Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

SilentLoner

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 29, 2007
1,065
6
Is it final cut pro or any adobe software or any I dont know already.


Any advice would be great. It is for a film studies course.
 

SilentLoner

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 29, 2007
1,065
6
Depending on what you have to do, iMovie might be sufficient. Have you asked your teacher what they recommend for the course?

I want the software to be scalable and to learn professional techniques so iMovie is too basic for my needs.
 

SilentPanda

Moderator emeritus
Oct 8, 2002
9,992
31
The Bamboo Forest
In that case it probably comes down to personal preference like "What's the best web browser". You might look at the field you'd like to get into in the future and see what they are using primarily. But odds are if you learn one and understand the terminology, not just where the buttons are, transitioning between the two (final cut or premiere) shouldn't be a huge deal.
 

waketapps7

macrumors newbie
Mar 22, 2010
3
0
Final Cut Pro 7 is still industry standard, but a lot of people are switching over to Premiere Pro now that Apple isn't supporting Final Cut 7 anymore.

A lot of film and TV is cut on AVID too.
 

SilentLoner

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 29, 2007
1,065
6
Final Cut Pro 7 is still industry standard, but a lot of people are switching over to Premiere Pro now that Apple isn't supporting Final Cut 7 anymore.

A lot of film and TV is cut on AVID too.

Why aren't they support final cut 7? sorry for the confusion its just a lot of money so dont want to back a dead horse as it were.
 

daybreak

macrumors 6502a
Sep 4, 2009
531
0
I think before learning make sure one learns the package what goes with using a software.
What is the point of learning if your product is no good.
iMovie is a good stepping stone for editing video. FCP-7 is still fine but FCP-X is the forerunner, for things to come.
All software has its faults it is a question of how fast or easy it is for you to learn.
Watch a few tutorial on YOUTUBE and see what appeals to you.
I can never understand people asking what software. Instead of saying i like this software what are your recommendation ?
Also how much is one prepared to spend which dont get asked in the equation.
Sorry for being to the point. They advice is there but how are you going to decide?
The making product (Video) has to be good otherwise no editing software will help.:apple:
 

waketapps7

macrumors newbie
Mar 22, 2010
3
0
Apple completely rebuilt Final Cut Pro with the release of FCP X and no longer support FCP 7. The majority of video professionals aren't happy with the change and are jumping ship to something else like Premiere Pro.
 

FroColin

macrumors regular
Jun 4, 2008
150
0
Oh goodness, you can't just ask "which is best". In fact you aren't even qualified to ask the question until you know what would make a NLE "best". Premier has a 30 day free trial, get that, use it. Final Cut Pro X has a 30 day free trial, get that once Premier runs out. Watch youtube videos, you can cut a movie together with iMovie if you have the time. If your looking for the best color grader then it wouldn't be any of them and you should just download Davinci Resolve lite which has all the features of the full one except it can't output bigger than 1080 and doesn't have noise removal. If you want the best visual effects NLE then don't go with an NLE and get after effects, again there is a 30 day trial for this. Or motion for titles (I enjoy using motion much more, personally but really it doesn't matter). If you want the best for 3D work then get Blender for free or any of the other very expensive modeling programs. If you want the best for sound design then get a DAW and learn it and then probably don't get Final Cut Pro X but even then you can make it work. I do. Or get sony veges and be a rebel. Or us Windows movie maker. You're cutting together footage, don't ask for the best one, ask yourself "what do I need to be able to do" and get the one that does that which is probably all of them.

I had iMovie when I was younger and I did the same stuff I do now in terms of cutting up long pieces of video and putting them together.

EDIT: I don't mean to sound harsh. And of course you are "qualified to ask a question" that was a stupid thing for me to say, my point was... There is no best? I actually don't know what my point was.
 

12dylan34

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2009
884
15
Get Final Cut Pro X. It's what everyone else in your film studies course will be using, plus it's probably what your later classes will teach with (that or 7).
 

mjsanders5uk

macrumors regular
May 11, 2009
100
0
Is it final cut pro or any adobe software or any I dont know already.


Any advice would be great. It is for a film studies course.

There is no right answer. You will have to look at all the players in your budget and see which one works best for you and fits in with your workflow.

FWIW I really like FCP X, I've been editing for 25 yrs on tape based and various NLE's but somehow I got the FCP X way of working quite quickly. Other's hate it - fair does. And it can't do everything but it works for the stuff I cut (Broadcast and corporates).

I know there's are trial versions available for download of FCP X and Premier , I think Avid has one as well. Download them and give them a go. It's the only way you will find out.

----------

Apple completely rebuilt Final Cut Pro with the release of FCP X and no longer support FCP 7. The majority of video professionals aren't happy with the change and are jumping ship to something else like Premiere Pro.

As of 10.0.6 that tide seems to be changing, albeit slowly. .6 address a number of issues that some people had and as a result quite a few people are quietly changing their opinion of FCP X.

A lot of people are letting their judgment of X be clouded by the way Apple introduced it. Instead of bringing out X and keep 7 on the shelves, overnight 7 came off sale. That meant big facilities couldn't easily add seats or upgrade older seats to 7. It's a justifiable feeling but it's time to get over it.
 

monokakata

macrumors 68020
May 8, 2008
2,035
582
Ithaca, NY
Avid has some very good deals for students. I think you can get Media Composer 6 for under $300.

They have a 30 day trial offer, like the others
 

puckhead193

macrumors G3
May 25, 2004
9,570
852
NY
FCP 7 is still more then capable. I just finished editing 2, hour and a half broadcast shows..all in a days/week work :rolleyes:
 

pprior

macrumors 65816
Aug 1, 2007
1,448
9
Which is best:

bmw or mercedes
Red or white
Blonde or brunette
Steak or Fish
Soccer or American Football
....

Well other than the last one you get the point (soccer/Futball obviously better...)

I've used both in a limited capacity and like Premiere pro a lot better for editing, but like FCP better for logging and archiving. It's preference and if you're going to be a professional you should learn the system you're likely to use based on where you want to work.
 

SilentLoner

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 29, 2007
1,065
6
Which is best:

bmw or mercedes
Red or white
Blonde or brunette
Steak or Fish
Soccer or American Football
....

Well other than the last one you get the point (soccer/Futball obviously better...)

I've used both in a limited capacity and like Premiere pro a lot better for editing, but like FCP better for logging and archiving. It's preference and if you're going to be a professional you should learn the system you're likely to use based on where you want to work.


Well I will be eventually be teaching the skills to the students in my class.
 

fox10078

macrumors 6502
Nov 6, 2009
467
86
Get Final Cut Pro X. It's what everyone else in your film studies course will be using, plus it's probably what your later classes will teach with (that or 7).

What schools are teaching X? No school I know of around LA is teaching X, most I see stayed on at 7 with no plans to change to X, or Make 7/Premiere the beginning classes and avid their advanced classes.


To the OP get Premiere, X is a joke.
 

12dylan34

macrumors 6502a
Sep 3, 2009
884
15
What schools are teaching X? No school I know of around LA is teaching X, most I see stayed on at 7 with no plans to change to X, or Make 7/Premiere the beginning classes and avid their advanced classes.


To the OP get Premiere, X is a joke.

I would agree with the Premiere thing, it's what I use. Honestly, I have no idea why I said FCP X. The program I'm in uses 7 mostly. That being said, I've seen posters encouraging people to take FCP X courses, and I know that most people around me for some reason seem to favor it.

Overall, I wouldn't worry about choosing one and then missing out on another. NLEs aren't that hard to use (being a good editor is a another story) and most work in pretty much the same way.
 

SilentLoner

macrumors 65816
Original poster
Dec 29, 2007
1,065
6
It's a private school so it's not dictated by a district. Why is X such a joke. I'm getting a lot of opinions without substance

----------

Oh and grades 6-12 but also for my own films.
 

floh

macrumors 6502
Nov 28, 2011
460
2
Stuttgart, Germany
Substance comes with length... so...

I've edited with a lot of different programs, including FCPX, FCP7 and Premiere. I could probably do anything I want with any of these programs. Yet, I am not a good editor because I lack the routine (and maybe talent). This is meant to clearly say: Don't worry too much about which NLE you work with. If you are good in one, you will be able to transfer within two days and get to the same speed within two weeks.

All this being said, here is some background:

FCP7 and Premiere are conceptually very much alike. But FCP7 is old. Meaning it can not use all of your memory and it has not been developed further for some years. I would not recommend to get FCP7, then rather pick Premiere and the transition will be very easy if you ever have to work with FCP7 on a project.

FCPX is a little different than most other NLEs. The concept of the magnetic timeline is not present in any other NLE (well, in iMovie I think it is) and they basically got rid of the very established concept of tracks. There are three things that really pissed off the FCP community at release time:

- First, they had to change their editing style in some points because of the magnetic timeline concept. This was not a huge deal, but if you are working on a deadline and a program is just a tool for you that has to work, learning something new takes up time you don't have. By now, many editors who made the switch admit that for music videos, commercials and short films (and even some larger projects), they actually gained in speed with Apple's new editing concept.

- Second, some major features were missing. That includes usable export to third-party visual effects or audio software, multicam-support, working with tapes or broadcast, and many more. This was a huge deal. Apple is working very hard on getting some of the angry editors satisfied and has since released 6 updates within 15 months and fixed many of the issues. While some are still not perfect or solved with third-party plugins, there is definitely a lot going on and the main problems have been tackled.

- Third, and this would maybe have gotten me off Final Cut if I were a professional editor, you weren't able to open old FCP7 projects in FCPX. Now that is a no-go. They fixed this pretty quickly (via third-party), but it cost them a lot of clients.

Anyone who used FCP7 was pretty emotional about FCPX and many have stayed that way since the release. It is very hard to get an objective opinion on the internet about this, and I don't think I can deliver a perfect one. But hey, you asked for opinions ("best...") so that's what you getting.

So, forget FCP7, the choice is between Premiere and FCPX. Major selling points of FCPX would be the speed you can work with and the pricetag (it's not as huge a difference for students, I know, but it still is a difference). Major selling points for Premiere are that it's more consistent with conservative editing techniques (that's probably not that important for you) and its amazing connection to After Effects for visual effects.

If you are planning to do a lot of effects heavy work and have the money, go with Adobe's Production Premium Suite, including After Effects. If you would rather do lots of music videos, documentaries and interviews, and short films that have to be edited quickly, I would recommend FCPX. You can do either of those things with the other program, it's just not what their strengths are in my opinion.

To sum up: If anyone tells you "Premiere is the only way, FCPX sucks", it's probably because they are used to the established editing technique or were disappointed by the first version. If anyone tells you "FCPX is great and all other editing programs will be like it in the future", they may be an Apple fanboy or have never even tried Premiere. This is obviously exaggerrated, please don't pick up on it and start any flamewars... Both programs will suit your purposes perfectly fine. And even the factor "what are the other students/professors at my school using" is probably more important than any of the arguments you will hear in this thread, because those are the people you will work with and can ask questions directly.

Oh, yes, I wanted to mention Avid Media Composer: Conceptually, this is very close to Premiere. It is priced moderately (for students) and still often used in professional environment for two reasons. First, it bridges nicely to Avid Pro Tools, which many professional audio mixers use. And second, it has been very reliable over the past years. Final Cut was, too, but has now made a big change with FCPX, and Premiere was not that commonly used amongst professional editors in the past. Although many are now making the jump. I am getting the impression that while it is still around (like FCP7), Avid Media Composer is fading out slowly. Well, at least that's what I heard. I'm not a professional and while I've worked with Avid software (Sibelius and Pro Tools), I have not tried out the Media Composer yet.

Good luck and have fun editing.
 

mjsanders5uk

macrumors regular
May 11, 2009
100
0
two reasons. First, it bridges nicely to Avid Pro Tools, which many professional audio mixers use. And second, it has been very reliable over the past years. Final Cut was, too, but has now made a big change with FCPX, and Premiere was not that commonly used amongst professional editors in the past. Although many are now making the jump. I am getting the impression that while it is still around (like FCP7), Avid Media Composer is fading out slowly. Well, at least that's what I heard. I'm not a professional and while I've worked with Avid software (Sibelius and Pro Tools), I have not tried out the Media Composer yet.

In broadcast and features, Avid still has edge, closely followed by FCP 7. MC isn't dying out - however Avid as a company are in big trouble. Avid is still a lot of editors favourite software because that's what they know, and it also has some tools that FCP and Pr don't. Its also the only edit software that can work properly in a shared environment - meaning if you want 20 editors to work from the same pool of footage at the same time you can.

Also Avid is a lot more than just MC, there's DS, Newscutter etc.
 

floh

macrumors 6502
Nov 28, 2011
460
2
Stuttgart, Germany
In broadcast and features, Avid still has edge, closely followed by FCP 7. MC isn't dying out - however Avid as a company are in big trouble. Avid is still a lot of editors favourite software because that's what they know, and it also has some tools that FCP and Pr don't. Its also the only edit software that can work properly in a shared environment - meaning if you want 20 editors to work from the same pool of footage at the same time you can.

Also Avid is a lot more than just MC, there's DS, Newscutter etc.

Thanks for the additional information. There are not many mentionings of Avid in these forums, so it's good to have someone here who actually knows it a little.

I want to add though (as I did for FCP7) that "because that's what they know" is a very bad argument for a software to someone who's just starting out and wants to learn one software. He was asking for "the best" (which spawned all the idealistic opinions, I know), not the most commonly used.

I might give MC a try some time, it's actually affordable for students (250 euros).
 

Policar

macrumors 6502a
Nov 21, 2004
662
7
Avid is the "industry standard" now that FCP7 dropped off the map. It's pretty horrible, though. Premiere might be more fun and it's used a lot, too. FCP7 is my favorite, but worthless to learn.

Editing is simple... placing cuts in sound and image. High end features (except compatibility with formats you need) generally mean nothing; just pick something popular and compatible that you like.
 
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.