The world of video editing can be intimidating to a beginner. Many aspects need to be considered: what device you should edit from, which software you should use, what editing style is required for this project, and many more elements that can impact your final edit.
It takes time and practice to get used to your chosen process, and eventually, you slip into a routine that works for you 90% of the time. But what about that other 10%? Could it be that the software you’re using only offers you some of the tools you need?
You may never have considered changing anything about your editing process, but perhaps it’s time you should. Don’t get me wrong, I understand not wanting to change a method that works for you; why fix something that isn’t broken? These were my thoughts just a couple of months ago, but just because your process isn’t broken doesn’t mean it can’t be improved or simplified.
My experience with CapCut and Adobe Premier Pro
As someone fairly new to the world of long-form video editing, the idea of transitioning from software I knew and was comfortable with to something completely new was quite terrifying. However, when I looked into it further, I quickly realised that the two I was considering are very similar in layout; one just has more capabilities.
CapCut
Until a couple of months ago, I had always used CapCut to edit any form of video, whether short-form social media content or the Marketing Labs podcast episodes. I never found any significant issues with it; it was slow at times, and the exports weren’t always the highest quality, but for the most part, it worked well and lived up to my expectations as free software.
Altogether, I found that CapCut was very user-friendly and allowed me to easily navigate the tools I needed to create a cohesive video. However, towards the end of my time using it, I began to have issues with CapCut, as they started taking some tools available in the ‘free’ account and making them a ‘pro’ feature, i.e., paid.
An example of this was the captions feature, which I used in every video. Because of this, we looked into changing our software of choice. It’s not that CapCut was bad, but we didn’t feel it was worth paying for when we have access to other software with a slightly better reputation and a similar layout. You may be thinking, ‘It’s only £13.99/month for CapCut Pro,’ but it is promoted as an editing tool for short social media videos, which isn’t our primary focus.
Adobe Premiere Pro
I started using Premiere Pro around a month ago, and it’s fair to say that it was a move for the better. That’s not to say it was easy; it wasn’t, and I made my fair share of mistakes and learned a lot along the way, but with the proper guidance from the team and some outside sources, I managed to pick it up quite quickly.
One tool I found incredibly helpful was an online course, ‘Video editing with Adobe Premiere Pro for beginners (2024),’ which explained how to use each tool and delved into best practices for each. After completing this course, I was able to play around with some of our footage and apply the new editing techniques I had learned.
Premiere Pro is much better than CapCut for the types of projects I work on. Features like ‘transcripts’ make the editing process so much easier and allow me to initially go through and edit out filler words, long pauses, and repetition by editing with text.
Common Pros and Cons
After doing some research, I found that many of my opinions on CapCut and Premiere Pro are shared with other users, so I thought I would compile some pros and cons of each software that you should consider before choosing which one is right for you.
CapCut
Based on reviews, CapCut is universally considered an excellent option for content creators across social media. It easily creates quick, fun, and engaging edits. It also offers a free version, which increases its popularity.
Many people have shared that they were surprised when they first started using CapCut, as they didn’t expect the software to be as powerful as it was, especially with it being free. It is also available to anyone with computer or handheld device access. However, it is also widely known that it doesn’t produce the highest quality exports and is not ideal for professional-level editing. This is down to many factors, with the most prevalent being that it can sometimes struggle to handle larger files, which is not ideal.
Adobe Premiere Pro
Overall, Premiere Pro is more widely favoured by users, with many admiring even its most basic features. People favour its range of transitions and effects, as well as its colour correction abilities and its text editing tool.
Its downfall seems to be the layout and navigational ability, with many users claiming they find it difficult to use and can’t always find the panels that they need. Premiere Pro is also known for sometimes randomly shutting down or restarting, which can be a nightmare if you aren’t a ‘regular saver’.
Top Tip: One fantastic piece of advice that our Web Developer, Josh, gave me was, ‘Even if you think you’re hitting save regularly enough, you should probably be saving more!’
My final thoughts on CapCut and Premier Pro
As far as differences go, CapCut and Premiere Pro are similar in terms of layout and basic ability; however, Premiere Pro is just that extra bit more professional, which is expected considering the price difference.
Overall, deciding which is better is difficult because it all comes down to what you’re trying to create. Is your goal to create a fun and punchy video to use across social platforms? Then CapCut would be a great choice. It’ll allow you to edit on any device quickly and won’t cost you anything. However, if your goal is to create a polished video that meets a professional standard, then CapCut is definitely not the way to go. Premiere Pro will allow you to edit in greater detail and will create a seamless and high-quality product.
If you have access to both, I would definitely recommend learning how to use Adobe’s Premiere Pro, even if it is just for short-form content. This will allow you to experiment further with different editing styles and techniques and broaden your editing skills.