Vegas 8.0 Pro or Final Cut Pro (Or Express)???
 

Currently I'm on a PC and I was using Pinnacle 11. I just switched over to Vegas 8.0 Pro and I am completely blown away with the amount of features. Its so overwhelming I still haven't figured out how to cut a piece of footage and put the remaing pieces together? It seems like a lot of overkill. Than againg it is new to me. Is Final Cut Pro or Express just as difficult??? Or is it easier on a Mac b/c they are more user-friendly?

Having used both (though Vegas 8 only briefly. . .I'm still with version 6), I'd say FCP and Vegas are about equal, power wise, though one may be better at some things than the other. They both do about the same stuff, but the same operation is accomplished in different ways depending on which software you use.

Neither is necessarily "easier" to learn. I think Vegas, for the inexperienced NLE user, maybe more intuitive, easier to pick up without consulting a message board or manual, but that's just me.

FC Express is a "lite" version of FCP, with fewer features, for those who don't need it all (or want to spend as much. . .I don't THINK you can get FCP 6, the newest version, by itself; you have to get the suite of products in which it's included, and that costs around $1300! Vegas can be had for $500 or less). Vegas also has a lite version.

I would also say that the "user-friendliness" of the Mac, while true, doesn't really carry across to the FCP software. That's not to say it's hard to learn or use, but it is a pro application, and just like anything else, comes with a learning curve. I'm sure you could figure some stuff out for yourself, but I certainly had to come on here/consult the manuals for some tips on how to do basic operations because they were named differently or worked differently from what I was used to in Vegas.

So, as I'm sure everyone else'll tell you, it's whatever works best for you and fits your needs.

You might be able to find a free trial/demo if you have access to a Mac.

Hi Tom,
Keep going with Vegas it will become a breeze in no time at all.
If you need some tuition on Vegas check out Youtube or check out Lynda.com they have great training on NLE and other things. They might still have a free pass for a limited amount of free learning.
Dont forget the Vasst web site also for books,dvd's etc..

Regards
Simon

Is Vegas dongle protected?

Or is there some web activation feature?

Just wondering.

I see that it requires QT? Will it export QT compatible files on a PC?

No dongle. Yes, it requires web activation. But you can install it on as many PCs as you like as long as you only use it on one at a time.

I can't offer advice re QT.

Vegas is like that at the start. I spent ages looking for a split tool only to eventually determine you just press S.

For simple cutting, position the timeline cursor and press S to split at the start of the bit you want to remove. Do the same at the end. Select the bit you have just split (click with mouse cursor). Press Delete and then press F to remove the gap left behind.

There are other ways, too.

Yes, will export to QT.

Unless you want to spend lots of extra money on a software that you are just going to have to learn again, there is no sense in buying FCP ( especially if Vegas Pro is overkill for you ). While there are things that either one can do that the other can't, I would again agree that they are about on par with each other as individual software, and if you want to buy the Sony suite, you will have some very strong tools, however you won't have as good of a compositing solution within Vegas as you get in the Final Cut Suite.

I highly suggest and really like the Vegas Training DVD's from the guys at VASST if you're looking for training, they have training for the latest version of Vegas and have some specialized areas of training in Vegas as well ( color correction, Noise Reduction, etc... ).

Vegas is FAST and that's one of the reasons I use it. I often have very tight deadlines and I can do a lot in a little bit of time with Vegas and some of the Scripting tools I use from Ultimate S. In fact I drove a presentation with Vegas and ArtBeat clips last year at their NAB booth, on how to make your stock footage work for you sort of thing. While the guy spoke I put together a faux advertisement with cuts on the beat and high action footage in less time than it took to play the song back at regular speed, tossed on a couple of titles at the start and it was all done in under a couple minutes and looked like something you see on TV. (got a lot of whoa's from the crowd :) ).

Dave

I have been using vegas 8.0 for a little over a month now and I am still overwhelmed with it but I find it very interesting and everyday I learn sometihng new. I use youtube tutorials everyday as the learning curve can be long and as I personally have never had any NLE experience until a month ago I know for me to be at a level where I can feel confortable using the software it will take some time. But nonetheless, I am devoting a lot of my spare time after work and weekends into vegas as I really enjoy working with the program and hopefully will be able to start editing like a pro soon :).