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Can I learn FCP well enough by using Premiere?

R

rdhmario3suit

macrumors member
Original poster
I'm starting out in my university's telecom dept. doing video editing. They use FCP pretty much exclusively, but macs are so expensive that I'd rather get a PC and use other software. Would it be dumb to just get a pc and do premiere when at home, and apply those skills to FCP? It's a difference of hundreds of dollars, and the software is not a problem to acquire as a student.

Anyways, thanks
 
yes and no... its looks the same, same tools. Its the same concept of editing.. As long as you know how to set in and out points your good for basic editing, for more advance features you'll need to fool around with it.
 
I need a portable solution, so it's basically either a get a MBP for 1800 (tried a macbook and it just didn't cut it) or get an HP which is more powerful for approx $1400.

Of course the OS is the big difference, and I don't know if FCP is worth the extra $400, but I would pay it if it was necessary or would really help me to learn how to edit videos. I need to learn FCP but in class I'll have access to those macs; it's just outside class that I'm talking about.
 
I'd say the MB/FCP is worth the $400 difference, i think it'd be weird to have to switch from FCP to Adobe every day, plus i doubt the render files etc. would transfer properly if you had to work on a FCP project your doing in school using Premiere on an HP at home....
 
marioman38 said:
I'd say the MB/FCP is worth the $400 difference, i think it'd be weird to have to switch from FCP to Adobe every day, plus i doubt the render files etc. would transfer properly if you had to work on a FCP project your doing in school using Premiere on an HP at home....
Click to expand...

Yea, that's what I'm worried about...
 
Practically speaking there is no jumping between FCP and PP so any ideas of starting a project at school on FCP and taking it home for the weekend to finish it up on PP should exit your head never to return.

The basics of editing are the basics of editing. You can learn them on FCP, PP, iMovie, or by taking scissors and tape to a reel of film. But some tools are better for some jobs and some tools are perceived as being better for certain jobs. PP seems to have been relegated to the event/coporporate/industral aspect of the industry and is pretty much scoffed at by people working in the TV/film/commercial aspects of the industry. If you wanted to save money on hardware by getting a PC I'd get a copy of Avid Xpress Pro instead of PP. Just some other food for thought, owning a Mac and/or at least being Mac-savvy can be helpful as well since this is a very Mac-centric industry.


Lethal
 
All the advice in this thread is actually very good. (Probably never again to be said on MR 🙂) Puckhead, Lethalwolf and MarioMan are giving great points.

So I would agree with everyone here and summarize that the 400 savings in the scheme of things is really going to be a disadvantage if you work w FCP @ school and want to ever work on the same project on both platforms thats impossible. here is no beneft and real savings... also you could just buy a used MB or PBG4 and save 400 bucks easily - negating the whole theory.

If you know FCP or Premiere you can learn the basics of the other in about 20 mins. They are very similar, and like Lethal said any video pro either uses Avid or FCP and learning premier really isnt an asset in your career as being a FCP or Avid pro is.

Best of luck whatever you decide.
 
Thanks guys. I'm probably going to go with the MBP. I might just do the same as cash thing as I should be getting some more money next month, and I technically could pay it off at any time, but it will give me a little more leeway in case there's an unexpected bill (new apartment...electricity in winter might be higher than usual, etc.)
 
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