June 23, 2025

I've scheduled a series of webinars on color grading - last week was on Final Cut. Resolve will be in early July.

This week's webinar looks at "Video Scopes & Color Grading in Adobe Premiere Pro." I'm still writing parts of this, but so far, this session has over two dozen demos covering everything from reading scopes to Ai-assisted tools to the new color pipeline. If you use Premiere and want your images to look their best, this session is for you. Registration to my live events is always free.

Last week's webinar, on Color in Final Cut Pro, had more than three dozen demos, including some I had not presented before.

One of them, on using the Comparison View along with the new ability to create a custom color preset, is highlighted here.

Another challenge in color grading is how to handle a color change during a shot. A typical example is following an actor indoors on a sun-lit day.

In this short video, I show how to keyframe a color change, along with how to make sure the actor’s skin tones remain correct.

Color looks and color presets are easy to use but very powerful.

Plus, there is an important difference between them which makes one a better choice, as this video tutorial illustrates.

I continue exploring DaVinci Resolve 20, now that the latest version is out of beta. There's still a few bugs in it - like audio timecode getting scrambled - but there is a lot to like.

Unlike Final Cut or Premiere, DaVinci Resolve does not store libraries (Final Cut) or projects (Premiere) as separate files. However, there are times when you need to save a specific project. Resolve provides three ways to do this: Backup, export, and archive. Here’s how each of these work.

Recently, a reader sent me a link to an article in Electro IQ, with a title guaranteed to generate clicks: "Adobe Premiere Pro vs Final Cut Pro Statistics – Which One is Better? (2025)"

A great title, but a useless article. Why? Because it was written by someone who has never edited, nor understands how NLEs are used. 

Their analysis was based on market share, the industries and companies using each software, target audiences, pricing models, and industry reputation. None of which are relevant to picking an editing toolset.

Their conclusion: "The right choice depends on platform preference, budget model, and professional demands—both deliver professional-grade editing tuned to very different user paths." Did they describe the paths? No.

Sigh... What a useless waste of pixels. Imagine a comparison between a hammer and a screwdriver. Clearly, there are more screwdrivers in the market than hammers, but hammers are cheaper. Both can be used by professionals or hobbyists. A screwdriver is useless for driving nails, but a hammer has problems twisting a screw. Conclusion: Which you pick depends upon the job you are doing. 

How helpful is a review like this? Not helpful at all.

When it comes to comparing software - especially complex tools like NLEs, or audio DAWs, the KEY question is: Which software has the tools you need to accomplish your tasks quickly, easily and with the quality you expect. 

If everyone in the world is using a hammer, but I need to twist a screw, market share is not meaningful. Even if a screwdriver is half the price of a hammer, it is still a bad choice for pounding nails. Hammers are easy to use, while screwdrivers require muscle coordination, does that make hammers the best choice?

Be careful when reading reviews. Lots of people have opinions. Opinions are easy. Informed opinions - those are harder to find, but much more valuable! Beware of anyone pitching "The best...". Those articles - especially from no-name sources - are simply click bait. 

When it comes to video editing, the only answer to: "What is the best video editor?" is: "It depends upon what you want to do." Instead, here's a much better question: "This is what I need to do, what's the best NLE that will enable me do it?"

Until next Monday, stay healthy, stay hopeful and edit well.

TUTORIALS & REVIEWS

» The New Color Workflow in Adobe Premiere Pro 2025 (Tutorial)

   » Adobe has totally overhauled how Premiere handles color. Here’s how it works.

» Managing Projects in DaVinci Resolve - Backups, Exports & Archives (Tutorial)

   » Resolve provides three ways to keep your edit safe. 

» Final Cut Pro: How to Keyframe a Color Change (Tutorial)

   » How to change color settings in the middle of a clip.

» Final Cut Pro: Compare Color Looks & Presets (Tutorial)

   » What these are, their differences and why one is better.

» Final Cut Pro: Comparison View & Custom Color Presets (Tutorial)

   » Easily compare color between clips, then how to create custom color presets.

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