As a keen
video editor I welcomed the opportunity of
reviewing Adobe Production Premium CS3. There is no
doubt about it, that as far as I am concerned the
fact that Adobe has made this available for the mac
operating system has to be one of the biggest
features of them all, I recently acquired a new
Apple iMac 2.4 GHZ with 4 Gigs of ram, and massive
320 gig hard drive, and of course this ran Leopard
10.5. However at this point, there were minor bug
issues related to the suite and the new Apple
operating system 10.5. However Adobe has been on
the ball as far as keeping its pro users updated as
to when update patches would be available, and sure
enough in December 2007 they were made available,
just as they stated on their website. So really it
was the case of now getting busy discovering the
features and benefits of this fine application.
Interface Overview
One of the first things I liked about this application is the interface, the fact that it was not made up of lots of little separate windows, where you would have to minimize each section in order to access the desktop or finder, it is simply the case of minimising one window. Of course one of the new features of Leopard 10.5 is “Spaces” where you can assign different applications in different desktop spaces within Leopard 10.5. This would avoid the frustration of mac applications that have independent separate windows within their graphic user interface.
Other aspects I like about the user workspace, is the pure logic of how the user interface has individual sections for different tasks and is set out for easy access, I found that I quickly became accustomed to where I needed to be, to perform a task or operation. The tutorials provided real help in accelerating the learning process, and I found that I could perform basic operations within a couple of hours.
New Features Overview
Frequently mentioned so far is the fact that this is now available for the Mac operating system, which gives Apple a run for its money, with its Final Cut Pro application.
However there are other features that Premiere Pro CS3 has to offer, to justify the upgrade, especially if you are a windows user.
This first one offers real value for money for those that acquire Premiere Pro CS3 :
More Applications Added
If you purchase Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 as a separate package then you are in for a surprise, because now Adobe has bundled 2 other products in, Adobe Encore CS3, and an application originally developed by “Serious Magic” Adobe OnLocation CS3. However for Production Premium CS3 buyers Adobe On Location CS3 will be the added bonus.
Adobe Encore provides DVD Authoring, but with exceptional features involving the export to Blu-Ray Disc, DVD, Flash (SWF) export for the web. Adobe OnLocation CS3 allows you to calibrate your camera and monitor video signals, as well as capture your footage direct to your laptop hard-drive, with many customisations to give you that professional finish. For mac users this application will run on Apple Leopards Boot Camp, that accommodates Windows XP or Vista.
Read more about Adobe OnLocation CS3 here
Read more about Adobe Encore CS3 here
High Quality Slow Motion
The new slow motion feature is excellent, its a simple process, by selecting the “Time Re-Mapping tool” from the effects menu and applying it to a clip on the timeline, and simply adding some keyframes, you can smoothly increase or slow down a clip's frame rate, even to the point of freezing a frame or reversing direction, I found the results much more superior to the likes of Apple’s iMovie 06.
Improved Display And Search Feature
Usually when undertaking a project I find that you collect a lot of files whether these would be video, audio, images, titles, etc. When you want to access a file for the timeline, it can slow down your workflow when you have spend unnecessary time looking for it. That is why Adobe has seen to it that you can sort and organise your media into multiple project panels with a choice of viewing your files with a text or graphical view. And now when you type in the search for a specific file name, the results display even while you are typing.
Improved Editing Efficiency
Work faster with powerful and flexible editing tools. No more waiting for audio to render when working with nested sequences. Replace any clip in the timeline with a new clip while preserving the replaced clip's attributes, filters, and settings.
Other New Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 includes the Color Key effect borrowed from After Effects. This is now the preferred effect for chromakey. Also, in the effects folders, you will find a Difference Matte effect, a Dip To White transition, and six new audio filters: Chorus, DeClicker, DeCrackler, Flanger, Phaser, and SpectralDeNoiser.
My Observations
The art of design is evident within this application, everything is conveniently placed, and the workspace can be customised to suit your needs this is a must for professional users who want to save workspace designs for specific tasks.
Sadly I found that with certain mov files I worked with, the audio would not import correctly, but was fine with DV or avi, I have not had time to research this point at the moment. But I can say that no other obstacles stood in my way, and the results were satisfactory.
Another thing I noticed was that there were some nice titling templates which included many variations in a particular style, these are not obviously placed within the user interface, but can be located in the top commands under “Title”.
Also fantastic integration with Adobe Encore CS3 which I used to finish off my project with DVD Menus. This was a bit of a learning curve, but I was quickly able to master Adobe’s way of working with this, thanks to the help files and lynda.com training.
There is much more I could say about this, but my final statement about this is that Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 has to be the best ever application I ever worked with and I can say this with authority.
However I wish more transitions and effect presets were included. The workspace is excellently set out, but I must admit your eye sight is strained a bit when using the timeline. The icons and arrows are a bit small, but really they are not serious criticisms. I produced a quite involved project with this application, and found that everything ran smoothly, I would not think of using another Mac application for this sort of task for the future. I think Adobe has done a fantastic job of introducing this back into the Mac world. I for one look forward to any enhancements that they release in the up and coming future.
Interface Overview
One of the first things I liked about this application is the interface, the fact that it was not made up of lots of little separate windows, where you would have to minimize each section in order to access the desktop or finder, it is simply the case of minimising one window. Of course one of the new features of Leopard 10.5 is “Spaces” where you can assign different applications in different desktop spaces within Leopard 10.5. This would avoid the frustration of mac applications that have independent separate windows within their graphic user interface.
Other aspects I like about the user workspace, is the pure logic of how the user interface has individual sections for different tasks and is set out for easy access, I found that I quickly became accustomed to where I needed to be, to perform a task or operation. The tutorials provided real help in accelerating the learning process, and I found that I could perform basic operations within a couple of hours.
New Features Overview
Frequently mentioned so far is the fact that this is now available for the Mac operating system, which gives Apple a run for its money, with its Final Cut Pro application.
However there are other features that Premiere Pro CS3 has to offer, to justify the upgrade, especially if you are a windows user.
This first one offers real value for money for those that acquire Premiere Pro CS3 :
More Applications Added
If you purchase Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 as a separate package then you are in for a surprise, because now Adobe has bundled 2 other products in, Adobe Encore CS3, and an application originally developed by “Serious Magic” Adobe OnLocation CS3. However for Production Premium CS3 buyers Adobe On Location CS3 will be the added bonus.
Adobe Encore provides DVD Authoring, but with exceptional features involving the export to Blu-Ray Disc, DVD, Flash (SWF) export for the web. Adobe OnLocation CS3 allows you to calibrate your camera and monitor video signals, as well as capture your footage direct to your laptop hard-drive, with many customisations to give you that professional finish. For mac users this application will run on Apple Leopards Boot Camp, that accommodates Windows XP or Vista.
Read more about Adobe OnLocation CS3 here
Read more about Adobe Encore CS3 here
High Quality Slow Motion
The new slow motion feature is excellent, its a simple process, by selecting the “Time Re-Mapping tool” from the effects menu and applying it to a clip on the timeline, and simply adding some keyframes, you can smoothly increase or slow down a clip's frame rate, even to the point of freezing a frame or reversing direction, I found the results much more superior to the likes of Apple’s iMovie 06.
Improved Display And Search Feature
Usually when undertaking a project I find that you collect a lot of files whether these would be video, audio, images, titles, etc. When you want to access a file for the timeline, it can slow down your workflow when you have spend unnecessary time looking for it. That is why Adobe has seen to it that you can sort and organise your media into multiple project panels with a choice of viewing your files with a text or graphical view. And now when you type in the search for a specific file name, the results display even while you are typing.
Improved Editing Efficiency
Work faster with powerful and flexible editing tools. No more waiting for audio to render when working with nested sequences. Replace any clip in the timeline with a new clip while preserving the replaced clip's attributes, filters, and settings.
Other New Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 includes the Color Key effect borrowed from After Effects. This is now the preferred effect for chromakey. Also, in the effects folders, you will find a Difference Matte effect, a Dip To White transition, and six new audio filters: Chorus, DeClicker, DeCrackler, Flanger, Phaser, and SpectralDeNoiser.
My Observations
The art of design is evident within this application, everything is conveniently placed, and the workspace can be customised to suit your needs this is a must for professional users who want to save workspace designs for specific tasks.
Sadly I found that with certain mov files I worked with, the audio would not import correctly, but was fine with DV or avi, I have not had time to research this point at the moment. But I can say that no other obstacles stood in my way, and the results were satisfactory.
Another thing I noticed was that there were some nice titling templates which included many variations in a particular style, these are not obviously placed within the user interface, but can be located in the top commands under “Title”.
Also fantastic integration with Adobe Encore CS3 which I used to finish off my project with DVD Menus. This was a bit of a learning curve, but I was quickly able to master Adobe’s way of working with this, thanks to the help files and lynda.com training.
There is much more I could say about this, but my final statement about this is that Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 has to be the best ever application I ever worked with and I can say this with authority.
However I wish more transitions and effect presets were included. The workspace is excellently set out, but I must admit your eye sight is strained a bit when using the timeline. The icons and arrows are a bit small, but really they are not serious criticisms. I produced a quite involved project with this application, and found that everything ran smoothly, I would not think of using another Mac application for this sort of task for the future. I think Adobe has done a fantastic job of introducing this back into the Mac world. I for one look forward to any enhancements that they release in the up and coming future.
