I asked this in the Premiere forum but didn't get any answers, I hope I'll have better luck here.

I have some shaky XL2 shots that I need to use, but can't as is. I just want a simple stabilizing plugin for After Effects or Premiere Pro or a stand alone software that does this job (and actually works). The shots were handheld. Basic face closeups.

Thanks

It's a third party plug-in so may or may not continue to be offered with PPro, but my PPro (licensed as part of Adobe Video Collection Pro) included SteadyMove from 2d3. Plug-ins for PPro are available here, including a $499 -- ouch -- Pro version of SteadyMove:
http://www.adobe.com/products/plugins/premiere/main.html

AE Pro (but not standard) has built-in motion tracking that works at the subpixel level and has a mode for stabilizing. If you have AE Standard or are considering getting AE, my personal vote is to go Pro...IMHO, well worth the extra $$ over Standard.

Thanks Pete for the suggestions. AE I do not have or use so this wasn't an option. I only asked about an AE plugin because they usually work with PPro.

Funny thing is I had tried SteadyMove Pro unsuccessfuly in the past on an other project and it did an awful job, distorting all the faces. But just to make sure I tried it again (actually tried the standard version) and this time it worked perfectly. Might have been my settings that were not right, but SM has helped me stabilize the footage I needed. So I'll be buying the standard version after all.

I guess it all works out in the end. I'm still puzzled there is not more stabilization plugins out there though. SteadyMove is the only one I ever heard about for Premiere. Strange.