Which video editor should you learn?
Learn DaVinci Resolve if you want to spend nothing, Premiere Pro if you want what most colleges and online video teams use, and Final Cut Pro if you're on a Mac and want speed. Film and TV editors should also expect to meet Avid Media Composer.
The short answer
All three are professional tools and the craft transfers between them. The real differences are cost, platform and where you want to work. If you're aiming at film and high-end television, notice how often UK courses teach Avid Media Composer as well: it's still the standard in feature and drama cutting rooms.
| Final Cut Pro | Premiere Pro | DaVinci Resolve | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Made by | Apple | Adobe | Blackmagic Design |
| Runs on | Mac (and iPad) | Mac and Windows | Mac, Windows and Linux |
| Price (UK) | £299.99 one-off, or included in Apple Creator Studio at £12.99 a month | £21.98 a month on an annual plan | Free. Studio version £225 plus VAT, one-off |
| Price (US) | $299.99 one-off, or Apple Creator Studio at $12.99 a month | $22.99 a month on an annual plan | Free. Studio version $295, one-off |
| Students | Apple Creator Studio for students and educators: £2.99 / $2.99 a month (limited-time offer) | Creative Cloud Pro for students: £16.24 / $19.99 a month for the first year | The free version needs no discount |
| Free trial | 1 month of Apple Creator Studio for new subscribers | 7 days | Not needed |
| Named by UK courses we checked | 15% | 69% | 67% |
Prices are from Apple, Adobe and Blackmagic's own UK and US pages, checked October 2026. Adobe has started calling Premiere Pro "Adobe Premiere" on its plan pages; most courses and job ads still use the old name. Apple's earlier 90-day Final Cut Pro trial has ended.
What UK film schools teach
We checked the course pages of 77 UK universities, film schools and colleges that teach editing. 39 of them name the editing software they teach. Of those, 69% name Premiere Pro or Adobe Creative Cloud, 67% name DaVinci Resolve, 64% name Avid Media Composer and 15% name Final Cut Pro. Most teach more than one.
The pattern is clear: degree-level film courses teach Avid for editing and Resolve for colour, while colleges and general media courses lean on Premiere Pro. Final Cut Pro is rarely the teaching tool, even though many students and freelancers edit on it at home. In the US, only 15 of the 69 programmes we checked name their software, so treat it as indicative: 12 of those 15 name Avid.
The full lists are in the UK and USA course directories.
Choose DaVinci Resolve if…
- You don't want to spend anything. The free version is not a trial and has no watermark.
- You're interested in colour grading. Resolve began as a grading system and its Color page is the industry reference.
- You use Windows or Linux, or move between machines.
Choose Premiere Pro if…
- Your college or employer uses it, or you'll share projects with people who do.
- You also use After Effects, Photoshop or Audition, which it works with closely.
- You make online video, social content or corporate work, where it's very common.
Choose Final Cut Pro if…
- You're on a Mac and want the fastest editor for the hardware. It's built by Apple and it shows.
- You'd rather pay once than subscribe.
- You edit alone. Its magnetic timeline prevents many mistakes, though it works differently from the track-based editors schools teach.
What about Avid Media Composer?
Avid is the editor most feature film and television drama cutting rooms use, and many UK degrees are Avid Learning Partners that offer Avid certification. If that's the industry you're aiming at, you'll need it eventually. It's less common for online video, which is why the comparison above concentrates on the three editors most people start with.
Switching later
Learning a second editor takes weeks, not months, because the techniques are the same: three-point editing, JKL, the four trim types. The main effort is relearning the keys. The shortcut equivalents table lines them up side by side.
Frequently asked questions
Is DaVinci Resolve really free?+
Yes. The free version of DaVinci Resolve is a full professional editor with no watermark and no time limit. The paid DaVinci Resolve Studio adds features such as extra noise reduction, more AI tools and higher-resolution output, for a one-off price of $295 in the US or £225 plus VAT in the UK.
Which video editor do film schools teach?+
In the UK courses we checked that name their software, 69% teach Premiere Pro or Adobe Creative Cloud, 67% DaVinci Resolve, 64% Avid Media Composer and 15% Final Cut Pro. Film degrees tend to teach Avid for editing and Resolve for colour; colleges tend to teach Premiere Pro.
Is Final Cut Pro still a one-off purchase?+
Yes. Final Cut Pro for Mac is still £299.99 or $299.99 as a one-off purchase from the Mac App Store. It's also included in Apple Creator Studio, a subscription that costs £12.99 or $12.99 a month, or £2.99 or $2.99 a month for eligible students and educators.
Which is easiest for beginners?+
Final Cut Pro's magnetic timeline is the most forgiving for beginners, because clips can't overlap by accident. DaVinci Resolve's Cut page is also designed for fast, simple editing. Premiere Pro has the most tutorials online. Any of the three is a good choice; what matters more is practising regularly.
Written by Philip Brumpton, a product designer who builds KeyCut. Last checked October 2026.
Learn the keys by pressing them.
KeyCut puts the Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve keyboards on your iPad, colour-coded, and fires each shortcut into your editor on the Mac when you tap it.