Learning Curve-- FCP to MC

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Danny1280

Well-known member
I'm one of many who are testing the waters in Avid after being comfy with FCP.
I've been going through the tutorial on Lynda.com (Migrating from FCP to Avid) and find it helpful overall.
And my first reaction is that I really love the way Avid looks and feels. Something very clean and clear about it.
But I'm running into walls as I'm going. I know this is common when learning new software.

I'm just wondering how long that learning curve is.
Are there any others who've made that switch?
How long should I expect to run into brick walls before it becomes second nature?
 
I have not had much experience with FCP and have been mostly in Avid-land for the last decade when it comes to editing.

The learning curve always depends on the person.

FCP functions pretty much the same way as the MacOS functions (cut & paste, drag & drop, etc.). Avid, on the other hand, is more like an OS within an OS. It's its own unique environment; allow your mind to absorb it. Just keep at it. Before too long, I'm sure you'll be flying with Avid! :happy:
 
High learning curve but well worth it. In the end if you learn and start with good habits you will be faster editing than on a Final Cut. You will see.

Yes by the way. Avid is cleaner.
 
I have the lynda training for Avid MC as well as Class on Demand training. It is like it's own OS inside an OS but just give time and it will click. I'm still relearning it myself after playing in FCP and Premiere Pro for so long.
 
Thanks for checking back. My free trial ran out and I decided to go for it, so I have a copy of MC on order.
 
Ordered Media Composer for my students (just became a teacher), relearning it myself now since I haven't touched Avid for 6 years (Xpress Pro, chills down my spine). Editing a concert on my MBP and I'm loving it. Almost everything that I complained about back then has been fixed (UI left, still looks like it's the early 90s) It feels great to be able to edit on a laptop without draging a mouse with me everywhere. The few times I use the trackpad is so easy thanks to the smart tools (with all the modes at the same time) and the ganging (?) of video and audio so I don't have to select all three tracks seperately. It's just too bad the productions suite isn't included in the academic version. I also ordered a keyboard overlay from KB Covers with all the shortcuts, can't search the manual each time I need something ;)
 
You can order the production suite for about $300. Check resellers of the academic version - I know videoguys.com used to have it.
 
I know about the cost, it's about the same for a single academic license xP Don't need it for now anyway. Tried some green screen shot with a T2i and was amazed how well MC pulled the key (and I'm saying this as an After Effects guy who got loads of 3rd party plugins) It's going to work great for our GS interview setup when we shoot with our EX3 and Ki Pro :D
 
If you don't need all the extra stuff there's no need to buy it, but if you don't have a compression program already and need some effects natively in Avid, it's definitely worth it. The BCC effects alone would cost you $2,000, and Sorenson is another $800.

And isn't Spectramatte incredible? For a built-in effect it's flat out amazing. If you spring for the production pack make sure you try the BCC keyer too, combined with their matte choker (for more difficult keys, or to soften your edges a bit more). Plus you can use the Boris drop shadow effect for a soft drop shadow if you need it.

I stopped using AE for keying because i ended up being able to do it all in Avid. Only went to AE when I needed to scale a GS shoot up (shoot 1080, drop into a 720p timeline sort of thing).
 
As a fellow FCP to Avid user, the learning curve took a little while but I basically had it down within a week of just using it every single day. Now, I can switch between the two programs without much of a problem since my current job requires me to use Final Cut (which kind of sucks, since I like Avid better). I do run into road blocks every now and then but that really goes for every program.
 
Welcome to the club. The best thing you can do is find the functions you use the most and custom map them to your keyboard. It's not fantastically user-friendly out of the box, but once you get your short cuts mapped, you'll fly around it. Happy editing..
 
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