Adobe Premiere for iPhone launches promising free pro-grade post-production tools right on your phone - and I think creators are going to love it

Press material showing Adobe Premiere for iPhone in action

(Image credit: Adobe)

Adobe announces Premiere for iPhone
Mobile video editing app boasts end-to-end editing
Android version is in the works

Adobe Premiere for iPhone is here - and from what I've seen of it so far, it's promising to deliver professional-style post-production tools on Apple's phone.

Now, I have a confession to make: I was always a fan of Adobe Rush. For me, it was one of the best video editing apps around. Simple to use and free, too. But there was always something lacking with it when compared to the likes of Premiere Pro (or even Premiere Elements). Think of it as the difference between Express and Photoshop.

So, I was delighted to see the company finally launch a true video editor for mobile devices. Taking some of the best bits from Rush and Premiere Pro, this suped-up app brings a host of critical editing tools I think content creators will love, including multi-track timelines, generative AI, and studio-quality audio tools.

What to expect from Adobe Premiere for iPhone

Want the highlights? Here are the top tools I think are worth a shout-out...

Multi-track timelines
4K HDR editing
Animated captions
Visual effects
Background removal
Enhance Speech and genAI sound effects
Commercially safe assets
Simple sharing to all major platforms

As a mobile editor, Premiere for iPhone works in the portrait orientation, the top of its interface being for the Viewer, and the bottom, for your Timeline. You can resize the two sections to see more or less of either of them.

Based on the demo I saw, working in the Timeline, and seeing how existing clips move around across multiple layers to make way for new additions, reminded me a lot more of Apple’s Final Cut Pro X than Premiere Pro - which is not a bad thing at all. It seems that frame-accurate editing is also entirely possible with this app.

Selecting a clip in the timeline reveals a series of tools at the bottom of the screen which you can swipe through. You’ll find the usual editing features you’ve grown to expect from a video editor, and of course, there are the now-customary AI options, such as ‘Expand Image’, to allow you to fill the screen with an image without having to zoom into it.

Perhaps the most impressive AI feature is Generative Sound Effects. You know how this works by now: use the text prompt to describe what you’re after and the app will create it for you.

Here, however, you’ve also got the option of using your voice to record the cadence you’re seeking, for instance, and the AI tool will use that along with the text prompt to better give you what you want. The demo of this was impressive.

The editing, the advanced tools, and the fact the non-generative side of the app is free, is all very enticing. Users will only need to pay for additional storage and AI credits.

However, I'm left with a few unanswered questions.

I'm now wondering whether, like Resolve, it also works on iPad. Is there support for landscape editing? How many layers does the timeline support? Can you import Adobe Rush projects? Does the option to export your project to Premiere Pro on the desktop work with AirDrop, or does it require uploading to the cloud?

I hope to be able to answer these questions, and more, in my upcoming review. For now, you can download the app by clicking here.

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Steve has been writing about technology since 2003. Starting with Digital Creative Arts, he's since added his tech expertise at titles such as iCreate, MacFormat, MacWorld, MacLife, and TechRadar. His focus is on the creative arts, like website builders, image manipulation, and filmmaking software, but he hasn’t shied away from more business-oriented software either. He uses many of the apps he writes about in his personal and professional life. Steve loves how computers have enabled everyone to delve into creative possibilities, and is always delighted to share his knowledge, expertise, and experience with readers.

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