At first glance it may seem that the success of Apple’s Final Cut Pro nonlinear editing software has prompted a return of Adobe’s own Premiere application to the Mac platform, after more than a six-year absence.

The truth is that the emergence of mobile content may also have something to do with the changes in Adobe’s Creative Suite 3 Production Premium (CS3) release of post-production software.

‘Video editors have to understand about the web and mobile technology,’ says Colin Smith, senior applications developer at Adobe’s Toronto office. ‘And designers have to get stuff to mobile phones. We really have a choice [for them] across all of these workflows. We wanted to give somebody a toolset where they could not only edit, but also be able to publish in all different areas [from web to mobile].’

In addition to the latest incarnation of the Premiere Pro CS3 application for Mac, Production Premium – the successor to Production Studio, which debuted more than a year ago – includes updated versions of After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator and Encore (for DVD and Blu-Ray authoring). Other feature apps are Soundbooth for sound editing and Flash Professional for projects destined for the Internet.

Last year, Smith noted that Adobe developers brainstormed to determine what critical holes were being overlooked by other nonlinear editors such as Avid and Final Cut Pro. The strategy this time around is slightly different.

‘We’re not telling people to get rid of Final Cut and Avid,’ says Smith. ‘The idea behind Production Premium is ‘Here’s an amazing tool, whatever you’re using. If you’re using Final Cut and Avid, great, because you can still use these tools and work together.”

An impressive aspect of Premiere Pro for CS3 is the inclusion of pre-set formats for online delivery to sites such as Google, MySpace and YouTube. You can then export your files to the desktop, where an app called Device Central launches, enabling the user to test the files on dozens of cell phone models in real time. If you’re using Flash, it’ll even show how much memory it requires. Manufacturers including Nokia and Motorola are represented, and the list is updated approximately every three months.

The Mac version of Production Premium is slated for launch this summer, and has been in beta testing since last fall. Smith says there have been more than 50,000 downloads since then – 30% of them for the Mac – which is an extremely high percentage given the dominance of PC in the marketplace.

‘Final Cut is great, but it’s an Avid workflow,’ says Smith, citing a potential reason for the interest in the Mac version. ‘The UI [user interface] is completely alien to people who grew up on Premiere. To me, it’s very simple to use. I’ve looked at Final Cut – sure it’s really powerful and it’s got some awesome tools, but for a lot of these Mac users who grew up on Premiere, it’s nice to have it back.’

Steam Productions, a prodco based in Santa Monica, CA, recently completed three complex toy commercials (with clients including Mattel and Hasbro) entirely on the beta version. Using Premiere Pro, it captured green screen footage directly from a JVC GY-HD250U camera into a Blackmagic HD Pro card, then edited in Premiere Pro and did compositing in After Effects. It also used Soundbooth to record voice-overs and Encore DVD to create a flash site for the client.

‘The ‘gold standard’ products are Photoshop, After Effects and Illustrator,’ says Scott Bryant, Steam’s creative director. ‘I’ve built my entire business around [them]. Premiere Pro came later for me, but the integration that it has with After Effects streamlined my workflow even more. Most of the product’s limitations are offset by the benefit of the superior workflow integration.’

As in the previous version of the post-production bundle, the ability to navigate between applications and see changes implemented in real time across After Effects, Photoshop and Premiere is stronger than in any other nonlinear editing package.

‘AfterEffects is my main moneymaker, but it wouldn’t be nearly as useful without the rest of the family,’ says Bryant. ‘The newly expanded line of products allows me to feel comfortable running my business with just Adobe apps.’

www.adobe.com