NLE Mac / Final Cut questions from 2003

Buying RAM go over to Macsolutions.com as they have great prices. If you know of another that is better please post it as I am always looking for a better buy.

As for 10.2.8 I would not load at this time as it still has bugs. If the on the second release after they pulled the first one. "10.2.6 Combo" is the best and safest one at this time and probably the last as they have released 10.3.

[Steve Mullen]

Avid's Free DV is ideal for long-form (documentary, narrative, instructional) because it offers:

* Tools (multiple bins and clip-sift functions) to manage a large number of source clips.

* Script View enables you to assign text to each clip

* Audio Scrub trimming necessary for editing dialog

* VU meters to match levels

* JKL Jog/Shuttle Playback

* Professional dual monitor displays

* Two video tracks allows cutaways to be added non-destructively

* Dynamic trimming lets you trim by watching and listening to normal-speed playback.

* Real-time Color Balance filter (with DV output to a NTSC/PAL monitor)

* Appropriate real-time transitions (dissolve, dip-to-color, fade-to-color, fade-to-color).

* Both mouse and keyboard control

Other free editing applications, such as iMovie, do not have these critical features. In fact, neither do some expensive editing applications.

You can do real work with Avid’s Free DV.

While Free DV doesn’t cost money, it does have a steep learning curve. But, with the "Free DV QuickStart Long-form Oriented Tutorial" you'll be editing quickly.

Also, if you upgrade as Avid hopes you will to Xpress DV, Free DV QuickStart applies to it too. One of the great things about Xpress DV is Avid’s professional Color Corrector. Free DV QuickStart includes a Bonus Chapter on using the Xpress DV Color Corrector.


Free DV QuickStart covers both Mac and PC.

Please head to:
www.mindspring.com/~d-v-c
for more information.

[Michael Bendixen]

We shot a subject with a striped shirt, which of course is a no-no, and it flickers. We're wondering if there is anything that can be done in final cut to remedy this flickering effect.

Thanks for the help,

Michael Bendixen

[Heath McKnight]

Apple sent out emails saying anyone who bought a G5 after August 16 can get Panther for $20.

My buddy bought a G5 on Monday and he gets a free upgrade.

Go to www.apple.com for details.

I already placed my order!

heath

[Jeff Donald]

Thanks for the update, Heath.

[Glenn Chan]

A- Use the flicker filter.

B- If that isn't good enough then apply blur.

[J. Clayton Stansberry]

Hey Guys,

I am a recent switchee to FCP (used to use Premiere 6.5) and am missing the wedding, commercial, sports, etc. templates that Premiere had. Does anyone know where I can find templates like these for FCP4? Or, are there any other cool add-ons that would be beneficial to have? Thanks in advance...

Clay...

[Charles Papert]

I tried to find the answer to this on the Apple site with no luck, perhaps Jeff or Heath or someone can chime in.

I bought the new 15" Powerbook a few weeks ago. Would I be eligible for a discounted upgrade to Panther?

[J. Clayton Stansberry]

As I understood it, anyone purchasing a G5 after October 8th would be eligible for free Panther, but they made me pay anyway. I didn't understand it, I just did it...stupid me. Anyone know?

[Mark Newhouse]

Charles,

I too made a recent purchase of a 15" PowerBook just before the October 8, cutoff date. My purchase date was Oct. 2, and I received it the 6th. I went to the OSX up to date page:

http://www.apple.com/macosx/uptodate/

and then clicked on the appropriate link about halfway down the page (for me it was "US Customers" on the "For Macintosh Systems" side of the page). That took me to a form where I told them when and where I bought the machine, and gave them the serial number. It qualified me to make the purchase for $20 instead of the full $130.

Give it a shot - who knows, maybe yours will qualify, too...

[Ryan Morris]

Hello fellow Mac-sters! I'm ready to go mobile and am looking for some input from current users. My current setup, Sawtooth G4 dual 450, 1.2megRAM, Rage 128 pro AGP graphics, gigabit ethernet, 20gig system, 45gig 7200RPM work disk, DVD-RAM, 15" Apple studio LCD. Great setup, but not very mobile, I'm looking to make a lateral or upward step performance-wise and am wondering if this is possible with the 12" if I keep my 45gig drive and 15"LCD for in studio dual monitor setup. I'm willing to spend the extra dough for the 15" but would have to sell my LCD to make up for it. Also, is 512megs of RAM OK for FCE? What do you use for mobile setup? What has your experiences been and do you think an upward step in performance is possible with the 12"? Thanks!
Ryan

[Boyd Ostroff]

FWIW, I have one of the new aluminum 1ghz 15" powerbooks, an older G4/733 and a new G4/1.25 single. The powerbook seems a bit faster than the 733, but not dramatically faster. The 1.25ghz desktop is significantly faster than the 733 and a bit faster than the laptop. Using a fast internal drive in the G4 towers speeds things up for rendering and file copying as compared to external firewire 400 drives.

I would go up to 768MB on the powerbook, won't cost much more. Get the basic 256MB model, then add 512MB which you can very easily do yourself following the instructions in the manual.

We have a couple of the 12" G4 powerbooks at work but I haven't really played with them myself and we aren't running FCP or FCE on them. They are nice little machines, very portable. But the screen is not match for the 15" model IMO. If you really are on a tight budget maybe you should look at the new G4 iBooks? I assume the iBooks only offer video mirroring and not a separate monitor port however.

I have worked with an external monitor plugged into the 15" powerbook and it's a very nice option. If you have to sell your external monitor you could always pick up another one later when your finances are better. But I'd try to scrape up a few extra $$$ somehow and keep the monitor. You won't get all that much for it anyway, will you? Certainly a lot less than it would cost to replace later.

Now this is all based on experience with FCP3.04, have not used FCP4 or FCE. Perhaps the new versions are better optimized for OSX and dual processors? In that case you might not be gaining much over the DP G4/450.

But I do like the 15" powerbook, it's very responsive with OSX... will see how it runs under Panther in a few days :-) The battery life is a bit disappointing however, and I really liked the tactile feeling of my Titanium Powerbook better. The brushed aluminum has sort of an unpleasant feeling on your hands.

[Boyd Ostroff]

I posted this in another thread recently:

------------------

<<<-- Originally posted by Jeff Donald : I think the Panther deal was extended back into September. -->>>

Good tip Jeff! I got a new 15" PowerBook on Sept 24 and was disappointed to read about the October 8 cutoff date for the upgrade. But after reading your post I went to Apple's website and gave it a try anyway. If you go to this link you can click on the appropriate option towards the bottom of the page. You will then be asked for your Apple ID and password and be taken to a qualification screen where you enter your purchase date, store and serial number. I filled all this in and was told that I qualified. Note that the upgrade is not free however, it costs $20. After qualifying you can place the order through the Apple Store.

FWIW, I also tried entering the info for a PowerMac G4 that I bought on Aug 19, but Apple's website flagged this as an invalid serial number...

[Andrew Hogan]

you can get lots of effects/filters plugins but I have never heard of Templates for FCP

www.versiontracker.com is a good place to look for effects for FCP and After Effects. And www.BorisFX.com have some nice plugins too.

[Jeff Price]

From the threads on the Apple groups, Apple has been demoing a 64-bit optimized version of Final Cut Pro on a G5. Has anyone heard of a timeline for this new version?

May be one more reason to just bite the bullet and get the G5.