iMovie, Final Cut Pro or Premiere Pro? Which is better/easier to use?

MassGuy · Feb 9, 2017

My Mac has iMovie and I've downloaded trial versions of Final Cut and Premiere Pro. I've played around with each one and think iMovie is the easiest to use. That was just adding music to a video. I know I've barely scratched the surface of what each program can do. Does one of these have advantages over the others and is any one of them easier to learn? I rather use something that is fairly straightforward over having to spend a week trying to figure out how to do more advanced functions.

ihj · Feb 9, 2017

I have used iMovie and Final Cut recently and Premiere Pro in the past. Although iMovie is fine for quick and easy edits, I personally find it too restrictive. Premiere Pro is what I used for some years when I used to produce videos professionally and it is what I think of as a traditional multi channel editor, allowing creative freedom, but there is a steep learning curve and a steep price! My choice today would be Final Cut. Again, there is a fairly steep learning curve, but the results justify this. I just need to convince myself that the expense is worth the improvements available over iMovie. Until I do that, I will keep using iMovie.

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With The Birds · Feb 9, 2017

If you don't have the time or preparedness to lean stick with imovie.

carriage_return · Feb 9, 2017

Why not let this take it's natural course MassGuy? In asking this question you've sort of answered it yourself to be fair. Go with iMovie, create some cuts of footage to some (royalty free) music and see how you feel about it. At some point you will start to look at your footage, compare it with others and wonder how theirs looks a little better. Then you'll start to investigate how to get 'that look' and you'll be ready to move up to FCP or PP CC. The basics of editing are the same in all three. It's the advanced features that separate them. Maybe learn how to structure a piece with a story, cuts and fades in iMovie then build from there. If you're not sitting doing the mechanics of logging footage, piecing it together dutifully whilst lusting after the moment you can apply colour grading and Lumetri then I wouldn't spew out the money for the big hitter programs.

Good luck and share what you make!

Mix_ · Feb 9, 2017

MassGuy said:
My Mac has iMovie and I've downloaded trial versions of Final Cut and Premiere Pro. I've played around with each one and think iMovie is the easiest to use. That was just adding music to a video. I know I've barely scratched the surface of what each program can do. Does one of these have advantages over the others and is any one of them easier to learn? I rather use something that is fairly straightforward over having to spend a week trying to figure out how to do more advanced functions.

OK, my 2 cents: if You find the possibilities of iMovie enough for Your needs, and You're doing video as hobby/for yourself, there's no need to go for pro-oriented app.
What You maybe will miss later as Your skills (and needs) will progress, is the pro-level control of various effects, the ability to use LUTs, gradients, adding film grain, etc - yes, iMovie is great and powerfull as a free editor for home user, good and thight integrated in the Mac OS, but, in the same time, as the previous comment says, it is quite restrictive, in case You want to refine various aspects of your video.

If You start with iMovie and never before used Adobe's Suite of Apps, the Final Cut will be more easy for You to adapt (and it does'nt requires monthly payment, as the CC suite of Adobe). Final. ut is better optimized for Mac and OS , too.
But, Adobe's Premiere Pro is w/o doubt a very powerfull pro level App.

I would suggest You to take a look on Blackmagic's daVinci, too - for resolutions less than UHD it is free and exeptionally powerfull app for editing and color correction:

DaVinci Resolve on the Mac App Store

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MassGuy · Feb 9, 2017

I was thinking about this more after I got off of the computer at 3:30am. I guess I'm looking for something that will make it fairly easy to create basic videos now, In the meantime I can work on learning that program's functions to take my videos to the next level. I do this as a hobby but it will lead into a commercial venture in the future. My Remote Pilot Test Prep book arrived as I'm typing this message.

Mr. Salty · Feb 9, 2017

iMovie used to be better but it's been way too dumbed down for me.

If you're just wanting to do basics, really, you can teach yourself the basics of Premiere Pro in an afternoon by watching YouTube tutorials. It's a professional program but still easy and straightforward to use. Then you'll have the foundation to grow with it later.

MassGuy · Feb 9, 2017

This is how it went to make a simple 2 1/2 minute video. I used iMovie to put it together last night. But... YouTube doesn't support that format. I tried bringing it into Premiere Pro but the trial version expired. I then tired Final Cut Pro but it either couldn't change the format or I didn't know how to do it. A Google search lead me to a program that is designed to take care of that. No luck, it wasn't working. I then went back to Premiere Pro. That's the one I used to make my first video. Paid the $19.95 then went to work. Got it all set and went to upload through the program. Next problem, it would get to 99% and then an error message. I also noticed something else. I choose the H.264 format and the preset YouTube 2160p 4K. I do that then scroll down to click the box for YouTube. The preset keeps going back to custom. Tried a number of times. I uploaded the video under the custom setting then viewed it. Much lower resolution. Not acceptable. After wasting most of the day with this I found it much easier to upload the video to YouTube without music then chose something that they have to offer and call it a day. I think I'll send up using Premiere Pro in the end. Just have to figure out the problems.

Mix_ · Feb 10, 2017

OK, MassGuy : just use the Share Menu in iMovie (or 'Export to') and choose Youtube. There's no need to buy a converter for this type of task. (later, I'll add some screenshot)

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MassGuy · Feb 10, 2017

I tried that a few times but it didn't work. I tried again after seeing your reply. This is the message -

Publishing to YouTube Failed: The operation couldn’t be completed. (Unauthorized)

I confirmed that the user name and password is current.

Mix_ · Feb 12, 2017

Yes, I remember, I have seen this glitch before (I'm a Apple Cert. Support Person and Trainer, and I encountered this problem some 5 years ago, or so) - as far I can remember, we just exported the Project as a file, and then uploaded to Youtube via browser. I'll test the export from iMovie to Youtube and post here the findings.

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Mix_ · Feb 12, 2017

Mix_ said:
Yes, I remember, I have seen this glitch before (I'm a Apple Cert. Support Person and Trainer, and I encountered this problem some 5 years ago, or so) - as far I can remember, we just exported the Project as a file, and then uploaded to Youtube via browser. I'll test the export from iMovie to Youtube and post here the findings.

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Just tested. For me, all works w/o any problems. iMovie Version 10.1.4, Mac OS version 10.12.4 (beta)

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jcknows0 · Feb 13, 2017

Premiere Pro is the only one that can utilize HEVC (h265) so if I hadn't bought in to FCP I would choose that despite being $20/month.

Mix_ · Feb 16, 2017

jcknows0 said:
Premiere Pro is the only one that can utilize HEVC (h265) so if I hadn't bought in to FCP I would choose that despite being $20/month.

I thougth, Premiere Pro is only with full CC subscription. OK, maybe - I have all three (iMovie, Final Cut and full CC), but, in case You like iMovie and feel later, that You need something more powerfull (as said one of previous comentators, there's no problem with iMovie for most Users), I would like to point out, that similarities in iMovie and Final Cut (non-Document-based workflow vs the Document-based in Premiere, elements of User interface, possibility to open/edit iMovie projects in FC, etc) make the iMovie>FCPX transition far more easy than iMovie>Premiere Pro.
And, btw, FinalCut is far better optimized for Mac&MacOS than Adobe stuff.
If You're more Adobe-oriented, then another possibility is to buy Premiere Elements (ca 100$) - limited, if compare with Premiere Pro, but no Monthly Fee.

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jcknows0 · Feb 16, 2017

Mix_ said:
I thougth, Premiere Pro is only with full CC subscription. OK, maybe - I have all three (iMovie, Final Cut and full CC), but, in case You like iMovie and feel later, that You need something more powerfull (as said one of previous comentators, there's no problem with iMovie for most Users), I would like to point out, that similarities in iMovie and Final Cut (non-Document-based workflow vs the Document-based in Premiere, elements of User interface, possibility to open/edit iMovie projects in FC, etc) make the iMovie>FCPX transition far more easy than iMovie>Premiere Pro.
And, btw, FinalCut is far better optimized for Mac&MacOS than Adobe stuff.
If You're more Adobe-oriented, then another possibility is to buy Premiere Elements (ca 100$) - limited, if compare with Premiere Pro, but no Monthly Fee.

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I have no problem with Adobe, no real interest in Adobe other than its ability to edit h265 which Apple has dropped the ball on. This is only available in Premiere Pro CC and can't even be tested in the trial. You have to pay $20/month to even test drive the performance. I can tell you on a top of the line iMac it was still crap due to no OS optimization/GPU&CPU lack of instruction sets and I have yet to pay another 20 to test it on my '16 MBP which has hardware support because I've heard it still has performance issues and there is no hardware acceleration in the software (no editing suite has this yet AFAIK)

Mix_ · Feb 17, 2017

jcknows0 said:
I have no problem with Adobe, no real interest in Adobe other than its ability to edit h265 which Apple has dropped the ball on. This is only available in Premiere Pro CC and can't even be tested in the trial. You have to pay $20/month to even test drive the performance. I can tell you on a top of the line iMac it was still crap due to no OS optimization/GPU&CPU lack of instruction sets and I have yet to pay another 20 to test it on my '16 MBP which has hardware support because I've heard it still has performance issues and there is no hardware acceleration in the software (no editing suite has this yet AFAIK)

OK, I don't have the last (late 16) 15" MBP, so, I can't test.
I still use an speced-out first, mid-2012, 15" MBP Retina. To be honest, the iterations between didn't gave enough speed gain, to justify 3000€+ expense.
Regarding iMac: aye, Apple allway's (I use Macs both for work and private since 1995 or so) had intention to put underpowered (when You consider price) video cards in their stuff. I remember, how upset I feel'd on 2004, when thinked about my new 2000+ euro 20" iMac G5, which had... an around 40€ or so NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 Ultra
Graphics Memory with 64 MB DDR

Just saw some real-world benchs with teh new MBP in FCPX vs Premiere test, and the results were by far on FCPX side due to better optimization.

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Veronica S · Jan 3, 2018

None of above. Actually I have been a file editor for 3 years, but now use none of them. MovieMator is my first try and I total love it since then. Well, iMovie doesn't accept some video formats, FinalCut and Premiere are not that easy to pick up. Compared with them, I would choose MovieMator which is easy, functional and can create films of high quality.