You Create Videos with Photoshop? Why Not Premier?

Why do you make videos with Photoshop Creative Cloud? Isn’t Final Cut or Premier better?

Many photographers assume that I edit my videos in Premier or Final Cut Pro, because that is the typical program to do so. And they are probably the best, and definitely fully capable programs to use. They ARE better and certainly more powerful than Photoshop for video editing! But what if you don’t currently have the program OR know how to use it? The learning curve ahead is looming….. and we wonder, “will I use it enough to warrant the cost and time….? “

Here’s my thinking process: I am a still photographer who knows AND uses Photoshop and Lightroom every day and since Photoshop can be used to edit video, I should just give it a try and see how far I could go with it! Besides, if I don’t need to buy and learn another program, it would be bonus! So, I began experimenting and learning and found that although it is a not fully controllable like in pro video software, it is QUITE capable and is great as a “Light Version” to edit videos! Actually, I found that it is even superior to Premier in certain tasks like Layer masking and doing some custom blends and creations like this:

“Sunrise Ritual” is probably the most beautiful piece of moving Art I have created as of yet. It is magical and amazing… something I created in real time journey, purely because I shot the original footage in 4K video for the purpose of pulling out great still frames. It started out as a still image composite! But I wondered, hmmm…. what if those figures danced!?? ….I had no idea I could make something this beautiful from it.

https://youtu.be/7yRNb2v_j-c&w=825

 

So, here’s what I tell people: If you are serious about editing videos and want to create short films or longer shows, definitely learn Premier Pro!! BUT if you just want to do a little Hybrid and create short video “moving portraits” as I call them, PSCC and Lightroom are totally adequate to do the job. (and you already have them and know your way around them too!)

In fact, If you already know your way around in Photoshop, I can actually teach you enough in ONE DAY for you to be able to create finished videos! There is NO WAY you could learn enough Premier Pro in one day to get anywhere close to that, if it is new to you!

I liken Photoshop to a Swiss Army knife. It can do anything… a screwdriver, knife, saw, corkscrew, etc. it works great for small projects. But if you are going to build a house- don’t use a Swiss Army knife! Get yourself a power drill and saw! In the same way, Photoshop is also handy for lots of things—you can do mixer brush painting (light) and video editing (light) and bulk processing (light). But if you are gonna get into the real stuff and the big projects, Get Corel Painter and Premier Pro and Lightroom! They are built for efficiency and powerful enough to handle the big projects.

I’m not claiming to be a cinematographer- I’m a hybrid photographer and it works out great for me to create my works of Moving Art with Photoshop and Lightroom. I will be sharing more videos on how to use them very soon on SuzetteSays.com, and in the meantime, here are a few custom videos created with Photoshop that I love.

https://youtu.be/1T9_TfKuyiQ&w=825

 

https://youtu.be/mb-88ELJTFA&w=825

SuzetteSays: Create now, with what you have and along the journey of discovery, you will figure out what you need. The prices of creating grows you and expands your vision, making way for more expression. There is no way to know where you will end up. So don’t fear or agonize about the unknown– don’t delay- begin at once! Your Journey awaits!