one or the other based on experience.

What is Adobe Premiere Pro?

Premiere Pro Siam VR
Credit: Siam VR

As one of the first non-linear video editing tool, Premiere Pro, was formerly only available for macOS, but you can now find a compatible version for just about any operating system.

The application for editing video s used to make internet videos, movies, television programs, and commercials. Additionally, it offers the ability to edit audio. It is a feature-rich video editing program that can be bought independently or as a bundle with the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite. Premiere Pro is widely used in conjunction with Photoshop and After Effects on creative video projects.

What is Adobe After Effects?

After Effects Videomaker
Credit: Videomaker

Adobe After Effects is used to make motion graphics and special effects for presentations, internet content, and video clips. Create cartoon characters, apply simple animations as well as complex ones, and design titles all using After Effects. This program works best when complex or basic effects are added after the video footage has been edited, or when static objects are transformed into animation and motion graphics. It’s a tool for telling stories and producing aesthetically appealing motion graphics that can be integrated into any format to improve a presentation, a narrative, a picture, or a mood.

Differences between Adobe Premiere Pro & Adobe After Effects?

There isn’t a true “versus.” in this debate. Although they do some overlapping activities, they are used for different purposes. But they are very closely related, and like many editors, you can always utilize both simultaneously. You’ll learn how to dynamically link After Effects compositions to your Premiere projects once you’ve become familiar with both applications so you can utilize both resources simultaneously.

While After Effects is primarily an asset-generation program, Premiere assembles all of your elements and produces a finished video result. Although it’s wonderful for making motion-based social videos with only a song bed below, or even a full animation, people finish projects with After Effects all the time.

5 Times Using After Effects over Premiere Pro just makes sense:

  1. After Effects has provided its users with color correction options for a long time. When compared to Premiere Pro which only recently got into the color correction game, After Effects color correction tools win!
  2. As a software, After Effects is amazing for animators. Premiere Pro does not offer an array of options when it comes to adding animated effects to videos.
  3. After Effects is also an amazing tool for visual effects and compositing.
  4. While both softwares are adept at video masking. Adobe After Effects offers its users more control and precision allowing for a smoother final outcome.
  5. After Effects provides its users with brilliant text animation features. While these features are available on Premiere Pro they are pretty standard.

5 Times Using Premiere Pro over After Effects just makes sense:

  1. User Adaptability; Premiere Pro is extremely intuitive and so, is a great starter software for beginners. Once you’ve mastered Premiere Pro the transition to After Effects is much easier.
  2. Premiere Pro offers excellent audio tools. Allowing users to add effects, have access to sound volume levels and so much more. In this case, After Effects definitely has a lot of catching up to do.
  3. The rendering time on Premiere Pro is a lot more time-friendly. After Effects renders vector layers and it also depends on the format you’re rendering your output to. But in general, you’ll find Premiere Pro rendering faster in comparison.
  4. Premiere Pro is a great starting point in anyone’s journey into the post-production world. Mastering Premiere Pro will allow you to transition to a more advanced software easily.
  5. Premiere Pro offers its users a wide variety of stock options. Making it easier on beginners. There are also a lot of Premiere Pro-compatible transition packs.

When to use which software?

We’ve understood that both post-production tools have their uses and are more complementary than actual rivals. It could be related to the relationship between Microsoft Office products; like PowerPoint and Word. They aren’t the same but have overlapping functions.

When to Use Premiere Pro?

Post-production starts after shooting the movie is over. Take a look at what you’ve captured, then start putting a video together. The post-production workflow of a video editor is the focus of Premiere Pro. For content producers and filmmakers to manage and edit video files as well as improve and fine-tune audio and image quality, it is supplied with a suite of potent editing tools.

Features that make Adobe Premiere Pro Worth It

We’re choosing to list a couple of features that win out on Adobe Premiere Pro

Audio Editing

Audio Editing Premium Beat
Credit: Premium Beat

With Premiere Pro, you may enhance or lower the sound levels in your video, add music and sound effects, and edit or synchronize the audio track or clip you captured on location.

Timeline Editing

Timeline Editing
Credit: Newsshooter

The timeline is the foundation of Premiere Pro, where you may drag and drop your video files into the order you want. Although expert YouTubers and Hollywood filmmakers use Premiere Pro to edit top-performing social media posts and blockbuster movies, even novice users may quickly learn how to use the tool.

When to use Adobe After Effects?

After Effects is the industry standard for adding eye-catching motion graphics and visual effects to your videos, whereas Premiere Pro is designed for editing, organizing, and enhancing stuff you’ve previously shot. With a little perseverance and a few helpful tutorials, the possibilities with After Effects are endless.

Features that Make Adobe After Effects Worth It

We’re choosing to list a couple of popular features that win out on Adobe After Effects

Motion Titles and Text

Title Creative Cloud
Credit: Creative Cloud

The motion titles and moving text features in After Effects can produce animated text layers to make eye-catching opening credits sequences, lower third graphic designs, 3D motion text, or kinetic typography videos, whilst Premiere Pro includes certain options for adding text to your movie.

Visual Effects

VFX Black Mixture YT
Credit: Black Mixture (YouTube)

Utilize the capabilities of rotoscoping to extract people or objects from a movie and add distinctive touches like a 3D motion graphic into a scene to add a wide range of visual effects (or VFX) to your videos. With After Effects, the seemingly impossible may be achieved on screen, whether you want to add an explosion to a war scene, add lighting effects after the fact, or produce a motion collage of animation and film.

Animation

Animation Creative Cloud
Credit: Creative Cloud

Designers and animators create 2D and 3D animations with vector and rasterized art using After Effects’ acclaimed motion graphics capabilities. Additionally, you may add images and other tangible media into your animations to create a variety of titles and motion graphics.

Pricing

Both Adobe software feature the same price tag. The software can be availed by either paying $263.88 for a year or $22.99 monthly. However, there is another viable option that may provide better value for money, especially for those who frequently use both applications: Postudio. The all-in-one creative studio allows users to access both Adobe tools online. The best part is that you pay only for what you use. The pay-per-use approach facilitates users to manage their budgets more effectively while still benefiting from the advanced capabilities of both powerful programs.

Final Thoughts

Choose Premiere Pro as your primary piece of software if you’re just starting in video production and wish to create beautiful videos. It’s a sophisticated tool that even a beginner can easily learn to use; you can experiment, look for workarounds, and gain confidence at your own pace. We’ve come out with a great set of how-tos for Premiere Pro.

Best of all, if you decide to use After Effects in the future, many of the Premiere Pro skills you master will apply. Because at the end of the day, they are two unique types of software: Premiere Pro focuses more on asset assembly whereas After Effects is more interested in asset creation. Although neither product is subpar if the choice is between Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects, Premiere Pro is recommended for beginners.

If you’re looking to use both software at a fraction of the price. Head on over to Postudio and start creating your works of art!

Adobe Premiere Pro vs. Adobe After Effects: Which Should You Use?

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