Support Video Software Solution Providers That Put You First

Producer’s View

By Anthony Burokas

As we come to the end of another year of growth in this ever-changing business of ours, I had a recent opportunity to dig into some business specifics regarding costs my company was incurring and make some forward-thinking business decisions regarding where I would choose to put my company's dollars.

As streaming producers balancing dozens of different costs, fees, and subscriptions, we need to balance what works to our benefit versus what doesn't. This recently had a spotlight shined on it for me when I needed to assess the value of both Adobe Premiere Pro and vMix. What follows is a cost/benefit thought process that applies only to me, and my company.

Adobe announced yet another quarter of Year-over-Year profit growth. At the same time, they sent me an email telling me that my monthly subscription would be going up, from $31 to $34 a month for a single app. So I terminated my subscription. vMix, by contrast, has added several features in the new version that I want, so I happily paid them for the update.

As a streaming producer, I do very little editing. These days, delivery platforms like YouTube allow me to trim off pre-show and post-show content, making post-event viewing more convenient for the audience. On rare occasions, like for a recent show that had some mid-event server issues that had to be cleaned up, I need actual video editing software.

iMovie, included with my desktop Mac, handles many simple tasks admirably. But I find it’s not the best for detailed adjustments. Having edited in Premiere Pro for years, I know the tool, but the constant price increases made me re-evaluate my reliance on this one, ever-more-costly tool for my admittedly low-level video editing. I don't pay for the entire creative suite because I have almost zero need for the other tools.

Adobe further incentivized my cancellation by sending me a "We tried to contact you about your failed payment” email. (They didn't.) The message continued, “We’re going to have to cancel your subscription if you don’t update your payment." I received this email for a service that I had deliberately cancelled weeks before. This gaslighting solidified my desire to look around to see what else was available.

I was surprised to find so many alternatives to cut multiple layers of video with accuracy: tools like Resolve, ShotCut, Avid Media Composer - First, Filmora, Hit Film, and Lightworks are all very capable tools for my basic video editing needs. I will need to invest a bit of time to learn how to edit in a different app.

So, once again, time is money. Invest the time, to save the money.

For comparison, I regularly use vMix for my live streaming. The version I use costs $1,200, about what Adobe Creative Suite used to cost back when it was the whole suite of software on a set of optical discs. Now I’m a version behind, and guess what it costs me to update my app to the latest version of vMix? $50. Moreover, vMix doesn't stop working if I don't pay, like Adobe software does.

This means that StudioCoast Pty, Ltd., the makers of vMix, have to improve the software enough for me to want to pay them every year. If they don't, then I can continue to use the version I have. On the other hand, if I don't need or want the features Adobe has added, I still have to pay $34 a month, just so the app opens.

The video industry is constantly shifting. There are alternatives out there, and competition in the industry benefits all of us. We are able to choose a different tool, even entirely different solutions, when they better fit our business needs. It also helps to be aware of alternative solutions in case the tool we use—even if it was once the industry standard—suddenly has an uncertain future.

Bending Spoons just laid off the entire staff of the stalwart iPhone filming app Filmic Pro. They did so after purchasing Filmic in 2022 and switching from a purchase license to a subscription. This move pushed a percentage of users away. The slow pace of updates cost them more subscribers. Meanwhile, Blackmagic Design's introduction of their free Camera app, used by Apple to film Apple's entire fall 2023 product event, has also shifted the landscape entirely.

There's a difference between software where we are in charge, and software where we, and our work, are captives of our tool providers and their subscription-only services. I'm going to put my money on solutions where I have control. Just like Adobe, Blackmagic, Bending Spoons, and StudioCoast, we are businesses too. It is in our own best interest to consistently run cost/benefit analyses of the value our tools provide to each of us. We each get to make the decisions that benefit our businesses, and, at a higher level, we are choosing to support those businesses that either do, or do not, put us first.