You’ve put in hours of work editing a video in Premiere Pro, making sure everything is just right. Now it is time to send it out to the world but you may be wondering, what is the best way to do that? The answer is to turn it over to Adobe Media Encoder. Media Encoder is part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud and it can finish the work of exporting while you start on another project.
What Can Media Encoder Do For You?
Media Encoder brings in edited video, changes it from one file size or format to another to allow you to upload your work to YouTube, Vimeo, and other platforms. It can be set to automatically change or transcode the video to whatever format you need for the particular place that the video is going. Media Encoder can also be used for all the finishing touches on a video like adding watermarks, thumbnails, and logos.
What Is Media Encoder?
Media Encoder is part of Adobe’s Creative Cloud, a collection of apps used for various aspects of video editing. Motion Graphics Designers and Video Editors use software like Media Encoder when they work on projects in the motion picture and television industry, advertising, or in business promotion. Video Editors often work as part of a team and being able to speed up the workflow has definite advantages.
The thing to remember about Media Encoder is that it is essentially a workflow management tool. Rendering a video, converting the edited video into its final format, can take a long time. Media Encoder allows you to work on other projects while it does its thing in the background.
Essential Features of Media Encoder
The beauty of Media Encoder is in its automated features. You can choose your presets and let Media Encoder work in the background while you move on to another editing session in Premiere Pro. This saves a lot of time and helps keep your workflow moving. The Media Encoder workspace has four different sections: the queue, the preset browser, encoding and the watch folders. The queue contains the files that are waiting to be rendered. The preset browser contains just about any format in existence that you can choose for your file. Encoding keeps track of the progress of the current job, and watch folders contain the status of the file. Just drop a file in the queue, choose your format, and let Media Encoder work in the background.
If you are working in Premiere Pro and you only have one file, you can export it when you are finished editing. But if you break the file up into smaller segments and want to render them as separate sections, that would take a long time to do in Premiere Pro, and you would have to wait before you can get back to editing. If you put the files in the Premiere Pro queue, that opens Media Encoder and your files are encoded while you work on something else in Premiere Pro.
History of Media Encoder
Media Encoder was developed by Adobe and released in 2003. Originally, it was part of Adobe’s video editing software, Premiere Pro, but in 2011 it became a standalone product as part of Adobe’s Creative Suite. The current version is Adobe Media Encoder CC and is part of the Creative Cloud.
How to Purchase Media Encoder
Adobe Media Encoder is not available as a standalone program. You get it as part of a subscription to Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, or as part of the Creative Cloud. Adobe offers a monthly subscription to Premiere Pro or After Effects with a 7-day free trial available before purchase. This allows you to edit some videos before deciding if you want to pay for it. For a few dollars more a month, you can get the full Creative Cloud, which includes storage as well. The cost of a monthly subscription to Premiere Pro or After Effects is $20.99 each. A monthly subscription to the full Creative Cloud is $52.99.
How to Learn Media Encoder
While Media Encoder can be used on its own, it is most often accessed with Premiere Pro. It’s a good idea to learn Premiere Pro first for a couple of reasons. This will give you experience using Adobe products, and because they are all set up and work in a similar manner, the home screen of Media Encoder will look familiar if you have a working knowledge of Premiere Pro.
Media Encoder is a good product to know if you have decided to change careers, but you probably won’t find a stand-alone course in it. The best way to learn the tools necessary for video editing is by taking classes. Software programs like Premiere Pro and Media Encoder can be challenging to grasp and it is always useful to have guidance from an experienced instructor.
If you can’t find an in-person class in your area, live online classes are the next best option. The class meets online at a set time and is led by an instructor who can answer your questions and even take control of your screen, only with your permission, to give you extra help if you need it. You can attend class from work or home and choose from sessions that meet in the daytime or evenings, as well as part-time or full-time.
Bootcamps can be a great way to gain the knowledge and experience you need to change careers. These are intensive courses meant to take you from beginner to employable Video Editor in several weeks. Look for a program that offers mentoring as well as a portfolio structure. This means that as you complete the assignments for class, you are building a collection of work to use in a future job search.
It’s easy to learn Adobe’s Media Encoder and start a new career. Check out Noble Desktop’s video editing courses. Choose between in-person sessions in NYC at Noble’s location or sign up for live online video editing courses and attend from anywhere. Use Noble Desktop’s Classes Near Me to find other courses in video editing in your area.