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Video Editing Program Advice

leftbanke7

leftbanke7

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 4, 2004
746
1
West Valley City, Utah
I am in a video editing class and we are getting to the point in the class where the professor is allowing us to use our equipment at home to do projects as opposed to going into the class to do them. The class voted to use Adobe Premiere 6.5 instead of FCP on the class Macs and because of this vote, all projects must be able to be opened in AP6.5 or they will not be accepted (I voted for FCP). This is where I am running into a problem. Right now, all I have on my lappy is iMovie and the professor highly highly suggested we did not use it. I would like to buy FCP but I know I do not need all of the programs that come with the production suite and unless I have overlooked it, Apple doesn't just sell FCP as a stand alone using my education discount. I wouldn't mind using AP but being that support has been dropped, I don't want to use a dead end software as I plan to use Macs throughout my career (I'm a Film Major). Avid is not an option for me. Any suggestions, advice, ridicule would be greatly appreciated. I would like to make a decision and a purchase by early next week so I can get the software ASAP.
 
markjones05

markjones05

macrumors 6502a
Jan 15, 2003
935
0
Brooklyn, NY
leftbanke7 said:
I am in a video editing class and we are getting to the point in the class where the professor is allowing us to use our equipment at home to do projects as opposed to going into the class to do them. The class voted to use Adobe Premiere 6.5 instead of FCP on the class Macs and because of this vote, all projects must be able to be opened in AP6.5 or they will not be accepted (I voted for FCP). This is where I am running into a problem. Right now, all I have on my lappy is iMovie and the professor highly highly suggested we did not use it. I would like to buy FCP but I know I do not need all of the programs that come with the production suite and unless I have overlooked it, Apple doesn't just sell FCP as a stand alone using my education discount. I wouldn't mind using AP but being that support has been dropped, I don't want to use a dead end software as I plan to use Macs throughout my career (I'm a Film Major). Avid is not an option for me. Any suggestions, advice, ridicule would be greatly appreciated. I would like to make a decision and a purchase by early next week so I can get the software ASAP.
Click to expand...

Get final cut express. Its cheaperr and stand alone. Just export your project to quicktime and you can import it in just about any video program. If he wants to see your cuts, i suggest getting a lacie external hd and installing osx and the fce on there so you can save your work right on the hard drive then boot up from any computer at school and have your desktop and programs right there and ready to go.
 
Grimace

Grimace

macrumors 68040
Feb 17, 2003
3,568
226
with Hamburglar.
You can use FC Express HD for $199 (edu) or pay $499 (edu) for the entire Production Suite. That is a hell of a deal - $800 off...
 
748s

748s

macrumors 6502a
Dec 14, 2001
692
31
Tiger Bay
a possible but time consuming fix......export an edl from fcp (cmx 3600) open it in ap6.5 re digitise. was the vote to use premiere for just this project or for the duration of the class? if it's just this one can you borrow premiere from anyone for this project? "projects not done in premiere will not be accepted", i'm thinking the professor doesn't want just a quicktime movie but wants to see the timeline of the nle to see how you are working ......sounds like you'll have to use premiere.
 
leftbanke7

leftbanke7

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Feb 4, 2004
746
1
West Valley City, Utah
748s said:
a possible but time consuming fix......export an edl from fcp (cmx 3600) open it in ap6.5 re digitise. was the vote to use premiere for just this project or for the duration of the class? if it's just this one can you borrow premiere from anyone for this project? "projects not done in premiere will not be accepted", i'm thinking the professor doesn't want just a quicktime movie but wants to see the timeline of the nle to see how you are working ......sounds like you'll have to use premiere.
Click to expand...

The vote was for the duration of the class. Most of those who voted for AP are PeeCee users. The professor, himself, has nothing against FCP and is actually complimentary of it and has it available on all of the class computers. There is no stipulation saying I have to use AP. He just says that the projects the class turn in have to be able to be importable and viewable in AP or they won't be accepted. This is where I am somewhat concerned. All of my previous video editing experience was done 8-9 years ago with tape decks and a simple titler. I am not familiar with DV compatability and codecs and the like. I just want to make sure that if I do decide to use FCP or FCE that my work will be viewable with AP. I'd rather not buy AP for the above stated reasons and going to the class to do work there is inconvienant not to mention silly being I have the means to do it at home.

As for the timeline, this weeks assignment is the last one where he wants to see our work on the timeline so we are required to do the work at school but beginning next week, we are free to use whatever, where ever.

Thanks for all of the suggestions so far!
 
LethalWolfe

LethalWolfe

macrumors G3
Jan 11, 2002
9,370
124
Los Angeles
Good news and bad news.

Bad news: Adobe 6.5 is an an unintuitive pice of crap. I used it for a year and wanted to rip my hair out on an almost daily basis. I can't believe any instructor in their right mind would pick, or allow to be picked, a program that is long dead and crappy to use.

Good news: It's the archer not the arrows. FCP, iMovie, Premiere, Vegas, Avid, razor blade & splicing tape, whatever. Learning the craft of editing is the same on all of them. Focus on the task and not the tools and everything you learn will transfer across any platform you work with.


748s,
I'm not sure if AP 6.5 can import an EDL.


Lethal
 
E

Espnetboy3

macrumors 6502
Feb 1, 2003
463
0
my classes also use premiere 6.5 for the mac lab and they can import edl. I like the layout of the program its too bad adobe dropped mac support.
 
T

TechSurfer

macrumors newbie
Feb 8, 2005
7
0
Too bad nobody in the industry uses Adobe Premiere anymore...<<sarcasm>> And there's a REASON nobody uses Premiere in the real world...Final Cut Pro is that reason.
 
markjones05

markjones05

macrumors 6502a
Jan 15, 2003
935
0
Brooklyn, NY
TechSurfer said:
Too bad nobody in the industry uses Adobe Premiere anymore...<<sarcasm>> And there's a REASON nobody uses Premiere in the real world...Final Cut Pro is that reason.
Click to expand...

Avid is more the reason. But FCP is a close second.
 
Lacero

Lacero

macrumors 604
Jan 20, 2005
6,637
3
Stupid classmates, lol. I'd drop out if this continues. Nobody uses AP on Macs. FCP is the standard on Macs.
 
M

MisterGreen

macrumors newbie
Nov 17, 2004
22
0
if'n...

If I was you, I'd get FC3 used on ebay or something.. its got a few neat things you probably want if yer learning pro-video...(visible time code being the most important) then you can always upgrade to FC4 down da road....
 
R

riwanami

macrumors member
Sep 4, 2003
72
0
Tokyo, Japan
leftbanke7 said:
I decided on Final Cut Express. Again, thanks for all the suggestions and help guys.
Click to expand...


I hope you were able to get the recently updated Final Cut Express HD, and not the older Final Cut Express 2.0. The Express HD not only adds HD capabilities, but also includes other features that were previously available only with FCP..
 
Lacero

Lacero

macrumors 604
Jan 20, 2005
6,637
3
One thing FC Express does not have is timecode, which I think is one of the most essential features missing. Timecode allows you to recapture or otherwise be able to do offline edits on a PB or otherwise.
 
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