Final Cut Pro vs Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve: WHICH Video Editing Software to Use?

Chapters:
0:00 Intro
1:12 Final Cut Pro
8:26 Premiere Pro
14:54 DaVinci Resolve
20:24 Conclusion

Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, or DaVinci Resolve…which video editing software should you go with? In this video, we go over the three big video editing softwares at a high level to get the overall feel and sense of each one that gives them their own unique characteristics. Whether you’re a beginner video editor or experienced but looking to switch, this is going to give you some top points to help you consider. We’re not going to get too deep into each one but enough to get a feel for what it’s like to edit videos in each one. There’s even a FREE option to go with that will give you the extra brownie points. I hope you find this video helpful!

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#videoediting #videoeditingsoftware #premierepro #finalcutpro #davinciresolve

[mattchungz]

I know it’s been a while folks and thanks for coming back. I shifted my focus from YouTube to the business side of things but also wanted to give myself enough time to really learn and get comfortable with DaVinci Resolve, since that was the latest software I jumped onto. I have a line up of videos coming up so stay tuned. I’m still finding my overall look and feel for my content on the channel, but let’s try something new. Thanks for all the support all!

[tomcourtney]

A very fair overview of all three editors - nice one!

Final Cut Pro user here. Very honest review. Several things:

The movies you mentioned about Final Cut was made with Final Cut Pro 7. A completely different program.

Final Cut Pro X was nicknamed "iMovie Pro" by professionals until a couple of years ago and Premiere Pro was nicknamed "Final Cut 8"

Adjustment layers can be somehow mimicked with "Save preset" and it will be saved as an effect. I do that all the time to drop the same color grading for different takes of the same subject. Again, I don't know if you still would find it a step backwards.

In the information clip you can access all the effects including color grading.

Personal opinion. One of the things I wish all video editors had is that you can connect Final Cut Pro with Apple Compressor, a separate program, that lets you do batch jobs so you can still be working in different projects while compressor is exporting. And if you quit Final Cut Pro or crashes the exports keeps going until completion.

Thanks for the video. I am finding myself transitioning to Davinci Studio

[farazkhorasani]

What a great video! Thanks very much. I really feel like I got a demo of how each program looks and is like, I've been looking for a video like this!

[rogalaphotography]

I was a FCPX user for 5 years and recently switched to Davinci. You do know you can turn the Ripple off don’t you? I loved the snap timeline and use it on Davinci. Final Cut is GREAT for beginners because it’s simple! Trying Davinci after only a year of video editing was daunting and overwhelming! Way too hard for a beginner to comprehend! However once you have the experience of editing under your belt, Davinci is by far the BEST editor to use!

[ryankavanaugh]

Re: importing XMLs in Davinci, try bringing all the footage into your Media Pool, then when you import the XML choose NOT to automatically search for clips.

[brettsherman]

It’s easy to do adjustment layers in FCP X. You just need an empty text clip on top of the timeline. Any effect you put on that clip affects everything below it, just like an “adjustment layer” I made my own title called just that that has the text hidden.

[Relativizor]

I tend to say you want to lean into the NLE you use. Using Final Cut Pro? You want to lean into the magnetic timeline and its ripple editing. Enjoy doing lots of pancake editing? Premiere is excellent for that. Use traditional 3(4)-point edits with lots of meta-dataed footage? Resolve is excellent for that. Trying to work "against" the NLEs way of working is going to become a headache in the long run.

[ThisGuyRightHere]

Great video! I really liked your real world experience insights. It’s helpful hearing your workflow and thought process when making the decision. Good stuff man!

Also, I love the lighting in this video.

[GregorPQ]

No, FCP is not limited, just different.
FCP has adjustment layers.
You can rename the colour correction layers now.

[AskJoe]

FCPX was a game changer for me when I started using it around 2011. It was the 1st video editing program that I could trust to simply not crash. Back then, there were a ton of editors and they simply weren't reliable. The software companies would blame the video drivers, and the video card companies blamed Microsoft for their bad drivers. Apple eliminated all that and made sure FCPX worked flawlessly with their hardware.

What I did to overcome the linked clips in the Final Cut Pro timeline was lay down an empty placeholder like a black screen from the Generator for the entire length of my project. That basically became the main story.  Then anything I put on top was free to move around independently.

What draws me into the DaVinci platform is how well it works when you shoot live using their ATEM ISO models and use their cameras. I LOVE the project file it creates automatically to tweak the cuts after you stop recording. I ignored them at first, but then decided to give it a try and now I can't do without them.

If the ATEMs could push out FCPX projects instead of DaVinci projects with everything as a multi-cam clip, I'd definitely stick with FCPX.

I still use FCPX for anything that I didn't create on the ATEMs or my Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras (4K and 6K G2).

[AtaurRahman-jtbd]

Thanks for the detailed video! Being a premiere pro using, those crashed are really unpredictable and as my PC is getting older, I am here searching for alternative s/w. Just downloaded DaVinci, let's see how it goes...

[MIN_Tech]

The video is so much info!
thanks for sharing awesome video!
I do not like premiere pro (sub payment) and FCPX on iPad Pro (sub payment too).
FCPX on Mac and Davici Resolve are the best way to edit video for me!

[MarkDHall]

Great video! I liked how you shared personal things that you liked and didn’t like about each. I originally used Premiere but switched to Resolve 6 years ago (version 14) and just got Final Cut last year because I heard it was really fast to edit with. Some things are, but others not so much. Like you, I like the freedom of being able to move clips anywhere and not have them constantly snapping back. I don’t like the audio features at all. I come from a sound background, so Fairlight is awesome. Final Cut’s sound capabilities are surprisingly good, but it’s a weird workflow for me. Roles are confusing. I like to see the tracks. Anyway, getting long winded here. But just wanted to say great video!

[meloniedeguzman]

This video has been the most helpful; thank you! Great information.

[jeffarballo]

My experience is, it depends on what kind of projects you are doing. If you are doing long form documentaries, Movies or TV commercials, I would say Resolve for sure because it has just about everything you need and if you need to take it to a post house for anything its probably what most post house studios already know. If you are doing you tube videos or social media, FCP is the way to go it's just the fastest editing platform between the 3. Premiere is probably in the middle of Both of the programs and can handle most everything but it's also a paid subscription and I've had it crash on me the most out of the 3. But it does have After Effects so if that's something you are looking for then for sure Premiere would be the best. I do think resolve is starting to dominate in many ways so 2024 will be an interesting year.

[cataloger]

It’s easy to find, or add, adjustment layers in FCP.

[linkin-]

Very nice comparison for a beginner.. thanks yu very much

[barssillusion]

Please help me. What should I choose? Mac mini M2 24G SSD with 1TB capacity or Mac mini M2 Pro 16G SSD with 512 GB capacity? Video editing in Full HD and 4K 8-10 bit formats. In Adobe Premiere. The speed of the timeline is important. The price for both computers is the same.

[AaronMoneyMindset]

Keep up the good work Matt. I just finished watching your video (I'm a small Content Creator also) - this is my second attempt at a channel. I use Davinci and I agree, it does have a linking problem. I've been on it for about 3 months (Studio version). I came from Filmora. I have noticed you can do a lot in Davinci!! However, it does take time (even creating effects with a title takes a while to get everything looking professional. It goes slower them Filmora but it's far more professional. Anyway, great video Mat!