arrrr why is premiere so user-adverse?

[Dee-S]

Ok first things first : I'm not a computer expert, but I've had PCs for decades, I've done a little programming and I fiddle with experimental stuff, so I'm not adverse to learning new programs and going a bit geeky.

I'm quite confident with AE and like it a lot. 

But I really hate Premiere. Not because it's complicated. I hate it because it could be so simple and should be, but it makes everything needlessly confusing or obscure.

To illustrate, here is my latest experience. I was trying to create a video from a portion of my screen :
-I capture the whole screen with windows Gamebar in 2 clicks.

-I import the vid in Pr... That's where troubles start. 

-How do I reframe? In AE, I just select and crop. In Pr, I have to guess and fiddle with proportions.

-I give up, I try masking. I click on the mask icon. I can't shape it myself, it automatically creates a tiny rectangle in the middle. Why? I have no clue.

-Ok let's try resizing that rectangle. No, I don't want to move one point! Just resize the whole rectangle! Ok maybe if I unselect, reselect... Nope. Doesnt work. Ok maybe this little thingy above the rectangle? Yes, it scales up. Wait, why does it become rounded? I never asked that. Ok how do I un-round it... I dont see any option in the mask panel... Maybe google will help.? Nope, results are totally unrelated, and those that are relevant are unanswered.

-I just gave up and used AE instead.

Another example is when you sweep through the timeline, it automatically selects other tracks. To change this obnoxious behaviour, you have to use a hack!

Or look at missing links. In AE, when an external file is missing, and you replace it, it's automatically refreshed. In Pr, it isn't. Why? Plus, you can't even refresh it, you have to re-locate it. It's not horrible, but all those things combined waste a lot of time and make things frustrating.
This pretty much summs up my experience with Premiere. : lots of frustration.

I've been really trying, I can feel it could be useful, but those constant crippling issues make me just flip the table and use something else, esp since some new programs offer incredibly convenient features, like auto translating subs and gimmicky effects.

This is my personal user experience with Premiere.

[Toxos]

Hey there! It sounds like you've had some frustrating experiences with Premiere Pro, Below, you'll find some handy tips and workarounds to address the specific challenges you've encountered. Let's dive in:

Reframing Video:

• Premiere Pro offers a straightforward method for reframing using the Crop effect:
• After importing your video, select it in the timeline.
• Navigate to the "Effects" panel (usually found in the bottom-left corner).
• Search for the "Crop" effect in the Effects panel.
• Drag and drop the Crop effect onto your video clip in the timeline.
• In the "Effect Controls" panel (usually found in the top-left corner), you'll find the Crop effect settings.
• Adjust the crop settings (top, bottom, left, right) to achieve the desired framing by dragging the sliders or typing in specific values.

Masking:

• Premiere Pro does support masking, but it's a bit different from After Effects.
• To create a mask, select the video clip in the timeline.
• Then, navigate to the "Effect Controls" panel.
• Click on the "Pen Tool" to create a custom mask shape by clicking and dragging on the video preview in the Program Monitor.

Timeline Behavior:

• To prevent Premiere Pro from automatically selecting other tracks as you scrub through the timeline, you can use a workaround:
• Hold down the Alt key (Option key on Mac) while scrubbing through the timeline. This prevents Premiere from automatically selecting other tracks.

Refreshing Missing Links:

• If you encounter missing links in Premiere Pro, you can manually relink them:
• Right-click on the missing clip in the Project panel.
• Choose "Link Media" and navigate to the location of the missing file on your computer.
• Once located, select the file and click "OK" to relink it.

Remember, every hurdle is just another opportunity to learn and grow. Happy editing!

[Dee-S]

Thanks for the detailed answer.

I've found a solution to most of those issues, except scaling up the mask without making it round. 

My main problem is how difficult it is to find the solutions. In many programs, you can just look around and find. But, in premiere, I'll usually have to google or even ask someone

[Toxos]

Welcome, 🤗  Just keep in mind, 

Premiere Pro is primarily for editing videos, offering tools to cut, trim, and arrange clips, along with basic effects and transitions.

After Effects specializes in adding advanced visual effects and animations to videos, making it perfect for tasks like motion graphics and compositing.

In essence, Premiere Pro is for editing, while After Effects is for enhancing videos with advanced effects and animations. They work together seamlessly to cover all aspects of video production!

[Dee-S]

Yes and that's what I'm pointing out : while Premiere has a lot less functions than After Effects, it is harder to use

[R Neil Haugen]

I've always noted that everyone's mileage always varies. This is a good example ... because if you find Ae more "intuitive", you will not have the mental pathways that find Pr intuitive. You simply think differently.

In my years of experience with these apps, far more people find Pr "intuitive" than Ae. Simply suggesting to people who've posted on here, that they do something in Ae instead, gets howls of terror.

I found when I started that resizing an image on a sequence in Pr was about the single most clear, straightforward action in the application. Right at the top of the ECP, the Size & Position controls. Slick and sweet.

But as I said above, everyone's mileage always varies.