Upgrade to FCP X or switch to competition?

[Jim Newberry]

I'm using Final Cut Pro 6, and I understand that FCP X doesn't import FCP 6/7 projects. Anyone have opinions on the best video editing solution for Mac at this point?

[Simon Wood]

Well if you already have a Mac then FCPX will be the least expensive 64bit editing program you can buy.

Its true that you wont be able to open FCP6 projects in FCPX (but you can still use FCP6 to do that)! But how often do you go back to edit old projects?

Obviously you will still be able to import footage from your old projects into FCPX.

[Jim Newberry]

I don't often edit old projects, but it certainly does happen. I recently went back to a film I shot in 1986 to make an updated (cleaned up) version--I'm thinking toward the future. In 10 or 20 years I might want to re-edit a project, or export it with newer technology, or change the audio or something. I don't know if FCP 6 will be launchable at that point.

I hate the idea of losing my work (edits) if I can't access my FCP 6 files in a few years.

Obviously you will still be able to import footage from your old projects into FCPX.

You mean old projects that I start in FCP X?

[Simon Wood]

No, sorry, I meant that you would still be able to import into FCPX old raw footage originally captured in FCP6. So you could edit the footage from scratch.

[Andrew Stone]

Jim a lot of FCP editors are doing one of several things. The ones who interface with others in their workflow or have some foot in the broadcast world are shifting to either Premiere Pro CS5.5 or AVID.

There is almost a juggernaut forming with a migration to Premiere Pro. The LA editors are largely moving over (or back) to AVID as LA is an AVID town. Both Premiere Pro and AVID accept XML export files from FCP and work almost flawlessly.

Some are taking a wait and see approach and just sticking with FCP and others are tinkering with FCP X and using FCP Classic for their production work.

Personally, I am learning Premiere Pro but still doing most of my production work in old FCP until my chops are good enough to transition over. I will be ramping up on AVID within the next few months.

This experience has taught me a lesson to not be married completely to a single workflow. I will refrain from Apple bashing.

You can function without a CUDA based NVIDIA card with Premiere Pro or AVID but it is MUCH slower even with a powerful ATI video card.

[Jim Newberry]

Ah, gotcha.

[Andy Wilkinson]

I've decided to switch from FCS2 to CS5.5 Production Premium while the 1/2 price offer is still valid. I'll learn it over the next month or so and then start all new commercial projects as soon as I think I'm ready. Several threads on here all really discussing the same thing, for e.g. see this one.

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/final-cu...back-sale.html

and this one

http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/final-cu...migrating.html

Maybe the Mods will combine all 3 threads - just a suggestion.

[Jace Ross]

Originally Posted by Andrew Stone

You can function without a CUDA based NVIDIA card with Premiere Pro or AVID but it is MUCH slower even with a powerful ATI video card.

I have no issues. Granted I am waiting on an NVS420 but that's just to give a boost. With my 6-core overclocked CPU, 8gb RAM and ATI 5850 it runs quite fine.

[Bill Davis]

Personal opinion after spending today at the DV Expo talking to lots of old friends and a handfull of the people giving the seminars that others were paying to attend.

Essentially visiting with old friends who are close to the industry. Nothing is certain, but the voices I respect the most and who have the best track records of seeing trends all talked about the same things.

If you want or need to play things safe, move to one of the excellent "old style" monolithic everything under one roof editing platforms like Avid, Premier or Vegas.

If you want to get in early on where editing is going and be there when it arrives, the only game is FCP-X.

FCP 7, along with Premier et al, are fine tools, but they largely represent the initial decade of modern editing. X is the beginning of the next one.

FCP-X the just foundation of a construction that's going to be amazing. And now it's crystal clear that it's one that Apple fully intends to build out over the next few years.

Look forward - or look backwards - your choice.

[Monty Wentzel]

There is a lot of problems associated with FCPX right now. I have both fcp 7 and fcp x. X has some real issues regardless if you have a powerful mac or not.

I would change to a different edit program if I didn't hate learning new software.

Mac and fcpx right now suck. I hate them for their treatment and will drop them as soon as I determine which other program to use.

I doubt apple will fix this soon, it's probably one the worst software releases ever by a major vendor. What can they do to win me back...time will tell, but I really would like to leave them.

Monty

[Steve Kalle]

Editing WITHOUT Tracks is NOT the future. If FCP X is the future, then why didn't everyone say how amazing iMovie 2008 is with its nearly identical trackless interface?

You want to talk about what the 'Future' is: compare what Adobe is doing to what Apple has done. Apple has killed off several critical FCS programs including Color. Adobe has purchased IRIDAS SpeedGrade and other assets AND has just announced a partnership with Automatic Duck. Currently, you can use Premiere Pro for all projects big and small from hobbyists to feature film projects. You can NOT do the same with FCP X. You can spend time learning a program which limits what work you can take or you can learn a program which interfaces with all other PRO applications.

If the future is FCP X, then why are HUGE numbers of broadcasters AND film/broadcast schools dumping FCS for Premiere Pro and Adobe Production Premium?

FYI, Premiere Pro CS5 and CS5.5 can import FCP projects without a problem and PPro even has a setting for FCP shortcuts so the transition is much easier.

As far as what Apple intended FCP X to be: they had tons of info from beta testing which is identical to what people have been complaining about since X's release. This means that Apple never intended FCP X to compete in the Pro marketplace because they completely ignored the Pros who beta tested it. Combine this with the fact that FCP X is an upgraded iMovie, and you can see that Apple is targeting a very large base of hobbyists and advanced amateurs in the millions rather than the Pros in the tens of thousands.

[Andrew Stone]

I've spent the past few months looking at the various options. A large part of me wanted to move to AVID but ultimately it's steadfastness in not allowing the user to integrate with a lot of common outboard hardware like audio interfaces outside of the AVID brand kept me from going there. No way I am going to abandon a bunch of really good and expensive audio gear to shoehorn AVID into my workflow.

A lot of things really bug me about editing in Premiere but most of it is just getting used to a different way of doing things. On the other hand, Adobe has made huge strides recently to bring parity to Premiere Pro in relation to FCP. They recently purchased IRIDAS which will allow them to roll in a sophisticated color correction suite into Production Premium. And actually the color correction tools in Prem Pro are pretty good as far as plugins go. You just have to figure out how to use them.

What the Adobe acquisition of IRIDAS technology means for our professional video applications Premiere Pro work area

They have hired some leading industry specialists to up the ante in Premiere and the integration with Photoshop, Illustrator and After Effects cannot be underestimated.

I made my decision and am now focusing solely on tooling up with Premiere Pro. Remember the 50% off deal for FCP users to purchase Adobe Production Premium CS 5.5 ends this Friday, September 30th.

Tons of very good tutorials on the Adobe site for all their apps. If you use Twitter, you will get updates on new tutorials as they get publshed. There is a lot of focus right now on Premiere Pro at Adobe. It is quite heartening actually to us orphaned FCP users.

[Steve Kalle]

Hey Andrew,

FYI, the 50% off deal was changed and now ends Oct 31. Over in the Adobe forum, one of the threads discusses the new date.

For anyone considering Adobe Production Premium CS5.5, ANYONE can get 50% off. Just go to adobe.com and enter "SWITCH" as the coupon during purchase and you get the 50% off. NO questions asked or proof required.

Premiere Pro is quickly becoming the 'standard' like FCP 6/7 was. Adobe said that this summer's sales exceeded last year's by 45%. That is saying something because last year was the CS5 release which was huge by itself.

[Floris van Eck]

All hype. Before FCPX, Premiere Pro sucked in the eyes of FCP editors and after the FCPX announcement it suddenly is fantastic. I just don't believe it. I still prefer FCP7 over Premiere CS5.5.

If you only had 5% of the market, and you grow 45%, how much do you have?

I see they are working but they are nowhere near the quality of FCP7 or Avid. I also think that FCPX rocks and although there are many shortcomings and annoyances, the same can be said for FCP7, Media Composer and Premiere. You have to work with the system. I also like Apple's software design much more. There UI's are so perfectly designed... every detail is taken care of and there is a logic behind every button.

I have strong faith in FCPX and really like the way it handles media. I believe that within 1 year, it will be a very solid product that talks with every other product in the industry. The speed of FCPX is incredible... it really shines on my new iMac 27" i7. Unbelievable for a .0 release (.01 now).

The above is my personal opinion. But if you use FCP and want to make a switch, do download the FCPX demo and give it a try. Don't believe all this popular FCPX bashing out there, most of those people haven't even tried it. Also, Adobe is a marketing machine (as is Apple), so they are fueling all of this.

[Andrew Stone]

Originally Posted by Floris van Eck

All hype. Before FCPX, Premiere Pro sucked in the eyes of FCP editors and after the FCPX announcement it suddenly is fantastic. I just don't believe it. I still prefer FCP7 over Premiere CS5.5.

True but this kind of rivalry exists between competing apps in any industry. Illustrator vs Freehand, Quark vs InDesign vs PageMaker, ProTools vs Logic vs Cubase vs Ableton Live, etc. To a great extent it is "You like what you know."

You could wage the same argument over AVID vs FCP. AVID is a prehistoric piece of junk some would say but there is no arguing that amazing feature films and TV shows are cut with AVID.

Premiere grew up in the shadow of the FCP juggernaut and now with the blinders off with the displaced Final Cut editors they are taking a fresh look at Premiere Pro and it isn't so bad.

If FCPX works for you, great. For some of the rest of us Premiere Pro is now a viable alternative to FCP and if you need interoperability with other vendors the only choice now is AVID or Premiere Pro.