learning avid

arw2020

Member
i am a mac user and i now edit using FCP and would say very much experienced in it but i was thinking of learning avid and my question is to you avid users would it be really worth learning ... id be probably just learning it to expand my talents and be able to say yes .. ive used avid also ... i am just wondering if my desire to learn it is worth the 2K price tag ... specially if i guess end up with the same results that i get from FCP
 
Yes, it's worth learning. It's never bad to learn something new, as long as it's not taking away time from actual paying jobs. Plus, once you know it, you're available for twice as many jobs -- FCP or Avid. Then learn After Effects, Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, DVD Authoring, etc.... Just keep learning and you'll become even more marketable.

Why learn Avid if FCP can do the same job? Well, FCP and Avid both get the job done, but sometimes one is better than the other. If you know both and have both you can choose the right tool for the job. For example, if you're working on a scripted show you may want to use Avid because of ScriptSync.

Download the trial version of Media Composer and watch the tutorials on the Avid forums to get you started. You'll have 30 days to get your feet wet and make a decision. If you run into problems, post on the Avid forums, post here, or post on other tech forums for help. It operates much differently than FCP so you'll probably be very frustrated at first, but keep with it. It's definitely worth knowing.

Avid Tutorials:
http://community.avid.com/forums/t/67003.aspx
http://community.avid.com/forums/t/71781.aspx

Michael
 
thanks thats encouraging ... i forgot to mention i do also know photoshop cs4 and after effects ... i brought the production premeium suite but the only thing i havent really got to deep into was adobe premier of which i will actually start while i contemplate the avid issue ... but thanks mike for your feed back .. much appreciated

now when u say avid has sync script would that be a good use for say me shooting a music video and then having to input the actual cleaned up audio in later ... meaning id have the audio playing while the artist is basically lip syncing and then stripping the audio from the video footage and inserting the clean audio track.

what ive done in the past was basically listening to the audio track and marking the beats and then moving video later to sync up to the audio ... if avid sync would do that for me man that would be GREAT
 
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No problem. Definitely download the Avid trial when you get the chance (make sure you'll have some time to play with it - it's a 30 day trial but the 30 days can go fast).

I also have the CS4 production premium and have played around in Premiere a bit. It's very similar to FCP so you should pick it up very easily. I haven't found a reason to use it yet, but it's always good to know at least the basics.

Michael
 
Increasing your marketability is always worth while.
Any Avid editor not knowing FCP today is a far greater handicap.
 
If you go to Avid, you can download a full version thats good for 30 days. I suspect that if you were diligent, you could learn quite a lot in that time.
 
i have loaded the trial version and i keep getting a pop up saying 'file Avid projects not found' and it wont go away
i am using MBP 2.93Ghz using OSX 10.6.2
 
They're asking for the folder that contains all of the Avid projects. Can you get to the screen and start a new project?
 
On both of my PC Avids the projects can be found in C:\documents and settings\all users\documents\shared avid projects

Are you sure you are in the correct folder? If so, Im stumped.
 
dont see those folders ... all i did was download the demo and let it run - it never asked to specify to put any folder anywhere ... i will uninstall and try again.
 
still the same thing ... now im down to 24 days left ... funny ... and havent got anything done .... if i choose to purchase i sure hope i dont have the same issue ... im gonna try calling avid to see what they have to say ... i guess they would answer or possibly loose a sale .. not like they would go outta business
 
Shot in the dark here, but Im guessing its a permissions issue. Perhaps your computer wouldnt let it write the folder where avid projects are stored. If it cant write it, avid cant access it.... you are installing this to your c: drive correct, not a portable FW or USB drive?

Again, its a 'hail mary' but trying to help. Other than that post/search here: http://community.avid.com/forums/
 
I've used Premiere and Final Cut for the last 5 years as well as After Effects and so forth. I always assumed Avid was just another editing program...

A few weeks ago I downloaded the trial version of MC 4 on my Mac Pro and although at first it was very daunting I've come to realise why so many of the top editors only use Avid.

I imported the same HD clips into Premiere and Avid (installed on the same system)- the test apply a bunch of effects with the video moving around the screen and a fair bit of colour correction.

In Premiere I had to render it for about 4 minutes and it played back ever so slightly jerky - In avid no rendering whatsoever simply hit play and it played back absolutely flawlessly in DNxHD 185 and the tools for doing it were far more like that of After Effects than of Premiere or Final Cut.

Precisely cutting to the beat (important for music videos) and mixing formats was a breeze in Avid.

I, like you, thought I'd learn it 'just in case' and to find out why more big budget stuff isn't cut on Final Cut. I am also at a point where I'm wanting to deck out the in-house edit suite at my production business and am weighing up whether to base it around Final Cut or Media Composer.

After using the trial I'm now seriously contemplating forking out some cash on MC 4 and Mojo Dx or Nitris Dx - Avid appears to be around 5 times the price (once you add all the hardware and bits and pieces), although don't quote me on that, of a Final cut setup but i can now see why it's worth it.

So...My advice is give it a go :)

Happy Festive Season everyone!
 
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