Final Cut, Y or N?

strider

I a m a newbie to video editing. At the moment I use iMovie. I was wondering if I should go to Final Cut. I can get the educational discount so it's really not that expensive. I was just wondering if you could tell me some of the advantages of FCP over iMovie.



Strider

ghost_user_name

Oh my, there are more differenced than I can BEGIN to describe! FCP is friggin awesome. I'm sure someone else can give you a better description.



The only drawback off the top of my head: it refuses to launch in OSX. If you're using OSX, plan on rebooting into OS9 whenever you want to use FCP.



[edit] In addition, I wouldn't buy FCP right row unless you really need it. There should be a major upgrade in the near future to make it OSX-compatible. If you think you'll be in an all-OS9 environment, go for it.



See: <a href="http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/"; target="_blank">http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/</a>; for details.



[ 11-13-2001: Message edited by: starfleetX ]</p>

sinewave

Is this Strider from #Macintosh on Undernet?

strider

Yah I was gonna wait until the Mac OS X version came out. i didn't want to buy FCP and pay a upgrade price 2 weeks later.



And Sinewave, no. I am the Strider from IMG, Macgamer, and Aragorn on MacNN and MacAddict.



Anyway thanks for the tips.



Strider

prutz11

Though Final Cut Pro is superior to iMovie by design, it is exponentially more complex. I have a belief in using the right tool for the right job, and in many cases iMovie fills the needs of a project. There is simply no faster way to slap something together than iMovie. But, if you want a highly stylized and time sensitive product, than you need to use a tool that is capable of delivering that... iMovie is not that tool. The question is this: Do you have long term video production aspirations, or are you someone that wants to dabble? If you do have long term goals than get FCP, not only because it's the right tool, but also because it shares similarities to realtime editing systems like avid. If your just dabbling, and I think that's the best part of computing, I'd say if you want to put together some longer format stuff, and really get into controlling every aspect of your video than FCP is for you too. However, if you don't care about precise time, longer format, or greater user control there is nothing wrong with iMovie.

Dang sometimes you start typing and you can't stop,

Will

scottib

Buy it, Strider. Perhaps like you, I want to do more than what iMovie provides (more audio, video tracks, image panning, etc.) That's not a knock on iMovie. Indeed, it's a credit to iMovie that I want to do more.



I'm a hobbyist, but when my GF started grad school and ordered her DP800 at edu. discount, we tacked on FCP2 for $249 (unfortunately, I'll have to pay for the OSX upgrade...). It is a terrific deal. It would be foolish not to.



Yes, it is more complicated, but it has one of the finest manuals I've come across. Even if you never upgrade again, it might do all that you want--plus you get a QT Pro key for free and other cool (albeit light versions) of software. It is a hobbyist's dream.



Pardon the gush, but it's a great value for $249.



Jump on it.

nebagakid

what about the X version, where is it? <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

xool

Pretty much everything about FCP v iMovie has been said.



FCP is feature-rich and powerful, but harder to use. Its overkill for small projects but makes manging large and/or complex projects easier.



iMovie is limited but easy to use. If you need quick turnaround or are doing something relatively simple (ala The Wedding Video) then you can't beat iMovie.



I use both. The right tool for each job.