Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve: The BEST Editing Software
The battle between Adobe’s Premiere Pro and Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is one of the most hotly contested debates of recent times. With their features constantly being updated it’s difficult to know which software is best for you.
Adobe’s Creative Cloud suite including Premiere Pro and After Effects is known among creatives for their advanced motion graphics abilities. Blackmagic Design’s DaVinci Resolve is known for its comprehensive editing features and advanced colour-grading abilities.
Knowing which software is best between these two options is heavily reliant on what type of content you are creating and what features you value most. This in-depth guide will help you figure out which software will benefit you the most.
Key Features: Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve
While both Adobe’s Premiere Pro and Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve are non-linear editors (NLEs), these programs are quite different. As an editor, you can more or less do the same things with each program (with some exceptions that I’ll highlight). What’s most important is how efficiently and easily you can edit using these programs.
With this in mind, let’s compare the key features of each editing software.
Interface
Premiere Pro is part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud, which means that its interface will look familiar to anyone who has used Adobe’s software before. Its layout is intuitive for new users and comparable to other Adobe software like Photoshop and Lightroom.
As you grow and become more comfortable as an editor, you can begin to customize your workspace to work best with your editing style. Premiere Pro is a traditional timeline-based editor.
DaVinci Resolve was created by the digital cinema and hardware company, Blackmagic Design. It features a modern, tab-based interface with separate tabs for editing, colour grading, audio design, and more. These tabs help you optimize your workflow for different post-production stages.
DaVinci Resolve features a highly customizable layout and, like Premiere Pro, is a traditional timeline-based editing software.
Both of these software uses highly intuitive interfaces. The “best” interface out of the two comes down to personal preference. With that being said Premiere Pro is easy to pick up and use for existing Adobe users. DaVinci Resolve, on the other hand, is easy to get started with for anyone, including Adobe users.
Editing Tools
Premiere Pro features comprehensive tools for basic editing like trimming, cutting, splitting, and merging clips. It also features advanced audio editing capabilities with support for multiple tracks, effects, and third-party audio plugins. Furthermore, Premiere Pro seamlessly integrates with Adobe Creative Cloud for more advanced editing using Adobe’s other, more specialized software.
DaVinci Resolve, like Premiere Pro, features all the tools you need for basic editing, including dynamic trimming, ripple editing, and more. Beyond basic cutting, DaVinci Resolve features the Fusion page for advanced visual effects and motion graphics. It also has the Fairlight page for professional audio post-production with a layout similar to any popular digital audio workstation (DAW).
When it comes to basic editing tools either software will more than suffice. In terms of advanced editing tools, DaVinci Resolve has a clear advantage as a standalone software. The integration of advanced motion graphics and audio processing in one software can make your workflow significantly easier as an editor.
While Adobe Creative Cloud has the same advanced capabilities as Resolve in terms of motion graphics and audio production, having a multiple-program workflow is less than optimal.
Colour Grading
Premiere Pro, features basic colour correction tools via its Lumetri Color panel. Previously, advanced colour correction and grading were done using Adobe SpeedGrade, but support for this software stopped in June 2015 (source).
Premiere Pro has limited native support for RAW formats. RAW file formats such as Blackmagic Design’s .BRAW and RED’s .R3D require third-party plugins to be installed for a proper workflow.
DaVinci Resolve has world-class colour grading capabilities with advanced tools like primaries wheels, curves, and node-based grading. Think of your favourite movie made in the past few years – it was probably colour-graded using DaVinci Resolve.
Resolve has native support for RAW footage and HDR grading as well as incredibly powerful colour grading tools like the Relight feature.
When it comes to colour grading, DaVinci Resolve is the clear winner as it is widely used in the colour grading industry. Premiere Pro can do basic grading but is nowhere near as powerful as Resolves for colour grading.
Effects & Transitions
Premiere Pro has an extensive library of built-in transitions and effects available to users within the program. Premiere gives users the limited ability to create custom transitions and effects. Where it shines is its integration with Adobe After Effects; Adobe’s digital visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing application.
DaVinci Resolve features the Fusion page for creating complex visual effects and motion graphics. For quick edits, Resolve has a built-in library of transitions and effects as well as support for third-party OpenFX plugins.
When comparing Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve as standalone software, Resolve has a slight edge in terms of effects and transitions. The catch is that when Adobe After Effects is added to the comparison, Premiere Pro (and After Effects by extension) is the clear winner.
After Effects templates (MOGRTs) are significantly more common than Fusion templates. This makes it a lot easier for editors to find third-party assets for their videos when using Adobe Creative Cloud.
Collaboration & Sharing
Premiere Pro features seamless integration with Adobe Creative Cloud for collaborative editing. Adobe also has a Shared Projects feature that gives multiple editors the ability to work simultaneously.
Premiere also has Adobe Stock integration for royalty-free assets and templates. Another significant integration to Premiere is Frame.io, a video collaboration and review service.
Frame.io allows editors to upload videos for review. Clients and team members can then make time-stamped comments on the video. Premiere Pro allows users to import these comments directly onto their timelines from within the Premiere application, making for an extremely efficient workflow.
DaVinci Resolve features collaboration tools for multi-user workflows, similar to Premiere Pro’s Shared Projects feature. Furthermore, Resolve has integration with Blackmagic Design’s collaborative solutions. One of the most significant features of Resolve is the ability for other people to live-view your timeline output while editing using the DaVinci Monitor app.
Using this application, your clients and team members can see exactly what you see as you edit. Another use for this feature is to use another display as a reference monitor. You can see how your colour grade will look on another device by simply connecting it to Resolve through the DaVinci Monitor app.
DaVinci Resolve isn’t integrated with Frame.io nearly as well, which makes sense because Adobe owns Frame.io. With Premiere Pro, users can import comments directly through Premiere. With Resolve, users have to export comments from Frame.io as EDL, and then import those comments into their timelines in Resolve. Both of these software give users the ability to export directly to Frame.io instead of having to export a video and upload it to Frame.io.
When it comes to collaboration and sharing, the decision between these two software boils down to which you value more; better Frame.io integration or remote monitoring capabilities. Both of these software give users the ability to share projects and collaborate seamlessly which is most important.
Learning Curve & Support
Premiere Pro has extensive online resources including tutorials and forums from both Adobe and third parties. Adobe also offers official training and certification programs for Premiere Pro users. Premiere is also integrated with Adobe Help Center for documentation and support.
DaVinci Resolve, like Adobe, has official training materials and certification programs offered by Blackmagic Design. Resolve has an active online community with lots of forums and tutorials. Blackmagic Design offers official forums and direct support via email and phone.
Motion Graphics: Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve
To be upfront, in terms of motion graphics capabilities, DaVinci Resolve wins against Premiere Pro. What’s more important to look at when it comes to motion graphics and Adobe is their specialized software, After Effects. With that being said, Premiere Pro does have some motion graphics capabilities so I’ll still go over them. I’ve written an entirely separate section on the capabilities of Adobe After Effects.
Motion Graphics in Premiere Pro
The Essential Graphics panel is where the bulk of motion graphics within Premiere Pro is done. This is a built-in panel used to create and edit motion graphics directly within Premiere Pro. It allows for the creation of basic titles, lower thirds, and other graphical elements. It has support for keyframing the animation of text, shapes, and graphics.
Text tools are included in Premiere Pro with extensive text formatting options including font selection, size, colour, and alignment. Users are given the ability to animate text using keyframes for movement, scale, opacity, and rotation. Premiere also has native integration with Adobe Typekit for access to its expansive library of fonts.
Shape layers allow users to create basic shapes and give them tools for adding rectangles, ellipses, and polygons. Users can customize stroke and fill values and can animate these shapes using keyframing of position, scale, rotation, and opacity.
Effects and transitions are built-in to Premiere Pro’s library and can be downloaded from third-party creators in the form of motion graphics templates (MOGRTs). These templates are created by users in Adobe After Effects and then made to be able to import them into Premiere Pro for quick edits such as changing text values or colours. Users can also enjoy seamless integration with Adobe Stock for access to royalty-free graphics, effects, and templates.
These MOGRTs are pre-designed templates designed for quickly creative professional-looking motion graphics. They are available in various styles including titles, lower thirds, and transitions. They are easy to customize within Premiere Pro and offer the ability for advanced customization in After Effects.
Motion Graphics in DaVinci Resolve
The Fusion page in DaVinci Resolve is where users create motion graphics. This page is dedicated to creating advanced motion graphics and visual effects. It is more easily comparable to After Effects than to the Essential Graphics panel in Premiere Pro. It utilizes a node-based interface for flexible and efficient compositing. It also supports 2D and 3D motion graphics creation with advanced tools for animation and effects.
The Text+ tool allows users to create advanced text titles and graphics with support for rich formatting options including font styles, sizes, and colours. Users can also animate their text using the keyframing functions of this tool to animate movement, scale, rotation, and opacity. The Text+ tool is integrated with the Fusion page so users can add complex effects and animations to their text elements.
Shape tools are vector-based shape-creation tools used to make custom graphics and animations. They give users the ability to create complex shapes and paths with bezier curves. These shapes also support animation through keyframing shape properties like position, scale, rotation, and fill.
Effects and transitions are, like Premiere Pro, built into DaVinci Resolve. Resolve has an extensive library of built-in effects and transitions for enhancing motion graphics. This built-in library is more extensive than the default library of Premiere and includes overlays like a VHS effect or a CCTV effect.
Users can utilize the Fusion page to create custom effects and transitions with node-based compositing. Resolve also has support for third-party OpenFX plugins to expand its effects capabilities.
When it comes to motion graphics templates, Fusion templates are less common than Premiere/After Effects templates. However, Fusion compositions do have the ability to be saved as templates for reuse or sharing. Resolve also can import and modify existing Fusion templates or create new ones from scratch.
Motion Graphics Comparision: Premiere Vs Resolve
First, let’s look at the ease of use of each software. Premiere Pro’s Essential Graphics panel provides a user-friendly interface for creating basic motion graphics directly within the editing software. DaVinci Resolve’s Fusion page offers more advanced motion graphics capabilities but has a steeper learning curve due to its node-based workflow.
With that being said, DaVinci Resolve does have its own Essential Graphics panel equivalent known as the Inspector tab. Here, you can make basic edits and adjustments to any of Resolve’s built-in motion graphics or text tools.
Next, we’ll look at customization options. Premiere Pro allows for basic customization of motion graphics using the Essential Graphics Panel, with options for text, shapes, effects, and transitions. DaVinci Resolve offers greater flexibility through its Fusion page, with advanced tools for creating complex animations and effects.
Third, we’ll look at integration capabilities. Premiere Pro seamlessly integrates with other Adobe applications like After Effects, allowing for easy import and export of motion graphics templates. Resolve’s Fusion page is integrated into the software, providing a unified workflow for editing, colour grading, and motion graphics creation.
The fourth thing we’ll look at is performance. When it comes to computer performance for these two software, that depends on your system more than the software itself. If you have a low-power computer, your performance will be bad regardless of which software you choose. With that said, I have had significantly better performance using Resolve than Premiere Pro on both high-end Apple computers and PCs.
Next, let’s look at output options. Both Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve offer various output options for exporting motion graphics, including formats suitable for web, broadcast, and streaming platforms.
Premiere Pro supports direct integration with Adobe Media Encoder for batch exporting and encoding of motion graphics projects. Resolve provides customizable export settings and options for rendering compositions as video files or image sequences. Resolve, like Premiere Pro, also can batch export, though this is included in the Resolve software itself.
Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve offer powerful tools for creating motion graphics, with each software catering to different user preferences and workflow requirements. Premiere Pro’s Essential Graphics Panel provides a user-friendly interface for basic motion graphics creation, while DaVinci Resolve’s Fusion Page offers more advanced capabilities for creating complex animations and effects.
When deciding solely between Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, Resolve is the clear winner. This decision becomes a lot more complicated when we add Adobe After Effects into the mix. With that in mind, let’s look at After Effects versus Resolve’s Fusion.
Adobe After Effects vs DaVinci Resolve’s Fusion
After Effects Features
After Effects features a composition and layer-based workflow allowing users to create complex motion graphics by stacking layers. Layers can contain various elements such as text, images, videos, shapes, and effects.
Keyframe animation is another core feature of After Effects. The software features powerful keyframe animation tools for creating movement, scale, rotation, opacity, and other transformations. Users can decide between both linear and bezier interpolation for smooth animation curves.
Advanced effects and plugins are where After Effects shines. It features an extensive library of built-in effects and plugins for adding visual enhancements and special effects to your compositions. On top of this, there are tons of third-party plugins available for After Effects to enhance your compositions further.
Robust motion tracking capabilities are also included in After Effects for tracking movement within the footage and applying elements or effects to tracked objects. It supports both point tracking and planar tracking for tracking flat surfaces or objects in 3D space.
After Effects also includes 3D animation and camera tools. An integrated 3D workspace allows users to create and animate 3D objects and scenes. There are also camera tools for creating dynamic camera movements and angles within compositions.
Finally, for advanced users, After Effects supports expressions and scripting. Expression language is used for creating complex animations and interactions based on mathematical equations and algorithms After Effects supports scripting languages like JavaScript for automating tasks and creating custom tools.
Now, to a beginner, this may sound completely irrelevant. But, to the person creating your motion graphics templates, these features are huge. The inclusion of expression and scripting capabilities in After Effects means you get more complex and visually interesting motion graphics templates.
Integration With Premiere Pro
When considering After Effects’ integration with Premiere Pro, there are five key things to highlight; dynamic link, roundtrip editing, shared projects, advanced effects/compositing, and workflow efficiency.
Dynamic Link allows for seamless integration with Premiere Pro. This means users can import After Effects compositions directly into Premiere Pro. Changes made to linked compositions in After Effects automatically update in Premiere Pro.
Roundtrip editing means users can send Premiere Pro sequences to After Effects for advanced motion graphics and visual effects work. Changes made in After Effects to the Premiere Pro sequence will then be updated to reflect in Premiere Pro.
Shared projects is a feature that allows multiple editors and motion graphics artists to work on the same project simultaneously. This integration allows for the sharing of assets, compositions, and project files between editors and between software.
The advanced effects and compositing tools in After Effects are meant to be complementary tools to Premiere Pro. Users can leverage After Effects’ extensive features to enhance their Premiere Pro projects with complex animations, visual effects, and graphics.
The seamless workflow efficiency between Premiere Pro and After Effects is made possible by the smooth integration with the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem. This means all Creative Cloud applications like Photoshop or Audition all have the same seamless integration with Premiere Pro and After Effects.
Adobe After Effects: Final Thoughts
Adobe After Effects offers a comprehensive set of tools for creating advanced motion graphics, visual effects, and animations. Its seamless integration with Premiere Pro through Dynamic Link and shared projects enables a fluid workflow for motion graphics artists and video editors. By leveraging After Effects’ advanced features, users can enhance their Premiere Pro projects with professional-quality motion graphics, animations, and visual effects, ultimately elevating the overall production value of their videos.
Between After Effects and DaVinci Resolve’s Fusion page, I give the edge to After Effects. While it is nice to have Fusion built-in to DaVinci Resolve, Adobe’s Dynamic Link and roundtrip editing features make up for the fact that After Effects and Premiere Pro are separate applications.
After Effects is significantly more commonly used in the industry and therefore has more resources to help you learn. With that being said, Fusion is still very powerful and can be used to create stunning visuals.
Price: Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve
Premiere Pro Pricing
Premiere Pro is part of the Adobe Creative Cloud suite, which operates on a subscription-based model. This means that users pay a monthly or annual fee to access the software. Adobe offers various subscription plans, including single app plans or bundles that include multiple Creative Cloud applications.
Users can subscribe to Premiere Pro as a standalone application with a single-app plan. Pricing varies depending on the region and currency but is, at the time of writing this, $34.49 USD/month or $263.88 USD/year (source).
Alternatively, users can subscribe to the Adobe Creative Cloud All Apps plan, which includes access to Premiere Pro along with other Adobe applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, After Effects, and more. Pricing for the All Apps plan also varies by region and currency but is, at the time of writing this, $89.99 USD/month or $659.88 USD/year (source).
You may have noticed that purchasing a yearly subscription is cheaper than purchasing twelve months of a monthly subscription. That is because Adobe offers discounts for users who commit to an annual subscription instead of a monthly subscription.
Adobe also offers annual subscriptions paid out in monthly installments as opposed to a single annual lump sum. If users wish to end their subscription early, they will have to pay out the rest of their annual commitment as a lump sum.
Adobe offers a free trial of Premiere Pro, allowing users to test the software’s features and capabilities before committing to a subscription. The free trial typically lasts for 7 days and requires users to provide payment information upfront.
Adobe also offers discounts for students, teachers, and educational institutions, be sure to check and see what discounts you are eligible for. In general, users must verify their student or teacher discount to qualify for price reductions.
DaVinci Resolve Pricing
DaVinci Resolve offers a free version of its software, which includes most of the basic features and functionality of the paid version. The free version is suitable for individuals looking for a powerful video editing and colour-grading solution at no cost. If you intend on using DaVinci Resolve long-term I highly recommend buying the studio version.
For users requiring additional features and capabilities, Blackmagic Design offers DaVinci Resolve Studio, which is the paid version of the software. Resolve Studio includes advanced features such as support for higher resolutions, 10-bit footage, collaboration tools, noise reduction, and more.
The key benefit to DaVinci Resolve’s pricing structure is that it is a one-time purchase. This means that users pay a flat fee upfront to own the software outright. Pricing for DaVinci Resolve Studio is, at the time of writing this, $295 USD.
Users who purchase DaVinci Resolve Studio receive free updates and upgrades to future versions of the software for life. This ensures users have access to the latest features and improvements without any additional cost.
Price Comparison: Premiere Pro vs Resolve
Let’s recap the pricing models and costs associated with each software. Premiere Pro is a subscription-based model with monthly or annual plans. Pricing for Premiere Pro alone is $34.49 USD/month or $263.88 USD/year. There are student and teacher discounts as well as a free trial available for testing the software.
DaVinci Resolve offers a free version with all of the basic, necessary editing and colour grading tools included. DaVinci Resolve Studio is available for a one-time purchase, currently priced at $295 USD. Any purchase of this license includes free updates and upgrades.
This pricing model means that, from a cost-efficiency standpoint, DaVinci Resolve Studio is the better pick when compared with Adobe Premiere Pro. If we look at this objectively, Premiere Pro on its own is $34.49 USD/month and Resolve Studio is $295 USD. If you intend to use your editing software for more than eight months (295/34.49 = 8.55), then DaVinci Resolve Studio is more cost-effective.
Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve offer different pricing models to cater to the needs and budgets of various users. Premiere Pro operates on a subscription-based model, offering flexibility and access to additional Adobe applications with the Creative Cloud All Apps plan. In contrast, DaVinci Resolve provides a free version with most features included, making it accessible to users at no cost.
For those requiring advanced features, DaVinci Resolve Studio is available for a one-time purchase, offering a cost-effective alternative to recurring subscription fees. Ultimately, the choice between Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve depends on individual preferences, budget considerations, and the specific features required for video editing and post-production workflows.
Which Editing Software is Best For You?
Premiere Pro caters to a diverse range of users, from seasoned professionals and educators to hobbyists and beginners. Its robust features, intuitive interface, and integration with Adobe Creative Cloud make it a versatile tool for various industries and creative pursuits. Whether you’re creating professional videos, personal projects, or educational content, Premiere Pro provides the tools and resources you need to bring your vision to life and tell compelling stories through video.
DaVinci Resolve offers a versatile and inclusive platform catering to professionals, hobbyists, beginners, and enthusiasts across various industries and creative disciplines. With its robust features, intuitive interface, and comprehensive toolset, DaVinci Resolve empowers users to unleash their creativity, tell captivating stories, and produce exceptional video content for diverse audiences and purposes.
Hobbyists and Beginners
Hobbyists interested in learning video editing and experimenting with creative projects should consider the free version of DaVinci Resolve. Beginners looking for user-friendly editing software with comprehensive tutorials and resources to get started in video editing would also benefit from DaVinci Resolve.
Blackmagic Design has a set of comprehensive and easy-to-follow tutorials for DaVinci Resolve that can be found on their website.
Freelance Videographers
Freelance editors, videographers, and post-production professionals working on a wide range of projects for clients need to consider what type of content they will be creating. If they are creating more YouTube-style videos, Adobe’s Creative Cloud might be a better choice for its motion graphics capabilities.
If they are focusing more on corporate-style videos or short-form documentaries and interviews, DaVinci Resolve is the way to go for its colour grading and audio mixing capabilities.
Independent contractors who need versatile editing software for collaborating with clients and delivering professional-quality work. While either editing software will work in this role, DaVinci Resolve fits this role best.
Content Creators and YouTubers
Individuals and creators producing regular video content for platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and social media would likely benefit from the vast library of motion graphics templates and tutorials available online for the Creative Cloud suite.
With that being said, YouTubers and creators who need comprehensive editing software for editing, motion graphics, colour grading, and audio mixing would likely benefit from DaVinci Resolve.
Church Videographers
Videographers working within their church to capture and produce video content of church services, events, sermons, and outreach programs would benefit from the lower cost and ease of use of DaVinci Resolve Studio.
Film & Video Professionals
Experienced filmmakers and videographers who require advanced editing tools and features for their projects, may benefit from DaVinci Resolve’s colour-grading capabilities. They may also want to consider the motion graphics capabilities of Premiere Pro and After Effects.
Independent Filmmakers
Independent filmmakers and indie studios working on short films, documentaries, and indie projects would likely benefit most from DaVinci Resolve’s advanced colour grading and audio mixing capabilities. This includes low-budget filmmakers and DIY filmmakers who need powerful editing software without the high costs associated with the Creative Cloud editing suite.
Wedding and Event Videographers
Wedding and event videographers capturing and editing footage from weddings, parties, corporate events, and special occasions could use either Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve. These types of videos aren’t heavily reliant on motion graphics, though they might benefit from the advanced colour-grading capabilities of DaVinci Resolve.
Colorists
Creatives looking to specialize in colour grading and correction for films, commercials, music videos, and other visual media projects should use DaVinci Resolve Studio. This software enables professionals to achieve precise and visually stunning colour grades with its advanced tools.
Jeremy Goh
Jeremy grew up volunteering at church and has also worked in a church setting. Along with working as a freelance creative, Jeremy is studying for a business degree in finance and international business.