Lavender Dreams - the Film
Two technologies, two treatments
If you follow my work on Behance, you'll know I recently revisited a local lavender farm up near the cottage. On that visit, I also shot some footage of the fields along with my stills, with the intention of adding the footage to my Adobe Stock Library. As I was viewing/editing the clips, I decided I would make a short video using Adobe Rush.
I was very pleased with the result, but a week later I got to wondering how the new Adobe Express would be able to handle this type of short film project. Here, for comparison, are both versions of my film.
Adobe Rush Version
Adobe Express (New Version)
I like both versions for different reasons. Cutting the film in Adobe Express was fairly easy, but it is also a different experience than doing the work in Rush (or Premiere Pro). I found myself impressed with the editing capability Express.
New Adobe Express multimedia editing interface, showing the editing properties for a selected text object.
For those who've never edited a video before, Express might be easier/more intuitive than Rush. The interface is less intimidating than Premiere Pro and it's certainly a far - and better - cry from the editing capabilities we've been used to in the legacy version of Adobe Express.
The timeline is simplified compared to those other tools. For example, where Rush and Premiere have multi-track video editing (below), Express handles this through the use of layers (above), to keep that timeline from getting overly complicated.
Adobe Rush interface, showing the editing properties for a selected motion graphics title.
If you've used Rush or Premiere Pro, you will find yourself relearning some things and - possibly - becoming frustrated at times because of those differences/limitations, but remember, this is beta software, with a very specific - and large - audience in mind; an audience of non-video professionals. And even now, in beta, I think this tool can help them in their storytelling goals.
I am pleasantly surprised at how good the final version from Express turned out.
Now that Express is out of beta, it is my hope that some additional functionality will be coming soon, such as proper cross-fades, better audio controls for fading music and maybe even ducking audio.
Doubtless, there will be a point in Express when you hit a wall in video editing, and that's where tools like Premiere Pro could become an option. With the creative confidence you've built using Express, you would be more prepared and open to diving into a more professional tool.
Or you could just as easily say - nah, Express is good enough for my needs.
And that's OK.
The whole point is to find the right tool for you to tell your story. I've quickly created several simple video projects using Express and plan to do more. Will it replace Premiere Pro for me? Not likely, but each tool will have its place.
If you haven't tried the Express for video creation/editing, give it a whirl. It may surprise you - as it did me.
