Which video editor is better: Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve? Find out here.
If you are looking for a professional video editor, you might have come across two popular names: Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve. Both are powerful and versatile tools that can handle various video formats, effects, transitions, and color grading. But which one is better for your needs? In this article, we will compare the features, performance, ease of use, and pricing of these two video editors and help you decide which one to pick.
What Is Premiere Pro?
Premiere Pro is Adobe’s flagship video editing software, used by many industry professionals and enthusiasts. It is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which means you can access other Adobe apps like Photoshop, After Effects, Audition, and more from within Premiere Pro.
Premiere Pro has a user-friendly interface that uses an NLE (non-linear editing) timeline, where you can arrange your clips, audio tracks, transitions, effects, and titles in sequences. You can also customize your workspace by rearranging the panels and saving your preferences. Premiere Pro supports a wide range of video formats, codecs, resolutions, and frame rates. You can edit 4K footage, HDR content, VR videos, and more with ease.
Premiere Pro also has a rich collection of built-in effects, transitions, titles, and graphics that you can apply to your videos. You can also use third-party plugins and presets to enhance your editing options. Premiere Pro has a powerful color correction and grading toolset that lets you adjust the exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance, and more of your clips. You can also use Lumetri scopes to monitor the color information of your videos. Premiere Pro also integrates with Adobe Sensei, an artificial intelligence feature that can help you with tasks like auto-reframe, scene edit detection, speech-to-text transcription, and more.
What Is DaVinci Resolve?
DaVinci Resolve is a video editing software developed by Blackmagic Design, a company known for its studio and production hardware.
DaVinci Resolve started as a color grading software but has evolved into an all-in-one editor that includes editing, compositing, audio editing, and delivery tools. DaVinci Resolve has a modular interface that divides the user interface into five sections: Cut & Edit, Fusion, Color, Fairlight, and Deliver. Each section performs as described in its name. Cut & Edit is where you can trim, arrange, and edit your clips on a freeform timeline.0
Fusion is where you can create motion graphics and visual effects using a node-based system. Color is where you can perform advanced color correction and grading using professional tools and scopes. Fairlight is where you can edit and mix audio tracks using a digital audio workstation. Deliver is where you can export your final video in various formats and settings.
DaVinci Resolve supports a wide range of video formats, codecs, resolutions, and frame rates as well. You can edit 4K footage, HDR content, VR videos, and more with ease. DaVinci Resolve also has a rich collection of built-in effects, transitions, titles, and graphics that you can apply to your videos. You can also use third-party plugins and presets to enhance your editing options. DaVinci Resolve is known for its powerful color correction and grading toolset that lets you adjust the exposure, contrast, saturation, white balance, and more of your clips using primary and secondary controls, curves, wheels, and vectorscopes. You can also use LUTs (lookup tables) to apply different color styles to your videos.
Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve: Comparison
Now that we have seen what each video editor offers, let’s compare them based on some key factors:
Ease of Use
Both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve have steep learning curves, but they are not impossible to master. A total beginner might feel more comfortable with Premiere Pro’s interface, as it is more intuitive and familiar than DaVinci Resolve’s. Premiere Pro also has more tutorials and resources available online to help you learn the basics and advanced features.DaVinci Resolve’s interface might seem more intimidating at first, especially if you are not used to working with nodes or multiple sections. However, once you get the hang of it, you might appreciate the flexibility and power that DaVinci Resolve offers.DaVinci Resolve also has some tutorials and resources available online, but not as many as Premiere Pro.
Performance
Both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve require a powerful computer to run smoothly, especially if you are working with high-resolution or complex footage. However, DaVinci Resolve might have an edge over Premiere Pro in terms of performance, as it uses GPU acceleration to speed up the rendering and playback process. Premiere Pro relies more on CPU and RAM, which might cause some lagging or crashing issues if your system is not up to par.DaVinci Resolve also has a feature called Proxy Mode, which lets you edit your videos using low-resolution versions of your clips, and then switch back to the original quality when you are ready to export. This can save you a lot of time and disk space, and improve your workflow. Premiere Pro also has a similar feature called Proxy Workflow, but it is not as seamless or convenient as DaVinci Resolves.
Features
Both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve have a lot of features to offer, but they differ in some aspects. Premiere Pro has more integration with other Adobe apps, which can be useful if you need to use Photoshop, After Effects, Audition, or other software for your projects. Premiere Pro also has more support for third-party plugins and presets, which can expand your creative options and save you time.DaVinci Resolve has more advanced features for color correction and grading, which can give you more control and precision over the look and feel of your videos.DaVinci Resolve also has more features for compositing and motion graphics, which can help you create stunning visual effects and animations.DaVinci Resolve also has a free version that offers most of the features of the paid version, except for some limitations like 4K export, noise reduction, collaboration tools, and more.
Pricing
Premiere Pro is only available as a subscription-based service, which means you have to pay a monthly or annual fee to use it. The current price for Premiere Pro is $20.99 per month or $239.88 per year for a single-app plan or $52.99 per month or $599.88 per year for an all-apps plan that includes other Adobe software. You can also get a student or teacher discount that reduces the price to $19.99 per month or $239.88 per year for an all-apps plan.DaVinci Resolve has two versions: a free version and a paid version called DaVinci Resolve Studio. The free version offers most of the features of the paid version, except for some limitations like 4K export, noise reduction, collaboration tools, and more. The paid version costs $299 as a one-time purchase, which gives you lifetime access and updates. You can also get a free license for DaVinci Resolve Studio if you buy certain Blackmagic Design hardware products.
Premiere Pro Pricing
DaVinci Resolve Pricing
Where i can download Premiere Pro
Where i can download DaVinci Resolve
FAQs
Premiere Pro is Adobe’s flagship video editing software that offers a user-friendly interface and supports a wide range of video formats, effects, transitions, and color grading. It is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite and provides integration with other Adobe apps.
DaVinci Resolve is a video editing software developed by Blackmagic Design. Initially designed for color grading, it has evolved into a comprehensive video editor that includes editing, compositing, audio editing, and delivery tools. It offers a modular interface with different sections for various tasks.
Premiere Pro has a more intuitive and familiar interface, making it more suitable for beginners. It also provides extensive online tutorials and resources for learning. DaVinci Resolve’s interface may appear intimidating at first, especially for those unfamiliar with nodes or multiple sections, but it offers greater flexibility and power once mastered. However, it has relatively fewer tutorials available online compared to Premiere Pro.
Both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve require a powerful computer to handle high-resolution or complex footage. However, DaVinci Resolve utilizes GPU acceleration for rendering and playback, potentially offering better performance. Premiere Pro relies more on CPU and RAM, which may result in lagging or crashing if your system is not up to the task. DaVinci Resolve’s Proxy Mode allows editing with low-resolution clips to save time and disk space.
Premiere Pro offers better integration with other Adobe apps like Photoshop, After Effects, and Audition, making it convenient for workflows involving multiple software. It also provides extensive support for third-party plugins and presets, expanding creative options. DaVinci Resolve excels in color correction and grading, offering advanced tools and precision controls. It also provides robust features for compositing and motion graphics. The free version of DaVinci Resolve offers most features, while the paid version (DaVinci Resolve Studio) includes additional capabilities but comes at a cost.
Conclusion
Both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve are excellent video editors that can handle various video projects and needs. However, they have some differences that might make one more suitable for you than the other. If you are looking for a user-friendly, integrated, and versatile video editor that works well with other Adobe apps and has more plugin support, you might prefer Premiere Pro. If you are looking for a powerful, flexible, and affordable video edit that excels in color correction, grading, compositing, and motion graphics, you might prefer DaVinci Resolve.
