The three A's (actually 4)

Many of you have heard of the three A's; Apple, Adobe, Avid. These are the three companies that create software for the desktop NLEs that are so prominent in our industry today. But there's a fourth and hugely prominent NLE that not many editors know about because of it's expense and rather difficult learning curve; Autodesk's Smoke. I've had the pleasure of doing some editing on all these programs and I'll comment on all four of the below.

Apple - Now this is a company that has been doing extremely well for itself in the past decade. Final Cut Pro has 'democratized' the video editing industry (and boosted the sales of Mac computers) with it's extremely cheap and easy to operate program. It is the NLE that I'm most familiar with as I've used it most in my career. It's cheap, easy to use and is bundled with a pretty steady studio package. Compatiability with ever changing updates of Apple's QuickTime can hinder this software. Advice: once your system is up and running and there are no issues with it's operation, sever your connection to the internet and never update.


Avid - Do not listen to people who say Avid is dead; far from it. This diverse line of programs and equipment remain a reliable ally in the ever changing world of video and film editing. Just look at any "making of" video and when it comes to post you'll see an Andrenaline or other software in the background. A huge amount of television shows and movies are cut with Avid equipment. Mired by customer service issues, Avid has finally started listening to their customers and are now holding focus groups to relieve issues and keep their customer base from flocking to Apple.

Adobe - A company that is focused on post and design. If it weren't for Final Cut's popularity, Adobe would dominate the poor man's market for production. With a wonderful selection of design programs and video and audio production tools, and an updated and solid NLE (Premiere) Adobe is looking good and doing strong. After Effects, Illustrator, Encore, Photoshop, Flash and much more make this a great economical package for those starting out. However, established post houses do not feature Adobe Premiere in their suites but rather the Final Cut Pro/Adobe combo.

Autodesk - A company that is truly dedicated to postwork. Now with Mya under it's wing and a whole slew of amazing products, Flame, Combustion, Smoke and many others; Autodesk is for the elite. These programs come with hardware that is designed for large pipeline workflow, perfect for users who are specialized in single functions (a cog in a giant machine). Smoke, Autodesk's NLE is simply amazing. It does more than Final Cut and After Effects combines. Many say it's an editor on steroids and it certainly is. Its greatest use comes when used as a finisher, bringing in all the elements from offline workflow and combining it into a finished product. The interface is old and although has been updated here and there, it still has remnants of an early 1990's software. This amazing product also comes with a large price-tag. I wont name it since prices may be going down to compete with all the FCP hub-bub.

Donald Sinatra