Adobe CS5.5 Upgrade finally done!

I finally bothered to download the CS5.5 Master upgrade and it's installed now. My first run with Premiere Pro is good. The integration of the suite with interoperability is smooth and quick (PROVIDED you have a workstation computer). Took my old CS5 projects and converted with no problems. Everything runs native. I did a quick 4 track mix of R3D, H.264, Canon XF and AVCHD. All played at correct fps with ability to scrub etc and a few layers of EFX didn't slow it down. Watching CPU utilization, it used up all cores to do this on top of using the GPU. There's also background rendering and other neat features like the ability to switch between AEFX and PP, which automatically updates the other timeline with the modified clip. It even took my FCP project without a hitch.

This thing gobbles RAM if you have multiple programs running. I have 32GB and with AEFX and PP running @ 64bit on a smallish project, using RAM preview, I had 1GB left. Adobe recommends 2-3GB per processor, more in 64bit. I have 12 cores(24 with hyperthreading). Looks like I'll have to hope the 8GB sticks drop in price soon.

The integration is needed too as PP doesn't have many filters built into it. Image stabilization is pushed to AEFX, which is a bit silly but there are other 3rd party stabilization software like SmoothKit from RE:Vision.

Audition now replaces Soundbooth, a program I never liked. Have to play with it more to see if I can replace Pro Tools or Logic with it. Adobe Media Encoder is 64bit and multicore... will have to see how fast it renders.

New things to play with and not enough time!

Have to play with it more to see if I can replace Pro Tools

Pro Tools? Really?

Well for editing and tracking, Pro Tools is still firmly entrenched. I use maybe 10% of the capabilities and Logic is faster and imho better. But I learnt it for the sake of knowing it and many people use it so it's easy to share files.

Hey Drew,

Check out the ram made by Crucial. http://www.crucial.com/ It is of excellent quality and much less costly than Apple's ram. I have used their ram in my last several Mac Pros. Never a single problem at all.

Steve

Drew, what kind of hardware system are you running if you don't mind me asking ?

I just ordered a new dedicated editing PC with Adobe CS5.5

I decided to go with a turnkey specialist to ensure all the hardware and software is optimized to work together as a system.

I'm a little anxious to see how much faster renders will be. Not having to convert files with Cineform and having realtime full rez previews should also be great.

I've been a very happy Vegas Video user since the beginning, pre Sony buying them. I'm a little nervous to learn a new system, but with all the Adobe advantages I figured now is the time.

Ron

I just bought a 2nd hand Mac Pro 12 core last month, using the FX4800.

If you are using a PC, then you don't really have to buy Adobe's approved Nvidia GPU list cards only. From what I understand, there is a hack to allow the use of other Nvidia cards not listed on the website.

I should add that resolution was @ 1/2, not full for real time preview.

Ron, what are the advantages you see with Premiere Pro over Vegas Pro?

Drew, how does Adobe do media management with Premiere Pro? Is there a package that one can use to add tags/info to clips? Can it import/export with an external database?

Nick, my Dell is 5 yrs old running Windows XP 32 bit. It is time for a new computer and I figured if I am going to switch SW, now is the time.

My main reasons for switching are:

DSLR support

Faster renders

Realtime color accurate previews

3rd party plug-in support

Software suite

Larger user base and potential to work with others on group projects

According to what I've read, Adobe takes better advantage of the latest computer hardware which results in faster renders and better previews, especially with DSLR footage. Vegas does not get much support from 3rd party companies, for example Red Giant Magic Bullet. The Adobe software suite like Photoshop, After Effects, is better and integrates into Premiere. I'm also planning on taking some film making classes here in NYC and Adobe is used more than Vegas.

I've been very happy with Vegas. Hopefully the transition to Adobe won't be too difficult.

Hey Drew,

Congrats on your new 12 core. It is so new, I can't imagine why the original owner would have sold it. I would call Apple and ask for the extended warranty if you can get it.

I am currently using the FX4800 card and in late June will be testing the NVIDIA 4000 card and then decide which one I will keep and which I will sell. I don't expect there to be too much performance difference between either. Both are really very good.

Steve

Drew, how does Adobe do media management with Premiere Pro? Is there a package that one can use to add tags/info to clips? Can it import/export with an external database?

Depends on the the format. On Location can handle HDV, DVC, DVCPRO well. Adobe Bridge is another way to enter metadata, slow but it works. In PP 5.5, the metadata option allows editing of multiple clips. Not sure what you mean by external database? You mean i/e to a server based partition? That isn't a problem.

One thing I don't like is the Project Manager doesn't trim long GOP and R3D codecs. But then again no other NLE can either, without transcoding. But it's a nice archival tool as well. It's not as efficient as FCP (but then again I'm much more used to FCP) but it renders so much faster I don't care!!

Drew, do you know of other FCP users switching to Adobe ?

I wouldn't say I've fully switched. I still use Color and FCP for some projects which are native. I'll probably always switch between the 3 NLEs I've learnt, depending on the project. FCPX should narrow the performance gap somewhat, but I think Windoze CS5.5 will be beat out OSX on render time.

Adobe has pushed hard to make the switch easier. You can choose the keyboard short cuts layout to match FCP 7 or Avid MC.That alone cuts out 70% of the accustomization routine. I was struggling a bit with CS5 but with 5.5, my efficiency has improved due to the short cuts.

Still PP CS5.5 isn't as good as FCP in certain areas. Media management on startup of a proj doesn't have a more defined search function for offline clips already in the proj. So one has to use an external search engine like Spotlight. FCP has search (thanks to spotlight) right in that menu. That gave me an idea to test the brains of PP. I tried to render a sequence with media offline... it crashed and is repeatable.

Now the Media Browser is awesome for certain things. The ability to cull through all the folder structures of new media like AVCHD, H.264 DSLR, XF media is fantastic to have. Avid could learn a few things here too.

However the point is that cross pollination of features will always occur, especially popular ones. I'm excited to see Adobe make such a complete package in such a short time. Unlike Apple, which is preoccupied with phones, tablets and world domination of cellphones.

Now thinking about it further, I should add that I doubt people will ever be totally one program only. Most pro editors I know started with Avid, then added FCS, then now uses CS5 for R3D compatibility. So in essence, they added Adobe and FCP. Obviously there are different levels of production houses, but feature/broadcast editors can't possibly only know one software or platform. Then you have unaffliated editors who can work with any production house with any software.

Makes sense being versed in multiple SW packages. I was just curious. So many Mac users I meet act cult-ish about everything Apple. Obviously not every Mac owner I meet is like that, but it's common enough to notice. Competition is a good thing. It drives up value and performance no matter what platform one chooses to use.

Depends on the the format. On Location can handle HDV, DVC, DVCPRO well. Adobe Bridge is another way to enter metadata, slow but it works. In PP 5.5, the metadata option allows editing of multiple clips. Not sure what you mean by external database? You mean i/e to a server based partition? That isn't a problem.

Thanks Drew. Well, I've come to the point where I really need a relational database of all my footage so I can find and preview clips based on certain criteria, as well as having the potential for import/export tables to MySQL or whatever for web use. It's better if that database will integrate with my NLE. Vegas Pro's Media Manager module should be able to do it, although apparently it's rather limited. It's based on MS SQL 2005, but nobody has yet found a way to import or export the data in any usable format. I'm rather loath to enter descriptions for 10k+ clips into a program that won't let me export that data for use in something else. That's a long one-way street. So I'm thinking of solutions that don't integrate with an NLE such as MySQL, Access, OpenOffice Base etc..

As I'm thinking of getting the entire Adobe CS suite at some point, I was wondering if the tools that come with the full CS suite will do what I'm looking for. I'd probably still use Vegas Pro as my main NLE.

Adobe CS5 uses AAF,XML and EDL, as does FCP (no AAF), Avid and I think pretty much every NLE. I think XML is easily importable into SQL. And I know MySQL can export XML. You just have to get the right template. I can't believe that Vegas doesn't handle XML or AAF. Are you sure?

Vegas has AAF and EDL import and export for projects, but that's a different thing. What I'm looking for is adding metadata to individual video clips e.g. scientific name, common names, dive site, other species in clip, equivalent file name at stock footage rep, camera settings, shot type, which projects used in, related clips etc. etc..

Interesting. I can't imagine how any NLE would leave out ability to emter metadata like that. Well u can enter scene meta datra in CS or FCP. With CS, there r several ways to do it.

I am with Nick regarding the need for a tool to manage not only clips but their content. The difference with you guys is that I am just getting started, so I don't have TB of footage to manage (yet).

I would argue that I'd rather have this independent from the NLE software, but accessible from it. Especially when software X from brand A becomes obsolete or superseded by software C from brand Z and you can't take advantage of your database anymore...

I still do things the old school way by giving a descriptive file name to my clips when i put them on my hard drive.