Premiere Elements is an easier-to-use version of Adobe’s professional video-editing program, Premiere Pro. And, like the latest edition of Photoshop Elements, Premiere Elements 3 attempts to walk the fine line between ease of use and advanced features.

In fact, when it comes to home video-editing Adobe Premiere Elements 3 is, in many ways, playing catch up with the competition.

Take the latest version’s support for some of the newer video formats, for example. It’s now possible to import your footage from an HDV camcorder and edit in high definition. And, at the other end of the scale, Poddies and portable gamers can export their finished movies in iPod and PlayStation Portable MPEG4 formats, as well as a selection of mobile phone-friendly video types.

These are very useful additions, but rival programs, such as Pinnacle Studio and Ulead Video Studio, have been plugging features like these for years.

Other new features in Premiere Elements 3 include a cool stop-motion tool that allows you to capture Wallace and Grommit-style still-frame animations direct from your camcorder and string them together as a movie file. There are also a few new soundtrack features, but, again, narration recording and simple sound mixing tools are functions that other video-editing apps have included for quite a while now.

In fact, the biggest improvements to Premiere Elements 3 have little to do with its new functions at all, but can be felt more readily in the program’s redesigned interface. Now clips can be arranged in a basic storyboard-like Sceneline and most actual editing operations (such as trimming, titling and tweaking effects) can all take place in the main monitor window.

In general, the program’s environment has a friendlier feel and, although the screen can end up getting quite busy at times, it’s never too difficult to work out where to find the next tool or menu. That said, while some video-editing programs offer very basic ‘automatic’ movie-making functions, you won’t find anything like that here.

There are wizards to help guide you through importing your footage from tape (or disc or elsewhere) and exporting your finished movies to various formats. But the application actively encourages you to take part in the creative process of trimming clips, arranging them together and adding effects rather than automating them or leaving them to random chance.

As such, it’s not the easiest of programs to operate but a straightforward interface and logical way of working help make it easier to get creative without being bogged down by technicalities.

Like Photoshop Elements, Premiere Elements isn’t cheap (although you can buy both together for £105) and it’s not a program for an absolute beginner. Enthusiastic home movie makers and those of an intermediate skill level will appreciate the fact that Premiere Elements doesn’t patronise them with an overly simplistic approach.

Also consider
Magix Movie Edit Pro 11 Plus
Overall: Magix Movie Edit Pro 11 Plus is a comprehensive video editor at a very competitive price, but takes time to learn
Rating: 5
Price: £40

Ulead Video Studio 10 Plus
Overall: Ulead Video Studio 10 Plus is a good home video editor and fully high-definition ready
Rating: 5
Price: £53

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