GCN LAB REVIEWS
Adobe Premiere Elements 7
- By Carlos A. Soto, Special to GCN
- Feb 05, 2009
At a glance, Adobe Premiere Elements 7 looks like a complete video-editing tool made easy. The problem is that Adobe bundles it with Adobe Photoshop Elements 7. In combining the two, both products seem to lose something.
Adobe Premiere Elements 7 is more consumer-oriented than its competitors. It seems to focus on the bells and whistles, such as the ability to make it look like I’m flying over the Grand Canyon. Its competitors seem to put more emphasis on smooth video playback.
Don’t get me wrong: Adobe has packed the software package with rich features that work well after a slight learning curve. With the dual software set, you can easily access and use photos and video clips from either product to create cinematic slide shows or freeze-frame effects. You can then burn them to a DVD or high-definition Blu-ray Disc. Even better, you can post your creations on YouTube or use the proprietary Adobe Web service Photoshop.com Plus.
Lead story: Video-editing tools cut to the chase
The Web interface is what makes Adobe’s product unique among the other programs in this review. Adobe has the scalability and size to make all its suites interoperable and accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.
However, Adobe focuses too much on features that make it fun for family and friends and not enough on providing a dynamic, versatile program for government users who are new to video editing.
Finally, the $99.99 price tag is a little steep, considering that you can find a comparable alternative for half the price.
Adobe Systems, 408-536-4070, www.adobe.com