Software

Making movies: Apple Final Cut Studio vs. Adobe CS3

We spotlight heavy-duty film-editing packages from Apple and Adobe. Which one is ready for Hollywood? By Elsa Wenzel (August 1, 2007)

While Adobe CS3 Production Premium is also excellent, we're awarding Final Cut Studio 2 the CNET Editors' Choice award as the better pick for film pros. The innovations in Apple's $1,299 release make it a worthy upgrade. Despite the usual operating quirks, new features such as Open Format Timeline, not to mention workflow improvements, are bound to save users many hours of hassles. That said, either the $1,699 Adobe CS3 Production Premium or the $2,500 Master Collection are fine picks for creative Windows workers who want film-editing bundled with digital animation and graphics editing. Many Adobe CS3 applications now run on Macs, but not all. Although Final Cut remains tops for cinephiles, we believe Adobe's various CS3 packages to be better for digital designers who prepare work for the Web. And while we like Apple Final Cut Pro better than Adobe Premiere for editing, we prefer Adobe After Effects CS3 to Apple Motion 2. Given the steep investment these software suites require, we wish that both vendors would offer more options for technical support, especially on weekends. Instead, the interfaces remain so complex that they feed a thriving industry of third-party courses, books, and online tutorials.   Apple Final Cut Studio 2 Adobe CS3 Production Premium Price $1,299 $1,699 Minimum requirements Mac OS 10.4.9 with 60GB free, 1.25GHz, 1GB RAM Windows XP or Vista with 32GB free, 2GHz, 1GB RAM; Intel and PowerPC Macs for some apps Vector and pixel image-editing apps n/a Photoshop, Illustrator Animation Motion 3 AfterEffects, Flash Film editing Final Cut Pro Premiere Audio editing Soundtrack Pro 2 Soundbooth On-site filming tools n/a OnLocation (requires Bootcamp with Windows for Mac) Burning Compressor 3 Encore Color correction Color Basic features built in Previews of work Limited Device Central shows handheld skins Integration Shared templates and other content updates Dynamic Link; cut and paste content among various apps Notable new features Open format timeline; new Color app; SmoothCam feature Integration throughout the applications, including Dynamic Link; fun tools in AfterEffects Blu-ray support No Yes AVCHD and DVCPro HD support Yes No Read the CNET editor's take Final Cut Studio 2 Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium

Final Cut Studio 2 Final Cut Studio 2 is a solid value and worthy upgrade for serious film editors who work on Macs. However, hobbyists should consider simpler software. 8.0 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium Adobe CS3 Production Premium is ideal if you handle a mix of design, animation and editing tasks for video, the Web, and mobile gadgets. However, beginners should think twice about the splurge, and film pros without deep animation needs should probably stick to Apple Final Cut Studio 2 or AVID. 8.0 out of 10 CNET editor's take Check prices