A better Apple NLE? OS X Panther out in 16 days
 

OS X Panther comes out in the evening of October 24th.

With FCP 4 and the G5s out, do we have a better Apple NLE? Or, aside from a faster work-flow, is it any different than using a G4, FCP 3 and OS X Jaguar?

heath

Has anyone heard if Panther will fix the problems FCP 4 is having with Jaguar? Have seen posts about dragging the clips into the canvas and that crashes the system.

WHOA! Glad I don't have FCP 4!

heath

I don't think it's a FCP 4 problem, but maybe a G5 problem with FCP4 and Jaguar. I am new to the mac world and this is scaring me as my G5 hasn't arrived yet and the problems are beginning to surface....talk about WHOA!!!!

My G5 and FCP 3 is working great, esp. since I had to drag FCP 1 and the 3 upgrade from my firewire drive to the G5. They said it couldn't be done, but I did it. (FCP 1 is for OS 9 only, and won't load up under Classic mode on the G5, which doesn't support OS 9).

heath

Heath,

Glad to hear your G5 is working well with FCP3, but do you know anything about it working with 4??? I have dual a G5 "on the way" and am getting a tad bit concerned.

No clue; also, I have the 1.6 ghz (wish I had the money for the dual 2 ghz)...

heath

FCP4
 

There are a lot of problems with FCP4. Browse the Apple FCP4 discussion board if you really need the details. It looks like they decided to beta test the product in the real world, which is a shame, because FCP is such a fine product. I doubt if Panther will resolve the issues... but I hope so.

For now I'm sticking with FCP3, which is a gem of a software programme.

FCP 1 and FCP 3 were sweet; FCP 2 was a DISASTER. This isn't the first time I've heard FCP 4 is bad. I bet FCP 5 comes out fast, much like FCP 3 is.

I'm sticking with FCP 3 for now.

heath

switch between projects
 

obviously it's not smart to switch in mid project if it is a pro project, but fcp4 has so much more to it than three with the addition of livetype and soundtrack that it is really a fantastic upgrade. I was also concerned so I did a total backup of both my boot drive and my projects before installing 4. As a matter of course I also fix permissions, and run disk first aid and diskwarrior prior to a major install. I have had zero problems but I'm on a pokey old dual gig quicksilver. I started up my old files and brought them into 4 without a hitch. remember...you never hear about all the people that are working trouble free. i'm going through the live type tutorials and such now and it will be a nice addition. if you are properly backed up then taking the plunge is (and should be) relatively risk free.

I agree, FCP4 is awesome, just as long as you have a G4. And Heath, you KNOW I love FCP2. :)

So is 10.3 supposed to make things run faster/smoother? Of course Apple and their web site will say "yes", but I am looking for realistic answers. I have a dual G4 (1 gig DDR RAM) and I usually don't make many changes to the OS from the default setup. I change the highlight colors, I make it so the scroll arrows are at each end instead of clumped together, I use Tinkertool for the dock and other minor changes. I usually only have one or two apps open at any given time. Would 10.3 be noticeably faster.... or perhaps slower? Or no discernable difference?

Yes, FCP 4 should run smoother under Panther on both G4's and G5's. The improvements will be more noticeable on the G5's, but G4's will see speed and stability improvements also. I would expect to see updates to FCP 4 shortly after the release of Panther (no later than mid November).

I run FCP4 on my old 867 G4 with 1.5G of ram. Have had zero problems. I second that about livetype and soundtrack, they really add to your creative potential.

I run FCP4 on a dual 800. I'm currently finishing a feature film completely done in FCP4 (including 5.1 surround mix). I've had very few problems. FCP4 is still buggy but let's keep in mind it's a completely rewritten program. 1.0 was pretty buggy too.

The greatest advantages of FCP4 is multitrack audio, AU support and HDRI. I've color corrected the entire film using the three way CC and Digital Film Lab from DFT and it could not have been done without the high preciscion YUV feature.