Adobe for Broadcast

Premiere Pro -

Is timeline-based video editing software used by a number of creative studios and broadcasters to cut content ready for broadcast.

Premiere has become a popular editor for a number of reasons, including relatively low price point, and the fact it comes with a suite of complimentary products.

Hollywood movies including Avatar and The Social Network have been cut on Premiere.

After Effects - (Or AFX)

AFX is a digital visual effects, motion graphics and compositing application used within the post production process of film, broadcast and video games production.

After Effects is used for Keying, Tracking, Compositing and Animation.

Keying - is defining transparency by a particular color value or luminance value in an image. When you key out a value all pixels that have colors or luminance values similar to that value become transparent.

Tracking - motion tracking is where you can create text, logos or graphics that smoothly follow the motion of cars, people, environmental effects or even the camera itself.

Compositing - is the technique of combining visual elements from separate sources into single images, often to create the illusion that all of these elements are parts of the same scene. Live action shooting for compositing is variously called chroma key or green/blue screen.

AFX is frequently used in Broadcast for creating simple to more advanced graphics.

Eg think of the opening titles of your favorite show like Man Men, the creative team used AFX for this sequence, creating the graphics and animation of Don Draper falling from the sky scraper.

Color Correction -

Within Premiere there is a color correction tool that further expands the capability of the editing platform. Color correction is used to edit color and luminance effects ensuring content continuity is maintained.

Photoshop -

Is a raster graphics editor and has become the industry standard for 2d graphics editing and design.

Photoshop is used by millions of people, and helps people to design a raft of products including logos, marketing materials and is used to edit photographs.

Useful Information -

Adobe offer free trials and discounted licenses (65% off) for students. More info can be found here - https://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud/buy/students.html

If you are looking to get into video editing and want some useful insights from industry professionals. Not purely a ‘how to’ - but a good overview of what you can expect the role of an editor can ultimately look like when cutting to tight deadlines.

Our favorite training course for editors is Inside The Edit. Here Paddy Bird takes you through the fundamentals of crafting the art of a good edit. This course is less technical than others and more creative focused.

Another good resource is The Art of the Cut. This podcast discusses specific credits with established editors. Delving into the process, challenges and creative vision behind well known motion pictures.