Without a doubt, the video editing software Adobe Premiere Pro V24.1 will be one of the most important technologies I will be utilizing in creating my video series.

I chose Adobe Premiere Pro because I have experience with the software and it can achieve professional level video editing when utilized well. Version 24.1 is the most recent update and features the most recent effects, such as changing audio pitch and creating blur masks.

Features to master

Adobe Premiere Pro offers many features that allow for professional level video editing when mastered and utilized correctly. Since I’ll need to protect the identity of many participants I’ll be interviewing for my project, I will need to learn how to mask their visual and vocal identities using Premiere Pro technologies.To protect their visual identity, I will learn face blurring techniques (like this one) and how to conceal identities while filming (like these techniques). I will practice these techniques prior to shooting for my project. To alter participants’ voices, I will practice voice changing techniques in Premiere Pro (like the way described here) and make sure I’m comfortable with it before editing for my project. 

Premiere Pro also features technologies that allow for a plethora of transitions for video and audio. I don’t have a lot of experience using transitions, so I will research how and when to use proper transitions and practice prior to shooting.

How Adobe Premiere Pro is social

Digital editing softwares like Adobe Premiere Pro have been revolutionary to the process of editing footage. Before this technology, you would have to physically cut and sew film. This is now replaced with using the digital software (which has the razor tool and preset transitions), making the computer an extension of ourselves, affording many more capabilities and allowing for mistakes.

I also think it’s arguable that digital video editing softwares like Adobe Premiere Pro have shortened our attention spans, and caused our expectations to raise for how video is received as a finalized process. Because Adobe Premiere Pro affords us the ability to cut footage in the thousands of a second, use countless video and audio effects, transitions and color correction, people expect that the videos they consume should be well done and fast paced.

Adobe Premiere Pro along with other Adobe softwares have opened massive communities of people sharing their experiences, doing demos, and just generally discussing the softwares, their capabilities and updates. Along with that, Adobe products afford the ability to share files with other people.

How Adobe Premiere Pro reflects cultural values

Video editing softwares allows us to manipulate video in ways that are fast paced and involve many different shots. This reflects our cultural values of short attention spans, edited content is much more digestible than a long form, unedited interview.

Premiere Pro allows us to condense, combine and cut down footage to create a cohesive video. This reflects our values of being able to perish memories or information throughout history, since this technology affords us the ability to create polished video documentation.

Adobe Premiere Pro features a digital assistant that offers tips, help, and tutorials. This reflects our social values of having a teacher to instruct us and help us understand things.

Affordances of Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro affords the ability to use multiple layers of video and audio. This is very important because it allows for higher quality audio (since it can be separate from the video files used) and makes video files highly manipulatable and easily 

Adobe Premiere Pro also provides a plethora of video and audio transitions that afford a more cohesive, clean and professional viewing experience. With this affordance, you must first know when different transitions are appropriate.

Adobe Premiere Pro features color editing technologies that allow for drastic color correction, but you have to be educated about and familiar with the various effects and controls.

Constraints of Adobe Premiere Pro

Adobe Premiere Pro affords many audio editing capabilities, but is limited. For super detailed audio editing, I will need to turn to Adobe Audition since Premier Pro only offers so many audio editing capabilities.

In most cases, Premier Pro cannot completely fix bad footage or audio. It can help improve low quality footage and audio, but requires you to capture content at least decently.

When you create a new sequence in Adobe Premiere Pro, there is a set frame rate. Because of this, if most of your footage is 24fps and you want to use a 60fps clip, you have to edit that footage separately then import it, or the software will automatically correct it to the set frame rate.

Adobe Premiere Pro requires that you have a laptop, and a subscription to Adobe Creative Cloud. Obviously not everybody can afford these tools, but I’m grateful to have the privilege of having access to these tools.