Well guys, I've never used a Mac or even worked with FCP, but this has got me seriously re-assessing...
That Magnetic Timeline feature - incredible!

The Magnetic Timeline is just like Edius insert edit with ripple set to ON.

Ron Evans

So when you change your car you add up how much all the previous cars cost and say I paid $X for my car and this one is only worth $Y now? A bit silly don't you think?

Suppose the car salesman said "actually, we don't want your old car in part-exchange, but your new car will be only one third of the cost of the last one". Would you be happy or mad? Think about it.

The fact is you bought the software at the going rate at the time, with the features it provided at the time. You've used it, hopefully to earn money from, so it's likely paid for itself already anyway. Why complain that the upgrade to something better costs less than you thought it would? Think about it.

Don't expect Apple to offer you a further discount on $299, it's an awesome deal.

That's a pretty passive-aggressive response, don't you think?

And it is significantly lacking the ability to hold water, as far as arguments go. I've never bought a car that brought out a new model three years later for more than four-hundred percent less than I paid for the previous one.

$299.00 is an awesome deal. No argument there.

For the record: 1 - I'm looking forward to giving it a try, and 2 - No one said anything about Apple giving a further discount. It would, however, be nice if they did SOMETHING to recognize those of us who've been with them in leaner times. Maybe they will. June's a way off.

I just read a post on another forum from a fellow who paid full-pop just three months ago. Now there's a guy who has something to whine about.

Apple Announces Final Cut Pro X

Sigh. Three years ago I switched to a Mac so I could use both Final Cut Studio and Sony Vegas Pro on the same machine. Final Cut was $1,200.00, then. Two months later Final Cut Studio 3 came out... $300.00 for the upgrade, but the price of the program came down to $1,000.00. So I had $1,500.00 invested in software that was now worth $1,000.00. I whined to Apple and they gave me a free Mighty Mouse. Now, to get the new FCX, I'll have to cough up another $300.00, giving me a total of $1,800.00 invested in software that's worth $300.00.

I'm not feeling very appreciated, Apple.

That is how things work. There will always be updates to software that you have to pay for. Adobe and Sony do the same thing. About the only professional tool you don't have to pay for each upgrade is Blender. Apple never forces you to upgrade to each new version. Each new version was also a pretty large update. This new version is massive. A total new piece of software. The only thing it seems to have in common with the previous versions of FCP is the name itself. Every once of code is a totally new rewrite. So think of this as a whole new program. There is no 11th commandment that says you have to buy FCX. If the price is an issue for you then keep using FCS3. It isn't as if the software was made instantly useless just because of this announcement. If FCS3 was awesome 10 days ago it is still awesome.

As with anything newly announced and not-yet-released there are more questions than answers.

I've been getting a ton of email about this upcoming release and unfortunately I don't have any "inside" information about the features or other goodies coming in FCP "X"; I used to spend a lot of time digging into Apple pro video issues but the last 2 years especially I've been allocating a lot of my time with Windows-based apps too. (Have you people seen Lightworks yet? Amazing stuff - and unfortunately Windows only. ugh)

But I do have a few points to ponder:

- It's not surprising that Apple integrated some of the cool and easier-to-use tools that have been in iMovie for years. As far as I'm concerned things like a filmstrip method of scrubbing footage, magnetic timelines and a other "simple" goodies have been implemented in other NLE's a few years ago and Apple is just now playing catch-up.

A few of the major benefits I see:

- Finally addressing all RAM and CPU cores (Apple's version of hardware acceleration)
- Making making deeper tools from apps like Color & Soundtrack built into the interface
- Finally addressing the god-awful gamma-shift (I hope!) by making the entire project color-managed by Color Sync
- And direct-element synchronization along with collapsable/expandable element timelines.

Again, many of these features have already been in use for years elsewhere, it's just finally coming around to FCP.

A few things to be wary of:

- All the "auto corrections" that can occur during ingest. That's definitely an "i-product" methodology and there will be times when you *don't* want FCP to alter your footage on ingest, so the hope is that these auto-import-altering features can be user-selectable and or turned-off when you don't want them.
- Just how well things like Grand Central Dispatch play with the hardware; if renders do truly become accelerated, great, but not at the expense of having your fans spin up like a jet engine and ruining your quiet edit environment.
- The learning curve. This is a truly revamped interface sharing almost nothing with it's predecessor. That means a fairly decent amount of time to get used to the new interface and learning the new tools.

Would I recommend someone who's just purchased FCS 3 getting this newer version - regardless of it's "low" price-tag? Not yet. FCP 7 is an amazing application and is the most stable and useful version of the Final Cut franchise to date. No need to re-invent the wheel if things are working properly.

My advice to anyone who's a current FCP user: Wait a few months after release and let those with time to kill suss out the kinks which will definitely rear their ugly head as they always do with re-written pro applications.

The second of these two videos:

Unofficial videos of Final Cut Pro X arrive online (http://www.tuaw.com/2011/04/13/unofficial-videos-of-final-cut-pro-x-arrive-online/#continued)

They discuss pricing and Apple says they're doing away with Final Cut Express and upgrade pricing.

Heath

Matt,

I was taking notes live as the demo was going on. What I should have written is that with the inclusion of secondary CC and grading the need to send your project to Color is lessened. Who knows what they plan to do with Color, which if you remember was purchased and not developed by Apple. Since it seems that FCP X is a new from the ground up App, I wonder what will happen to Color. My comment was just a guess on my part at that time. There are still lots of unanswered questions.

Daniel Weber

A number of people had an opportunity to talk with Apple execs after the presentation. The common thing I heard was, this is a sneak peak at FCP. The rest we're not talking about, yet.

The feeling I walked away with is that they rolled features of color and soundtrack into FCP. They didn't kill those apps.

I
- Mac OS X Lion only?


FCP X in June.

Lion not until mid to late Summer.

After seeing the entire presentation on Vimeo, I mus say I am impressed. Everything looks very smooth, and all the tedious tasks of an editor are done away with. I hope Apple will shed more news soon on the entire suite. I might want Motion and Soundtrack Pro, I don't need Color.

And I hope compressor is build in, not a separate application.

Robin,

What are you using right now?



Heath,
I use Avid in work, but have Premiere Pro at home - as well as Sony Vegas Pro 10, which seems to get used more and more since I can throw anything on the timeline and it just gets on with it!
It would mean a fundamental new approach for me to espouse Mac-based products, but nothing is set in tablets of stone and I'm always happy to embrace new technology...

I agree Floris, when I saw the screenshots I thought: oh no, it really seems like iMovie Pro.
But the screenshots and the specs don't do it justice when you see the presentation on Vimeo - especially part 2.

(Part 1: Supermeet Apple Final Cut X presentation on Vimeo
Part 2: Supermeet Apple Final Cut Studio X presentation 2eme partie on Vimeo)

The Magnetic timeline really seems like a game changer, and the one-click color matching had me impressed. I thought: isn't this feature already a bit in FCP? But then you see how it makes an almost full grade when it's matched with a very stylized clip, and my jaw went down for a moment.

I still have many many questions, and some doubts, but after seeing the demo I really felt sold and now I almost can't wait to get and use it.

"the one-click color matching had me impressed."

Me too. But then so did the noise reduction tool demo for STP when first shown some years ago.

Unfortunately, back in the real world these tools are rarely as effective as they appear in the Apple demo's.

Even so, i'm really excited about this new FCP and shall be downloading it the day it arrives.

Been using FCP for 8 years now. A cheaper FCP is a good thing. We'll see how they price the rest of the FCS suite which I guess will come out in bits and pieces.

If they can fix the whole render wait thing, it'll be priceless

That's a pretty passive-aggressive response, don't you think?

And it is significantly lacking the ability to hold water, as far as arguments go. I've never bought a car that brought out a new model three years later for more than four-hundred percent less than I paid for the previous one.

Not really, but I suppose that's how you could have chosen to read it. Maybe if I'd littered it with unnecessary smileys? Sorry you took it the wrong way.

The point about the car was very valid. I was asking you if you'd feel the same IF that happened (which BTW it's 75% less, not 400% less ;)). IF Apple has announced the cost at $1,000 your essential premise would have been no different. $1,500 (for obsolete versions) + $1,000 = $2,500 for new software that's only worth $1,000..... Sure, the values changed, but the sentiment didn't.

Cheaper software is always good providing it delivers the tools we need and is reliable (i.e. not buggy). What it will do however is put great software in the hands of more people who are perhaps not going to use it to it's true potential, making home movies for granny etc. This 'could' devalue the brand "Final Cut Pro" in some people's eyes by thinking of it as a consumer program, even though it has pro features, whereas if it was (say) $2,250 like Avid, it may be given more respect. We'll have to see.

If I added up all the money I spent on software over the last 20-25 years that is now totally obsolete I'd probably cry.

While the color matching feature might not work exactly as advertised in real life, perhaps it'll get it somewhat close, and allow further refinement in Color.

In my experience, it's hard to beat human judgement when it comes to getting color right. In fact, it's so subjective that if you put 4 experts in a room, you'll get 4 different opinions.

I'm looking forward to the changes, tho.

Perhaps if I had gone out and bought FCS last week then I'd be annoyed that a new version was coming out and was so much cheaper. But if I'd done my research I'd have know a new version was coming. And frankly the cost of FSC is pennies anyway. It paid for itself in a few days.

What's always a worry for me is having this kind of simple yet powerful software the App store means more of my clients (mostly creative agencies in the North England), will be encouraged to try using it for themselves. And I'll start losing the little day jobs that keep me ticking over.

Still it's been going that way for a while...

I am sure they said that Colour and Soundtrack Pro are included in the 299 package.

I am sure they said that Colour and Soundtrack Pro are included in the 299 package.

It's not something I inferred from the presentation, although portions of Color and STP have certainly been integrated in to FCP itself, so it remains to be seen it they are now fully integrated (so no external apps) or if they are still available as separate apps as well. The same goes for Motion.

My guess is these will all be separated in the App store and have different upgrade cycles. Take DVd Studio Pro for instance, nothing has changed in DVDs, so why not put it as a standalone app in the app store for $99 (or less!).

I was very impressed by what was shown. New ways of dealing with the timeline.

I always have preferred M100 to FCP, I use both (M100 80% of the time).

The new timeline has some of the very feature that I love about M100, but seems even better.

Of course the proof is in the shipping version. But from what I see Apple has taken some giant steps that others will have to catch up with.

This is very interesting, if FCPX does everything it promises I would say it is revolutionary.

As far as price. My first 2 NLE's cost about $30,000.00 each (a while ago). Now most cost about $1,000.00 plus hardware, another $5,000.00 or so for CPU, RAIDS, AJA/Matrox etc. So the lower price for SW and hardware does not hurt any of us. And the trend continues. Look at camera prices and capabilities compared to 20 years ago.

These are very interesting times, and I don't just mean politically.

I do lots of extreme sport films and the speed control is HUGE for me. I hope when a clip shot 1080 30p is slowed to about 60% it's a smooth 60% and no choppy like the previous FCP and the reason why most shoot 720 60p.

I have my fingers crossed!!!

Robin,

I've heard that for years, Avid users going to Vegas because it's so much easier to use. Well, if you come over to the Apple and Final Cut Pro, that would be awesome!!

heath

I posted a link to two videos from the presentation:

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/digital-video-industry-news/494157-apple-insider-reports-new-fcp-nab-5.html#post1638730

heath

"the one-click color matching had me impressed."

Me too. But then so did the noise reduction tool demo for STP when first shown some years ago.

Unfortunately, back in the real world these tools are rarely as effective as they appear in the Apple demo's.

Even so, i'm really excited about this new FCP and shall be downloading it the day it arrives.

Agreed. All I can ever seem to get their noise reduction function to do is to replace the room noise with digital noise...

You guys should also look at Edius too. Lots of the demo can be reproduced with Edius and there is no rendering needed, will play almost all files native, the best multicam, and there are lots of users running on Mac hardware too if that is your PC of choice. Choose the software that fits the needs for the work flow and then use the hardware it needs. The demo maybe highlights things that are new for Apple but not for the rest of the world that has had them for a long time.

Ron Evans

Here's a review of Edius that I touched up last year; it's a solid NLE:

Edius 2011 - TopTenREVIEWS (http://video-production-software-review.toptenreviews.com/edius-review.html)

heath

Noise reduction: Izotope RX 2 ... nothing comes close.

Jon Chappell's thoughts on FCP X:

My thoughts on Final Cut Pro X - Digital Rebellion Blog (http://www.digitalrebellion.com/blog/posts/my_thoughts_on_final_cut_pro_x.html)

And his excellent Digital Rebellion products will be compatible once FCP X ships:

Final Cut Pro X and Digital Rebellion products - Digital Rebellion Blog (http://www.digitalrebellion.com/blog/posts/final_cut_pro_x_and_digital_rebellion_products.html)

heath

Interesting report Heath. I have a few comments.

I didn't think FCP had native file support but needed all files to be converted or at least in a Quicktime wrapper of some sort yet native support checked on the chart with 4 boxes !!! To my knowledge still doesn't support AVCHD. Vegas and Edius support native files straight from the camera to timeline with no conversion to anything else. Also Edius does have customizable keyboard commands and workspace and a multitrack audio mixer even in Edius 5.5 much improved for Edius V6 the 2011 product.

One of the strengths of Vegas is its scripting also not checked on the charts. The customization of controls and layout of these two programs allows me to set them to use a Shuttle ProV2 with the same actions initiated by the same buttons for both programs and the screen layouts are much the same too. I mainly use Vegas for audio and Edius for video. Both have free floating windows that can be moved or nested to make the workspace truly customizable across many screens. Different layouts can be saved for performing different actions. I have mine across two 24" monitors and also to an external TV monitor.

Maybe an update of the report with latest products would be useful.

Ron Evans

Vegas supports OpenCL and now uses OpenFX for it's plug-in interface. Boris Effects already has some tools for it.

Any talk of native import of Panasonic MXF files? Is this already in FCP?

Second step/conversion to ProRes 422 before application to the timeline? How is this handled now?

Too soon to ask I guess, but I think a nice bonus would be able to keep our existing FCP suite and have FCPX installed on the same machine. Some clients might take a long time to switch to something this new, but I'm ready to start ASAP for my own projects. As a former Vegas (and way before that--Speed Razor) editor I'm a big fan of the new Magnetic Timeline feature.

It seems to me that Apple will sell more of these if they allow both versions to live side-by-side on the same machine. Is that possible do you think?

I will miss the nice light grey color of the current FCP and its clean layout.

Looks like there's so much clutter on the screen, reminds me of a video game.

I am quite amazed by all the negative reactions on the web.

"Final Cut Pro looks like iMovie, not professional enough"
"The $299 price will bring my rates down"
"I don't like that they changed the interface"

Last year everyone was complaining that Apple was doing nothing.

Also... I really don't see why a cheaper application makes you less pro. Tools are just that, tools.

Jon Chappell says this:

"As it is an App Store app, it won't overwrite the old version of Final Cut Studio so you can still go back if anything is missing."

So I guess we'll be okay.

My thoughts on Final Cut Pro X - Digital Rebellion Blog (http://www.digitalrebellion.com/blog/posts/my_thoughts_on_final_cut_pro_x.html)

heath

Also... I really don't see why a cheaper application makes you less pro. Tools are just that, tools.

Exactly! While I believe FCP killed off half the production houses over the past decade, you still get paid for your talent. I know a few FCP editors that are highly skilled with the app, but can't edit to save their lives, can't tell a cohesive story.

Heath

Just got back from NAB and am gathering my throughts...

But these threads have me alternatively chuckling and cringing.

It's always the same. The very fact of being a leader in anything, puts a HUGE target up — and I'm always surprised at how much people love to do their damndest to take the leader down a few pegs.

Human nature is such a goofy thing.

Personally, I wish I had a dollar for every time someone told me that Apple had "totally missed the target" with something and either the product or the WHOLE COMPANY was headed for ruin!!!

I've also heard a thousand voices raised that no matter WHAT Apple does it will be flawless, untouchable, and much, MUCH better than anything anyone else uses! Both views are kinda silly, IMO.

Editing software is complex stuff and what works for one practitioner doesn't always work for another and that's just the way it is and the only reasonable view is to assess how it might work for YOU.

Interestingly, in the way that I work as an INDIVIDUAL, Apple has been, on balance, a LOT closer to the mark than any other company in both my general life and in my history as a video producer and editor.

And on first look from my seat in the audience at NAB, it doesn't look like anything has changed with regards to Apple taking the time to get things right. Yeah it took a long time for the rev. But what they showed me LOOKS like it took a long time AND a lot of thought. I like that. Real quality is often found at the end "it's ready when it's ready and we're not going to make it crappier just so we can release it sooner." It's the antithisis of the recently popular "let's pre-announce what we are planning to do someday and then see how long we can make everyone wait for delivery" mode. I like this a LOT better.

I LOVE how FCP-X takes advantage of the new Core technologies - and it just makes sense that they wouldn't deliver a product that didn't leverage all the "under the hood" enhancements that were being created and implemented in the underlying OS. Yes it took a lot of time. But it looks to me like it was time well spent. We'll know the rest in a few months.

But I came away delighted at what I saw.

My 2 cents, anyway.

I have an IMAC with a 2.66ghz Intel Core 2 Duo and 4 gb ram. Wil it run this new FCP, given that I dont care how long it takes to render a video as long as it can do the real time stuff sufficently.

Kris, I think you're okay with your specs. We'll know more soon... I know older Intel Macs had issues with FCS 3, but we'll have to see.

Bill, your two cents is great, and summarizes how to approach ANY NLE. I get into platform wars on FB, and I'm not looking for it. I have friends that use Vegas, Avid, etc., and I'm sure someone hates FCP.

heath

Adjusting the audo
I think a lot of things via tweet were left out. I caught some of the subtleties from Randy and Steve when they were introducing features. The auto audio and color correcting would be user selectable. That could mean on or off, or that adjustments could be made to those settings in an inspector. I have a feeling a lot of this will feel like editing Raw, like photos in Aperture. In fact, probably exactly like Aperture. The whole file structure seems the same.

You can see some ultra high-res images of the interface around. There isn't a "color-grading" area in the interface. Maybe a Colorista/Magic Bullet style color corrector, which is more for those editors that don't do grading. But there are filters called "grades" so I dunno. I still think Color will still be standalone. You'll want to animate mattes and get very precise with your corrections—otherwise, options will be Color 1.5, Colorista or Davinci.

Motion?
There were some detailed motion graphics in the Audi demo. That wasn't just the title tool. Motion has to be a standalone product, just not announced. Otherwise, it's just After Effects for that stuff. And that's not always the quickest/easiest solution for everyone (except me cause I'm in AE all day long). Maybe Motion will have an actual 3D camera, or maybe manipulates your 3D footage. Who knows, but there are too many non-AE keyframe people in the world that want to add that broadcast feel to their work.

And Soundtrack?
I heard some Soundtrack loops too. I'm glad I won't have to roundtrip to STP to remove pops and background noise, but FCPX doesn't look like a loop-editing app. So maybe Soundtrack Pro is $99 and loops are extra? It still has to be around.

Richard Townhill, Director of Pro Video Product Marketing for Apple said, "the purpose of today is to focus exclusively on Final Cut Pro, highlight some of the new features, and give people a chance to see and comment on the new interface. We will have much more to say about both Final Cut and our other applications in the future." The key word here is "other apps." That is at least 2 apps and could be 3. I don't know what that means about a 4th app so don't get your hopes up about Bluray Studio Pro.

I have been thinking about the $299 price announcement and the absence of the other apps. I think Apple is monitoring our reactions to the price. The overall opinion is that it is too cheap, not a professional price et cetera. I think it is a safe bet that they will price the other apps in the current suite accordingly. Smart move by Apple. They now also know how Adobe and Avid are pricing, so they can adjust their strategy accordingly. If they had revealed the other app's prices, they couldn't do so anymore.

Just my thoughts on this matter. Otherwise it makes no sense to me.

Cool, thanks Heath. I think allowing both version will increase the switch-over rate to the new software and for $299 I think it is a "must have" for no other reason than to test.

Now if they would just figure out a way to save a project so it can be opened in older versions of FCP and we'd be all set. I guess that is where XML comes in but haven't tried that.

Thanks
Jeff


Jon Chappell says this:

"As it is an App Store app, it won't overwrite the old version of Final Cut Studio so you can still go back if anything is missing."

So I guess we'll be okay.

My thoughts on Final Cut Pro X - Digital Rebellion Blog (http://www.digitalrebellion.com/blog/posts/my_thoughts_on_final_cut_pro_x.html)

heath

The problem for Apple is that Adobe have a fully integrated product, Premiere and Photoshop Elements 9 for $120 in this prosumer space on the MAC. Features are not the same but in some respects is more capable than FCPX. I know the Apple fans will not look closely but maybe Apple are a little concerned.

On the PC at this price range there are lots of products. Most companies have this range as a subset of the pro models. Adobe has Elements, Sony have the Vegas Studio range and Grass Valley have Edius Neo 3, AVID/Pinnacle Studio. All will edit native files and have Bluray disc authoring built into the product and range in price from $80 to $195.

FCPX looks like a really nice product very well presented in true Apple style but in some respects may be expensive and lack functionality when compared to its PC equivalents at this price point.

Ron Evans

If we are now talking about consumer products don't forget that each & every Mac ships with the very functional iMovie at no extra cost so the average Mac user has no need to buy a consumer oriented video editing product.

I have been thinking about the $299 price announcement and the absence of the other apps. I think Apple is monitoring our reactions to the price. The overall opinion is that it is too cheap, not a professional price et cetera. I think it is a safe bet that they will price the other apps in the current suite accordingly. Smart move by Apple. They now also know how Adobe and Avid are pricing, so they can adjust their strategy accordingly. If they had revealed the other app's prices, they couldn't do so anymore.

Just my thoughts on this matter. Otherwise it makes no sense to me.

First off I think everyone has to remember that this was a sneak peek at FCP only and not the other apps. I have no doubt that Apple will be releasing the other Apps separately as well.
This is my reasoning.

I think that while $299 is a good prince for FCP (I will be first inline to buy it) when you stop to think about it, $299 is not exactly as cheap as you would be led to believe.

Remember that FCP came bundled in a suite (FCP, Motion, Color, Compressor, DVDSP, STP) which goes for $999, new. Bundled software is always cheaper than ala carte.

So with this in mind, figure that FCP, which seems to have elements of Motion, Color, STP, Compressor in the app itself goes for $299. But if you want/need further functionality then you will wind up buying all or some of the other programs in the suite (Ala Carte).

There are many out there who probably don't use much of the other apps at all, and some who use all of them. So one's total needs will vary.

Now, as I said it's very that likely Apple will be selling all of the other apps separately as well.
Which is nice, becasue now one can build his/her own suite.

So figure if you were to pay $299 an app, then that would be a in the neighborhood if $2,000.
If they let you buy FCP for $299 and get additional suite programs for $199, then you would spend something like $1,500.

Remember that FCS right now is $999, so in the long run you could wind up actually paying more for your overall needs. Personally, while I do have a background in 3-D suing Cinema 4D, I don't really use Motion that much, as I haven't had the time to learn it. I don't use Color that much, as I use Magic Bullet Colorista in FCP itself. DVDSP I use because I have to on the Mac Side (I don;t want to spend the extra money on Adobe CS suite and Encore). I do use Compressor for most of my encoding and use STP often for cleanup needs (if PCF has greatly improved audio then I might not have need for it).

So my total cost might be FCP, DVDSP, Compressor, STP=about $900.
Is this a deal, well compared to $99 for the entire suite, no.

So in the big picture of things Apple might wind up making more money on the selling of separate programs. Now what kind of discounts they give you is unknown at this point. But it has to be something, right?

Any talk of native import of Panasonic MXF files? Is this already in FCP?

Second step/conversion to ProRes 422 before application to the timeline? How is this handled now?

This is not already in FCP. Though I think it will be in the new one. I thought I read that they said there will be more file recognition in this one. From a competitive standpoint they almost HAVE to include some type of compression. Even my CS3 can recognize .mxf and play it in the timeline.

To Greg Harris:

I thought that no matter what program you use, if you undercrank such a low frame rate (30p) it all will look choppy?

If we are now talking about consumer products don't forget that each & every Mac ships with the very functional iMovie at no extra cost so the average Mac user has no need to buy a consumer oriented video editing product.
Nigel, while we haven't really seen much of FCPX, as this was just a sneak peek at some features. I really find it hard to believe that this will be anything but a professional product.

Just because it might look like iMovie, doesn't mean that it functions like iMovie.

I also work in Sony Vegas Pro and have used Sony Vegas Studio as well. The look, functionality and interface are the same, but the feature set are different. Vegas Pro is much more powerful and has many more pro features on it that Vegas Studio.

I think one of the reasons that they look alike, is that only 1 app has to be developed, but can have a different feature set. This makes it easier on the developers as well as the end user who might want to upgrade and not have to worry about a whole new layout or workflow.

So why can't FCP be the pro version with more pro features and power and iMovie be the lower consumer version. They both have the same look and engineering, but the pro version (FCP) will have a much greater feature set and ability. So if someone who works in iMovie want to step up to more functionality, they can do it almost seamlessly.

Final Cut Express ran on the same old code and layout that FCP used to use.
iMovie had the newer more advanced code as well as interface. So it's no wonder that Final Cut Express goes away and FCP is redesigned with newer code and the newer IMovie interface.

This is fine in my book, as coming from Vegas, I always felt that FCP was rather clunky and archaic in it's design. While it was ground breaking in the past, the current version was lacking and in need of a make over.

Again coming from Vegas, I never liked the traditional linear A/B editor, and preferred working on the timeline. So I find the current layout, at least what was shown to be quite refreshing and cleaner in it's interface.

I think Michael pretty much hit it on the head here. FCP was only one small part of the package for $999.00. If you were you breakdown the cost per application now then perhaps FCP would also be about $299.00.

Just look at the current Final Cut Express. This is almost identical to FCP except a few features here and there. The interface is the same, the engine the same and the core editing features the same. About the only thing missing is 24p support and more cinema based features. FCE is still $199.00 however which is a killer price if you don't need 24p support or multi-cam editing. Take on those extra features and you may be pretty close to the $299.00 price point.

My only concern with this method is that people tend to not know about creative tools unless they really need them. With the Studio package people got a bunch of tools they not typically cared to use. Because they had them however they were opened up to new ideas and they learned how to make use of these funky extra tools. Could sales of Motion, DVD Studio Pro and Soundtrack Pro suffer with this new purchase method? If that happens will Apple eventually have to give up on developing them? A lot of people that did use Motion used it for fairly basic stuff like photo montages. If a lot of it can now be created directly in FCPX then who is even going to bother buying Motion ala carte? Only the hardcore users that use it on a regular basis will bother buying it which could really end up hurting the program.

Finally I sure the heck hope Compressor is not an ala carte item. I am assuming there may be little need for it but if there is then I think it would be pretty sad to expect people editing to have to buy another tool just to encode to popular formats. Again I'm going to kind of assume there may be no need for a separate encoding program anymore since all the encoding features could be built in.

My advice to anyone who's a current FCP user: Wait a few months after release and let those with time to kill suss out the kinks which will definitely rear their ugly head as they always do with re-written pro applications.

Precisely.

That's one gripe I had with all versions of FCP -- even if you upgraded to 7, no other version of FCP could open it. It's backwards compatible, but if my friend is on 6.0.x, he can't open my stuff. I hope they change that.

heath

Remember that they said, on stage, they're getting rid of Final Cut Express and FC Studio, just one price. I think FCP X will be an all-in-one app, and it doesn't cost Apple as much money just to offer it as a digital download vs. boxed. FCS 3 didn't have user manuals weighing it down (thank goodness, because I just found my old FCS 1 and 2, and they're HEAVY).

I don't think FCP X is any less professional than FCP 7, Premiere Pro CS5, etc. Apple also dropped the price of Aperture from $299 to $199, then to $79 on the Mac App Store. People were saying Aperture 3 would be iPhoto Pro, and while it has some features, it certainly isn't iPhoto Pro.

heath