Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/815991
38 cgw m a r c h . a p r i l 2 0 1 7 V I E W P O I N T T wenty-five years ago, Adobe Premiere was part of a revolution in digital technology that transformed the world of film, television, and video production. Over the years, its continuous innovation and capabilities have made it the preferred editing system for creators of all skill levels and industries, from social media stars and indie filmmakers to national broadcasters and major Hollywood studios. 1990S – THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION The introduction of the non-lin- ear editor (NLE) revolutionized the video industry by stream- lining the editing process so that editors could easily make changes without having to re- start. This "simplified" approach lowered the barrier to entry for aspiring filmmakers and made video editing a more attainable skill. Released in December 1991, Adobe Premiere was the first truly affordable NLE soware that ran on desktop computers. Although it seems simple by today's standards, allow- ing users to place clips on the timeline and add effects, transitions, and a soundtrack opened the doors to more complex visual storytelling. In 1994, Premiere 4.0 became the first version to offer full- screen broadcast quality with 60 fields per frame. As early as 1996, Version 4.2 on Windows offered the ability to work with a 4 k frame size, which was used in digital signage applications on multiple screens; in com- parison, today Premiere Pro CC can work with files as large as 16 k x 10k. The advancements continued with a new concept to help playback performance, and in 1998, RAM previews were introduced. In its early years until today, Premiere was leveraged to develop video content for enthusiasts, professionals, and even the US government. As a 25-year Premiere user and Adobe employee, I've had the opportunity to work closely with Hollywood actors and di- rectors, TV talent, singers, and more. For instance, I was asked to help set up a video capture card with Premiere for Vice President Al Gore in his office during his first term. 2000S – CREATING CONNECTED WORKFLOWS This time period marked a pivotal moment for Adobe's editing suite with the re-launch of Premiere to Premiere Pro, the introduction of Adobe Media Encoder, and the launch of the Creative Suite Production Stu- dio. Creative Suite Production Studio marked the beginning of industry adoption and intro- duced a complete end-to-end workflow. It also allowed Adobe pro-video and audio applica- tions to work together seam- lessly for enhanced produc- tivity and complete control for unmatched integration. This tight integration helped set the pace for the next 10 years, with each new release providing users with new and improved connected feature sets and real-time editing performance. In 2006, Premiere Pro intro- duced Dynamic Link integration with Adobe Aer Effects, mak- ing it easy to move between the two applications while adding and refining motion graphics or visual effects on clips, there- by giving users a connected editing, motion graphics, and visual effects production environment. This also allowed for traditional editors, motion graphics artists, and compos- itors to start working closer together using Premiere Pro as the central platform and visual communications tool. Notable names in the video and creative industries took notice of the efficient editing workflows in Adobe video tools, bringing Madonna's 2006 Confessions tour to life and the BBC adding Premiere Pro for broadcast postproduction. The 2009 blockbuster Avatar lever- aged Premiere Pro, Aer Effects, and other Adobe creative tools in the production of the film. 2010 TO TODAY – A LEADER IN THE CLOUD AND COLLABORATION In 2011, Adobe transitioned from selling boxed soware to Adobe Creative Cloud. Along with more frequent updates, the change brought an in- creased focus on integrating apps and services, streamlining workflows, and collaboration across creative teams. This saw the introduction of CC Libraries and shared asset libraries, Destination Publishing, the Lumetri Color panel, pow- erful new tracking and masking tools, Adobe Stock, support for 360 VR editing, and much more. Today, virtual reality is proving to be one of the industry's fastest-growing trends, and the VR workflows in Premiere Pro CC, first introduced in 2016, have helped filmmakers develop ADOBE PREMIERE PRO CELEBRATES 25 YEARS BY DAVE HELMLY