I am going to get either Sony Vegas, or most likely, Adobe Premier. I would like to hear pro's and con's from experienced users.

P.S.
I know there are probably threads pertaining to this topic but, I'm A.D.D. and we ALL know that there is NO WAY I'm searching for them!

Thanks ahead of time!

I used to use premiere pro a LOT!

I kept getting strong hints to change to Vegas which I put off, but eventually I bit the bullet and the realised how wrong I was struggling with Premiere Pro!

Without listing all the pro's and cons (would take ages), Vegas just FEELS helpful and better

From: http://www.videohelp.com/tools/Vegas

Expertly edit complex SD or HD projects using mouse or keyboard trimming and powerful ripple editing modes. Features include improved video monitoring, customizable window layouts, color-coded snapping, improved HDV, SDI and XDCAM support, Cinescore plug-in support, A/V synchronization detect and repair, playhead scrubbing, drag ripple and arrange, source project editing, and auto-frame quantization.

I've been using Vegas ever since it existed. Especially became interested in it since nothing beats the User Interface and operability/reliable production quality of Sound Forge in audio, and at the time I was looking for a decent mixer for multiple audio-tracks, which Vegas offered. Since it derives from the same creators who seem to know exactly what a user wants with his/her mouse and work environment (namely those behind SoundForge), I was everything but disappointed when I used Vegas the first time. It surpassed all my expectations.

Then Vegas grew into a major video-editing suite, and I had to say goodbye to all of Adobe's competing software. Premiere is now in the shades of Vegas Pro 8. It's ugly, instable, slow and unintuitive (on a x64 Windows workstation), compared to Sony's Vegas.
At studios I had to work with Final Cut Pro (4, 5 and 6, which is almost the same as Adobe's Premiere, in my opinion) and EDIUS Pro v3 and 4 (as well as with Edius Neo), but none of them display the rock-stable performance and intuitive work-flow of Vegas. They just pale in comparison to any experienced Windows user. And I think that's just it: Sony Vegas understands Windows to a tee, its mouse-options, its hidden gems. Vegas is especially making use of what Windows is better at (I would say) than Apple Mac or Linux, and this is why it is so great to work with on a Windows XP x64 system. In fact, MicroSoft should embrace and thank Sony for this. Sony Vegas and SoundForge are what keep me happy to know and use Windows. The combination is just golden!

If I had to be critical about one detail, it would be that its Help texts are a bit superficial at times, they tend to miss in-depth explanations a user sometimes wants to know. (Premiere definitely beats Vegas in that area..) But then, I can understand Vegas' philosophy too; They stick to explaining just the Vegas options and details. If you want in-depth knowledge about something video-related, you can find it elsewhere (online).

The only real downside to this software is its price-range. I know FREE open source packages out there that are getting real close to Vegas in what they can accomplish, but they don't work well in the Windows environment, thus miss the speed and ease of use Vegas offers. Lowering their price to 3/4 of what it is now would make Vegas the absolute king in the field in no time.

Best Regards

Seriously.. do you guys find Sony better than Adobe... how much is it ??
OUCH!! 415GBPs for V8

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Seriously.. do you guys find Sony better than Adobe... how much is it ??

Yup...Sony Vegas 8.0 costs $549.00 Full Retail. The Full version includes DVD Architect Studio also.

If have a previous version of Vegas like me whether version 5.0, 6.0, or 7.0 then to upgrade is only $234.95 for download version or $249.95 for a package version.

Vegas is more user friendly compare to Premiere, or Final Cut in my opinion.


Best Regards

quote:

Yup...Sony Vegas 8.0 costs $549.00 Full Retail. The Full version includes DVD Architect Studio also.

I bought my Vegas 8 (Dec 2007) here in S Africa off the shelf for +- USD130; it is not the PRO version but the Platinum; it has all the essential features needed for our IL2 movie making including the DVD software.

I have no hands-on experience with either program, but I've researched both Premiere Pro CS3 and Vegas Pro 8.0 as I've contemplated which platform (Mac or PC) I want to move to next. The reviews I've read, written by people who have used a variety of non-linear editors (NLE's) in their careers, are the basis for my comments below.

Premiere Pro CS3 seems to have improved quite a bit in its latest iteration, especially with how well it integrates with the other programs in Adobe's Creative Suite 3 family of software (After Effects, Photoshop, Audition, etc.).

Editors who have already used a variety of NLE's seem to feel that Vegas is a little less intuitive than Premiere. That's because Vegas started life as a sound-editing program that was morphed into an NLE. If you're just starting out, though, the interface and workflow differences should be a non-issue; the learning curve for you would probably be the same with either program.

If you just want to make the standard IL-2 films of the type you see around here, then it probably doesn't matter which of these two NLE's you get. If you were to compare them feature for feature, I think you'd see each one can pretty much do everything the other one can do. Any areas where there isn't overlap are probably areas you're never going to tread.

The more important question for me is what other filmmaking programs are offered by Sony and Adobe. That's really only an issue for you, however, if you ultimately want to do more with your films than what can be achieved with an NLE alone.

Adobe has two heavyweight programs in its corner that don't have equivalents in the Sony suite: After Effects and Photoshop. That's not to say you couldn't use AE and PS with Vegas. You could, but you'd have to buy them separately (you can save a lot of money buying them bundled in Adobe's CS3 Production Premium, which sells for $1,700). Also, passing projects back and forth between Premiere, AE and Photoshop is more seamless than with Vegas.

If your filmmaking goals require the power of AE and Photoshop, then Adobe's package is more appealing than Sony's. (BTW, Adobe's Creative Suite 4 is on the horizon, so you may want to wait if you like Adobe's package better.) But if you're just looking for an NLE to edit your video, then let price be your guide (MSRP for Premiere Pro is $800, Vegas is $550). I believe you can get education discounts with either product, if that applies to you.

You should know that both Vegas and Premiere can be purchased in a cheaper/more scaled-down version. Sony has two offerings: Vegas Movie Studio Platinum (MSRP $115) and Vegas Movie Studio ($75). Adobe's version is called Premiere Elements 4 ($100). Buying the 'lite' version of either will save you a bundle of money, and whichever one you get will likely do everything you will ever want to do in creating an IL-2 movie.

Ultimately, the full versions of both Premiere and Vegas are professional applications, and either one can do far more than you would ever ask of them. The lite versions of each can also probably handle anything you're likely to want to do. (A little honesty with yourself here could save you quite a bit. )

I suggest downloading free demos of these programs and taking them for a test drive to see which you find the easiest to use before you plunk down your money.

quote:

Originally posted by Joe-90:
I used to use premiere pro a LOT!

I kept getting strong hints to change to Vegas which I put off, but eventually I bit the bullet and the realised how wrong I was struggling with Premiere Pro!

Without listing all the pro's and cons (would take ages), Vegas just FEELS helpful and better

I have to agree....I have tried both over the past few weeks. I find with Adobe, I am CONSTANTLY PDF'ing or opening the help to do something that seems logical and easy. I always seemed to close it in frustration, thinking I'll figure it out later. When I sat down with Vegas, I didn't open a single help file. It was like they made it with my concept of how I would make it. Vegas, for me, worked very logically and friendly. When I thought of how a feature should be utilized, it actually worked that way! You're right, Joe...It just seemed to fit like comfy recliner. I'm going to Vegas!

I would also agree, I only just started getting serious about movie making so I, like most newcomers, gave the widely popular adobe premier a try. Having already been familiar with Photoshop I figured it would be the easiest transition, and really for me I didn't find either one at first to be that much easier/harder to learn, but after a few hours of use, the benefits of vegas really started to become clear. Its interface is not as pretty, but it runs much smoother and I found its more hands on approach with things like the time line to really put it above adobe. I still have a lot of learning to do but once I got the basics down making my first movie, I'm beginning to really uncover a lot with its deep surplus of options and effects.