November 27, 2013 - 13:52
Hi
I would like to return to editing on a Mac after a three year sabbatical.
Mostly I edit documentary footage shot on AVCHD in 1080p from a Canon and GoPro waterproof cams, assembled in the time line with straight cuts and a few dissolves, colour correction, audio tweaks and titles, all pretty basic stuff really and output to the web.
It seems the world has changed since I was last editing on FCS on a Powermac with new Macs and new software all of which are unfamiliar territory.
The new version FCPX is something I have no hands on experience of, though I have read on forums about editors bemoaning the "dumbing down" of Final Cut and talk of facilities houses leaving Mac completely and moving over to PC's running Premiere, which is a huge shock for me, as previously I would not have considered anything but the Mac and FCP.
I hope that there will be users on this forum that have moved to FCPX, so I would like to ask if in your opinion if it would be suitable for my needs and will it all make sense to me as someone who is used to the workflow of FCS ?
Another possibility is to buy the last version of FCS, but will this run of the latest 64bit Macs with Thunderbolt?
I look forward to your replies.
I would like to return to editing on a Mac after a three year sabbatical.
Mostly I edit documentary footage shot on AVCHD in 1080p from a Canon and GoPro waterproof cams, assembled in the time line with straight cuts and a few dissolves, colour correction, audio tweaks and titles, all pretty basic stuff really and output to the web.
It seems the world has changed since I was last editing on FCS on a Powermac with new Macs and new software all of which are unfamiliar territory.
The new version FCPX is something I have no hands on experience of, though I have read on forums about editors bemoaning the "dumbing down" of Final Cut and talk of facilities houses leaving Mac completely and moving over to PC's running Premiere, which is a huge shock for me, as previously I would not have considered anything but the Mac and FCP.
I hope that there will be users on this forum that have moved to FCPX, so I would like to ask if in your opinion if it would be suitable for my needs and will it all make sense to me as someone who is used to the workflow of FCS ?
Another possibility is to buy the last version of FCS, but will this run of the latest 64bit Macs with Thunderbolt?
I look forward to your replies.
November 27, 2013 - 23:32
#1
Re: Is FCPX workflow going to be familiar to a dedicated FCS ...
I've been using X for a while now.
I shoot on an FS100 (AVCHD) and use my GoPro a lot too.
Coming from FCP v1-6 it was a struggle at first, and my 2008 MBP was struggling with my projects.
But after building a top spec Hackintosh it handles most things I throw at it with ease.
And I consider myself an advanced user.
You will do fine with your projects, and you might not need new hardware.
Consider using the built in function to convert your footage to Proxy, which lets you edit in quarter resolution.
Once you've finished your cut, switch off proxy and all your material will instantly appear in full quality.
Export your timeline as a standalone file and use Handbrake to encode your x264s (it's probably the best encoder available, and it's free)
Or use compressor to downconvert to SD/DVD.
You could also consider using full quality optimised ProRes if you have the space and bandwidth.
And skip the proxy setup.
Shooting in 1440/25p on the GoPro Black is my usual mode. And in X you can really quickly reframe the headroom on your shots.
Alex4D has a great free filter to fix the fisheye and stabilisation works well in X too.
If you've shot an unusual frame rate, it's a doddle to conform it to the project frame rate.
Working with waveforms and sub frame audio trimming is a dream.
It's a lot of fun.
X is starting to get more traction in the industry and version 10.1 is coming soon.
A local university is now teaching X as well as Avid and PP.
Duncan.
November 28, 2013 - 10:13
#2
Re: Is FCPX workflow going to be familiar to a dedicated FCS ...
You can get the 30 day free trial of FCPX to see if it suits you. The FCP7 upgrade is now very difficult to find, they get snapped up as soon as they appear by FCP6 users caught out when Apple dropped all support for FCP. Personally, I tried FCPX and didn't get on with it after using FCP since late 2000, I might try again when the new upgrade comes out - reportedly maybe late December or early January next year.
November 28, 2013 - 13:34
#3
Re: Is FCPX workflow going to be familiar to a dedicated FCS ...
November 28, 2013 - 21:42
#4
Re: Is FCPX workflow going to be familiar to a dedicated FCS ...
The change to X took me a while. It wasn't until I had a whole new machine that I felt comfortable running X on it for client attended work.
I still have one ongoing legacy projects which is just as simple to fulfil using FCP6.
I don't think there's any point waiting for the 10.1 release. It's highly likely it will be a free upgrade but I expect it might need Mavericks (also free).
The interface won't be getting a major overhaul, it's here to stay, so learning X now will no doubt be good grounding for 10.1.
I too was using FCP in the very early days on my grape iMac DV (which still works!)
I stuck to my Avid for offline, Editbox for online and the BetaSP suites for fast turnaround news work.
But I ordered the Powermac G5 the day it was announced with FCP an AJA IO and a HUGE RAID - a really flexible uncompressed off/online suite which is still in use today at MadeinLeeds!
I never bought FCP7 myself, but used it extensively in client suites.
But I ordered the Powermac G5 the day it was announced with FCP an AJA IO and a HUGE RAID - a really flexible uncompressed off/online suite which is still in use today at MadeinLeeds!
I never bought FCP7 myself, but used it extensively in client suites.
November 29, 2013 - 19:59
#5
Re: Is FCPX workflow going to be familiar to a dedicated FCS ...
This is a great listen: https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/fcpx-grill/id757640927?mt=2
December 22, 2013 - 01:11
#6
Re: Is FCPX workflow going to be familiar to a dedicated FCS ...
The new version of FCP10.1 has a new feature?, All your Projects and Events become one in your Libray. Brilliant.