Pro versus Elements

[S***@adobeforums.com]

Not wishing to cross-post, I put this on the Elements forum but then decided this Pro forum might be better, so apologies to anyone reading this twice.

I have been considering using Elements in addition to Pro. I know that sounds weird but Pro being Pro does tend to be over complex in many areas and I would sometimes welcome some of the automation in Elements for those not so important projects. However I am very concerned about the performance problems some guys are getting with Elements. On my machine Pro is fine. I then tried Pinnacle Studio Plus 9 which I found terrible, especially the stuttering scrubbers and the slow rendering. I assume this is because Pro, being a far more expensive product, will run cleaner with the available resources, or maybe in Studio there are more processes working at the same time to enable the degree of automation that it has.

Anyway, I am now worried that Elements, being the same market level as Studio may have the same problems. Does anyone have their own performance comparison between Pro and Elements before I spend my money? Thanks.

[J***@adobeforums.com]

Syd, there are two better questions you should be asking at this time:

Firstly, what is it that you feel Elements has that Pro doesn't? I know from previous postings that some users prefer the interface and find several of the 'friendly' bits more useful but what in your case is the kicker? It may be that what you want is already there or possible in Pro, or that you're doing something in a complicated way when a simpler option exists.

Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, as you may be aware there's a big rumour going around that the Video Collection is about to be updated. Since Elements has been updated since Pro 1.5 it's quite possible that Pro 2.0 will include some of the bits found in the latest version of Elements. Of course, the rumour of a new version of Pro is exactly that - a rumour, but it seems likely that something will happen soon.

Jon

[S***@adobeforums.com]

Hi Jon
Thanks for the reply. Some of the things I was looking to simplifying were DVD authoring & menus, exposure control and P-in-P, to mention just a few. It is nice sometimes to just accept an auto fix or a bog standard template, which is where Elements comes in. How often have we spent too long fiddling with a background or a title just because we can.

However, your guess at a new version of Pro may well be worth holding back for, in the hope that some Elements elements will leap over to Pro. The move is not urgent so I shall take your advice and wait a couple of months to see what happens. Thanks for your thoughts.

[J***@adobeforums.com]

Syd, you know you can set your own effect presets in Pro? You mentioned picture in picture so you could, for example, create a preset that moved and scaled a clip into the upper right corner and call it PiP Upper Right. Presets also save keyframe information so you could make others with motion over time. Presets are cool when you do the same thing time after time. You can make presets out of any effect (I think) and can customise the bins, names, etc. to your hearts content.

Personally I'd be a little surprised if Pro included any extensive DVD authoring tools. They exist in Elements because that's really an 'all-in-one' tool aimed at the consumer market. I think Adobe expects that Pro users delivering on a DVD format will be using an authoring package (preferably Encore!) and I don't think that's an unreasonable assumption. Having said that, every now and again I do a quick and dirty promo for a TV station and it'd be nice to be able to create a simple menu direct from Pro. We'll find out soon, maybe.

Jon

[S***@adobeforums.com]

Jon, Presets are good for repeated work but I rarely repeat the same format. That's why it's sometimes nice to be able to bang something in nice and quick without too much time spent tweaking. I do have some presets but I find I spend time fiddling with them whenever I use them. It's always a fine line between using a standard offering and tailoring something especially for a project.

I have Encore but once again, I find I spend too much time in there. It's one of those programs that is so detailed that I have to force myself to stop "finalising" and say "That's good enough, no more". I know it's good that Adobe give a high level of editability, but it really is nice sometimes, especially on a Friday, to just click a button!!! Thanks for your thoughts.