Are you a "soon to be former" Final Cut Pro User ???

Denwa said:
Is that a windows phone? ;)
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No, it actually worked, and in many cases still work, like the one I bought, even though the devices are going on 70-80 years old...

Don't think either Microsoft, nor Apple will have equipment that works after 80 years... and in the case of Windows... worked at all...
 
j1clark@ucsd.edu said:
No, it actually worked, and in many cases still work, like the one I bought, even though the devices are going on 70-80 years old...

Don't think either Microsoft, nor Apple will have equipment that works after 80 years... and in the case of Windows... worked at all...
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haha. Hmm.. wonder if those old phones ran BeOS?

Back on topic.. Going to give the lightwave beta a try. You see, it's a beta so I won't be using it yet for anything "important", but it does have a road map. And they want input from users so they can make it better. Hmm.. To bad the OSX version doesn't come out till the fall.

FCPX sounds like FCPX beta..but you have to pay for it.. and they tell you what you want, not the other way around. (To Apple, User input is known as "whining").

BTW, I have edited on many NLE's over the years, including FCP, even though I am generally PC based. Thought I'd throw that in there since I am commenting on a Apple product.
 
I first opened CS5 version. Didn't work that well with my Kona card, then the deal came out to switch for 50% off. I bought that. To good of a deal even if you didn't use Premiere.CS5.5. I couldn't wait for the package to arrive s I downloaded the full trial version while I wait. Works very well with the new Kona drivers and AJA Adobe plugin. Then I bought the Quadro 4000 for my Mac. If I aint switching then I just wasted a lot of money. I like the way Premiere works so far, its really similar to FCP7 so makes it much esier and I even tested opening a XML from FCP7 and it worked. Titles come over strange but easy to fix and ProRes 4444 didn't have the alpha channel. Either way, faster editing with less rendering and very similar to FCP equals easy switch. Or maybe not a switch but just another way to get the job done.
 
We've actually moved. We had CS5 already (mainly for Encore BD authoring) but it wasn't stable on our Macs (due to the now known ATI card problem). 5.0.4 probably fixed that already, but we're currently running the trial of 5.5 and will buy the upgrade before the trial expires because Audition is well worth the extra cash alone. I've managed to fix things easily in Audition that I really struggled with in Soundtrack Pro, especially when everything kept coming back in to FCP completely out of sync! Arrgghh!

Th massive time saving in not having to transcode has been very welcome. The Title App is awesome compared to the puny offerings in FCP.

The two things I'm kinda struggling with is that CS5.5 only allows 4 cameras in Multicam mode whereas I could easily do all 6 cameras in FCP. I'm now trying to shoot only 4 cameras where possible.

I'm also struggling getting some multicam clips in to AE for stabilisation - but I think we're working through that now.

TBH, neither CS5 nor CS5.5 works as fluidly as FCP and there are times when there are definite lags with the GUI, even with 8 cores and 16GB of ram, but the time saving in other areas more than makes up for it. I've noticed the occasional memory leak, but that seems to have been mostly fixed in the latest version.

The PluralEyes interface is not quite as nice, having to export then reimport the XML files means some clips get duplicated in the project. While it's possible to clean these up it takes time and we just leave them duplicated most of the time. Colorista II and Neat Video are the other plug-ins we use and they seem to work just as well in PP. In fact, Colorista II is in some way nicer in PP because of the way you can edit the secondary mask.

Being able to keyword batches of files (e.g. Bride Prep or Ceremony) in Bridge prior to import in to PP saves a LOT of time compared to L&T / Keywording in FCP. All-in-all we save more than 60% of the expected editing time on the last two projects using CS5.5 instead of FCP7, not including the transcoding time that we skipped. Sad really, I like FCP7 a lot.
 
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My feeling is for now stay with FCP7 if in the next year or 2 there is no or very little change to FCPX , the switch would be Adobe or Edius, I like both they not perfect each have there pro's and cons. FCP7 will take a long time before it becomes dated and you will still be able to do what you do.
 
Exact said:
...The two things I'm kinda struggling with is that CS5.5 only allows 4 cameras in Multicam more whereas I could easily do all 6 cameras in FCP. I'm now trying to shoot only 4 cameras where possible...
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A bit of a workaround... create a second multicam sequence with the remaining two cameras, then after editing them, take both those sequences into a third multicam sequence. Yeah, it adds time, but if you absolutely have have to use more than four cameras, it could work.
 
@ Exact
Thanks for sharing your experience. You have some solid facts you've shared. I'll check out audition.

I agree, the computer lags sometimes, usually about an hour in it starts to lag. I just quit out and go back in and it fixes it. The update really helped speed up things and it's more stable.

I also recommend not running any other program on the computer at all to save resources.

In the end we are lucky that they actually can get DSLR files to play realtime and a bit of lag here and there is well worth it to put up with in my opinion. I really hated transcoding every time. I can see how much time this can save to just get things done now.
 
Mike Harvey said:
A bit of a workaround... create a second multicam sequence with the remaining two cameras, then after editing them, take both those sequences into a third multicam sequence. Yeah, it adds time, but if you absolutely have have to use more than four cameras, it could work.
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Thanks. I've tried this but when you're editing a 90 minute band session with more than 4 cameras, to have to go back through it again is painful :(. Oh well..... hopefully Adobe will fix this in CS6.
 
Exact said:
Thanks. I've tried this but when you're editing a 90 minute band session with more than 4 cameras, to have to go back through it again is painful :(. Oh well..... hopefully Adobe will fix this in CS6.
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Ouch... yeah, I don't think I've ever used more than three cameras, but the option for 6 would be a great addition to CS6. Have you submitted it as a feature request to Adobe?
 
Denwa said:
haha. Hmm.. wonder if those old phones ran BeOS?

Back on topic.. Going to give the lightwave beta a try. You see, it's a beta so I won't be using it yet for anything "important", but it does have a road map. And they want input from users so they can make it better. Hmm.. To bad the OSX version doesn't come out till the fall.

FCPX sounds like FCPX beta..but you have to pay for it.. and they tell you what you want, not the other way around. (To Apple, User input is known as "whining").

BTW, I have edited on many NLE's over the years, including FCP, even though I am generally PC based. Thought I'd throw that in there since I am commenting on a Apple product.
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Unfortunately when I flew to Georgia last month, my 'pc' laptop was 'appropriated' by someone in the baggage handling system... the current TSA no lock, other than TSA 'approved' locks, are pretty much a open season license on pilfering... (my editorial thought there is... if it so easy to get my laptop out of the 'secure' baggage system, who's to say what could be smuggled into the system... and to what ends...)

So, I'll have to wait for either the Mac version or the Linux version to continue evaulating. I did get things setup, there were a few hickups, but yes, for 'beta code' one expects a lack of features, and certain anomalous operation...
 
Edius is amazing for multicam. Up to 16 cameras. Probably the best for avchd as well.

Didn't know about the restriction in PPro 5/5.5.
 
At the school I teach we are considering changing from FCP exclusive to a FCP/Adobe/Avid mixture. An even split, one class for each. I think that would make for better editors. Nice move Apple...

BTW, Edius is amazing.
 
I've been on FCP since v1.25 but it has led to a dead end unfortunately. For the pro editor, the jump to another NLE is inevitable. I have been watching CS5 Premier tutorials on Lynda.com as well as the Adobe video overviews and I really like what I see. I had no idea Adobe was turning Premier into a real pro app. I just wasn't paying attention. Back in the day we would scoff at the very mention of Premier. We are going to switch now and take advantage of the purchasing incentive for FCP switchers.

In the end, it's all about telling the story but I think with the combination of Premier, AE, Audition, Photoshop and Encore, we will have some very powerful tools to take us where we need to be. Will definitely stay on the Mac though :)
 
OKCPicker said:
I've been on FCP since v1.25 but it has led to a dead end unfortunately. For the pro editor, the jump to another NLE is inevitable. I have been watching CS5 Premier tutorials on Lynda.com as well as the Adobe video overviews and I really like what I see. I had no idea Adobe was turning Premier into a real pro app. I just wasn't paying attention. Back in the day we would scoff at the very mention of Premier. We are going to switch now and take advantage of the purchasing incentive for FCP switchers.

In the end, it's all about telling the story but I think with the combination of Premier, AE, Audition, Photoshop and Encore, we will have some very powerful tools to take us where we need to be. Will definitely stay on the Mac though :)
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I've been watching the BTS segments on any DVD/Blueray that has them... and very frequently, an actor will state that 'wardrobe' really helps them get into the character. Most recently, I watched "Public Enemies"(2009), and Johnny Depp told about being able to 'contact', and even some cases 'try on' paints worn by John Dillinger... and that 'helped' him get into 'the character'... now all of this purely psychological... but is sort of goes against the idea that 'tools are immaterial'. Using a Moviola or a Steenbeck, gives the 'editor' a far different feeling about what they are doing, than using a rickity old reel to reel hand cranked 'editing station'... even for a beginner...

I think this holds for other equipment, or in the present case software... pros use FCP <oldendaysversion>, or Avid, or now some are moving to Premiere... we'll have to see what wonderous things Apple brings out for FCP X. But I have my suspicions that it will cost the user much more, and leave them with a collection of 3rd party 'apps' that they have to cobble together to get 'work done'.

Sort of like that Johny Cash song about him building his own car from various parts he stole from his auto production line job... but in this case, rather than being 'free' the parts are going to cost...
 
I am officially on this "former FCP" editor list ... well sorta. I bought MC5.5 ... and my studio bought MC5.5 licenses for all our machines. We figure the transition will take 1-2 years to full have every show editing on AVID... but it has begun.

Just a note about j1clark's comment on equipment and how it can influence (even just psychologically) the work ..and it's true. After going through some avid training I did a test: I edited a scene twice -- once on avid and then again on FCP. The edit was several weeks apart, so my memory had faded on what shots/takes I had used on each. The Avid edit was better, more precise. The FCP version tended to use more of a "this is the best over all take" and the Avid version tended to be more "this small snippet of this take is better, while this snippet over here is better for this part, etc" ... I would say that Avid's trimming tools were an influence in making these choices and it lead to a slightly better edit -- even though I am way more versed in FCP.
 
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I am still using FCP for some projects and Adobe on a different computer. I do own Avid Media Composer 5 from upgrade from Avid Liquid. I feel there are similarities on the what happened with Liquid and FCP X in that most people where happy with the product and were expecting an upgrade to find out that the upgrade was far from their expectation. So, the lesson is to adapt or change. I do think Adobe has been know for After FX and Photoshop but has not gotten much notice on the Premiere editor because of bad reputation of previews releases. It has matured and is more stable than in the past.
I got an Apple computer because of FCP but now I am moving back to Windows computer. I do feel that Apple will come back but it will have a hard time to earn the trust of the people who felt undercut with Final Cut X.
The great thing Apple has is that it is easier to find a prebuilt computer to run the software. It is not so easy to find an affordable prebuilt computer on the Windows side I have spent a lot of hours trying to find one. I am waiting for a new system that I ordered from Cyber Power PC trying to use some of the suggestions from Videoguys guide. It is closer to my budget and better selection of components. They build gaming computers and offer a 3 year warranty. I would have preferred not to spend so much time and have gotten an affordable prebuilt system but I find that there is to much information and little agreement other than the NVIDEA video card. I do remember that Liquid favored the ATI cards and even a BOB with the card I have it stored somewhere.
It would be great if Adobe had suggestions for hardware other than HP workstations for people who do not have deep pockets, like students wanting to learn to edit, who would be their future costumers. I have to say that Adobe customer support have been helpful when I have called for help. I do not post much on the forums but I find this a valuable resource when in need for ideas.
David
 
David , you do not need HP workstations like is recommended , there are many cheap options out there many owner user ASUS and GIGbtye products , do do not even have to uses the recommend Cuda cards , older and cheaper ones work just as well have a look ate this linkit should give you a bit of http://ppbm5.com/
 
in the case of Windows... worked at all...
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I bet the last time you tried Windows was when that phone was a new model.

Things have changed since Windows moved to the NT kernel with XP. The newest Windows 7 is a very stable platform. So much so that I'd recommend disgruntled FCP users make the complete switch, and come all the way back from the dark side.

CS5.5 on Windows 7 Professional! :thumbsup:
 
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