New to Editing and Needing Follow-up Advice

M

markpsf@sbcglobal.ne

Member
As a non-pro (high end amateur) who is new to video editing, a few of you have convinced me to still start with Final Cut Pro.
I now need to decide between that package alone vs. Final Cut Studio. Because of a university employee special deal one would cost $300 and the other $500.
But right now I just have an iMac G4 and it seems to me that most of the additional programs will be way ahead of the game for me (related to my needs, the learning curve, and the inadequacy of the G5 for this purpose) and that I should save the extra $ towards the purchase of a G5 in a few months.

I would welcome your advice.

Thanks.
 
If a G5 is in your future anyway then I'd spend the extra and get Studio. Those additional programs are awsome and buying them alone will cost you much more. You'll eventually appreciate having DVDSP, LiveType, and Soundtrack Pro. I forget if Motion is in there too? I know it's alot to learn but these apps are very user friendly. This package is all you really need for a mulititude of editing tasks from start to finish.

Then when you do finally get a G5 you'll be good to go. I started with FCP 3.0 and since moving to 4.5 I've found these additional apps to be most useful and fun. LiveType alone is fantastic for creating wicked titles and it's easy as hell to learn. Soundtrack Pro is kick ass from what I've read, so is Motion.

At that price it's a steal and you should seriously consider getting the Studio package. There's no way around laying down some hard earned cash but I think it's worth it to go all the way.
 
Studio is certainly a good deal but your shoudl research Apple's site to get full details.
FCP comes with LiveType, compressor and Cinema Tools.
Studio comes with all of that plus Soundtrack+, DVD Studio Pro, and Motion.
You'd want to check to see if your system could run Motion.
Do you have a DVD burner built in? Do you already have iDVD?
Do you need to create 24fps DVD's. (I think DVD Studio is required bu check this)
Do you plan to create your own sound track using loops? (Timing more critical than garage band?)

A couple of other things to note:
Apple normally releases a new version each spring.
Educational discounted versions can't be upgraded. You can buy a full new educational version but in a few years you will have spent more keepign up educational version.
So if you won't take advanage of most of the items in the Studio package within the next year you may want to wait to get it.
 
Thanks Scott.
The answer is that all I need immediately is what is available with Final Cut Pro. I will get a G5 by next spring so the extra software would be for possible future use.

The educational versions are exactly the same, just boxed and priced differently...a break for educators. I always buy the educational version and I've always been able to upgrade them.

Mark
 
If you can get Soundtrack 2, DVD Studio Pro, AND Motion 2 for only $200 more, I wouldn't even think twice about it. Those are three highly rated, incredibly powerful, and FUN pieces of software. (You can spend hours, days, even weeks just playing with Soundtrack). Not to mention Motion. Ok, DVD Studio isn't totally fun, but it IS one of the most highly rated DVD authoring pieces out there for the price. Really, trust me, do the math on what those three pieces would cost you separately. By all means, buy them. You will never be sorry.
 
Oh, and motion is a little confusing at first but it is a pretty nice program even if your computer is slow. DVDSP is much better than iDVD. Definitely the package!
 
Just a note on the educational version. I started with FCP 3.0 Academic and I'm up to version 4.5. Unfortunately to go to 5.0 I have to buy the full version all over again.

So your edu-version may be upgradable to a degree but eventually you'll have to pay.
 
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