IT NEWS: SOFTWARE: Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 – 5 Reasons to Upgrade

Stanley Kubrick once noted that editing is possibly the most important phase in the film-making process. In spite of the most spectacular directing, riveting performances, expert camera work and cutting edge special-effects (get over yourself, James Cameron), the simple fact remains that the quality of editing can easily make or break a film. That being said, even the most talented editor is only as good as the tools that he uses. Why then, would any video editor or post-production artist choose to use anything but the latest, most up-to-date video editing applications to edit their films?

Adobe has always been on the cutting edge of the creative software market, and their newest version of Adobe Premiere Pro does not disappoint. Loaded with new features, upgrades and support, Premiere Pro CS5 is so spec-freaking-tacular (eat your heart out, Avid) that any video post-production artist who has not already done so would be stark-raving mad not to upgrade.

Here are 5 reasons why I upgraded to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5:

1. New Mercury Playback Engine
Being named for the fleet-footed Roman god of messengers is a tough namesake to live up to, but the Adobe Premiere Pro CS5 playback engine is most assuredly up to the challenge. The GPU-accelerated, native 64-bit engine allows you to open projects faster, work through more complex, effects-loaded and long format footage more quickly and efficiently than ever before. You can easily mix various formats such as P2, RED and DSLR cameras in the timeline without having to render.

2. New Ultra Keyer
Any video editing enthusiast that has ever had to work with green screen footage is well aware of the multitude of headaches associated with chroma-keying: color-spill, having to ensure absolutely even lighting, and the need to tediously identify minute details such as hair. The brand spanking new Ultra Keyer in Premiere Pro CS5 is a powerful tool that allows you to swiftly and easily do excellent chroma-keying, even with HD video. The Ultra Keyer was built with real-world shooting conditions in mind, and lets you do fast, accurate keys smoke, liquid and even transparent objects. Your space-battles and fantastical, awe-inspiring CG landscapes will be easier than ever to implement. Just promise us that Jar-Jar won’t be there.

3. Improved Work-Flows With Other NLES
Premiere Pro CS5’s enhanced NLES workflows makes it easier than ever to import projects to and from other non-linear editing systems without having to do pesky file conversions or time-consuming re-renders. Easily transfer projects to and from Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer while preserving most of the commonly used effects and transitions. You can also use Premiere Pro CS5 to bring projects from other NLES into Adobe After Effects, allowing you to utilize the awesome effects powers in ways never before imaginable.

4. Metadata
Have you ever found yourself desperately searching through hours of footage, just so you can find that one 10-second clip that you know would be perfect for your scene? Enhanced metadata in CS5 can be added automatically or entered manually at any stage of the post-production process, allowing you to quickly and easily categorize your clips and assets by a multitude of criteria, from location, to actors, to copyright information. This allows you to quickly locate the exact clips or assets that you need in a fraction of the time it would take you to search manually. Time is money.

5. Support For the Latest Cameras
Premiere Pro CS5 is equipped with native support for all the latest camera formats, with new updates and upgrades being introduced nearly every day. You can easily edit your footage shot on RED, P2, XDCAM, AVC-Intra and AVCHD, as well as Canon and Nikon DSLR cameras. Coupled with Adobe OnLocation, Premiere Pro is even capable of logging and capturing footage from tapeless cameras directly to disk, all but eliminating the intense logging times that DV tapes require.