Which NLE do you use...?

[Zach Stewart]

I would like to see a poll for who uses what NLE to do the job.

I'm currently using Premiere Pro 2.0 (about to upgrade to CS3). I've been using premiere since version 6.0, and it does what i need. At work I use Avid Media Composer but see no immediate reason to invest into Avid workflow for the event videography business.


What is everyone else using and why?

[Richard Gooderick]

I bought (Avid) Liquid two years ago. I've invested a lot of time in learning to use it so I'm not inclined to change. But I may have to as Avid are planning to replace it.
However, I'm going to wait until I see the replacement before deciding. Liquid is doing a good job for the time being.

It has some features which I believe were once unique but are now common eg automatic back up every second and the ability to mix all kinds of formats on the same timeline.

It has a very good storyboarding tool which I find invaluable for constructing a sequence from many shots. I don't know how many other NLEs offer this function and would be interested to learn if others do.

[Jason Boyette]

Sony Vegas and Final Cut Pro.
The last two weddings I used Vegas, my next I want to use Final Cut from start to finish and compare the time and results between the two.

I'm also going to try a SDE and if it works then I'll show it, if not it is good practice (I haven't mentioned anything about it to the bride and groom) so they are not expecting it.

Have a nice day

[Shaun Conner]

I'm using Premiere Pro 2.0. Bought a mac and fcs 2 in march and trying it out now. Haven't been able to get any work lately so I can't really test it like I want.

[Chris Medico]

Avid Liquid here.

[Ethan Cooper]

Originally Posted by Zach Stewart

I've been using premiere since version 6.0, and it does what i need.

That's the important thing here, does the program do the job you need? Everything else is secondary.

I'm an Apple disciple and therefore use FCP. I learned on Avid in college & worked with a Media Composer at my first job, but bought FCP3 coming out of school and never looked back. I eventually convinced my former employer to make the switch and they never looked back either.

[Nick Avdienko]

I have Final Cut Studio and I think I am very happy with it. I was frustrated with the learning curve, but once I got he basics down, it was really easy. I also tried PP and Vegas a bit - but I settled with FCP. But hey, I'm a Mac guy...

[Ethan Cooper]

Originally Posted by Nick Avdienko

...but I settled with FCP. But hey, I'm a Mac guy...

I think that in our level of the production world, which ever side of the Mac/PC thing you favor will partially determine your NLE of choice. There are a few Mac people who run Avid or Adobe, but the majority use FCP. PC users don't have access to FCP and therefore use something else.

Most of us aren't doing insane effects work or anything that. 90% of what I do are straight cuts. As long as you give me a NLE that can utilize my color corrector of choice, then I can cut & grade the same stuff on any of them. I'd imagine if iMovie could handle my color corrector then I could probably cut my stuff together on that. (it would drive me nuts, but it's possible) I use FCP Studio mainly because I'm familiar with the interface, know it's stable on my machines, and like the flexibility of the other tools in the Studio for non-wedding work.

[Zach Stewart]

I have to admit...I get a TON of criticism from the old school AVID editors that still believe that nothing but AVID is the way to go. I love the avid workflow but to be honest there isn't much different in my eyes between Premiere and AVID, or even FCP. If we were doing multi edit bays, offline footage, and high dollar budgets; then yes Avid would be the way to go more than likely. If I had a Mac I would definitely be using FCP over Premiere, but then again the dynamic link works out great for me so I might not switch. The biggest learning curve for me with Avid has been the layering of effects. In Premiere it treats just like what Photoshop would, I can put an effect ontop of another without chaning everything but in AVID you have to really think out what your about to do and how to nest things properly to get the result your looking for. Who knows, maybe a year from now I'll be all gunho for AVID but for now I edit much faster with Premiere.

[Jeremy Colin]

I use Final Cut Pro

[Mike Oveson]

Sony Vegas here, from version 6 through 8. It works well for what I need, plus it's not too expensive. It's also much more stable than Premiere, which is what I initially started on years back.

[Randy Panado]

Started with Vegas, then went to Premiere 6.0, then to Premiere Pro 2.0, now I'm using FCP and PP CS3 on Mac.

I just use PP CS3 for capturing though, FCP capturing was too complicated for me and I never got around to figuring it out.

[Ethan Cooper]

PP CS3 seems like an expensive capture program.

[Jason Robinson]

I've been a fan of Vegas from the start. I did the whole "try out all of them" thing. I used Liquid for a project I did for a client on their hardware.... hated hated hated it. I tried Avid Express HD, Premier Pro, ULead, and Vegas 6. I decided vegas was the fastest to learn, seemed to provide the most number of tools with out needing expensive plugins, and had scripting if you wanted to add functionality. So I bought the full version and haven't even considered anything else. I skipped 7 though. Didn't see a need. But I did get 8. Much improved, if for nothign other than the window layout presets. Such a time savor when I want to switch to my work flow for CC work vs seeing all the time line and doing the rough cutting.

[Kevin Shaw]

I use Edius here, which is one of the most common in our local association along with Premiere and Final Cut, plus a few Vegas users. Any sufficiently advance NLE will work fine if you learn how to make the most of it, and none of them are perfect for everyone in all circumstances.