After a delay of 2 years, AVID plans to start shipping a free version of Media Composer aimed at “aspiring creative professionals, students, and those just starting their professional careers.”

https://www.provideocoalition.com/free-media-composer-first-might-finally-ship-june/

https://www.redsharknews.com/post/item/4538-free-media-composer-media-composer-first

Sadly, AVID should have done this five or ten years ago. Very few editors seem to work with MC anymore, seems like the world has ended up on Adobe CC or FCPX. I like AVID, it just seems as if they have ceased to be relevant anymore except to a small group of TV editors, even BMD is surpassing AVID with DaVinci, trying to turn it into an editing tool.

I suspect it depends on where you're working if you come across AVID. Working on LA features and TV it's well entrenched, as is the case in UK TV dramas. If you want to be a freelance editor in UK TV (especially high end) you need to know AVID. The BBC has quite a few AVID seats, FCPX is used by them on news.

For big productions, it can handle the volume of material and the collaborative workflows. I understand that these are areas that Resolve is weak in.

Looking at the First's specification, it seems more for training than using on anything other than basic productions for YouTube etc.

Such a shame Avid killed off Liquid Edition, rather than develop it as an affordable route to their high-end products.

I agree I really liked LE I ended up jumping over to Vegas for home use and Premiere at work.

It's now shipping:

https://www.provideocoalition.com/media-composer-first-free-and-finally-shipping-after-all-these-years/

https://www.avid.com/media-composer-first

Like Lightworks free, export is limited to 720p.

720p?
Then what's the point?

Are we sure it's only 720p export?

In the comparison chart it says: "SD PAL, SD NTSC, 720, 1080"

I was noting a comment made in the pro video coalition article on the export limits, " It seems to limit exporting and output to 720 which I think is a mistake. I mean does Avid really think they’ll sell that many less full Media Composer licenses if they let MC | First export a 1080 H264? I doubt it."

However, the author may have been thinking of Lightworks.

I know why Lightworks Free export is limited to 720p max, it's freemium software which is fully functioning for what most users need (you can edit a feature film on it) but it needs traction with the export limitation 720p in order to sell the license. However, it's good enough for many consumers, who post to Youtube etc

The Media Composer | First

Comparisons give

Project formats: SD PAL, SD NTSC, 720, 1080 - I assume from this you can also export these.

Exports

QuickTime (.mov) formats Limited: H.264, DNxHD, PCM, WAV

Publish to YouTube

Publish to Vimeo

Graphic Export Limited: TIFF, JPEG


This interview also suggests 1080p as the limit:

http://nofilmschool.com/2017/05/avid-finally-drops-its-free-media-composer-software

I've never Benny an Avid fan but I thought I would give it a try. Disappointed again. On Windows it wants QuickTime for some effects. Ok that can be fixed but not smart. It wouldn't import a basic MP4 file. Light works and some other lesser editors no problem with the same file. I ended uninstalling again.

You can download an Avid Quicktime codec pack that doesn't include the Quicktime player.

This allows you to export using the uncompressed .MOV codec, which is very good.

Also Avid isn't really made to work with consumer formats like mp4.. I would generally re-wrap in DNxHD for better performance.

Another review giving early impressions: :

https://www.redsharknews.com/post/item/4712-avid-media-composer-first-first-impressions.