If you have a Windows PC, it can be hard choosing between Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve, since both are great. In this article, we’ll simplify the choice for you. Is it DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro? Let’s find out!
Premiere Pro vs. DaVinci Resolve: Which Is Better?
Adobe introduced its video editor, Premiere, in 1991. Back then, it was only available for Mac users. A few years later, Adobe released Premiere Pro, its successor to Premiere. Because it was a professional editor, its adoption rate reached new heights. Today, Premiere Pro is included in Adobe CC (Creative Cloud) bundles.
In 2004, da Vinci Systems, an independent entity, gave rise to DaVinci Resolve. Following that, in 2009, Blackmagic Design acquired this software. DaVinci Resolve is now available in a commercial (access to all tools) and a free version (limited tool access).
User Interface
Premiere Pro comes with an NLE Timeline interface that uses Sequences, consisting of an audio track, video, picture, or any supported media. These sequence tracks make Premiere Pro’s organizing model more streamlined. The panels can be rearranged, and you can save your workspace. The ability to reorganize makes things more accessible and increases productivity.
On the other side, DaVinci Resolve also uses a Freeform Timeline Editor that divides the user interface into multiple divisions. There are five sections here—Cut & Edit, Fusion, Color, Fairlight, and Deliver. All these sections perform as described in their names. However, Fusion is a motion graphics tool, while Fairlight is an audio editing tool.
Organizing Media
Since Premiere Pro uses an NLE-based Timeline, it uses Bins to store the data. Bins, in general, are nothing but similar to folders. You can store any supported media here and create bins inside a bin, just like in folders. If you want to categorize your labels, you can choose a different color.
Since it’s a part of the Adobe CC Suite, you can access your assets from other software like Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects, and many more, right from the Libraries tab.
When it comes to DaVinci Resolve, it has a dedicated section to add and organize media files. The Media tab allows you to add content into the bins, similar to what Premiere Pro offers. You can add videos, images, or any supported file type for that matter. You can put these media in specific folders and create folders within folders to keep your workflow organized.
Audio
DaVinci Resolve comes with a separate tab for Audio editing—Fairlight. It’s a built-in application within DaVinci Resolve that offers professional tools to edit your audio recordings or any audio media. However, if you’re not into this kind of professional-level audio editing, you can switch to the Edit tab and use basic audio editing options. However, with Fairlight, you get a complete digital audio workstation that lets you add various effects, mix tracks, and do much more.
In comparison, Premiere Pro comes with a primary Audio Mixer tool to edit the audio track. It’s a general audio editor with not much complexity and options. However, Premiere Pro is a part of the Creative Cloud bundle, and thus you can have the option to edit audio in Adobe Audition. You can make pinpoint adjustments, add effects, mix and edit tracks, and seamlessly import them into Premiere Pro.
Color Grading
DaVinci is known for its color grading capabilities, and that’s a good start. If your video editing involves a lot of color grading, then you should go for DaVinci Resolve. It comes with a wide variety of tools for advanced and extensive color grading. The fact that it started as color correction software suggests it will also be excellent at color grading.
Premiere Pro, on the other side, offers fewer tools in comparison to DaVinci Resolve. However, it is capable of doing a fair amount of color grading on videos. You can set up a color workspace to ease the workflow, which DaVinci Resolve already provides.
Motion Graphics
But as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud Suite, you can find Adobe After Effects, which professional motion graphic designers use. Moreover, Adobe After Effects syncs well with Premiere Pro to give you a seamless experience. However, Premiere Pro, as a standalone app, can’t do much when it comes to graphics editing.
On the contrary, DaVinci Resolve comes with an in-built tool for motion graphics—Fusion. It’s an advanced tool and takes a little while to get used to, like Adobe Premiere Pro. It’s almost as good as After Effects, but it has a few limitations. Since DaVinci Resolve comes with Fusion integrated, it works seamlessly with your editing timeline.
Pricing and Availability
Premiere Pro comes in a bundled Creative Cloud package. Adobe CC is a subscription-based service, and thus you need to choose whether to pay monthly or yearly. It will cost you $20.99 per month if you choose the annual plan and $31.49 per month if you go for a monthly plan.
This pricing is only for Premiere Pro, and if you want to get the complete Creative Cloud bundle, you’ll have to pay $52.99 every month. You have access to all apps and 100GB of cloud storage for your libraries.
On the other hand, DaVinci Resolve is a free-to-use video editor, with a commercial version available with extensive features. You can purchase the commercial version for $299, which is a one-time fee. However, if you want to stick with the free plan, you can use it too without missing out on many features.
Both of the video editing apps are available for Windows and macOS. So, you can choose the platform according to your needs.
Premiere Pro vs. DaVinci Resolve: The Winner
DaVinci Resolve and Adobe Premiere Pro both have their advantages and disadvantages. But if you consider the pricing, the obvious choice should be DaVinci Resolve. The free version is available on both Windows and Mac, while the commercial version costs $299.
Alternatively, if you’re used to Adobe software such as After Effects, Photoshop, and other software in the CC bundle, then Premiere Pro is more suitable. But if you can break out of the chain, then DaVinci is the best choice between these two video editors.
