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View Full Version : PC World Reviews Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0: Powerful but Intimidating


Jason Dunn
10-21-2005, 04:30 PM
<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1873409,00.asp?kc=PCRSS02129TX1K0000530' target='_blank'>http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1759,1873409,00.asp?kc=PCRSS02129TX1K0000530</a><br /><br /></div><i>"We never doubted that Adobe Premiere Elements 2.0, hewn from professional editor Adobe Premiere Pro, would be exceptionally powerful. Our concerns going in were related to usability and the availability of consumer-oriented features. While Version 2.0 makes good strides in both departments, Pinnacle Studio remains a better choice for making simple home movies. But if you're seeking a highly capable, inexpensive program for more ambitious projects, Premiere Elements is the way to go. The initial version of Premiere Elements placed a consumerish veneer over Premiere Pro and added DVD-authoring capabilities with gorgeous templates (but minimal navigation options or customizability). There were some bright points, like elegant canned titles that matched the DVD templates and strong integration with PhotoShop Elements, but scratch the surface and Premiere Pro showed through. "</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/adobe-premiere-2.jpg" /><br /><br />Since I posted on Pinnacle Studio 10 and rambled on about what I didn't like with Adobe Premiere Elements 1.0, it was only fair that I also post a link to the PC World review of Premiere Elements 2.0. Overall, they say it's an improvement over 1.0, but it still lacks polish and ease-of-use for novices. I've been doing digital video editing since the <a href="http://www.matrox.com/mga/products/upgrades/rr_studio.cfm">Matrox Rainbow Runner MJPEG capture card days</a> (oh man, those were painful days!), and while I know my way around most video editing programs, I don't <i>want</i> a complex interface. I want something that's fast and easy to use, and doesn't get in my way. That's my biggest problem with Premiere Elements 1.0: I feel like it's getting in my way. But check this out: remember my <a href="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/index.php?topic_id=9107">VOB rant</a>? Well look what Adobe added in 2.0:<br /><br /><i>"As with Studio, Premiere Elements can now retrieve videos from non-copy-protected DVDs, an increasingly useful feature now that most video projects are rendered to DVD."</i><br /><br />Am I a freakin' <a href="http://www.thepsionguild.net/hotline.html">precog</a> or what! ;-) Has anyone used Premiere Elements 2.0 yet? If so, what are your thoughts?