For creative professionals who have invested in the Windows on ARM ecosystem, the wait is finally over. Adobe has announced the public beta of native ARM64 versions of its flagship video editing applications, Premiere Pro and After Effects. This is a significant milestone, as it brings a more complete creative workflow to Windows on ARM devices, which have been available since late 2017.
Windows on ARM users have been patiently waiting for a fully native Adobe Creative Cloud experience. While some applications like Photoshop and Lightroom have been available for some time, the absence of professional video tools like Premiere Pro and After Effects has been a major hurdle for many creatives. Before this native beta, running these applications required emulation, which often resulted in performance issues and a less-than-ideal user experience.
The release of these betas signals Adobe’s growing commitment to the Windows on ARM platform, especially with the recent launch of new devices powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series processors.
What’s New in the Beta
The public beta for Premiere Pro and After Effects on Windows on ARM is available now through the Adobe Creative Cloud Desktop app. While this is a significant step forward, it’s important to remember that this is a beta release, and some features are not yet available.
Known limitations in the Premiere Pro beta include:
- Lack of support for ProRes, JPEG2000 in MXF, MotionJPEG, and MKV formats.
- No hardware-accelerated playback and export of H.264 and HEVC in MP4.
- Absence of support for raw video formats like Apple ProRes RAW, ARRI ARRIRAW, Canon Cinema RAW Light, and Sony X-OCN.
- Some features, like the Loudness Radar effect and export to Wraptor DCP, will not be coming to the final release.
The After Effects beta has the following limitations:
- Lack of format support for ProRes, ARRIRAW, SWF, GoPro CineForm, and others.
- No import of MotionJPEG and MKV.
- No hardware-accelerated playback and export of H.264 and HEVC in MP4.
- Keylight, Mocha, and Cinema 4D renderer are not yet available.
- Third-party plug-ins will need to be updated to work with the native ARM version.
Adobe has stated that it is working to resolve these issues and will provide updates as they become available. Users are encouraged to install the latest Qualcomm Adreno GPU driver for the best performance.
The native support for Premiere Pro and After Effects on Windows on ARM could be a game-changer for creative professionals using Windows devices. As these applications move from beta to final release, and as more native applications become available, Windows on ARM devices will become increasingly viable for a full range of creative work. This will allow for a more seamless and efficient workflow, taking full advantage of the power and efficiency of ARM-based processors.
