When people hear the name Adobe, it isn't always synonymous with ease of use. This is not the case with
Adobe Premiere Elements 10. This
video editing software is intended for an audience that wants a professional product they can pick up and use without watching hours upon hours of tutorials. Not only is this application straightforward, but it also has all of the features you've come to expect from video software. This product earns our
TopTenREVIEWS Bronze Award for all-around quality you can trust.
Although there are still more PCs in use than Macs, this particular video editing software caters to both operating systems. This is one of the few products we looked at that has an option for Macs. Not only can you use this particular software on a Mac, but there are also many other features that make this product worthwhile. With Adobe Premiere Elements, you can easily import the files you want directly from a camera or camcorder. Don't worry about losing your files or cluttering up the memory of your computer. Just take the ones you want to work with and leave the rest on the device for later use.
If you want to share your latest creations with friends and family, Premiere Elements makes it easy. There are dozens of export options including a direct upload to YouTube or Facebook. It also has options for creating web DVDs that have the same menu options as physical DVDs. You can burn these to a DVD or leave them in a digital format and spread them through online means. This is a great way to preserve HD with the same functionality. Physicals DVDs are limited to the standard definition format.
Adobe Premiere Elements 10 video editing software has numerous improved options to enhance your ability to make sophisticated videos. Upgraded functionality allows you to fix imperfections in the audio track as well as the video. Many automated features are available so that the program can be easily used by newcomers to the world of video editing software, but they can be overridden and enhanced to satisfy the creativity requirements of more advanced users.
Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10 are available together in a value priced bundle. They share files from the same Elements Organizer application, so they work especially well together.
Within Elements Organizer, there are four tabs that allow you to access most critical functions. The Organize tab allows for sorting, tagging and searching of clips and photos as well as protecting them with automatic online backup. The Fix tab provides easy-to-use but effective editing features. Create is where you can make InstantMovies, which we discuss in the Ease of Use section of this review. It also allows you to create slide shows and print creations. Finally, the Share tab is the key to uploading to the internet in a variety of ways.
Elements Organizer is integral to using both Adobe Premiere Elements and Adobe Photoshop Elements. The shared data makes the two applications work seamlessly together. Nonetheless, it can be a bit confusing in that some functions that seem to belong in the Premiere Elements application are actually part of Organizer and the two must be run simultaneously. It’s mainly a matter of getting used to the division of labor, but we think that a more user-friendly solution is attainable.
A wide array of import and export file formats are usable with this video editing software. Most significant among them are AVCHD (import only), Blu-ray Disc (export only), DV-AVI (import/export on Windows, import only on Mac OS), DVD, Dolby Digital Stereo, H.264, HDV, MPEG-1 (import only), MPEG-2, MPEG-4, MP3, QuickTime and Windows Media (Windows only). It is also compatible with many other formats.
Adobe claims Premiere Elements 10 can support up to 99 video tracks and 99 audio tracks, but we found that this actually sells the application short. There’s nothing that prevents adding tracks 100, 101, 102, etc. Indeed, if there really is a limit, we couldn’t find it. Consumers aren’t likely to ever approach that many tracks, but it appears the maximum number is only limited by your computer’s hardware.
Using Adobe Premiere Elements, tagging clips is a key to managing the video editing process. You can tag clips into categories such as people, places, travel, events or any term that is meaningful to you. They’re stored that way in Elements Organizer to help in retrieving them when needed. Smart tagging makes the process even easier and works automatically when clips are imported. Beyond categorizing clips by subject, it includes an Auto-Analyzer function which sorts clips by quality based on criteria including lighting, contrast, audio, motion and more. You can select one or more criteria to find clips that meet your specific needs.
Among the best ease of use features that we’ve encountered with video editing software is Adobe’s InstantMovie. When selected, it searches for the best clips based on user-specified Smart Tag criteria like quality and subject. InstantMovie can place clips in the correct order based on your script and eliminate clips that don’t meet the quality you’ve specified. The program coordinates music, transitions, titles and effects. It includes a number of themes to get you started and will even add a scene index. All in all, it’s a great way to get started with video editing and can provide the foundation for more advanced editing as you learn by experience.
Almost everything in this video editing software supports the drag and drop feature. This allows you to do everything from importing video and audio tracks, apply transitions and effects, clipping and trimming, and even publish your project, all from the main user interface.
Beyond that, there are automatic options to fix imperfections. Camera shake, lighting and color problems can all be remedied with the SmartFix feature. Smart Trim can help in deciding what to keep and what to cut out of your movie by making suggestions based on your criteria. If you usually accept the recommendations, you can choose to make the video editing software simply accept them by default.
Perhaps the best way to share a video online is to create a web DVD and upload it to Photoshop.com or your own website. In this way, you can create a virtual, interactive DVD complete with menus, scene indexes and chapters. It’s a great way to share, and you can do it in full 1080p HD.
This video editing software supports green screen, or Chroma Key, editing. Adobe calls it Videomerge. Though blue and green backgrounds are most commonly used, any solid color background can be used as long as it isn’t close to flesh tone or the color of the subject's clothing. With it, the person being filmed can be placed in front of any background. Just for fun, Adobe Premiere Elements 10 has added a cartoon mode which can instantly make your live action video appear as an animated cartoon. Various filters can be applied to create the cartoon look that suits your specific desires.
Summary
System requirements
Windows
- 2GHz or faster processor with SSE2 support; 3GHz processor required for HDV or Blu-ray; dual-core processor required for AVCHD
- Microsoft® Windows® XP with Service Pack 2, Windows Media Center, Windows Vista®, or Windows 7
- 1GB of RAM; 2GB required for HD editing (including HDV, AVCHD, or Blu-ray)
- 4GB of available hard-disk space to install applications;
- Additional 5GB to install content
- Graphics card with the latest updated drivers
- 1024x768 display resolution at 96dpi or less
- Microsoft DirectX 9 or 10 compatible sound and display driver
- DVD-ROM drive (compatible DVD burner required to burn DVDs; compatible Blu-ray burner required to burn Blu-ray Disc media)
- DV/i.LINK/FireWire/IEEE 1394 interface to connect a Digital 8 DV or HDV camcorder, or a USB2 interface to connect a DV-via-USB compatible DV camcorder
- QuickTime 7 software (required if importing/exporting QuickTime formats)
- Windows Media Player (required if importing/exporting Windows Media formats)
- Internet connection required for Internet-based features
Mac OS
- Multicore Intel® processor
- Mac OS X v10.5.8 through v10.6
- 2GB of RAM
- 4GB of available hard-disk space to install applications
- Additional 5GB to install content
- Graphics card with the latest updated drivers
- 1024x768 display resolution
- DVD-ROM drive (compatible DVD burner required to burn DVDs
- Compatible Blu-ray burner required to burn Blu-ray Disc media)
- DV/i.LINK/FireWire/IEEE 1394 interface to connect Digital 8 DV or HDV camcorder, or a USB2 interface to connect a DV-via-USB compatible DV camcorder
- QuickTime 7 software (required if importing/exporting QuickTime formats)
- Internet connection required for Internet-based features
Enhance your movies with professional flair
Use state-of-the-art effects options to enhance your movies with eye-catching visual effects and professional-quality audio
Jazz up the action
Give your movie an eye-catching cartoon look. Choose from a variety of animation styles, and customize as you wish.
Share in an exciting new way on the web
Debut your movie with a convenient, interactive web DVD viewing experience. Easily share your movie — complete with a scene index and chapter menus — on Photoshop.com or your own website.
Quickly share videos and photos on Facebook
Conveniently share videos and photos on Facebook* directly from the Organizer, which automatically optimizes your media so it looks its best.
Get creative inspiration
Bring your ideas to life with relevant how-tos that appear just when you need them.
Easily fix audio problems
Easily reduce background noise and fix problems with audio volume and clarity so your movie has high-quality sound from start to finish.
Enjoy support for popular cameras
Easily bring in video from compact camcorders like Flip cameras as well as from DSLR still cameras.
Enjoy optimized HD editing
Experience fluid responsiveness and high performance when editing video, even HD.