Did FCP X Drive You Away? Will "Mac Pro X"?

[Travis Wheaton]

G'day,

I'm really just curious... I've used Macs since 1991, and first used one for video editing in 1997. I learned to use Final Cut Pro (5.1) in 2006, and continue to use it now on a PowerMac G5.

My only exposure to FCPX has been standing in an Apple Store having a quick play, and I simply couldn't do anything with it. iMovie - easy. FCP - powerful and intuitive. FCP X - just spun my head and frustrated me...

As professionals, did you make the full move over to FCP X, or was it the final straw, sending you to the competition?

And now... with the unveiling of the new Mac Pro... With its lack of internal upgradability... Are you already looking at Hackintosh or PC alternatives for your next upgrade?

Thanks

Travis

[John Nantz]

Travis - With regard to FCP X, can't say that I had any more difficulty with it than with any other new application. I started out with iMovie and, yes, X had different ways of doing things but one just has to use it for a bit and remember how things are done.

If one could simplify FCP X procedures I would put them into two areas: (1) editing, and (2), file management. File management uses a database and this will take a little getting used to but this method is far superior to the alternative. Learning to do editing, on the other hand, is pretty much like any major change and one just has to jump in and do it. Typically one can expect it will be a two-steps-forward and one-step-back learning process.

As for the new Mac Pro - I can't comment because I don't know anything about it.

[Jonathan Levin]

Travis,

With all due respect, working with any pro application is going to require more than just a test drive in a store to learn. IMovie, iPhoto maybe not so much, but those are not pro apps and lack the bells, whisltles and options.

The same goes for different capture equipment, audio and so on.

You are working in an old version of FC, on an old and out of date computer architecture as you are probably aware, so at some point you will come to a fork in the road and have to decide if going with mac or pc is right for you. Personally, I rather use a piece of charcoal to create something than have to work on a pc.

I plan on making the switch to FCP X, and undoubtedly be force to abandon FCP 7 at some point forward due to lack of support.

Honestly, I have never had an issue with getting the basics right off with any new software provided I've worked on SOMETHING that resembles the "old" software. Under the hood another matter, but with time and study it can be done.

FWIW.

Jonathan

[Noa Put]

Originally Posted by Travis Wheaton

As professionals, did you make the full move over to FCP X, or was it the final straw, sending you to the competition?

It's not "the competition", it's alternatives and possibilities, I wouldn't care less what nle and/or platform I use, as long as it does the job. Since you are on a Mac you have the possibility to choose more then one NLE, why don't you give fcpx a try? I think any switch to another NLE requires time to adapt, when I switched from Adobe to Edius I was so frustrated in the beginning that I even had to go to a Edius forum for the most basic stuff that I could do blindfolded in Premiere, but I didn't let go and now I prefer editing in Edius.
Same for the the platform you use, if the new mac pro is too expensive or doesn't work for you, try a Imac or a macbook pro, if that's not what you want buy a pc and start from scratch, so many alternatives and possibilities and they all will work, but take some or a lot of time to adapt..

[John C. Chu]

I'm an video enthusiast and have been using Final Cut Pro 6 until a few months ago when I finally made the jump to FCP X and I have no regrets. I love it.

The beauty of this transition is that I can continue to have both FCP 6 and FCP X installed on my 2006 Mac Pro. [HD 5770 video card upgrade.]

I'm really impressed with FCPX. It is rock stable and fixes so much of the annoyances of FCP 6. [Background rendering] If one can get over the fact that program looks too clean and simple and all the shouting and complaints the software received when first released, you will be amazed at how much faster you can work on the new version vs the old versions of FCP.

I liked this site that had some free videos that went over the basics of FCP X:

Final Cut Pro X Tutorial, Web-Based and Totally Free! | Izzy Video

It goes over the basics and will ease the transition.

The beauty of learning any piece of software is that any question you have is just a Google search away.

[William Hohauser]

FCPX is 80% a better NLE program than FCP7 or any of the competition, except... when it isn't. Whether from personal taste or a very specific function that FCPX can't do (yet), there is nothing about the program preventing people from creating as good, if not better, finished product versus any other NLE. Just do a little research into the filter and plug-in developement being done by third parties for FCPX and you'll see that the program is being adopted by a lot of professionals.

The new MacPro, which is about as unusual as anything Apple has ever produced, has internal upgradability (certainly the RAM and PCIe flash drives, possibly the dual graphic cards) and plenty of external upgradability via six Thuderbolt 2 ports. Those are extremely versitile data ports that we haven't seen the real potential of yet. The days of a big noisy box for a pro computer seem to be numbered. Noisy external drives seem to be sticking around for a little while however.

A hackintosh is a sideways step for those who want to maintain their current set-up and go where Apple won't in terms of computer design. Not necessarily an easy place for people who are used to the ease of an official Apple set-up. However some people have the patience and the computer skills to work with one. Every time I deal with a PC, I return to a Mac with relief. No, I will purchase some version of the new MacPro as soon as they are available.

[Travis Wheaton]

Just to clarify...

I spent 2 years using FCP5 at University (and now continue to use it personally), and whilst I know it was building up a strong reputation amongst video editors, I also know that plenty of people (old school and new) still feel that Avid is the only serious solution.

Then along came FCPX, and I know I've read more negative comments than positive, with people saying it has pushed them either to Avid/other NLEs, or even away from the Mac altogether.

Now these past few days with the new Mac Pro, I've seen more complaints allegedly from video professionals, saying this will probably be the last straw...

Thus - I was curious just how true it was that FCPX had impacted on Apple's control over the professional video editing market, and what people were thinking of the new Mac Pro.


Jonathan - I'll admit I've not used a wide range of "Pro" applications in my life, but nor am I a software slouch. I've used and tutored computers since the early 90's, and was one of my classes best editors at Uni - thanks I think to dabbling with Video Fusion and other titles in the 90s. So to stand in an AppleStore scratching my head over trying to add a transition effect really left me flummoxed...

[Bill Davis]

FCP Legacy is the walking dead. No more updates or advancements, ever.

So unless you're sophisticated enough to want to explore Lightworks, or a Sony fan with deep feelings for Vegas Pro, you've got to look at the big three remaining contenders...

AVID is alive and well-muscled with a lot of professional smarts, but lately is having trouble breathing. (financial viability wise)

Premier Pro is the closest thing to FCP-Legacy for people who want to keep working like they have in the past - but in order to keep it functioning on your desktop, you have to promise to pay for it over and over and over again, monthly, forever. In exchange for that commitment, you get constant updates and development and much improvement over how Legacy did things.

FCP-X is the brash new athlete on the scene. It's extremely affordable, compact, powerful and lightening fast, but not as fully developed at this point. And it's got a lot of young fresh ideas about how things should be done. When you learn them, you can get huge efficiency boosts and can do all sorts of tricks you could NEVER do as easily before. But you have to start over and learn all it's new ways of working.

Oh, and X just announced a fresh new commitment from it's parents that included them commissioning a pretty amazing compact little power unit unlike anything we've seen before that is matched at the factory to help X run even faster - a move that seems to signal that X's parents are willing to invest a LOT of time and money into making X a serious contender for a long time to come.

Now all you have to do is pick the athlete that best matches your style, and put your money on them.