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Ryth

macrumors 68000
Apr 21, 2011
1,591
157
What did you move on to? I'm still using FCP '7'---but I have finally (Because of Creative Cloud---and my perennial updates to Adobe's Audition, my favorite wave editor) picked up the Master Suite from Adobe via Creative Cloud. Pretty sweet deal @ $29/month (Vs. the $2700 outlay for the suite itself). Just required the one year commitment. We'd been using After Effects as well, so giving Premier a shot was common sense. I've been using it for a couple months now...and it's cool. Especially with the new nVidia graphics cards in the rMBP. It runs really well---we shoot Panasonic AVC Intra 50/100 (HPX 250s)on P2 cards and FCP7 natively handles it well in ProRes timelines. FCPx as well, and I'm actually tempted to try 'X' as I've got kind of a lull in time business-wise until the wedding season/wildlife shoots start this summer.

Just curious what you moved to---and if you've truly given up on FCP altogether (For me---FCP 7 has worked just fine...but Premier was, as mentioned, common sense as it came with the CC suite!). I like Premier, but from what I've been looking at---FCPx looks pretty sweet right now. The multi Cam editing missing initially killed it for us. We also use Canon's 5d MkII and MkIII DSLRs to mix footage with the Pannys. Now that some of these updates have taken place, I'm intrigued. You're not?

J

Yah I've been using Premiere (though I'm an AE graphics person by heart) but FCX looks way more intuitive for video editing IMO.
 

curmudgeon32

macrumors regular
Aug 28, 2012
240
1
I am probably the FCP X user pros hate. I'm a novice stepping up from iMovie. I messed around with an older version of FCP once and found it quite intimidating and not at all easy to learn. I'm pretty good with futzing around and figuring out new stuff. I taught myself to use Illustrator, Photoshop, etc years ago, and more recently managed to edit a fairly complicated radio piece in Adobe Audition. Final Cut was daunting though, and I just stuck with iMovie as my needs were quite modest. Then, a couple years later, I tried FCP X and was very quickly able to start discovering its features based on what I knew from Apple's interfaces in GarageBand and iMovie (I can hear the pros gritting their teeth as I write that).

I don't doubt for a second that there are tons of things that real professionals hate about this version of Final Cut, but from the "prosumer" perspective, it's great. Features are very discoverable and intuitive, and I haven't yet had to do something I can't do (which isn't to say I won't!).

People have desparaged this as "iMovie Pro", and I have to say they're right. I feel like FCP X is designed for newer editors to be able to pick up fairly easily, and in the process jettisons a lot of what the pros are used to seeing.

Anyway, this is all just to say that for the set of non-pro users that I fall into, FCP X is pretty great to work with, and let's hope they start improving it so that pros can use it again. Or, more likely, pros will move on to more advanced stuff and this will just remain the step-up from iMovie.
 
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Fantola

macrumors member
Oct 12, 2012
87
0
Århus, Denmark
:mad:

Same here. Couldn't wait to try out FCPX in my new iMac.
It runs like ****, crashes a lot! :(
Playback takes forever to load...

Really frustrating!
 

PeterQVenkman

macrumors 68020
Mar 4, 2005
2,023
0
That marketing push has one hell of an uphill battle. Unless they dramatically change the software and release new hardware, who cares?
 

mjsanders5uk

macrumors regular
May 11, 2009
100
0
How hard can it be to update the software and give us the traditional user interface layout? Not asking for much.

Why would they re invent the wheel? For once we have an alternative ways of working. If you want tracks etc there's PPro or Avid, if you don't there's FCP X.

For some it works for others not.

The biggest downside for Apple is you cannot get the power of X till you really understand it and use it in anger, but you can't do that by dipping your toe in it.
 

invalidname

macrumors member
May 1, 2003
64
9
Grand Rapids, MI
They are waiting - they'll mac pro with the next big wave in power, mark my words. It'll come with the power for swift 4k editing in fcpx out the box and make everything else look slow.
I hope you're right. My fear is that if they ever do ship a new Mac Pro, it'll be some Jony Ive indulgence… like a 2" thin mirrored hexagon that you are meant to hang on your wall, with no optical media or expandability.

Actually, that's my second-tier fear. My first fear is that what Tim Cook meant by "something really great for later next year" will turn out not to be a genuine Mac Pro at all, but some flim-flam like a cloud computing platform (atop iCloud, because we know how great that is) that will let us do our edits in a virtual desktop on our iPads. But not, you know, burn discs or anything.
 

Vctr

macrumors regular
May 24, 2012
209
2
Don't be mad guys this is fantastic news. The fact that they want the pro's and "prosumor" back makes it more likely that they will in fact, release a new mac pro.

It's not really good news in the sense that Apple is willing to push marketing dollars to draw the prosumer rather than spend those same dollars on creating better products for prosumers.
 

gstrocco

macrumors newbie
Jun 29, 2011
3
0
FCPX - What Apple SHOULD be doing

Here's what Apple SHOULD be doing to win back 'professionals':


1) Get a realistic list of the top ten things that 'professionals' are demanding for FCP X and implement them NOW.

2) Provide a ballpark timeline of FCP X updates. It doesn't have to be a detailed roadmap, but at least let us know when to expect updates in the future.

3) Reveal the release date of the new Mac Pro. I understand that for other products, Apple doesn't want to do this as people will stop buying products if they know when the next one will be released. But I doubt there's a lot of people buying Mac Pro's now anyway, so just tell us when it's coming.

4) Ensure that FCP X runs FLAWLESSLY on all Apple systems, including iMac, MacBook and upcoming Mac Pro, regardless of OS or video hardware.

5) Strike deals with 3rd party developers/vendors to integrate some kind of import/conversion process for competing applications. Want to come back to FCPX from Premiere? Importing projects should be fast and efficient. Need to send a project to After Effects (Motion might be an interesting app, but you should recognize that AE is the industry standard and isn't going anywhere), no problem. We should be able to export to AE directly from a FCPX timeline (doesn't need to round-trip, just a clean timeline export would be nice).


There's so much more I would like to demand, but I think these are my top 5 for now.
 

ProVideo

macrumors 6502
Jun 28, 2011
497
688
Since Apple has a close relationship with Disney, I find it interesting that no networks or units under the Disney Media Network are listed as examples of FCPX being used in real world scenarios. I would think Apple would be willing to basically give away the software and support, along with a good discount on hardware just to get a major network or studio in their corner.

Walter Murch and the Coen Brothers using Final Cut Pro was a major selling point that gave people confidence to switch in the mid 2000's. No studio, company, or editor listed in this article or on Final Cut Pro's In Action page gives enough confidence to think that it's capable of anything or more that Avid is.

From Apple's projected attitude it also seems there is a chance that they could scrap the whole Pro side within 3-5 years and have likely been considering it. Not many companies or studios are willing to invest in a system or software switch/overhaul when such a potential headache down the road is a possibility. When almost no one is questioning if Avid or Premiere will be around 5-10 years from now, they are providing the most stable long term solution in the eyes of the people making the purchasing decisions.
 

darthraige

macrumors 68000
Aug 8, 2007
1,612
2
Coruscant, but Boston will do.
Why would they re invent the wheel? For once we have an alternative ways of working. If you want tracks etc there's PPro or Avid, if you don't there's FCP X.

For some it works for others not.

The biggest downside for Apple is you cannot get the power of X till you really understand it and use it in anger, but you can't do that by dipping your toe in it.

Lucky for me I'm a master at Premiere and Avid. I got no time to dumb down and learn cheese.
 

The Phazer

macrumors 68030
Oct 31, 2007
2,997
930
London, UK
Doomed to failure.

Professional users can't take the risk that Apple might decide to pull working software, replace it with total junk and then take two years before it gets to a state where they're not so embarrassed by it they don't even do any marketing.

Now they've done it once, what does this campaign to do persuade people they won't do it again?
 

Astro7x

macrumors regular
Mar 3, 2010
168
21
Not shipping a modern Mac Pro does a lot more to hurt Apple's credibility with video professionals than last year's gripes about Final Cut Pro X. A lot of editors are indeed happy with the improvements to FCPX since then (Philip Hodgetts in particular). But if they're going to be expected to run it on the absurd new iMac (it's thin! who cares!), or the hopelessly out-of-date Mac Pro, then they're right to ask themselves if Apple really wants their business anymore, and if it wouldn't be safer long-term to migrate to Premiere or Avid on Windows.

If you purchased a July 2010 MacPro and are running FCP7, you're still in pretty good shape and should have no reason to really need to upgrade if you're running Final Cut. But if you are on a Pre Jan 2008 equipment and want to upgrade, and there is no new Mac Pro and no improvement in FCP, it's very likely people will switch to PCs with Premiere/Avid and now they can't switch back.

Right now FCP runs fine on my 2008 Mac Pro, and while I have minor complaints, there is no reason for me to switch from FCP7, and many other companies do the same. They are not just going to suddenly switch all their equipment to Avid of Premiere simple because FCPX is garbage. They are going to wait until their equipment needs updating and then decide.
 

SaxPlayer

macrumors 6502a
Jan 9, 2007
713
635
Dorset, England
I know it's already been posted on here lots, but I'm going to stick my 2p's worth in too.

I feel faintly insulted by that press release. Do Apple have no idea at all what pro users actually need to edit all that hefty video footage? It's not an iMac or a portable.

The only way Apple will win back the trust of pro users is to update the flaming Mac Pro. :mad: I realise it's unlikely to come soon because of Intel's roadmap but it was promised this year and as we're not children you can safely tell us when to expect it and guess what? We'll wait patiently and buy it when it comes out as we can then plan ahead.

Let's face it. Us Mac Pro owners have had plenty of practice at being patient. :(
 

Cory Bauer

macrumors 6502a
Jun 26, 2003
615
233
Final Cut Pro X can still only save and open projects on physically connected drives - meaning it's still a complete non-starter for us. It's like Final Cut Pro X comes from an alternate reality where networking, WiFi, and Ethernet don't exist.
 

WRP

macrumors 6502a
Jul 20, 2011
511
4
Boston
I bought FCP X when it first was released, played with it for a day and haven't opened it since.

We still have FCP7. For what we do, mostly AE with FCP used as the layout framework, 7 will still be fine for years. I'm waiting a couple to see where the market goes. What you switch to is very important and I'm not taking bets on that yet. In a few years we should see solidly where the majority of agency's and smaller production companies lean to and when that is laid out we will jump ship and convert new products.

It isn't practical for a gang of editors to jump ship to Premiere if we go AVID or FCPX in 2 years or vice versa for legacy purposes. For now, FCP 7 will be our go to and we will let the future decide our NLE of choice.
 

Macist

macrumors 6502a
Mar 13, 2009
784
462
All hope was lost when they first released it. I see no worth in trying to win back the 'professionals'. We have already moved on.

Don't speak for everyone.

Final Cut X's launch was a shambles and it wasn't ready for primetime but truth be told, with all the updates it's the most fluid and pleasant way to do video for the most part. Sad that its greatness was overshadowed at first.

I agree that Apple needs to settle nerves, though. People think Aperture will be killed. People think Logic is dead. Why don't they just set up a small semi-autonomous Apple Business Unit and let that focus on the needs of people that work with Apple product for their living instead of lumping it all together with iPod Shuffles and the like?
 

invalidname

macrumors member
May 1, 2003
64
9
Grand Rapids, MI
If you purchased a July 2010 MacPro and are running FCP7, you're still in pretty good shape and should have no reason to really need to upgrade if you're running Final Cut. But if you are on a Pre Jan 2008 equipment and want to upgrade, and there is no new Mac Pro and no improvement in FCP, it's very likely people will switch to PCs with Premiere/Avid and now they can't switch back.

Also, the 2008 Mac Pro (which seems to be really popular… it's what I use and it seems to come up in these conversations a lot) can't even run FCPX or Motion without upgrading from the original video card. These users may be the ones most ready to buy the Mythical Modern Mac Pro, if Apple ever releases it. Or maybe they're the ones who are giving up over the next year or so and switching platforms.
 

Orlandoech

macrumors 68040
Jun 2, 2011
3,341
887
Next they will release a campaign to win back iWork users, then a campaign to win back Mac pro users, and then a campaign to.... wait... would it not be easier for Apple to keep their software and hardware updated, customers informed, and progress forward continuously with features to maintain their customers then try to explain why they should come back when they lose them out of pure neglect and ignorance?

they're too busy making new ipads and iphones every 8-12 months to update software or computers lolz.
 

chuckiej

macrumors regular
Jun 16, 2003
133
0
All hope was lost when they first released it. I see no worth in trying to win back the 'professionals'. We have already moved on.

Seriously? Is that how you work in a professional environment? By ignoring a potentially better tool that had a bad launch?
 

tevion5

macrumors 68000
Jul 12, 2011
1,966
1,600
Ireland
Be great if they started caring about pro's again. I love watching the old G5 launch videos with Jobs talking about powerful new Nvidia 6800 and the like :D

Be nice to see that kind of interest again.
 
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