Adobe Premiere Elements 3.0

With the release of version 3.0, Adobe Premiere Elements will likely retain its crown as the best-selling video editor on the market. The program boasts a quick installation, an impressive array of features, and undoubtedly the best pedigree in the business. And yet, as was the case when we reviewed its predecessor for a similar review in June 2006, this version of Premiere Elements fails to win our vote as the best consumeroriented video editor on the market.

Our concern lies with ease of use. Premiere Elements can match and, in most cases, exceed any other video editor strictly in terms of functionality. It offers native support for high-definition video editing, DVD output options, countless audio and video effects, countless audio and video tracks, and significant control over every multimedia element included in a movie. Users can rescale individual clips or adjust the opacity of an image, for instance,just as easily as they tweak the brightness or volume. And we appreciate the program’s near-seamless integration with Adobe Photoshop Elements.

The problem comes in figuring out how to use it all. The interface represents a marked improvement over its predecessor. We certainly appreciate the intuitive enhancements, such as the new Sceneline layout tool. But how many regular computer users know how to configure a channel map transition or create a fourcolor gradient fill? How many computer users even know what those things are? An excellent users manual provides ample instruction, and registered users receive three free online tutorials. Even so, the whole experience may prove overwhelming to casual users looking for a fun way to jazz up their old home movies.

Moreover, Premiere Elements ran quite slowly on our computer. This is a common complaint among other users of the program. The slowdown is no doubt due to its robust functionality but is annoying nonetheless. Users who want to take advantage of the HD (high-definition) functionality need a 3GHz or faster processor and at least 1GB of RAM.