This Week's Showdown: Mac vs PC (Mid-Level Editing Software)

Last week was originally going to be a comparison between Final Cut Pro and Adobe Premiere, but once I started writing it, it quickly turned into Mac vs PC, and I figured that if I was going to start a Mac vs PC series of blog posts, I might as well start with the basics.  So i did Windows Live Movie Maker vs iMovie.  This week I'm doing Premiere vs FCP.

Now before I start, I'd just like to clarify that Adobe Premiere works just as well on Mac as it does on PC, and that Adobe is not affiliated with Microsoft.  The only reason I'm calling this "Mac vs PC" is because people tend to associate Premiere and the other programs in the Adobe Creative Suite with PC, probably because far fewer people use them with Mac.  Also keep in mind that I edit with Premiere at home, and I use Final Cut Pro at school, so I am fairly experienced with both programs.  With that out of the way, let's begin.

The first thing any frugal American will notice when comparing these two editing programs is the price.  Final Cut Pro 7, the most recent and widely-used version, costs 1,000 dollars.  Final Cut Pro X, the budget version, only costs 300.  On the other hand, Adobe Premiere Pro CS 5.5, the version that I edit with, is 800 dollars.  I know that it's not the most recent version, but I would guess that it's still the version that most people use because the newest one hasn't had enough time to catch on yet.

The next thing to look at is how well both programs live up to their intended uses.  Since they are both top-of-the line mid-level editing programs, it is safe to assume that the people who will be using them are mainly advanced amateurs, in some cases professionals, meaning that the standards that they have to live up to are much higher than those of Windows Live Movie Maker and iMovie.  In this category, Final Cut Pro has the best track record.  More big-budget professional movies have been edited in Final Cut Pro than in Premiere.  However, since the release of FCP X, which sacrificed several features to cater more to film makers on a tighter budget, Adobe Premiere has been considered more proffessional than FCP.  In a way, this is not fair to Apple, because the full version is just as professional as Premiere, but as they seem to have no intention of making a FCP 8 and instead plan to focus on FCP X, Premiere has the upper hand.

Until next time.