I have had it with adobe

[Terry Wall]

I deliberately didn't post this in the Adobe forum as the issue is broader than that. For two weeks now, I've been getting "warnings" that my Creative Cloud subscription was about to (and now HAS) expired. Except that I RENEWED it before the older one expired. Now the program has locked me out and when I try to launch Premiere Pro (CS6) I get a window telling me that the sequence I'm trying to open doesn't exist. I go into the program as a "new project" and there I find that ALL THE HI DEFINITION OPTIONS ARE GONE!! I AM FURIOUS!! Numerous attempts to get this resolved through Adobe's (outsourced) customer service department have been a gigantic waste of time...clearly, as my problem has not been resolved.

I am an event and corporate shooter (SPC) and would like some insights on the best alternative (PC platform, please) editing software, because I am PULLING THE PLUG ON ADOBE, and I'm going to be very outspoken about it. Adobe, if you monitor these forums at all, you've got one royally pissed off customer on your hands. And I've got screen shots of my PAID RENEWAL to prove it!

Sorry for the rant, gang!

[Bryan Cantwell]

I use Sony Vegas Pro on my pc editing station (and CS6 Premiere Pro on mac at work), and it's been quite a solid platform for me.

[Noa Put]

Edius pro is my weapon of choice.

[Tim Polster]

Edius is not the most well known or tied-in regarding plugins or 3rd party software but you will not find a faster more solid editing platform. I have been using it for 10 years and it has matured quite a bit from the early days.

I use an affordable Blackmagic Intensity for external monitor output. Once you learn the Edius way it is so very efficient.

[Brian Drysdale]

It depends what type of work you do, Lightworks strengths lie in narrative, story telling type editing, but it is another option. People have moved over from other NLEs because they like the way Lightworks works by putting the material first. You've the choice of a subscription or purchase.

Currently it's PC Windows and Linux, but the Mac public bets is expected on 11th June. It's not a newcomer, it was one of the two original NLEs..

[Denis Danatzko]

I really hate to beat a dead horse, and I know I'm not alone, but circumstances such as yours have been my worry ever since Adobe announced it would be employing a subscription-only model.

As a former SQA Team Leader at the corp HQ of a Fortune 500 company, I have some experience in testing requirements and procedures, as well as the pressure to release updates or entirely new versions of software. While testers can never please all the parties involved, my sense is that "fixes" are being made available by Adobe before adequate software testing has been done. (I think "exemplary" software testing might only be practiced in the case of life-sustaining systems, e.g. medical devices, and perhaps some security, battle-situation, and monitoring software).

I like Adobe's suite of applications when they work; when they don't they can cause projects to fall behind schedule. I've lost some time and money, and at least 1 deadline since subscribing to CC, and have learned to be suspicious of updates to it.

Personally, I don't like the subscription model Adobe uses; it seems your - and others' - experience lends credence to the "greed perspective", i.e. that they ensure they get their revenue before tending to customer needs.
Now, how much time out of your day will be spent searching for and contacting Adobe to iron-out the situation? Will you get a "credit" of any kind, e.g. a free month's worth of subscription? Not likely. Meanwhile, your project languishes and you - and your customer(s) - suffer the consequences of time, money, and reputation.

I sympathize with anyone who is paying for a service and cannot use that service to its' full extent. Consequently, I'm considering adding - and transitioning to - Edius for my "bag o' tricks".

[Bryan Cantwell]

Originally Posted by Brian Drysdale

Currently it's PC Windows and Linux, but the Mac public beta is expected on 11th June.

I wouldn't hold my breath on the Mac beta, they've been promising that thing for what, 2 years now?

The PC version is a solid choice, though.

[Brian Drysdale]

The Lightworks Mac alpha is being tested by users at the moment. The hold up seems to have been the Version 12, since they've had Lightworks publicly running on Mac since last year's NAB.

[Chris Harding]

I started on Sony Vegas when it was at version 4 many years back and it has served me well ....For some reason I always found Adobe software painful to use and expensive so to be honest I have never installed any Adobe NLE's on my stations.

It's like buying a car ...everyone is different and some will swear by one model and others will rip it to shreds.... sadly the choice comes down to you and you alone. I also get wound up when I get ripped off so if that was me I would dump them immediately just out of principle!! Probably not the most practical thing to do but nevertheless satisfying!

Try a few NLE's .. Most have trial versions available

Chris

[Phill Pendleton]

I've just switched to Edius Pro 7. Loved you can throw any format on the timeline without a hassle, 4K ready (if I take the leap) and can output in many file formats.
Coming from Adobe I'ts a bit of a learning curve but not too stressful.

[Chris Harding]

When I was looking for a new NLE I wanted minimum learning curve and the quickest possible transition so I downloaded all the trials I felt would do the job and chose on the basis of "If I can use this without having to use any sort of help or manual, then that's the one I want"

Sony Vegas won hands down ..it was logical and simple and I edited and rendered a short clip very easily. Edius was a serious contender but although excellent just ground to a halt with workflow issues (even help didn't assist) so that got dropped. My buddy bought Adobe CS5 and said the manuals required to drive it were enough to open a small public library so I passed on that too.

Try them all and see what says to you ... "wow, that was really simple to do"

Chris

[Rob Taylor]

+1 for Sony Vegas. I switched from Premiere to Vegas right after Adobe went the subscription route.

I was a long time Adobe user, but was afraid of both subscription price hikes and problems like Terry reported. I know a few others who have had similar problems.

Rob

[Ron Little]

Sad story
I have been with adobe for 15 years. I have studied the books, took the tutorials, bought the plugins, and spent many hours on the phone keeping our relationship working. I spend several hours a day with adobe. I knew as soon as I heard about CC that our relationship was over. Yes I tried to hang on then, adobe cut it off with an email. Adobe will no longer support CS6. I was crushed. Now I am starting to rebuild my life and am looking for a new special software to spend time with. I would however like one that is easy to transition to. Vegas is starting to sound good so I will be checking her out soon. Does Vegas work with Smartsound?

[Terry Wall]

I want to thank everyone for their valuable insights! The app seems to be running for now, but in one project I was working on, all the AVCHD files I had imported were suddenly "offline." If I weren't already pissed enough, this just amped me up another 10 notches! After my original import, I renamed the files to more closely match what I was doing (talking head interviews), so I literally had to go back to the raw files and relink them. I AM SO DONE WITH ADOBE!! I am going to clear out my in-work projects, and--as "The Donald" might say--Adobe, YOU'RE FIRED!!!

I'll be checking between Vegas and Edius. Both seem to support event and corporate shooters best. I didn't see any input on how Vegas handles multiple formats on a timeline, but I did see from the comments that Edius handles it well.

Again, sincere thanks for the feedback! DV Info ROCKS!!

[Terry Wall]

Post Script: Jeff Sengstack is a terrific guy and has done dozens of outstanding tutorials on Adobe products over the years, and I respect him very much. I think Jeff participates in DVInfo.net's forums. Jeff, if you're out there, I'd love to hear your thoughts!

~TW