Premiere Pro Subscription

Cover image via

Adobe Premiere Pro CC: Adobe's pro-level video editor requires an ongoing Creative Cloud subscription of $20.99 per month with an annual plan, or $31.49 per month on a month-by-month basis. You can get Premiere without a monthly payment by paying for the full year subscription up front, but CC is the only version available.

Are Premiere Pro’s best days behind it? If you said “yes,” then why are you still using it? Here are a few reasons I’ve moved on.

  1. Final Cut Pro X is historically Premiere’s top competitor in the indie NLE market. I was brought up in the editing world during the heated battle between Final Cut and Premiere users. It was a gruesome battle between editors — I even almost got fired from a gig early in my career for arguing with my boss about using Final Cut over Premiere.
  2. Premiere Pro is the successor to Adobe Premiere, and was launched in 2003. Premiere Pro refers to versions released in 2003 and later, whereas Premiere refers to the earlier releases. Premiere was based on ReelTime, a product acquired from SuperMac Technologies Inc. And was one of the first computer-based NLEs ( non-linear editing system.

“Premiere is dead.”

I mumbled this to myself as I stared forlornly at the all-too-familiar words on the screen in front of me: “Sorry, a serious error has occurred that requires Adobe Premiere Pro to shut down. We will attempt to save your current project.” Sigh.

As I sifted through seemingly countless folders of Premiere auto-saves and project recovery files, I had an epiphany: I don’t have to put up with this. Why am I still putting up with this when there are plenty more NLEs in the sea?

As many times as I considered leaving Premiere Pro for another NLE, I resisted for a long time. Even though I fully understood that, in this fast-moving industry, resistance to change can hinder progress and success. As such, I finally made the leap to FCPX, and I’m happy I did.

Let’s look at a few of the reasons I can’t shake the feeling that Premiere is falling behind when compared to the many other video editing applications currently available to content creators. If you can relate to any of the following frustrations, just remember — there’s no time like the present, and another bug or performance-slowing update could appear at any time.

Premiere Is Slow

Premiere Pro doesn’t just feel slow. It is slow. Toward the end of my time with Premiere, it seemed like the program got slower with each new release. Had I just become too biased? Was it all in my head?

No. It wasn’t. Because out of the major NLEs — Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, DaVinci Resolve, and Avid Media Composer — Premiere is the slowest. With little effort, you can find videos and articles that prove it in detailed side-by-side experiments that compare workflow and export speed differences between programs. If you require additional social proof, simply skim the comments attached to the tests. You’ll find a few trolls, sure. But mostly you’ll find plenty of videographers discovering they aren’t alone in their frustration with Premiere’s performance.

Premiere Is Subscription-Based

Purchase Adobe Premiere Pro

Unlike most major NLEs, Premiere Pro requires a subscription. Image via mykhailo pavlenko.

I’ll admit it. I’m pretty over subscription models for software. Asset subscriptions? No problem. I just don’t like renting a tool that I use nearly every day. I want to own it.

When the subscription-based Creative Cloud was released in 2013, it seemed like a great deal and a solid concept. You pay a relatively small monthly fee instead of a larger upfront price like what’s associated with the disc-based Adobe Master collection. You can almost hear the marketing copy: “Less than $25 a month! Sign up to start saving today!”

I did sign up. And now, after years as a subscriber, the appeal of Premiere Pro as my primary creative tool just ain’t what it used to be. Because there’s no end in sight.At Premiere’s current cost of $20.99/mo, a year costs around $250. You can get Resolve or FCPX for a one-time payment of $299. Avid Media Composer currently comes in at $1,279 total, but at least you own it.

I get it, $20.99 is not a lot of money. But $20.99 a month over the span of a career is, especially for an issue-prone software that quickly ends up being more expensive than its more efficient competitors.

The Future Is All-In-One

If you’re working in Premiere, then nailing your desired final look requires a degree of program hopping. At a minimum you’re likely firing up Resolve and After Effects before things are wrapped up.

When DaVinci Resolve 16 hit the market, people began to see that perhaps one program can do it all. Resolve already had astounding coloring capabilities. When Blackmagic coupled those capabilities with traditional video editing, they created an ideal one-stop shop that immediately caught the attention of users.

This approach felt practically luxurious. The need and desire to jump between programs to create content vanished almost over night, and Resolve’s all-in-one approach served as foreshadowing — this is what the future of video editing looks like.

Now that some users have the freedom to stay in one place for their entire workflow, it will only be a matter of time until all users demand the freedom to stay in one place with an all-in-one tool. Fortunately, software companies are already making moves to meet that demand.

Switching NLEs Is Easier Than Ever

Switching any part of your workflow out for a new method takes time, and it’s never painless. But that doesn’t mean it has to take a lot of time and cause a lot of pain. The real pain begins when you finally realize that the change you’ve been sitting around hoping for just isn’t going to come.

If you’re ready to abandon Premiere in favor of an NLE that’s more efficient and user friendly — and less prone to consistent crashes — the time has never been better. There are countless hours and pages of free content available that make adopting a new NLE easier than ever. There are two “let’s get started” video tutorials in this section alone — one for Resolve, one for FCPX. You’ll find several more at the bottom of this post. Consider taking advantage of them.

In the end, you’re the only person capable of creating your video-editing happiness. And as consumers of professional video products, the greatest power we have is our wallets. Maybe Premiere Pro isn’t actually dead. Maybe the next update will change everything.

One thing I know for sure? I would rather pay $300 for a career-spanning, functional copy of Final Cut Pro X or DaVinci Resolve than spend over $7,000 for career-long access to a program that’s riddled with issues. What about you?

Spend some time with these great resources that cover the ins, outs, and benefits of DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro X.

Your computer must meet the minimum technical specifications outlined below to run Adobe Premiere Pro. For optimum performance, use recommended system specifications.
Pro

October 2018 (13.0) release

Minimum specificationsRecommended specifications

Processor

Intel® Intel 6thGen or newer CPU – or AMD equivalent
Intel® Intel 6thGen or newer CPU – or AMD equivalent
Operating system

Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1703 or later

Microsoft Windows 10 (64-bit) version 1703 or later

RAM

8 GB of RAM

  • 16 GB of RAM for HD media
  • 32 GB for 4K media or higher
GPU

2 GB of GPU VRAM

For a list of recommended graphic cards, see Recommended graphics cards for Adobe Premiere Pro.

4 GB of GPU VRAM

For a list of recommended graphic cards, see Recommended graphics cards for Adobe Premiere Pro.

Hard disk space
  • 8 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (will not install on removable flash storage)
  • Additional high-speed drive for media
  • Fast internal SSD for app installation and cache
  • Additional high-speed drive(s) for media
Monitor resolution

1280 x 800

1920 x 1080 or greater
Sound cardASIO compatible or Microsoft Windows Driver ModelASIO compatible or Microsoft Windows Driver Model
Network storage connection

1 Gigabit Ethernet (HD only)

10 Gigabit ethernet for 4K shared network workflow

InternetInternet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.*
More system requirements
Minimum specificationsRecommended specifications

Processor

Intel® Intel 6thGen or newer CPU

Intel® Intel 6thGen or newer CPU

Operating system

macOS v10.12 or later (v10.13 or later required for hardware-acceleration)

macOS v10.12 or later (v10.13 or later required for hardware-acceleration)

RAM

8 GB of RAM

  • 16 GB of RAM for HD media
  • 32 GB for 4K media or higher
GPU

2 GB of GPU VRAM

4 GB of GPU VRAM

Hard disk space

  • 8 GB of available hard-disk space for installation; additional free space required during installation (will not install on a volume that uses a case sensitive file system or on removable flash storage devices).
  • Additional high-speed drive for media
  • Fast internal SSD for app installation and cache
  • Additional high-speed drive(s) for media

Monitor resolution

1280 x 800

1920 x 1080 or greater

Network storage connection1 Gigabit Ethernet (HD only)10 Gigabit ethernet for 4K shared network workflow
Internet
Internet connection and registration are necessary for required software activation, validation of subscriptions, and access to online services.*
More system requirements

* Notice to users: Internet connection, Adobe ID, and acceptance of license agreement required to activate and use this product. This product may integrate with or allow access to certain Adobe or third-party hosted online services. Adobe services are available only to users 13 and older and require agreement to additional terms of use and the Adobe Privacy Policy. Applications and services may not be available in all countries or languages and may be subject to change or discontinuation without notice. Extra fees or membership charges may apply.

Cancel Adobe Premiere Pro Subscription

Note:

Requirements vary between VR systems. The requirements listed here are the base requirements only.

Head Mounted displayOperating systemOther requirements
Oculus RiftWindows 10
  • GPU (video adapter):
    • NVIDIA GTX 970 or AMD R9 290 equivalents or greater
    • HDMI 1.3 video output (directly on your video adapter)
    • SLI is not supported; at least one GPU must individually meet these specifications
    • Current public GPU driver—a recent driver is required (For more information, see Update Your Graphics Card Driver)
  • CPU (processor): Intel i5-4590 equivalent or greater
  • RAM (memory): 8 GB+ RAM
  • USB: At least two (2x) USB 3.0 ports—three (3x) total available USB ports
  • HD (disk space): 4 GB+ free space
HTC Vive
  • Windows 10
  • 27” iMac with Radeon Pro graphics
  • iMac Pro with Radeon Vega graphics
  • Mac OS 10.13.3 or later
  • Processor: Intel® i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970 / AMD Radeon™ R9 290 equivalent or greater
Windows Mixed Reality

Windows 10

On Windows:

  • Processor: Intel® i5-4590 / AMD FX 8350 equivalent or greater
  • Memory: 4 GB RAM
  • Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce® GTX 970 / AMD Radeon™ R9 290 equivalent or greater

For detailed requirements for the different types of head-sets, and for information on setting up an immersive environment for Premiere Pro, see Immersive video in Premiere Pro.

FeatureOperating system
Hardware-accelerated H.264 encoding
  • Mac OS 10.13 (or later) on Mac hardware from 2016 or later
  • Windows 10 with 6th Generation (or later) Intel® Core™ processors and Intel Graphics enabled

Hardware-accelerated HEVC encoding

  • Mac OS 10.13 (or later) on Mac hardware from 2016 or later
  • Windows 10 with 7th Generation (or later) Intel® Core™ processors and Intel Graphics enabled

Hardware-accelerated H.264 decoding

  • Mac OS 10.13 (or later) on Mac hardware from 2016 or later
  • Windows 10 with 6th Generation (or later) Intel® Core™ processors and Intel Graphics enabled
Hardware-accelerated HEVC decoding

Mac OS 10.13 (or later) on Mac hardware from 2016 or later

Recommended graphics cards for Adobe Premiere Pro CC

Buy Adobe Premiere Pro Cc

  • NVIDIA Quadro GV100
  • NVIDIA Quadro P6000
  • NVIDIA Quadro P5000
  • NVIDIA Quadro P4000
  • NVIDIA Quadro P2000
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN V
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1080 Ti
  • NVIDIA GeForce TITAN Xp
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M (minimum 4 GB)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX (minimum 4 GB)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX (minimum 4 GB)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 (minimum 4 GB)
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN
  • NVIDIA Quadro K4000
  • NVIDIA Quadro K4000M
  • NVIDIA Quadro K4100M
  • NVIDIA Quadro K4200
  • NVIDIA Quadro K5000
  • NVIDIA Quadro K5000M
  • NVIDIA Quadro K5200
  • NVIDIA Quadro K6000
  • NVIDIA Quadro M2000
  • NVIDIA Quadro M4000
  • NVIDIA Quadro M5000
  • NVIDIA Quadro M5500
  • NVIDIA Quadro M6000

NVIDIA has publicly released windows ODE drivers that support the CUDA 9.2 SDK used in the latest release of Premiere Pro. This is not the Microsoft default driver, but you can download this driver directly from NVIDIA, Version 411.63 (of the 410 series drivers).

  • AMD Radeon Pro SSG
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 3100
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 4100
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 5100
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 7100
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 9100
  • AMD FirePro W5100
  • AMD FirePro W7100
  • AMD FirePro W8100
  • AMD FirePro W9100
  • AMD FirePro W8000
  • AMD FirePro W9000
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 4130
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 4150
  • AMD Radeon Pro WX 4170
  • AMD FirePro W6150M
  • AMD FirePro W7170M
  • Intel® HD Graphics 5000
  • Intel® HD Graphics 6000
  • Intel® Iris Graphics 6100
  • Intel® Iris Pro Graphics 6300
  • Intel® Iris Pro Graphics P6300
  • Intel® Iris Graphics 540/550
  • Intel® Iris Pro Graphics 580
  • Intel® Iris Pro Graphics P580
  • Intel® Iris™ Plus Graphics 640/650
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 675MX
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX680
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680MX
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 750M
  • NVIDIA GeForce GT 755M
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 775M
  • NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780M
  • NVIDIA Quadro K5000
  • AMD FirePro D300
  • AMD FirePro D500
  • AMD FirePro D700
  • AMD Radeon R9 M290X
  • AMD Radeon R9 M380
  • AMD Radeon R9 M390
  • AMD Radeon R9 M395X
  • AMD Radeon Pro 560
  • AMD Radeon Pro 570
  • AMD Radeon Pro 575
  • AMD Radeon Pro 580
  • AMD Radeon Pro M395X
  • AMD Radeon Pro Vega 56
  • AMD Radeon Pro Vega 64
  • Intel® HD Graphics 6000
  • Intel® Iris™ Graphics 6100
  • Intel® Iris™ Pro Graphics 6200

Cancel Adobe Premiere Pro Subscription

  • Radeon Pro SSG
  • Radeon Pro WX 3100
  • Radeon Pro WX 4100
  • Radeon Pro WX 5100
  • Radeon Pro WX 7100
  • Radeon Pro WX 9100
  • FirePro W5100
  • FirePro W7100
  • FirePro W8100
  • FirePro W9100
  • FirePro W5000
  • FirePro W7000
  • FirePro W8000
  • FirePro W9000

Adobe Premiere Pro is available in the following languages:

Premiere Pro supports text composition in Middle Eastern as well as Indic scripts using the “South Asian and Middle Eastern” text engine.