How and Why to switch from Adobe to Avid

It’s human nature for each of us to play favorites. Editors can display a strong preference for their favorite video editing applications. Conventional wisdom and marketplace prominence could make one believe that Adobe Premiere Pro CC is the most popular editing app today. It is true the Adobe platform is popular, and with the wide range of tools it puts in an editor’s hands, rightfully so, but popularity can be fleeting. Just because something's popular doesn’t mean it has universal appeal. Sometimes, it’s necessary to expand your horizon and learn how to work in new environment.

The Big Show

Hollywood films and network television shows are major productions, both involving numerous crew members. More time and money is spent on post-production for feature films than what’s spent on any other post-production niche in the industry. The major post houses need an editing tool that is stable and scalable. For that reason Avid Media Composer an industry-standard post-production platform in Hollywood. But it’s not just Hollywood who’s fond of Media Composer, many newsrooms, which rely on shared media assets, are dependent on the Media Composer workflow.

There’s no reason for any editor to go without learning Avid Media Composer either, Avid offers a free trial to anyone who wants to explore it.

An editor who chooses to work in television or film can do themselves no better favor than learning to cut on an Avid system. While it’s true that editing is more about technique than it is toolset, it’s difficult to get a job when one doesn’t know how to use the tools that are set before them. An editor with a wide array of abilities, and a deeper toolbox, is most likely to land more gigs. There’s no reason for any editor to go without learning Avid Media Composer either, Avid offers a free trial to anyone who wants to explore it.

Takes On Anything

Media Composer’s popularity and longevity in film and television is not due to any trend or marketing scheme. It’s popular based on what it does well. Many popular video editing programs are great desktop platforms, set up for a project based workflow. They do the job they need to do and are great options for a single person or smaller post operations. Media Composer is built on an architecture that allows for multiple editors to work on the same project, at the same time, while using the same assets. With multiple editors working on the same project, while stationed at multiple workstations, an editor can make a change to a sequence and when saved that change will show up in that project across all the workstations. Media Composer is able to pull off this acrobatic feat of collaboration all while remaining stable and crash free.

Keyboard Friendly

Editing speed is an important factor in professional environments. An editor needs to be efficient in order to do quality work in a short amount of time. One of the easiest ways for an editor to double their editing speed is to learn and use keyboard shortcuts. An editor can get even faster by ditching the mouse altogether. On most editing platforms, it doesn’t matter how many shortcuts and control interfaces the platform has, you still have to use your mouse to execute a large number of functions. One of the reasons Avid has such a loyal fan base is that Media Composer editors are able to use their keyboard for just about everything. It saves a lot of time and becomes second nature for the editor.

A Deep Toolset

The architecture of Media Composer allows it to work with HDR footage, high frame rates and screen resolutions up to 8K. Media Composer isn’t a platform that’s isolated to editing and then forces the user to hop into another program to run the gamut of post-production tasks. Media Composer contains a strong built-in chroma keyer, tracking, titling options and a plug-in suite of effects with Boris Continuum Complete. One of Media Composer’s most powerful features is its color correction tools, which are fully compatible with Avid’s very own control surfaces. The fact that Avid has its own hardware to enhance the software means that the peripherals are reliable. Media Composer editors don’t need to waste time trying to integrate third party products into their edit bay. The hardware works hand-in-hand with the software, so the editor can spend their time on the footage instead of the system.

Conclusion

When a video editor decides to step into the octagon of feature film and television work, there’s no better move they can make than learning to edit with Avid Media Composer. It has the strength to wrestle the largest of projects while being more than agile enough to gracefully make the finest of edits. After all these years, Avid still holds the belt. 

Chris “Ace” Gates is an Emmy Award-winning writer and video producer.

Chris "Ace" Gates is a four time Emmy Award-winning writer and producer. He is a big fan of animation and transmedia storytelling.