• Adobe Premiere Pro Cc
• What Can I Do With Adobe Premiere Pro

1. As you may already know, Adobe Premiere Pro is a very powerful video processing program that can deal with various kind of video files. The video formats Premiere Pro supports include 3GP, 3G2, AVI, DV, MP4, M2TS, M2V and so on.
2. For a right-here, right-now example, you can’t get any better than the TV show Mindhunter. A Netflix Original Series, Mindhunter showcases what Premiere Pro can do in an easily-accessible way. Of particular note is the post-production team’s use of the dynamic link feature. This helped to smoothly work between Premiere Pro and After Effects.

The process of Adobe Premiere Pro rendering can seem like an annoying inconvenience which cuts into your editing time. When done regularly and appropriately, it can save you a lot of time and frustration with playback and exporting videos.

When you’ve got a new project on your hands, one of the first questions you probably ask yourself is, “Which design product should I use to make this?” With so many different applications, how do you know if you are using the best application for what you’re trying to accomplish? What if you only have access to one product? Can you still complete your design?

To help you get started, we’ve created an easy reference for some of the most common design projects and the products you can use to create them. And check out our new tutorial here.

First thing’s first — use what you know.
“The first thing to understand is that many of the Creative Cloud applications overlap some in their functionality,” Brian Barrus, president and creative director at Studio Element, says, “so a big part of which product you use comes down to personal preference and how familiar and comfortable you are with different apps.”

If you feel fairly confident using one program but have never scratched the surface of another, have no fear. There’s a good chance you can use the program you already know to complete your project. And when you’re ready to broaden your horizons, the even better news is that most Adobe products share very similar design language in their interfaces. Tools tend to be found in roughly the same places from one app to the next.

That being said, there is a clear advantage to broadening your familiarity across the product set. Each app has its own strengths, and professional designers use each product accordingly — often using multiple applications on a single project. For simplicity’s sake, in this guide we’ll focus on the big three design products: Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign.

Harness each program’s strengths.
To help you get a better feel for the general strengths of each app, let’s review them briefly.

• Photoshop: Photoshop does the best work on raster images (pixel-based), like photographs. It shines doing tasks like adjusting brightness, colourising, cutting an element from the background, or blending multiple images into a collage. Photoshop is really best as an image editor and can also be useful for video and animations.
• Illustrator: Illustrator is the go-to tool for creating logos or other illustrations. Its major advantage is that it works in vector format. Rather than storing individual pixels, vector art stores points and equations, meaning that you can create an image and scale it down to a business card or up a billboard without any pixelation (loss of graphical quality). The catch to vector art is that it tends to be less visually complex than raster art. You are unlikely to create photorealistic images with vector art, but it does work well for typography.
• InDesign: InDesign is a publishing tool at its heart. It’s built around the task of page-layouts and is the perfect app for arranging elements or creating multi-page documents, like brochures or catalogues. InDesign simplifies the creation of long-form documents with tools like ‘master pages’ and text and typography styles. InDesign is excellent for organising visual elements on a page, but it is limited in terms of image creation or editing tools.

Reference this guide.
To close out this primer, let’s spend a moment running through some of the most common projects you’ll find (in alphabetical order, for easy reference) and our recommendations for which tools will work the best. Keep in mind that most of these projects will have multiple elements, and those elements will lend themselves to different tools.

Book Cover:

1. Any of the 3 apps could be used for book cover design, so the recommendation is really to go where you’re most comfortable. The key is to consider your vision for the final product. For visually complex covers with photorealism, consider Photoshop. For covers with many elements or extensive text, go with InDesign. For more expressive covers that blend illustration with expressive typography, Illustrator is probably best.

This book cover’s unique imagery was created using Photoshop. By CHIARA LAMIERI.

Brochure/Catalogue:

1. InDesign is the strongest tool for designing brochures, and that strength increases the longer your brochure is. InDesign’s suite of formatting and visual-arrangement tools gives it the win.
2. If your brochure is primarily charts and images and reasonably short, Illustrator is a good alternative.

Creating a tri-fold brochure means spending some time in layout. InDesign is a good match. By MUGLI DESIGN.

Flyer:

1. InDesign is first choice thanks to its ability to streamline text styles and page layouts.
2. Illustrator is again a good alternative, especially for simpler, image-heavy projects.

Flyers often combine imagery and text. InDesign and Illustrator can pull the pieces together. By MOHAMAD BORNEAFANDRI ABULGAMALANG.

Icon:

1. Illustrator is a great choice for icons because it has tools created specifically for designing and editing simple images. Illustrator’s advantage in scaling is minimised for icons because they are designed to stay small.
2. Photoshop would be a close second because it has similar image-editing tools. However, Photoshop’s power for dealing with complex images is also somewhat irrelevant as icons tend to be very simple.

Illustrator is a great tool for creating icons like these, but Photoshop can be used as well. By MUTI.

Infographic:

1. Illustrator is a wonderful resource for infographics because they tend to be ‘illustrative’ in nature. It has a powerful ability to blend visuals and text, meaning you can create charts and graphs while also being very expressive with type and composition.
2. Photoshop works as an alternative thanks to its visual-editing tools.

Infographics take information and make it simple to understand in a visual way. By JING ZHANG.

Invitation:

1. Illustrator has a strong suite of tools for this kind of work, but an argument could be made for any of the programs. Illustrator is the most straightforward in its ability to manipulate and get expressive with type and text.
2. InDesign would be a close second, especially if your invitation focuses more on type rather than stylisation. InDesign’s design and formatting tools could also be very useful for fitting multiple invitations to a single, printed page.

Each of the big three Adobe design products can be used to make an invitation. Which is best depends on your vision. By ABINGO WANG.

Logo:

1. Illustrator is the clear choice here. The simple advantage of working in vectors instead of pixels is huge, since you don’t need to worry about pixelation when expanding the logo. and Illustrator has all the tools you’ll need to design, create, and manipulate a logo.

Illustrator’s vector abilities makes it a clear choice for designing logos. With vectors, any size is possible without losing quality. By PETER CULKIN.

Magazine Layout:

1. InDesign is the best tool for magazine layout — or the interior layout of nearly any long-form document. It has tools to streamline and automate many of the otherwise-repetitive tasks inherent in longer documents, and its typography and style tools can ensure consistency throughout the project. It also supports templated master pages to expedite formatting and layout.

Adobe Premiere Pro Cc

If you’re looking to create a layout for a magazine or any other longform document, InDesign can make your job a whole lot easier. By LUISINA PONCE.

Photo Editing and Compositing:

1. Photoshop is the go-to product for any kind of photo editing — it’s right in the name. When editing photos or creating advanced effects (such as combining images together with double-exposure or making collages), Photoshop has everything you need. It’s an incredibly robust tool with so many functions that even professional designers rarely utilise all the tools available. Photoshop makes it easy to do common tasks like colourising an image or adjusting brightness.

What Can I Do With Adobe Premiere Pro

When it comes to photo editing, Photoshop reigns supreme. By SELMAN HOSGÖR.

Poster:

1. Illustrator is the winner here, making it easy to get very expressive with typography and images on any scale.
2. Photoshop is a good alternative — especially if you are more interested in the visuals rather than text or typography — but make sure you have adequate resolution in the final product. You need at least 300dpi for printing to avoid pixelation.

Illustrator and Photoshop are the perfect tools for creating posters that pop. By XINDI YAN.

Social Media Graphics:

1. Photoshop allows users to manipulate raster-based or photographic imagery. It also makes it simple to blend multiple images together. The nature of social media graphics lends itself well to Photoshop’s platform.

Social media graphics are made easy in a platform like Photoshop, which is designed to blend images seamlessly together. By MATT WIESE.

Resume:

1. InDesign lends itself best to the quiet, reserved, clean style typically found in a resume. Its strength in working with multiple typography styles and producing grid-based layouts makes it the first choice.
2. Illustrator is a suitable alternative but lends itself better to more expressive projects.

Layout your latest resume in InDesign or Illustrator. By IMRAN KHAN.

Signage:

1. Illustrator enables very creative designs while still producing artwork and text that can be scaled to the large sizes often seen in signage.
2. InDesign can also produce basic vector art and would be a good option for simple or smaller signs.

Signage appears in many sizes and shapes. Illustrator and InDesign are both great tools for getting the job done. By BALA.

Website Framework or Template:

1. Illustrator is a great tool for designing the structure of a website. It allows designers to create grids for the different parts of the content and develop navigation button styles.
2. Photoshop is another effective tool for creating the elements of website structure, and some designers prefer it to Illustrator. It really comes down to what tool you are most comfortable with.

To create a website layout or template, look to Illustrator or Photoshop. By SAMUEL LADLOW.

Graphic Images, Headers, and Banners for Websites:

1. Photoshop is the tool of choice for creating images and art elements that go in a web layout. With this application, you can edit and design photo-based images or illustrations and blend multiple images into creative collages.
2. Illustrator is another solid option if your graphics are more based in charts than images.

Graphics for websites, like headers, can be created in Photoshop, which makes editing and combining photos and other elements simple. By OWAIS AHMED.

Videos and Simple Animations:

1. Photoshop is the easiest tool for creating GIFs and cinemagraph images. Its tools are specifically geared to creating these designs.

To create basic animated images like GIFs and cinemagraphs, use Photoshop. By YUKAI DU.

More Helpful Tools
The big three desktop applications merely scratch the surface of resources available to you. Services like CC Market are part of your paid membership and give you access to thousands of curated assets — for free. Use mobile apps like Adobe Capture CC to design and edit on the go. The possibilities are endless. All that’s left to do is be creative, and that’s up to you.

Ready to learn more about your favourite Adobe products? Visit the learning portal at learn.adobe.com for free tutorials, tips, and templates.

Adobe After Effects is a video and animation-based tool that’s used to add elements to moving pictures and animations. Most designers use it to create titles, intros, and transition between clips for more seamless video production.

After Effects is part of the Adobe Creative Suite of products and is included in cloud plans. Full suite users already have access to this tool, or you can get it on its own if that’s all you need.

As with other Adobe tools, the great thing about using this set of tools is that functions and interacts have a look and feel that you are probably already used to, making it easier to learn on the fly.

Here’s a look at Adobe After Effects, what it is, and how to know if you should use it for projects.

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What Is After Effects?

After Effects is a tool that’s used to create animation and motion graphics effects. Unlike Adobe Premiere Pro, which is more focused on video editing, After Effects is designed to help create all the cool extras that make your motion graphics shine.

It’s used by a variety of creative professionals for film, TV, and video for websites and social media.

Like other Adobe tools, the great thing about working with After Effects is that it works seamlessly with other Adobe tools, and allows you to import and work with native files from other pieces of Adobe software, including Photoshop, Illustrator, Character Animator, Adobe XD, and Animate.

Plus, it’s an award-winning tool. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences bestowed two Scientific and Engineering Awards to Adobe After Effects and Photoshop.

The best way to get started with the tool if you aren’t already using it is with Adobe help tutorials. They walk you through the basics and can help you better understand how and when to use After Effects versus other Adobe software when working on video projects. (many designers will find that they actually use both After Effects and Premiere Pro for many tasks that involve video or motion graphics and animation).

What Can You Do With It?

With so many tools to choose from, the question looms: What can you do with Adobe After Effects?

It’s basically designed to create and work with motion graphics. You can work with 2-dimensional footage and layers in a more 3D space.

Some of the things you might do with After Effects includes:

• Create the title sequence for a movie or video
• Compost 3D rendered footage
• Create 2D cartoon animations or characters

Simple, After Effects is designed to help enhance footage or animations and add effects. But it is not an editing tool. (Use Premiere Pro for that.)

Cool Features

After Effects is packed with different features for various projects. Depending on what type of work you do, some options may be more useful than others.

• Text animation brings letters to life with kinetic typography. You can animation logos, add motion to 3D text, and even start these projects with a preset template.
• Use preset effects to create animations you didn’t know you had in you, including spins, swipes, and slides.
• Remove elements or objects from video clips with a nifty content aware fill and add new effects for a total VR experience.
• Animate almost anything in any space.
• Use mesh sculpting tools to make movement and animations more lifelike.
• Extensive palette of 3D effects can enhance clips.

3 After Effects Templates to Try

Getting started with After Effects is probably easiest if you start with an After Effects template and learn how it works, and then go from there. This can provide some familiarity with the tools and what type of effects are possible.

Here are three options to try:

American Football

Are you ready for football season? This After Effects template has a gameday theme that’s perfect for a video featuring American football.

History Opener

This After Effects opener template is designed for projects with a historical theme and features some pretty neat effects.

Sparkly Logo

This trendy After Effects template will help you add a sparkle texture and effect to a logo for a trendy and fancy intro or outro for a video project.

How Do You Get It?

Adobe After Effects comes with full Creative Cloud plans. If you are working with multiple Adobe tools already, you are likely already subscribed to this version and After Effects is ready to download from your account.

If you aren’t using Creative Cloud, After Effects is a downloadable software tool that comes with a use license. You can purchase it a la carte as a single app, if you don’t need other Adobe software or tools.

There are also licensing options for students and teachers at discounted rates. (Check with Adobe for details.)

After Effects also comes with Adobe cloud business licenses. Prices are based on a monthly subscription and vary by plan type.

Conclusion

If you want to add effects to video or animated clips, After Effects is worth learning. The tool will help you take your motions graphics and animation game to the next level for sure.

It’s already a part of full Adobe Creative Cloud subscriptions so all you need to do it download it (and maybe a template) to get started. There are a lot of possibilities with this tool and with video becoming a bigger part of a designer workflow, it’s important to have this skill at your disposal.

After Effects Templates

Our series covers how to use After Effects templates, where to find them, and collects some of our favourite templates for all manner of different uses and scenarios.