System demands of Premier Elements compared to Photoshop Elements

[gfmucci]

On the Adobe website I read the system requirements for each of these programs: Premiere Elements and Photoshop Elements.

There appeared to be no greater system requirement for Premier Elements than for Photoshop Elements.

Did I read that correctly? Is that your experience, for those who have used both?

So if Photoshop Elements 2021 works well for me with my system, then should I expect Premier Elements to work as well?

Are system demands of Premier Elements any greater than system demands of Photoshop Elements?

I was sent to this forum by the Photoshop Elements Forum admin for this question.

I currently have an HP Envy 700-406 computer with 12 GB RAM.  That seems to be doing fine in Photoshop Elements 2021 for the type of minimal editing I do.

I am toying with the idea of adding another 4 to 8 GB of RAM and installing a 1 TB SSD.

[Steve Grisetti]

Well, the rule of thumb says to take the posted system requirements and double them. Video editing does take a bit more power than photo editing. Especially if you plan to work in 4K.

That said, your computer has an AMD A10-7700K processor, which rates a 3200 on these benchmark tests.

https://www.cpubenchmark.net/mid_range_cpus.html

I usually recommend a minimum of 6,500 for HD video editing and a 10,000 for editing 4K. But you can give the free trial a download and run it with your usual video and see what kind of results you get. In my opinion though, you're not going to have a good experience editing on that machine.

[gfmucci]

So, it's more about processor speed than RAM amount or HD/SSD capacity or speed?

[gfmucci]

What is the largest movie image size and highest frame rate combination my current computer system wouldn't struggle with?

e.g. 1080 @30p or 25p; 720 @60p or 30p or 25p?

[gfmucci]

What types of uses of Premier Elements begin to show problems in a less capable (3200 benchmark) machine like mine:

Playback? What dimensions and P of movie?

What type of editing? Heavy? Light? Any?

In other words, what type of playback or editing would begin to create issue in performance and what type of issues would be expected under what scenarios: slowness, stuttering, flicker, poor image quality, freezes.

I'm debating with myself whether to buy Premier with my Photoshop Elements or just get Photoshop and call it a day.  I'm not about to drop another grand or two or three on a new computer.  My movie editing efforts would be minor, a toe in the water -too minor to sink a bunch of money into.

Asked another way, what non-frustrating uses would Premier Elements 2021 be good for given my 3200 benchmark score plus my plans to upgrade memory and SSD? (I plan to upgrade memory and drive for stills editing anyway)

If there is already a good source already written on this topic, please refer.  Thanks.

[Bill Sprague]

There are too many variables in your questions.  If I were to guess, I would say that your machine will work on relatively simple projects with HD video using the H.264 codec and simple titles.   Transitions and effects can add trouble on slower machines.    

The only way to know for sure what your combination of camera, record settings and computer hardware will do is to try it.  Adobe helps in two ways.  One is that you can try it for free.  Get the trial from Adobe's site.  (I forget if it runs for two weeks or longer before it needs a serial number.)   The second, is that if you buy direct from Adobe, there is a refund period if you are not happy with the performance.   Install it, complete with serial number, and test it with footage from your camera.  If it doesn't work, get a refund.

[John T Smith]

Consider this... with Photoshop Elements you are dealing with one picture at a time... with Premiere Elements you have 30 pictures per second, plus sound

You need ALL of the things you mention... a fast CPU with enough ram (I suggest 16Gig as a minimum) and fast (not 5400 rpm) hard drives or SSD drives

For example, what I have
Windows 10, currently at version 20H2 - Premiere Elements 2021
i7-4930k 3.4Ghz 6 Core CPU on Asus Sabertooth X79 Motherboard with Corsair 2x16Gig Ram
Samsung 256Gig SSD Boot Win10 64bit Pro and ALL program installs, about 80Gig is used
Crucial M550 512G SSD for all input... video files and pictures from camera
Crucial M550 256G SSD for temporary and video project files
Crucial M550 128G SSD for all exported output video files
MSI 2Gig GTX760 video adapter, nvidia driver 432.00
I edit 1280x720 video from a Canon SX510 camera, and it plays 'as smooth as butter'

[gfmucci]

"Consider this... with Photoshop Elements you are dealing with one picture at a time... with Premiere Elements you have 30 pictures per second, plus sound."

Exactly.  That is why I was surprised that Adobe didn't suggest any higher computer spec for Premier than they did for Photoshop - and the reason for my OP.

And I posed "too many variables" because I realized those variables all have an impact on computer/software performance.

[John T Smith]

>those variables all have an impact

All I can say is what I did, about the equipment I have and the video I edit

When I (once) had a relative send me a flash drive with video to make into a DVD, it was all from an iphone... so I had to convert it from VFR to CFR to be able to edit... and the video was from an 'old' iphone so it was not 4k

I have NO idea how my computer would do if I tried to edit 4k video... but since I don't have a Blu Ray writer, I am never going to buy a 4k camera to find out... and I am never going to download any 4k test video

This is aimed at Premiere Pro, but there are several hardware articles to read

https://community.adobe.com/t5/video-hardware/premiere-pro-hardware-articles-to-read-before-you-buy-...

[gfmucci]

Almost ANY new camera today has 4K.  I've been looking at the newer Nikon Coolpix P950. This is an upgrade of the P900, adding 4K video, among a handful of other new features.  I hope I won't be spending more than an extra dollar for the "privilege" of having to spend an extra two grand on a new computer to use that 4K "feature" because I won't be using it.

I downloaded a 1280 X 720 60fps video from my Fuji Finepix HS50EXR camera into my trial version of Premiere Elements.  Playback on AUTOMATIC quality produced some, every 2 or 3-second stutter.  Playback on MEDIUM produced totally smooth playback. Rendering an 85-second video took a bit over a minute.

Computer = Envy Model 700-406 3200 benchmark processor, regular HD. Not up to processing any video over my 1280 X 720 60fps "test".

[gfmucci]

My above post brings up the question of whether the Nikon I'm considering will play better with my computer for video processing than my current Fuji.

The Nikon's video options are (besides the 4K): 1080/30; 1080/25, (plus 720 options).

The Fuji only offers 1080 at 60 fps - no 25 or 30 fps option, (plus 720 options).

Should my computer system have an easier time dealing with the Nikon's 1080/30 and 1080/25 than with the Fuji's 60 fps rate? 

[John T Smith]

>minimum of 6,500 for HD video editing and a 10,000 for editing 4K

I went to the site Steve recommended

My CPU is in the 'high end' section on the site, which it certainly was in 2014
The Average CPU Mark for my i7-4930k is 9,249 (about 3/4 of the way on the dial)

I still have no plans to buy a 4k camera to ever need to edit 4k video

[gfmucci]

Below is a copy of what I just posted on DPReview.  It refines a bit the type of decision I'm trying to reach and my self-imposed limitations:

I'm considering the Adobe Photoshop Elements/Premier package. I will be primarily using Elements for stills, but for $30 more with the package, they include Premier. I've got both under the 30-day trial at the moment.

I have a midline desktop computer system, an HP Envy 700-402 with 12 gigs RAM and 1 TB HD. I plan on upgrading the memory to 32 GB and getting a 500 GB or 1 TB SSD. But the weak link is the processor which benchmarks at 3200. I have no intention or money to upgrade to a new computer with a faster processor.

Using Premier as my video editing software on the above computer system, which camera video output would have an easier time being processed:

Fuji Finepix HS50EXR - the camera I already own:

1280x720/60fps; this camera does not have a 30fps option at 1280. Next rez is 640x480/30fps and 640x480/120fps.

A short video of 1280@60fps played on my computer on "Automatic" quality, with a jog every 3 or 4 seconds, not good. I set the quality at "Medium" and it played smoothly. The rendering time for a 2-minute clip was about a minute.

Nikon Coolpix P950 - a camera I am considering purchasing, not for its video:

1080@30, 60, or 25fps; 720@60, 50, 30 or 25fps. (In addition to 4K which is out of the question for my setup)

The questions:

Which camera's video output would have the best chance of working well with the hardware/software setup I have and am expanding?

What factors have a greater impact on smooth/faster editing/processing ability, the image size or the frame rate?

I know that since I am only "dabbling" in video, nothing serious, I could work with my free, installed Movie Maker which requires fewer computer resources. But I do like the integration of Premiere Elements with Photoshop Elements, and for the price, why not?

UNLESS I could process higher quality videos with Movie Maker (with fewer bells and whistles) due to more processing power being available because of its relative simplicity. Or will both programs, Premier and Movie Maker, have similar video size processing limitations on my computer?

So, there ya go. My conundrum of the week.

[Steve Grisetti]

Only a test drive will tell you. That's why they offer you a free trial. Buy -- and give it a good test drive with some real world video -- before you buy.

Meantime, Windows MovieMaker is ancient technology. It's no longer included with Windows. But the fair superior Windows Video Editor is well worth checking out. It may serve you needs. Have a look at my tutorials.

[gfmucci]

Thanks for your reply. I'll check out Windows Video Editor.

As I mentioned, I am currently using the trial copies of both Elements and Premiere 2021.

In the meantime, does anyone have answers as to the size and frame rates that would be most suitable to my hardware limitations, especially those of the Fuji and Nikon camera video specs I described above.

By the way, I played the same video in Movie Maker as I did in Premiere.  It played smoothly compared to my first attempt in Premiere in "Auto" quality mode.  Movie Maker must be defaulting to the same quality range as Premier's "Medium" quality playback.

[gfmucci]

A related question:  Comparing the computer resources required to playback or edit in Premiere Elements compared to Windows Video Editor, is Premiere more demanding in conducting the same editing function?  Is Video Editor more suitable to my hardware limitations than Elements? Or does Elements just use more resources when you engage its processing bells and whistles? If the processing power requirements are the same in both, I would prefer Premiere Elements because of its integration with Photoshop Elements.  If not, then I would prefer the program that works best with my resource limitations.

When you refer to Movie Maker being ancient tech, in what ways is Video Editor superior, especially with regard to my hardware limitations?

[Steve Grisetti]

As I've said, there probably is not one-size-fits-all answer to these questions.

You will need to download the free trial and try it on your machine with your assets to see if it gives you acceptable performance.

Your computer has minimal specs. It may be suitable with some basic HD editing. But whether or not it will work with the video you're trying to edit at the level you want to edit it is something only you can answer.