Daniel Eran Dilger
After its initial launch last summer, the new Final Cut Pro X met with vocal resistance from a series of seasoned editors who targeted specific feature omissions compared to the previous Final Cut Pro 7 release, along with a variety of interface changes.
Over the past six months, a series of reports, some apparently driven by competitive public relations by Avid and Adobe seeking to exploit the situation to win back market share, have derided the new version of Final Cut Pro by calling it "iMovie Pro" and playing up a massive migration away from the video editing package.
Despite incorporating a powerful new 64-bit foundation and simplified workflow, Final Cut Pro X was missing several features the previous version had and which many editors needed, including XML import, multicam editing and broadcast monitor support.
The latest 10.0.3 update addresses the last of these major request, but as PCMag notes in its review, "with each feature restoration, Apple has not just brought parity with earlier support, but has rethought it, making it both more powerful and easier to use."
The review points out that XML 1.1 enhancements in the latest update provide "even more detail, to the point that it has enabled a new plugin, 7toX (from Intelligent Assistance), to import projects from Final Cut Pro 7—addressing a huge concern of the existing user base."
The review highlighted differences with competing high end video editing packages, including Corel VideoStudio Pro X4, Adobe Premiere Pro and Sony Vegas Movie Studio HD, noting both pros and cons to using Apple's latest version of Final Cut Pro.
It concluded, "the gains made in the rewrite far outweigh the subtractions in what is, in effect, a completely new application. Thanks to both performance and ease-of-use features, pros may find that the same tasks take a fraction of the time they took in previous versions.
"Final Cut Pro X is a delight to work in compared with other serious video editing software. Final Cut Pro X brings the prosumer loads of power, ease-of-use, and no-wait performance."
The reviews "bottom line" predicted that professionals will "eventually be won over by Final Cut Pro X's significant speed and usability advances."
Bon Adamson
Wesley Hilliard
Christine McKee
Malcolm Owen
AppleInsider Staff
Amber Neely
63 Comments
Gag me with a spoon. Final Cut Pro X still blows and as a professional editor you'll never catch me using it. People in this town are switching back to Avid in droves.
Gag me with a spoon. Final Cut Pro X still blows and as a professional editor you'll never catch me using it. People in this town are switching back to Avid in droves.
Yup. Apple could turn FCPX completely around, though the damage is done, it was a big f-you to the industry.
Unfortunately Apple's "pro" wing is pretty much dead, the mass appeal and $$$ of the prosumer is just too enticing for them.
No wait performance?
Have the editors actually used FCP X? It can suffer from quite a bit of lag, even on high end Mac Pros. Try keeping more than a few events or projects open. Try exporting to Compressor. Try using compound clips liberally.
No wait, my ***.
Ps I like the software quite a bit and its multicam implementation is the best around but apple still has some real performance issues to address.
Gag me with a spoon. Final Cut Pro X still blows and as a professional editor you'll never catch me using it. People in this town are switching back to Avid in droves.
It's £199, avid is thousands, it hope it's better than FCPX at that price.
Pricing for Media Composer 6 starts at $2499, with upgrade pricing from $299. Pricing for Symphony 6 starts at $5,999, with upgrade pricing from $499. An academic version of Media Composer 6 starts at $295 for educational institutions and students. Final Cut Pro (excluding Final Cut Pro X) users can purchase Media Composer with free online training for $1499.
The new Avid Vantage Program will be available during the fourth quarter of 2011 to Media Composer, Symphony, and Pro Tools users for $149 per year.
It's £199, avid is thousands, it hope it's better than FCPX at that price.
That's nothing when you're cutting $800k+ commercials let alone multi-million dollar features...