Adobe Creative Cloud Apps - Adobe Rush vs Premiere Pro from a Newbie Perspective

State of the Channel 8/27/2019
My current video flow with Adobe Creative Cloud


My wife and I started our YouTube channel Life Creates Art back in April of 2019 and put out our first video in the beginning of May.  With our first video on Beginner Sketching Basics, we crammed in as many things as we could possibly imagine.  We had no idea how to do all of this but we knew that we had a passion for creating something new.

In that first nearly 30 minute video, we talked about Right & Left Brained Sketching, started a series called Life Molding, and started a sketch.  On this video, I learned how to work with Premiere Rush and edit together a video that included an intro, a theme sequence and even some bloopers.

I enjoyed using Rush. From the easy editing, to the already scripted text, it was super easy to get into and edit.  I was able to add elements and with special BETA access, adjust the speed of the video.  Yes, it was limited.  Eventually, I'd get an idea that I wouldn't be able to do.  I'd add elements and run out of tracks.  The noise reduction was still pretty darn good.  But we still needed to get lapel microphones to improve our sound.  At least the air conditioner was reduced!  Rush became familiar and the simplicity of it was very welcome. However, I knew I'd need to move to Premiere Pro eventually.  I knew there would be another learning curve.  I just got pretty good at Rush and our videos kept coming.  I was happy with my workflow that I invented.  But I didn't need to edit video on my iPad.  But I knew that my days with Rush were limited if I wanted to push my editing further to where I know my vision would be.  So far, Creative Cloud has been worth it to me.

Premiere Rush

I wonder if you can tell exactly where we made the change to Premiere Pro?  If you know video transitions, you can see cube spin transitions in one of our videos. I also move text in and out of frame.  I realize the rule that states "just because you can doesn't mean you should" exists here but hey, I had some new tools.  I need to learn them and use them.

With the change to Pro, it allowed me access to the entire suite of Adobe software and it was overwhelming.  I was dying for more fiddling with our audio and with the ability to open Audition from inside Pro, I was off and running.  Eliminating the air conditioner on a slider basis and even being able to eliminate a ringing cell phone was so cool.  The auto correct brush could also take out unwanted sounds from an audience but I'd need much more practice to get it right and not take down the entire audio.  But being able to SEE the audio was cool in of itself.  Finally my PC looked like I was actually working on something cool.  Like those trade magazines from the 80's or 90's with the graphs and charts on the screen.  Look mom!  I'm doing homework on my PC!  Throw in Premiere Pro's lumetri color display and it really looks like I know what I'm doing.

Premiere Pro Lumetri Scopes

I also finally got access to Photoshop.  I'd actually been creating thumbnails on Rush, by just finding a screen and adding in the text.  Not the best way to go, but when you are limited, you find a way. There are cheaper ways to go but from the beginning, I made a decision that I'd be going with Adobe.  Probably not the cheapest decision, but we had other things we wanted to think about.

I also started using Bridge but I still find myself in file explorer because for some reason, Bridge just takes awhile to move files around.   Most all of our video comes in on an SD card and is transferred directly to my PC.  And I haven't quite gotten the hang of all the shortcuts in all these programs.  I'm sure I'm doing things the hard way.  I made my way through some training for Pro but haven't found the time to run through it again.

Now, I'm mostly focused on keeping consistent.  I'm not doing wild transitions for each cut.  I enjoy moving pictures around as practice for whatever pops in my mind for later on.  I also have access to After Effects but I'm not there yet.  I've got plenty to keep me busy for the time being and we are more focused on putting out video than creating something with splash.  There are just not that many that I have to impress at this point.  I've almost settled into a workflow that has settled for the time being.

First, I bring in the video and audio.  I sync them and then I edit all the audio in Audition.  I clean it all up and then take it back into Pro.  I mute the audio from the camera.  Then I start cutting out the pieces that really need cutting.  Those bits before we start and after we are done. No need for you all to see us hit "Record" or talking to ourselves..  Then I take out the 1st take.  Maybe save a bit for a blooper at the end if it's good.  Then I put on the wording I know I'll need at the beginning & end.  By then, I'm ready to actually watch the video. Screen shots are just for illustration.  Not the actual process.  But below you can see Audition.  Isn't it pretty?

Adobe Audition

Sometimes, Shelly has seen it and approves cuts from the rough cut.  But any cutting is up to me unless there is a point being made that can't be cut.  While I can cut out 'er's and um's", I don't normally unless it really flows without it.  Pro cuts so seamlessly compared to Rush, that it does help if you do cut and you can hardly tell.  From cutting, I add more still pictures and music if there is an intro.  To that I add wording, if there's a list of items being covered or I have time for a comic commentary.  That depends on the subject and if a certain cat walks by.

Adobe Premiere Pro

After I take at least one pass through the whole video, Shelly comes in for a last look and final approval.  Here's where my attitude comes in.  At this point, I've spent several hours on it and I sometimes get the "I'm done" attitude.  While an editor could theoretically edit forever, the show must go on and you must upload.  Any final changes are discussed and then added to the cut.  From there, the video is rendered and uploaded to YouTube.  Lately, we have been working on tags and thinking of thumbnails before this process.  When we started, these items were a last minute addition.  While we knew they were important, it was tough to put much effort into them.  Using Rush as a thumbnail generator held me back but it worked.

Adobe Premiere Pro

So that is a quick rundown of our process as it is right now.  I'm looking forward to updating this blog as we change even more and we figure more stuff out.  The main lesson we learned through all this is to just put out content. Even if it sounds bad and you have a bad camera.  You will figure out ways to make it better. Even if it is just one thing that gets better per video, that's a step in the right direction.  Unless you are a celebrity with a big following, you have time to bring your game up to speed.

-Jason