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Video-Editing Tools Compared: Premiere Pro, After Effects & DaVinci Resolve
Last updated November 2025.
Looking for the best video editing software for your workflow? Here’s a practical guide with tips, quick wins and course links.
Choosing between Premiere Pro, After Effects and DaVinci Resolve depends on what you edit plus how you collaborate and where you finish (grade, mix, delivery). This guide explains the strengths of each app, when to use them and how to combine tools efficiently. You’ll also find a focused “Premiere Pro vs DaVinci” section with practical advice for common scenarios such as social content, corporate edits, YouTube, broadcast and film.
Quick Page Links:
↓ Premiere Pro
Fast editorial, team workflows, Adobe ecosystem
↓ After Effects
Motion graphics, titles, VFX and compositing
↓ DaVinci Resolve
Editing, world-class colour & audio in one
↓ Premiere vs DaVinci
Which one is right for your workflow?
New to Video? Build job ready skills with our certified training:
Adobe Premiere Pro
What it is: A professional non-linear editor (NLE) for cutting anything from social shorts to feature films. Excellent for multi-format timelines, graphics integration and collaborative editorial in the Adobe ecosystem.
Benefits & Use Cases
- Editorial speed:
Familiar timeline, ripple/roll trims, robust multicam and proxy workflows for fast turnarounds - Graphics & titles:
Essential Graphics for brand-consistent lower-thirds and captions; native subtitle tools - Adobe workflow:
Smooth hand-offs with After Effects (motion), Photoshop (stills) and Audition (audio) - Hybrid delivery:
Reliable exports for broadcast, social, web and events - Growing AI helpers:
Transcript-based editing, auto-captioning and assistive clean-ups to shave time off busy edits
Practical
Tips & Advice
- Cut on transcripts:
Generate a transcript, then lift selects by deleting text — perfect for interviews & webinars - Go proxy early:
Create proxies at ingest for H.265/RAW and switch seamlessly with a single toggle - Master colour management:
Set sequence colour space and interpret log correctly to avoid washed-out exports - Use Motion Graphics Templates (MOGRTs):
Build brand packs once in After Effects and edit text/colours in Premiere - Bulk captioning:
Auto-generate captions, then use search/replace for names, numbers and brand spellings.
Best For
- Agencies and in-house teams producing frequent social/corporate edits
- Editors working closely with motion designers in After Effects
- Multi-format delivery (9:16, 1:1, 16:9) with consistent brand graphics
Level Up
Discover more about how to streamline your video production with our in-depth Adobe Premiere Pro courses.
Premiere Pro – classroom & live online → Video course bundles & masterclasses →
Adobe After Effects
What it is: The industry standard for motion graphics and compositing. Build titles, lower-thirds, kinetic typography, logo stings and full VFX shots. Layer-based, extensible and built to work hand-in-glove with Premiere Pro.
Benefits & Use Cases
- Motion graphics powerhouse:
From simple animated supers to complex brand systems. - Compositing & tracking:
Stabilise, track and composite screen inserts, product shots and visual clean-ups. - Template engine:
Build flexible Motion Graphics Templates (MOGRTs) for editors to customise in Premiere. - Plugin ecosystem:
Huge library of effects, expressions and scripts to automate repetitive work. - 3D & camera tools:
Add depth with lights, cameras and 3D layers for cinematic titles.
Practical
Tips & Advice
- Design as a system:
Use Essential Properties and pre-comps so variants (languages, colours) are fast to roll out. - Master expressions:
A handful (valueAtTime, time, ease, wiggle) can replace scores of keyframes. - Render smart:
Use Adobe Media Encoder for queueing, or ProRes/DNx mezzanines for round-trips. - Dynamic Link:
For quick iterations, link comps directly to Premiere — no intermediate renders. - Template once, reuse forever:
Package MOGRTs with brand fonts/controls to empower editors.
Best For
- Brand-led motion systems, title sequences, graphic packages
- Visual effects and screen comps for advertising and corporate
- Teams where designers build and editors deploy
Level Up
Discover more about how to streamline your video production with our in-depth Adobe After Effects courses.
After Effects – classroom & live online → Video course bundles & masterclasses →
DaVinci Resolve
What it is: An end-to-end post suite in one application — edit on Edit, grade on Color, build VFX in Fusion and mix on Fairlight. Revered for world-class colour tools and robust collaboration.
Benefits & Use Cases
- All-in-one workflow:
Editorial, colour, VFX and audio post live in a single project/timeline. - Gold-standard grading:
Colour management, nodes, secondaries and power windows for broadcast/film finish. - Fusion page:
Node-based compositing for graphics, titles and VFX without leaving Resolve. - Fairlight audio:
Integrated DAW for mixing, loudness, ADR and deliverables. - Team collaboration:
Multi-user timelines and Blackmagic Cloud for distributed teams.
Practical
Tips & Advice
- Colour manage from day one:
Use DaVinci Wide Gamut/Intermediate for modern camera pipelines. - Keep nodes readable:
Label and group (pre-balance, look, grain) and save node trees as presets. - Smart caching:
Enable render cache (Smart/User) for smooth UHD/FX playback. - Fairlight first-aid:
Dialogue leveler, EQ and noise tools deliver broadcast-ready speech fast. - Round-trip sanity:
If finishing from Premiere, send mezzanine files (e.g., ProRes 422 HQ) and relink.
Best For
- Editors who also grade/mix, and small teams wanting one tool
- Filmmakers seeking cinematic looks and precise colour control
- Studios streamlining hand-offs across edit → colour → audio
Level Up
Discover more about how to streamline your video production with our in-depth DaVinci courses.
DaVinci Resolve – editing, colour & Fusion → All Video Courses →Premiere vs DaVinci: which is best video editing software for you?
Both are excellent NLEs. The better pick depends on where you spend most of your time and which parts of post you own.
| Scenario | Premiere Pro | DaVinci Resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Rapid editorial with motion graphics | Winner — tight After Effects/MOGRT workflow; great for brand packages. | Capable via Fusion, but steeper motion-graphics learning curve. |
| Colour-critical finishing | Solid basic grading, often offloaded to a colourist. | Winner — industry-leading colour tools and colour management. |
| Audio post & delivery | Works well; many teams finish in Audition. | Winner — Fairlight gives DAW-level mixing inside the same project. |
| One-app end-to-end | Usually pairs with other Adobe apps. | Winner — edit, grade, VFX and mix without leaving Resolve. |
| Cross-team collaboration | Strong via shared storage, Productions & Team Projects. | Strong via project servers and Blackmagic Cloud. |
Rule-of-thumb guidance
- Choose Premiere if most projects need quick turnarounds, consistent brand graphics and heavy motion packages.
- Choose Resolve if you finish in colour/audio, or want a single app from offline to delivery.
- Use both: cut in Premiere → conform/grade/mix in Resolve; or cut in Resolve and send shots to After Effects for complex motion/VFX.
Not sure? Book a chat and we’ll recommend a learning path:
Practical workflow tips that save hours
- Name everything on ingest: Camera, card, day, scene and take. Good bins beat good luck.
- Standardise frame rate & colour space: Avoid mixed bases where possible; set colour-management at project start.
- Create a brand graphics library: Lower-thirds, bugs, transitions and slates as reusable templates (MOGRTs or Fusion macros).
- Work mezzanine: When round-tripping, use edit-friendly mezzanines (e.g., ProRes/DNx) and lock picture before heavy grade.
- Automate repetitive tasks: Batch rename, auto-captions, find-replace, presets and scripts beat manual tweaks.
Learn more with XChange Training
Adobe Premiere Pro
Introduction, Advanced & Masterclass →
Adobe After Effects
Motion Graphics & VFX →
DaVinci Resolve
Editing, colour & fusion →
All Video Courses →
Video Tools Frequently Asked Questions
What’s the best video editing
software for beginners?
Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve both work for beginners. Resolve’s free version lowers the barrier to entry; Premiere’s editor-friendly UI and Adobe ecosystem make it easy to grow into motion graphics with After Effects.
Is DaVinci Resolve really
free?
Yes — the standard Resolve is free and powerful. Resolve Studio is the paid version, adding advanced noise reduction, superscaling, more GPU acceleration and extra FX. Choose Studio when you need those premium features.
Do I still need After
Effects if I use Resolve?
For complex motion graphics, template-driven brand packages, expressions and certain plugins, After Effects remains the specialist tool. Resolve’s Fusion is capable, but many teams prefer Ae for motion design and templating via MOGRTs into Premiere.
Which is better for
YouTube?
Both. Pick Premiere for fast graphics-heavy formats, team collaboration and Adobe stock/branding assets. Pick Resolve if you want to learn colour craft alongside editing and keep everything inside one app.
What about multicam and
proxies?
Both apps are strong. Best practice: create proxies on ingest for long-form and high-codec media; use multicam with consistent timecode or clapper sync to avoid chaos later.
How do I keep brand
consistency across edits?
Use MOGRT templates (Ae → Premiere) or Fusion macros in Resolve. Build a brand kit with defined fonts, safe margins, motion rules and export presets.
Can I move a project between
Premiere and Resolve?
Yes. Use EDL/XML/AAF or export a mezzanine master and conform/grade in Resolve. Lock picture before heavy grading to reduce reconforms.
What spec machine do
I need?
Prioritise GPU, fast storage (NVMe), sufficient RAM (32GB+) and a recent CPU. For log/RAW and heavy FX, GPU VRAM matters; for long-form timelines, fast SSDs help most.
Should I colour-correct in
Premiere or move to Resolve?
If your grade is light (balance, basic looks), Premiere is fine. For colour-critical work (log pipelines, secondaries, matching across cameras), Resolve’s toolset is best-in-class.
What’s the fastest
way to upskill?
Take a focused intro or masterclass, apply it immediately on a live project, then follow up with an advanced day specific to motion graphics or colour. See our Video Courses.
Ready to master your tool of choice?
Book a certified course or ask us which pathway fits your projects:
Video Tools FAQs
What’s the best video editing
software for beginners?
Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve both work for beginners. Resolve’s free version lowers the barrier to entry; Premiere’s editor-friendly UI and Adobe ecosystem make it easy to grow into motion graphics with After Effects.
Is DaVinci Resolve really
free?
Yes — the standard Resolve is free and powerful. Resolve Studio is the paid version, adding advanced noise reduction, superscaling, more GPU acceleration and extra FX. Choose Studio when you need those premium features.
Do I still need After
Effects if I use Resolve?
For complex motion graphics, template-driven brand packages, expressions and certain plugins, After Effects remains the specialist tool. Resolve’s Fusion is capable, but many teams prefer Ae for motion design and templating via MOGRTs into Premiere.
Which is better for
YouTube?
Both. Pick Premiere for fast graphics-heavy formats, team collaboration and Adobe stock/branding assets. Pick Resolve if you want to learn colour craft alongside editing and keep everything inside one app.
What about multicam and
proxies?
Both apps are strong. Best practice: create proxies on ingest for long-form and high-codec media; use multicam with consistent timecode or clapper sync to avoid chaos later.
How do I keep brand
consistency across edits?
Use MOGRT templates (Ae → Premiere) or Fusion macros in Resolve. Build a brand kit with defined fonts, safe margins, motion rules and export presets.
Can I move a project between
Premiere and Resolve?
Yes. Use EDL/XML/AAF or export a mezzanine master and conform/grade in Resolve. Lock picture before heavy grading to reduce reconforms.
What spec machine do
I need?
Prioritise GPU, fast storage (NVMe), sufficient RAM (32GB+) and a recent CPU. For log/RAW and heavy FX, GPU VRAM matters; for long-form timelines, fast SSDs help most.
Should I colour-correct in
Premiere or move to Resolve?
If your grade is light (balance, basic looks), Premiere is fine. For colour-critical work (log pipelines, secondaries, matching across cameras), Resolve’s toolset is best-in-class.
What’s the fastest
way to upskill?
Take a focused intro or masterclass, apply it immediately on a live project, then follow up with an advanced day specific to motion graphics or colour. See our Video Courses.
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