f.c. pro vs express at DVinfo.net

Nate Ford · June 15th, 2005, 10:11 AM

hi folks.
i've been using final cut pro for a couple years now, currently on 4.5. i've used media 100, avid, and premiere prior to fcp. i'm hesitant to use a word like "expert," but i'm pretty good at editing, and at fcp. good enough that i get paid to do it and paid to teach it, but i don't work in hollywood or anything.

anyhow, that was just to give you a sense of context, not to toot my horn or anything. my question is:

i've got this client who is using final cut express. my involvement is basically as a consultant. what he's doing is having tapes transcribed and timecoded on paper, and selecting desired scenes. then his assistants will log and batch capture the desired scenes based on his choices. (the tapes are of classes, and the client will "edit" based on the transcription of the lectures.)

so i need to know whether this guy needs to upgrade to f.c. pro. i have never used f.c. express, but i need to get an understanding of the practical differences between the two. effects and color-correction don't matter- what matters is the timecode, logging, and batch capture functionality.

as far as i can tell, express deals with timecode in a somewhat crippled way. (i guess i should say "limited;" i mean no offense to anyone with any mobility problems.) anyhow, can anyone confirm or deny these timecode suspicions? it seems like maybe express generates new timecode as it captures rather than using the timecode from the (dv) tape. is this true? this would be a dealbreaker in terms of this guy's needs, but i want to be sure before i make a recommendation.

as you know, in fcp, you can log clips without even moving the tape- just fill in reel name, clip name, in and out points, any desired logging comments, etc. this dude's assistants (grad students) can create batch lists which can be exported into new projects, and they don't even need to be hooked up to the deck until it's time to actually capture. batch lists can be exported, tweaked in excel by the (non-editor) client, re-imported into new projects, etc. all that good stuff. everything stays offline until the end, and batch capture is a simple, automated process which gives you plenty of time to go outside and smoke cigarettes.

my question is, will this methodology not work in express? anyone who's used both programs and dealt with these issues? i thank you in advance for your help, and thanks to the people who responded to my earlier query about transcribing and stuff. i've used your advice for that part of things.

Boyd Ostroff · June 15th, 2005, 10:57 AM

It's annoying, because Apple used to have a table which compared the differences between FCP and FCE. Now if you go to their site on the FCE page there's a link to that table, but it no longer works and just takes you to the Finalcut Studio page.

I have never used FCE myself, but was under the impression that it doesn't have the batch log and capture feature at all. If you look at the tech specs here it doesn't mention batch log and capture:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/specs.html

But in the FCP specs here http:///www.apple.com/finalcutstudio...pro/specs.html it specifically mentions "Log and capture tool with support for batch, clip, and on-the-fly capturing".

John C. Chu · June 15th, 2005, 11:16 AM

There is a review of FCE at:

http://www.creativemac.com

http://creativemac.com/articles/view...fterinter=true

It also gives a run down more or less of Final Cut Pro and Express.

June 15th, 2005, 10:11 AM	#1
Nate Ford Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: new york, ny Posts: 121	f.c. pro vs express hi folks. i've been using final cut pro for a couple years now, currently on 4.5. i've used media 100, avid, and premiere prior to fcp. i'm hesitant to use a word like "expert," but i'm pretty good at editing, and at fcp. good enough that i get paid to do it and paid to teach it, but i don't work in hollywood or anything. anyhow, that was just to give you a sense of context, not to toot my horn or anything. my question is: i've got this client who is using final cut express. my involvement is basically as a consultant. what he's doing is having tapes transcribed and timecoded on paper, and selecting desired scenes. then his assistants will log and batch capture the desired scenes based on his choices. (the tapes are of classes, and the client will "edit" based on the transcription of the lectures.) so i need to know whether this guy needs to upgrade to f.c. pro. i have never used f.c. express, but i need to get an understanding of the practical differences between the two. effects and color-correction don't matter- what matters is the timecode, logging, and batch capture functionality. as far as i can tell, express deals with timecode in a somewhat crippled way. (i guess i should say "limited;" i mean no offense to anyone with any mobility problems.) anyhow, can anyone confirm or deny these timecode suspicions? it seems like maybe express generates new timecode as it captures rather than using the timecode from the (dv) tape. is this true? this would be a dealbreaker in terms of this guy's needs, but i want to be sure before i make a recommendation. as you know, in fcp, you can log clips without even moving the tape- just fill in reel name, clip name, in and out points, any desired logging comments, etc. this dude's assistants (grad students) can create batch lists which can be exported into new projects, and they don't even need to be hooked up to the deck until it's time to actually capture. batch lists can be exported, tweaked in excel by the (non-editor) client, re-imported into new projects, etc. all that good stuff. everything stays offline until the end, and batch capture is a simple, automated process which gives you plenty of time to go outside and smoke cigarettes. my question is, will this methodology not work in express? anyone who's used both programs and dealt with these issues? i thank you in advance for your help, and thanks to the people who responded to my earlier query about transcribing and stuff. i've used your advice for that part of things.

June 15th, 2005, 10:57 AM	#2
Boyd Ostroff Wrangler Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Mays Landing, NJ Posts: 11,787	It's annoying, because Apple used to have a table which compared the differences between FCP and FCE. Now if you go to their site on the FCE page there's a link to that table, but it no longer works and just takes you to the Finalcut Studio page. I have never used FCE myself, but was under the impression that it doesn't have the batch log and capture feature at all. If you look at the tech specs here it doesn't mention batch log and capture: http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/specs.html But in the FCP specs here http:///www.apple.com/finalcutstudio...pro/specs.html it specifically mentions "Log and capture tool with support for batch, clip, and on-the-fly capturing".

June 15th, 2005, 11:16 AM	#3
John C. Chu Major Player Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: Rego Park , NYC Posts: 665	There is a review of FCE at: http://www.creativemac.com http://creativemac.com/articles/view...fterinter=true It also gives a run down more or less of Final Cut Pro and Express.