Premiere Pro vs DaVinci Resolve Scene Cut Detection Performance

Recently developed for Premiere Pro is a Scene Edit Detection feature that can automatically find cut points in a video file to help editors more quickly break up a longer file into multiple clips.

This is actually something DaVinci Resolve has had for a while, though Adobe boasts its Sensei AI technology is behind their tool.

This might not be something you’ll need all the time, but a good example might be if you get a final video of a multi-camera stream and need to apply edits to different cameras or clips before uploading a version for future viewing.

Now that we have two NLEs capable of this feature, you might want to know which is better for the moments when you run into a project that needs it as this can be a huge time saver. Comparing these functions is Piotr Toczynski from Cut to the Point.

Resolve and Premiere use different methodologies for their scene cut detection tools. Adobe uses Sensei AI tech to get it done, which makes it incredibly simply to use but much less customizable.

Resolve on the other hand relies on histogram analysis and has plenty of customization to make it work as you need.

Another ease-of-use win for Premiere is that you can apply it to any clip you are using by right-clicking clip. Resolve limits Scene Cut Detection to import and not after it is already on the timeline.

Image Credit: Blackmagic Design

In Premiere, the options you have are to apply a cut at each detected point or to make a clip marker. You can also check so it will do the same for linked audio.

Then you just select low, medium, or high sensitivity. In the initial test with a 10-minute clip, Premiere took 90 seconds while Resolve finished in just 28 seconds. Looks like Resolve is a lot faster, but can Premiere win on quality?

With Resolve, Toczynski had to make slight adjustments to the confidence level and remove a couple clips using the dedicated control panel. It’s a little more complex than Premiere.

Now, Premiere actually did it super well and only one cut had to be corrected. If you don’t need to do much editing you don’t need more control.

Image Credit: Adobe

Resolve does have the option of creating each clip as a clip in the bins. Premiere requires this step to be done more manually.

It may not be a commonly used tool, but if you need it these tools will help whether you prefer Resolve or Premiere Pro.

[source: Cut to the Point]

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