Reading Final Cut Studio projects in Final Cut Express?
 

Has anyone tried loading FCS projects from the new version into FCE4? With the older verison of Final Cut Pro, FCE would read them fine as long as they met the limitations of FCE (99 audio and video tracks, etc). Does the current FCP produce FCE compatible files, too?

Since I already have an FCE license, I'd like to install FCS on my desktop and run FCE on my laptop to start editing while in the field. I'd really prefer to not need to purchase two copies of FCS.

Hi Tramm.

Your single copy of FCS should be able to be installed on BOTH your desktop and laptop (unless someone knows something I don't).

Here is the excerpt from the FCS 2 license:

"A. Apple Software (Bundle)
This License allows you to install and use one copy of the Apple Software on one Apple-labeled desktop computer and one Apple-labeled laptop computer so long as both computers are owned and used by you."

The link to the pdf file containing the license is here:

http://images.apple.com/legal/sla/do...cutstudio2.pdf

You'd probably just have to check with your vendor before you purchase FCS 3 that there haven't been any changes to this part of the license since FCS 2. (But this is still the current one displayed on Apple's website linked to their Software License Agreements page.)

Thanks! Their license terms seem rather unambiguous. That is rather surprising for a legal document...

I'm still curious about loading newer FCS projects into FCE since I will be working with other editors before I upgrade to the full suite. Perhaps I'll stop by the Apple store and see if I can transfer a project from their FCS3 machine to my FCE4 laptop.

It doesn't work.

I went to the Apple store and they let me copy a FCS3 project file to my laptop and FCE4 was unable to load it. Loading an FCE4 file in FSC3 works, but it gives a warning that, when re-saved, the project will no longer be readable by the older version.