Why FCP?

fpinho

fpinho

Member
Hi,

I´m new on DV.
I want to buy a computer and software to edit HDV, but i´m not shore what to buy... PC or Mac... Premier or FCP...

Can you help me?
 
There are other options too. Vegas and Avid being the major ones. I would try them all out if you can with demo versions and visiting the Apple store to play.

They will all do basic (and very complex) editing, so look at which fits your wallet. I prefer FCP personally, but it is a personal decision. FCP 5.0 certainly supports HDV natively, but not 720p24 or 25 unless they updated very recently. The FCP Studio should supply pretty much everything in one box.
 
I would go with FCP. Its really come of age and has eaten heavily into the Avid users who have switched. It will do anything you want it to, and more.

If you are on an apple, FCP, if you are on a PC, then Premier Pro is pretty good. But the apple G5 is a fantastic but of kit and the last thing you want is reboots on a PC whilst editing.
 
I have loved my mac. When I first began editing on a mac with FCP 1 I loved the fact that everything was reliable. I bought a piece of gear and it worked with the computer - I did not have to spend the time searching for drivers yada yada ... I had a friend on a PC who was using Premier, and while it was a great program, he was constantly having to update drivers, and trouble shhot problems. (They were hardware related - not software).

Anyway, I would rather be spending my time editing, not trouble shooting ...
 
I believe, and correct me if I'm wrong, that FCP is the only desktop editing software besides Avid to cut a major motion picture. Check out the book "Behind the Seen", which follows the crew of Cold Mountain as they shoot and edit abroad on FCP in Burcharest, Romaina. The project was huge.

-a
 
Waltind has neglected to say that he also has a friend who currently edits on Vegas, and continues to "WOW" him with the things he can do on it. :beer: :evil:

My personal opinion is that if you were to go with PC, then take a very serious look at Vegas. And, just because other NLE's haven't been used to cut a major motion picture, doesn't mean they can't ... just means they've not had the chance to prove themselves yet.

I do, however, drool over Live Type, which works with FCP.
 
I edited on a IBM Windows Avid MC1000 for 3 years. Switched to FCP 4 years ago, and I'll never go back. Plus, with the Final Cut HD Suite, you get Soundtrack and Motion.
 
Envision said:
Waltind has neglected to say that he also has a friend who currently edits on Vegas, and continues to "WOW" him with the things he can do on it. :beer: :evil:
Click to expand...

LOL!! :grin:

Yes, yes, I have been impressed by Vegas. And while I haven't used it, it seems to be more user friendly then Premier. So if you go the PC route, don't over look Vegas. And as Norm said, just because it hasn't been used to cut a movie, doesn't mean that it can't. (Although it is fun to know that FCP has!)

BTW- Envision, what ya doing on this board, thinking about coming over to our side .... :evil: :beer: :evil: :thumbsup:
 
There is something to be said for learning AVID, since it seems to still be the favorite on features. This my be changing. The upcoming film Jarhead was cut on FCP ( also by W. Murch)
oh yeah, AVID works on a MAC or PC.
 
I use a MAC and FCP and I love it, but it is definitely not bug free.

IMHO, If you don't use a MAC already I would stick with the PC.

Chris
 
I'd say go with FCP. If you're on a budget or don't want to be bogged down with high end details, go with Final Cut Express. With FCP-5 you can also use an external mixing board to mix sound in real time. Very cool if you do lots of sound work. But then, I'm an FCP Instructor, so I'm pretty biased...
 
waltind said:
BTW- Envision, what ya doing on this board, thinking about coming over to our side .... :evil: :beer: :evil: :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

I used to ask that same question of thisiswells & other FCP users I'd see in the Vegas forum, then found out how/why they did it. They'd just look at new posts & reply to topics/threads that caught their interest.

Trust me, I'd never just cruise the FCP section. Now that you've even mentioned it now, just typing this here makes me feel like a cat wrapped in bacon, trying to walk unnoticed through a dog kennel. :shocked:
 
There is no way to automatically create subclips from a 24pa capture after pulldown removal.
This is something every other "pro" application on the market does. Think about it before going FCP.
 
Hard to say.... When I switched to mac and FCP it was work trying to simply adjust to using a mac and that stupid one button mouse. I tossed the mouse and eventually got used to the mac and finally FCP. I'm so damn happy that I stuck it out. Well worth it for me.
 
you can use any usb two button mouse on a mac if you didn't already know.

some ppl put FCP down, but its a great program. That said, so is Vegas, and probably avid.

They all do pretty much the same thing, so it has more to do with your wallet and what your used to.

Although I use a mac an FCP, I dont think ppl should "switch" over for FCP when vegas is already available to them for almost half the price.

AND FYI! with the student discount, Final Cut Studio (with FCP, DVD Studio, Soundtrack, and Motion 2) is only $600! So if you own a mac and are going to school, this is an absolute no brainer!
 
Cheesesailor77 said:
AND FYI! with the student discount, Final Cut Studio (with FCP, DVD Studio, Soundtrack, and Motion 2) is only $600! So if you own a mac and are going to school, this is an absolute no brainer!
Click to expand...

But please be aware that the student edition is not able to be upgraded after you leave school. Add up the figures and this can be a false economy. It can be a brilliant bargain too - just be aware of that pitfall.
 
mmm said:
But please be aware that the student edition is not able to be upgraded after you leave school.
Click to expand...

It is my understanding that the academic version is not upgradable at all. That if you want to get the next version, you have to buy it again at the student discount price ...
 
thisiswells said:
There is no way to automatically create subclips from a 24pa capture after pulldown removal.
Click to expand...

I just opened up a project I'm working on in 24pa (After pulldown) and it will let me make subclips. the short cut is Comand-U. Seems to work for me, but maybe I'm not understanding what you are saying ....
 
I was going to ask this same question Ryan, I have always made subclips as you describe with 24pa footage. Brian, what do you mean, am I misunderstanding what you are saying?
 
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