Alternatives to Final Cut Pro X - cannot stand it any longer

[Plughugger]

Right. I've had it. I'm so utterly fed up with Final Cut Pro X. It's like the bloody Microsoft Word of video editing. I am more or less expecting a little happy dog to jump out on the screen saying "It looks like you are going to make a video". I don't want a software that is trying to guess what I am trying to do. And why on bloody earth isn't it possible to export files into a place of my choice? In what way is it better to save the exported movies under "Home Videos" deeply nested in a folder structure.

Rant over.

And before the fanatic fanboys come and "educate" me, let me just say that I've been trying to gel with FCPX since the day it was released, which is time enough. We do not fit together and now it's time to go separate ways.

I am aware of Adobe Premiere - never worked with it - and I'd gladly take it for a spin, but I'm not too fond of subscribing to a software. I rather buy my software.

What would your recommendations be?

Thank you.

/Carl

 

[DanPhillips]

And why on bloody earth isn't it possible to export files into a place of my choice? In what way is it better to save the exported movies under "Home Videos" deeply nested in a folder structure.

Rant over.

And before the fanatic fanboys come and "educate" me, let me just say that I've been trying to gel with FCPX since the day it was released, which is time enough. We do not fit together and now it's time to go separate ways.

You've been "working" with FCPX since it's released, but you haven't figured out how to export to a selected folder (which, btw, isn't named "Home Videos" by default in any event)? It's a standard "save" dialog.

 

[kohlson]

I found Izzy's tutorials very helpful in helping me understand how to use FCP. (No connection to Izzy - but he has a set of free tutorials, and then some paid modules.) My experience with coming up to speed on FCP seems to be different than yours, which is that seemingly every pixel on the screen seems to be an interface into something, and then several levels beyond that. That said, options are limited for full-featured video editing on the Mac: Premiere and Avid, both of which are subscription. Or, iMovie or Premiere Elements. Or Windows.

 

[Plughugger]

I found Izzy's tutorials very helpful in helping me understand how to use FCP. (No connection to Izzy - but he has a set of free tutorials, and then some paid modules.) My experience with coming up to speed on FCP seems to be different than yours, which is that seemingly every pixel on the screen seems to be an interface into something, and then several levels beyond that. That said, options are limited for full-featured video editing on the Mac: Premiere and Avid, both of which are subscription. Or, iMovie or Premiere Elements. Or Windows.

Thank you for a very helpful answer. I am a sound designer by profession and I am working a lot with both linear and clip based audio software - and compared with that world, FCPX is a weird mixture of something for absolute beginners and experts. The professional tools are there but packed in a interface so full of oddities that that it makes me wonder who is in charge of the software.

Again - thanks again for your reply. Adobe CC is totally out of the question for me. I wish there were something like Pixelmator, but for video.

/C

 

[nateo200]

Uh...FCP X is super easy to use. Exporting videos is easy and you can export anywhere....I don't know how you haven't figured this out. I'd suggest working with it more than you have, I learned pretty fast by just editing whatever I could get my hands on, even if that meant making some random video on my camera with barely anything to edit. I like Premiere Pro as an alternative and many have gone to it since its more "traditional" with everything modern but FCP X just does it for me, with the latest release there are very few I feel need to be added so at this point it really has matured. Compared to other NLE its really quick. If you aren't a visual person it might not do much for you, I know a few audio people who live in Pro Tools and Cubase or whatever and look at FCP X and just don't get it.

EDIT: Woah OP posted right before me! Didn't see that! I guess my post was rather telling

 

[Plughugger]

Uh...FCP X is super easy to use. Exporting videos is easy and you can export anywhere....I don't know how you haven't figured this out. I'd suggest working with it more than you have, I learned pretty fast by just editing whatever I could get my hands on, even if that meant making some random video on my camera with barely anything to edit. I like Premiere Pro as an alternative and many have gone to it since its more "traditional" with everything modern but FCP X just does it for me, with the latest release there are very few I feel need to be added so at this point it really has matured. Compared to other NLE its really quick. If you aren't a visual person it might not do much for you, I know a few audio people who live in Pro Tools and Cubase or whatever and look at FCP X and just don't get it.

EDIT: Woah OP posted right before me! Didn't see that! I guess my post was rather telling

Well, yes. I guess that's it - I understand that the world of video is vastly different from the world of audio - just speaking in terms of software of course. But if there would be a program like FCPX in the audio world it wouldn't get many users. In fact - the whole user base of Logic fears that Apple will do to Logic with what they did with FCPX.

That being said - it's all about learning your tools. But since I use FCPX about once per month, it's not really the highest of priorities.

And yes... I still haven't figured out where to export my files. Sure, it might be funny ( or tragic ) - but if I want to export a composition with 30/40 tracks/stems in my audio program, I go to File, click Export and then I choose format, then location. Done. If I would like to save my whole project into another location, I go to Save and pick the damned location. That's easy. That's how it's been done since the days of the Flintstones. The same thing with Pages (which is an excellent application BTW) - you can save and export where ever you want.

Seriously - I truly wish there were something like Pixelmator, but for video.

/C

 

[RCAFBrat]

Seriously - I truly wish there were something like Pixelmator, but for video.

/C

My son grew to like FCPX pretty quickly although he did not like it at all at first - would have preferred FCP7.

If you want to try something different without investing $$$ or subscription try DaVinci Resolve 12 - I have no experience with it but have read some favorable reviews. You can't export 4K video with the free version but I don't think that will be a problem for you.

Cheers

 

[Plughugger]

My son grew to like FCPX pretty quickly although he did not like it at all at first - would have preferred FCP7.

If you want to try something different without investing $$$ or subscription try DaVinci Resolve 12 - I have no experience with it but have read some favorable reviews. You can't export 4K video with the free version but I don't think that will be a problem for you.

Cheers

Thank you so much! I have installed DVR12 and it feels much more logical to me - I haven't done anything really special with it yet, but so far I am very surprised! How on earth can they be giving away something like this for free? It's far from a simple toy.

/C

 

[martinX]

I am aware of Adobe Premiere - never worked with it - and I'd gladly take it for a spin, but I'm not too fond of subscribing to a software. I rather buy my software.

Premiere Elements? I've never used it, but it looks quite capable.

 

[ProjectManager101]

I am using Premiere, I just configured the layout like Final Cut Pro 7 and that is it. I still believe FCP 7 was more intelligent configured but well...

 

[ChrisA]

Right. I've had it. I'm so utterly fed up with Final Cut Pro X. It's like the bloody Microsoft Word of video editing. I am more or less expecting a little happy dog to jump out on the screen saying "It looks like you are going to make a video". I don't want a software that is trying to guess what I am trying to do. And why on bloody earth isn't it possible to export files into a place of my choice? In what way is it better to save the exported movies under "Home Videos" deeply nested in a folder structure.

Rant over.

And before the fanatic fanboys come and "educate" me, let me just say that I've been trying to gel with FCPX since the day it was released, which is time enough. We do not fit together and now it's time to go separate ways.

I am aware of Adobe Premiere - never worked with it - and I'd gladly take it for a spin, but I'm not too fond of subscribing to a software. I rather buy my software.

What would your recommendations be?

Thank you.

/Carl

You will have the same problem with any editor. Your problem is the learning curve. It takes time. You can speed this up be doing some formal training.

All the problems you list are able to be fixed be using various settings. You can certainly save the exports to any place you like. As for it guessing what you want, can you be more specific?

The best way is to sit down and spend the hours and weeks it takes to learn this. Go to MacProVideo, (non-linear education) or Lynda.com and buy a subscription and do ALL the beginner level tutorials. Do not waste your time on You Tube

Yes you can switch to Avid or whatever but you would have to still invest the month or so to come up to speed on that.

 

[dawdragon]

Right. I've had it. I'm so utterly fed up with Final Cut Pro X. It's like the bloody Microsoft Word of video editing. I am more or less expecting a little happy dog to jump out on the screen saying "It looks like you are going to make a video". I don't want a software that is trying to guess what I am trying to do. And why on bloody earth isn't it possible to export files into a place of my choice? In what way is it better to save the exported movies under "Home Videos" deeply nested in a folder structure.

Rant over.

And before the fanatic fanboys come and "educate" me, let me just say that I've been trying to gel with FCPX since the day it was released, which is time enough. We do not fit together and now it's time to go separate ways.

I am aware of Adobe Premiere - never worked with it - and I'd gladly take it for a spin, but I'm not too fond of subscribing to a software. I rather buy my software.

What would your recommendations be?

Thank you.

/Carl

One of the best things I did was to attend a FREE FCPX course at a local Apple store. Run over four weeks I learned a great deal very quickly from somebody who knew the business and was able to express answers in a digestable way! Contact your local Apple store to find out when they running them.

 

[e1me5]

Thank you so much! I have installed DVR12 and it feels much more logical to me - I haven't done anything really special with it yet, but so far I am very surprised! How on earth can they be giving away something like this for free? It's far from a simple toy.

/C

They know what they are doing! When I get some more experience with DVR12 in Color Correction (which is the main function of it), and some spare cash I will buy the full version with those small extra additions that make the difference! But I agree, DVR12 is the best by far, free editing software, but I prefer FCPX for editing because of the magnetic timeline.

 

[Plughugger]

Thank you all for so many constructive replies.

DVR12 is an amazing editor that just clicks with me. I still haven't done any real work with it, so we'll see if it hold up in a real production.

I also appreciate your efforts to make me take the time to actually learn the basics of FCPX and avoid Youtube tutorials. I might actually do that. From what I've seen Izzys tutorials seem to be very hands on and doesn't assume the user is a total idiot - which is my biggest issue with many tutorials from Lynda. A couple of years ago I tried to learn Illustrator from Lynda - and I gave up in disgust after the tutor was spending time explaining he liked the colour yellow because it reminded him of the sun . Some tutorials are so basic that they practically are trying to tell you how to use a mouse - and I have little patience for that.

Again. I bow my head in respect to all of you who constructively have helped me. Thank you.

/Carl

 

[joema2]

Thank you for a very helpful answer. I am a sound designer by profession and I am working a lot with both linear and clip based audio software....

Here is a good video showing how FCP X can be used to edit professional multitrack music:

Larry Jordan: how to export split audio tracks from FCP X: https://larryjordan.com/articles/fcp-x-export-split-audio-tracks/

Moviola.com has a good webinar on FCP X audio editing. It's $9 but in your case probably worth it: http://moviola.com/webinars/understanding-audio-in-final-cut-pro-x/

Ripple Training has an entire course in FCP X sound editing: http://www.rippletraining.com/products/final-cut-pro/sound-editing-in-final-cut-pro-x/

Re alternatives, Sony Vegas supposedly has good audio editing but it's Windows only. You have already found Resolve which is by far the highest end free editor, although focused more on color correction. The free version of Resolve can output UHD 4k (3840 x 2160), just not DCI 4k (4096 x 2160).

 

[Unami]

with fcpx i click the "share" button (instead of export), pick the desired format, tell it the location and let it export to whereever i want...

as for "fcpx wouldn't stand a chance in the audio world"... don't forget that they made it vastly cheaper than the competition - i'm pretty sure if they did the same to logic what they did to final cut and then sell it for $30, they'd find some users.

as others said, alternatives are premiere, avid, lightworks and davinci resolve, or even good old fcp7.

 

[nateo200]

Well, yes. I guess that's it - I understand that the world of video is vastly different from the world of audio - just speaking in terms of software of course. But if there would be a program like FCPX in the audio world it wouldn't get many users. In fact - the whole user base of Logic fears that Apple will do to Logic with what they did with FCPX.

That being said - it's all about learning your tools. But since I use FCPX about once per month, it's not really the highest of priorities.

And yes... I still haven't figured out where to export my files. Sure, it might be funny ( or tragic ) - but if I want to export a composition with 30/40 tracks/stems in my audio program, I go to File, click Export and then I choose format, then location. Done. If I would like to save my whole project into another location, I go to Save and pick the damned location. That's easy. That's how it's been done since the days of the Flintstones. The same thing with Pages (which is an excellent application BTW) - you can save and export where ever you want.

Seriously - I truly wish there were something like Pixelmator, but for video.

/C

Sharing the master file is pretty easy, although it was moved since the first version. On 10.0.0 to like 10.0.3 or so it was under Window and made no sense. The attachment below is how you share as of 10.2.x, you choose master file, all the other options below it are mostly custom settings I've added that go through Compressor, mainly so I can deliver a video at 3:30AM without having to export from FCP X and then to Compressor again, get that extra 30minutes of sleep ;D. I've gotten used to Logic Pro X BTW, I hope they don't change it too much, I was surprised they didnt change it from the older version, but glad since I learned from Logic Pro 9 from others and the old guides still hold true.

 

[Plughugger]

Thanks - I have no idea why I couldn't find the right option in the Share menu. Just tried it and and it works as it should. Brilliant!

/C

 

[martinX]

Thanks - I have no idea why I couldn't find the right option in the Share menu. Just tried it and and it works as it should. Brilliant!

/C

Not sure if I've got it, but are you looking to export a Master File which exports a QuickTime file which may or may not have multiple tracks, but is one contiguous file, or are you looking to move a project, say to another hard drive for editing elsewhere?

 

[nateo200]

Thanks - I have no idea why I couldn't find the right option in the Share menu. Just tried it and and it works as it should. Brilliant!

/C

Yup no problem! On master file you choose a couple of options, since you are an audio guy you'll probably want to make sure your audio is in PCM format if you are sending it somewhere. Not sure if you have Compressor too but its a great tool (albeit $50). I won't lie the first few projects I did on FCP X....there was a lot of swearing, I was new to video editing and had mostly some from FCP 7 here and there and I kept going "this is stupid how can I not find this simple tool?" and I'd look for it and sometimes find it or spend hours digging through a forum and YouTube watching videos that spent 9minutes out of 10 minutes explaining what ProRes was or how to click a freaking mouse. With the most recent updates everything has stayed put and is a bit more intuitive. Keyboard shortcuts are great too, they become very familiar, a lot of stuff I only know or remember by the keyboard shortcut by now.

EDIT: The video above about the audio in FCP X is great. Light Iron is a great company and the CEO is real good with workflows. I love using FCP X for audio since I get all the Logic Pro X plugins but now that I've dived into Logic Pro X more I tend to use that a bit more for audio specific stuff

 

[rishey]

Try Avid.