Why You Shouldn’t Use Photoshop to Edit Videos

Photoshop is best known for image editing, but can you edit video with it? Yes, CS6 and higher Photoshop versions can edit video files. Like other video editing software, Photoshop allows you to cut, add filters, text and layers to a video within a short time.

However, Photoshop lacks enough features for advanced video editing since it is not its original purpose. Photoshop video editing interface has few features and can consume your time when creating videos and still won’t do a perfect job.

The video editing feature only offers basic editing such as shortening your camera recording, adding text and filters. Unless you just needed little editing, Photoshop is not a useful tool for large-scale video production.

Can you use Photoshop for video editing?

Photoshop does basic video editing, therefore, you can create or edit short videos with it. Photoshop supports animation and motion graphics, and you can stack layers, texts, photos and video, making it do the work of Adobe Premiere Pro and After Effects combined, although at a very basic level.

For long videos that require advanced transitions, filters and formats, you may have to look for a dedicated program such as Adobe Premiere Pro. However, Photographers who use Photoshop prefer it in editing videos instead of learning a new video editing software.

Adobe added video features to Photoshop so that if you are skilled in editing photos, you don’t have to learn to use Premiere Pro, After Effects or any other video editing software.

How to edit video frames in Photoshop

Editing video frames in Photoshop is simple, you can edit individual frames to create animation, add content or delete unwanted details. You can use Clone Stamp, Pattern Stamp or Healing Brush to edit video frames. Painting on video frames, also called rotoscoping, involves the frame-by-frame tracing of live-action images to be used in animation.

Here are steps to edit video frames in Photoshop:

  1. Import the video into Photoshop.
  2. Select the video layer in the layers panel and move the current time indicator to the video frame you want to edit.
  3. Create a separate layer by selecting layers > Video Layers > New Blank Video Layer
  4. Select the brush tool that you want to use and paint in the video frame non-destructively.

You can discard the altered pixels on the frame or video layer by choosing Restore Frame or Restore All Frames command. Preview the visibility of altered video layers by clicking the eyeball next to the altered video track in the timeline.

Issues with Photoshop Not Opening?

What do professionals use for video editing?

Both Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro are the leading film and video editing software for professionals. However, Adobe products are a perfect choice because of the Creative Cloud integration. Adobe Premiere Pro is helpful for Photoshop users since it has some similar features and user interface.

Most professional videographers start out as Photographers, and getting used to Photoshop features such as layers, groups, filters, effects, and other control tools is necessary for Premiere Pro video editing.

The best part of using Premiere Pro CC is the integration with other Creative Cloud applications such as Photoshop CC, After Effects CC, Audition CC, Illustrator CC, and any other Creative Cloud products that enable you to transfer assets.

Is Premiere Pro harder than Photoshop?

Premiere Pro is a dedicated video editing software and has advanced features than Photoshop. Premiere Pro is a complex tool and is not easy for everyone to master. The arrangement of layers is cumbersome and can be time-consuming for simple edits compared to Photoshop. Both Premiere Pro and Photoshop need a compelling and long-term reason to learn how to use each.

If you have mastered Photoshop and, for some reason, you need to get into video editing, you have to invest time to learn Premiere Pro. When compared, Premiere Pro is easy to use if you already know how to edit a video. On the other hand, Photoshop is easier to use for basic editing of videos since it uses similar effects used in image editing. But if you have never used Photoshop, either is hard and takes time to learn its video editing features.

Also earn how photoshop is used in web design.

Conclusion

Photoshop does basic video editing just like Premiere Pro does basic photo editing, but it is not the best for commercial use. If you want high-quality videos with great effects and are doing it for commercial use, then a better editing tool such as Premiere Pro is necessary.

Photoshop basic video editing is essential for professional photographers and designers who understand Photoshop since they can make quick video edits using the tools they know and love. Premiere Pro video editor is a powerful tool loved by professionals because it is great for its seamless transfer of objects across Adobe Creative Cloud products.

Thanks for the read. Find out Should You Use Photoshop for Animation?