Apple to Allow Additional FCP 7 Enterprise Licenses and More on FCP X

[gorgeousninja]

Some will cost?

That is pretty much the final straw for our facility. Between the disastrous release itself, dependence upon third parties for partial functionality, and now the prospect that there will be additional Apple costs on top of it all for this amateur piece of junk to even approach the necessities of a professional NLE, it will soon be time to jump ship.

We will play out FCP7 for a few more months, but certainly will not be spending any more money with Apple for their ill-considered, poorly designed hobby software ever again. The dream of those of us who supported FCP for years, putting up with the Avid users mocking the upstart software is over, and it hurts even more that the Avid crowd was eventually justified.

I'm sure you mean to sound incredibly professional but instead just sound like a petulant little kid. I wonder whether it's as bad as some say or if some people just like throwing their toys out the pram cos they think it makes them look important..... And worrying about avid users mocking you...I suggest you get out the playground then...

 

[179202]

You said it yourself: You can't understand. You can't understand because you don't use the tool. Imagine having Photoshop taken away and have it replaced with Preview.app that has two more buttons on it than it has now. And I'm not even talking about the missing XML and OMF capabilities.

There is a horrible misconception at Apple regarding what makes a software smart and easy to use recently. They think they have to cater to the kind of idiots that don't even get, that they can load music to their iPhone (I have met such people, really).

The problem is, that they will always loose that battle. The power users are pissed because logical concepts and features are taken away and the idiots… well, they still are just that.
They won't fully (or even halfway) understand any kind of software, so they just get lost either way. Look at the questions some people have with FCPX in the forums…

No camera maker was ever able (or will ever be) to make a camera (cheap or expensive), that let idiots take National Geographic quality pictures. Same thing.

Realllllly it's like someone giving you Preview and saying 'This is what we'll be doing in the future so start getting used to it, it'll get better' and letting you carry on using Photoshop until you can justify switching your workflow to it.

 

[179202]

So what are you moving to and how are the transition costs lower than those to FCP X with some additional costs? Also - how does the release of FCP X make a move from FCP 7 more urgent to you? Or were you planning to switch software even before the release of FCP X? Finally - FCP X is not the end of the road, bur rather the OS X for movie professionals.

I think you would save money and a lot of pain by considering to wait and see whether the version following FCP X makes a move less necessary. Unless you're in an urge to leave FCP 7 NOW, whatever the price. This software is very much alive.

I can't upvote you enough. Its refreshing to see someone realistic in these FCPX forums (I know there are others but the sensationalists outnuber us 10-1!)

 

[ranReloaded]

Closest thing to an admission of fault we'll ever get from Apple, I'd say.

People will still need to keep FCP7 installed, since they might have to go back and work on older project. What a silly thing to leave out...

I suspect a third party might release some kind of conversion tool.

As far as I know, there's nothing preventing you from "Keeping FCP7 Installed".

Granted, as of today you can't buy any extra seats.

 

[Digitalclips]

This is all pretty good news and a PR repair job that should never have been needed. Having now used X for a week or so I have to admit it can do pretty much everything I thought it couldn't at first use. Extending 7 licenses is an excellent move. If all we are left with is no import of projects then I think that can be lived with.

 

[baryon]

There's nothing wrong with FCP X. Well, other than its name. It should be called "Final Cut Pro X Alpha Concept Preview" or "iMovie 2013 Alpha", and no one would be angry. Should be free though, during the Alpha and Beta phase.

In its current state it's useless. You can't even reverse a clip, or add keyframes to things like Exposure or Saturation. It also crashes about once every 10 minutes, and takes 1 hour to render - with huge graphical glitches - a 2 second-long clip on 50% speed, with Optical Flow turned on. During that time not only can you not use Final Cut Pro, but your entire computer is unresponsive. It won't even move the freaking mouse. Background rendering! Yay!

 

[Rolfe]

Multicam

Somebody needs to explain to me how multicam editing will ever be possible with one window...

 

[Truffy]

So what are you moving to and how are the transition costs lower than those to FCP X with some additional costs? Also - how does the release of FCP X make a move from FCP 7 more urgent to you? Or were you planning to switch software even before the release of FCP X? Finally - FCP X is not the end of the road, bur rather the OS X for movie professionals.

I think you would save money and a lot of pain by considering to wait and see whether the version following FCP X makes a move less necessary. Unless you're in an urge to leave FCP 7 NOW, whatever the price. This software is very much alive.

You had it until the last bit. It's still alive, but if many pros move to alternatives (and it's a big 'if' I don't know how much of all this is hot air), will Apple continue developing it (as a pro app)?

As far as I know, there's nothing preventing you from "Keeping FCP7 Installed".

Granted, as of today you can't buy any extra seats.

You can still buy FCP7 and upgrades to it in the online retail chain.

 

[zedsdead]

Somebody needs to explain to me how multicam editing will ever be possible with one window...

I imagine that the interface will change to accommodate that need. Apple at least is working on it thankfully.

 

[dagamer34]

The biggest question you have to ask yourselves is did they even have to release it in this condition? Wouldn't it have been far better when much requested features like XML import/export and multi-cam support were already done? Were they under some kind of imaginary deadline (that Apple themselves must have set)?

Had they released this product 3 months later with more of the needed day-to-day features, I doubt it would have gotten such a bad rap as it does today.

 

[Lennholm]

Big software upgrades always cost. Remember that Final Cut Pro X is a hell of a lot cheaper than Studio used to be. Apple just recognises that not everyone needs some things, so why not get a great basic functionality and let third parties handle those things?

I thought iMovie was for the non-pros, so why is Apple also making FCP simplistic to cater to the amateurs? And from what I've heard from the industry, FCPX is nothing about "great basic functionality", it's useless right now.

 

[macbeta99]

Too little too early

So much is 'coming soon' and 3rd parties will fix it. Bs excuses, seems to me it was nowhere near a finished product and not ready to be called 'pro', FCP 'lite'. Apple marketing really dropped the ball. For a lite product it's fantastic, for a pro product it's appalling.

 

[the vj]

There's nothing wrong with FCP X. Well, other than its name. It should be called "Final Cut Pro X Alpha Concept Preview" or "iMovie 2013 Alpha", and no one would be angry. Should be free though, during the Alpha and Beta phase.

In its current state it's useless. You can't even reverse a clip, or add keyframes to things like Exposure or Saturation. It also crashes about once every 10 minutes, and takes 1 hour to render - with huge graphical glitches - a 2 second-long clip on 50% speed, with Optical Flow turned on. During that time not only can you not use Final Cut Pro, but your entire computer is unresponsive. It won't even move the freaking mouse. Background rendering! Yay!

I believe Steve Jobs left a note with a FCP with an X on top meaning NO! and some intern took it as FCP X. You see? A little typo.

 

[G4er?]

I believe Steve Jobs left a note with a FCP with an X on top meaning NO! and some intern took it as FCP X. You see? A little typo.

You ought to print up some T-shirts that say that.

 

[kunia]

I fail to understand why everyone thinks crippled FCP X is such a great deal. Looking at this new pathetic FCP X 3rd party "upgrade" path you'll have to spend $1k just have half of FC Studio 3 features, not to mention that Color, Soundtrack, DVD Studio and Cinema Tools are dead. And what happens when FCP X gets a new paid feature (that should have been there from the start)? Do you have to dish out another $299? With this new Mac App store distribution BS I hardly see any upgrade pricing.

My girlfriend just got her FCP X refund. She's no pro, but as a final project for her masters she had to shoot and edit a documentary. FCP X came out just before she started editing. She bought it thinking that she'll be able to do all her editing at home instead of spending countless hours in school's FCP 7 labs. That was the idea.... until she got into importing all her Panasonic P2 footage...rest is history.

Even from a non-pro perspective, Apple pissed on every single FCP 7 user. They really need to use some of those magnetic powers on their brain cells - they're completely out of sync with reality.

 

[midnightMachine]

Editors are not complaining about having to learn a new way of editing, the problem with this release is that it does not do the basics. The basics the older software did and that you need it to do to edit!

Last time I checked, the basics were 3 point edits.. Throw in slip, slide and roll and you have a nicely functioning NLE.

Ingest is there, it might not be the way you like it, but it is there. And it seems like 'log and capture' is more of a space saving technique that you used to have to do twice if you were doing online/offline editing. Now you can capture a tape, sub clip it, and if you want to offline edit, make proxies..

Are there features that would be nice to have in Final Cut Pro X..? of course, and in time there is a good chance we will have them. But don't say it doesn't have the basics. What it lacks are features you have grown accustom to, that you might have to learn to edit without. Or you could just keep using FCP 7 which works just fine still. And if you want to make a switch, do it.. I mean who really cares.

 

[nubero]

Do you really believe that Randy Ubilos' (the father of Premiere Pro, FCP, and FCPX) was to make an app for novices? It looks to me like he was trying to make an app that let's editors focus on editing and creativity, not working around limitations of their toolset. Most of the complaining has been about import, export, and interfaces with other software. These are details that can, and will be quickly resolved. The only big mistake by Apple, that they seem to be resolving here, is the lack of an announcement about the ability to continue to buy FCP7 seats for larger shops.

That's just it. I don't know what he was trying to do. The only market I see for this thing is former FCExpress users.

As I said: The point is not a few features missing that you can check on a checklist with the next update. The change in philosophy is what makes power users afraid, because it has all the signs of a bad road ahead.

The magnetic timeline for instance has some nice ideas but is rather useless in a real work environment. If you're really, really fast with FCPX you might even end up editing almost as fast as you did with FCP7. Great.

It's this mentality of adding easy to sell, glittery features that bugs me. There's no real value.

How about this: "Magnetic Timeline automatically keeps material in sync, prevents clip collisions, and eliminates gaps."
In my book, if you ever had sync problems that gave you so many headaches that this sounds good to you, you're just no good as an editor. I don't want to say "You're no Pro" because I know a few people that are Pros by the definition of making a living of it but suck ass as editors anyway…

And what about file handling? Do you really think I'll change my whole work layout just because Apple has some inexplainable brainfart? Just so you know, Final Cut Pro was never a really good app, it just was good enough.
Everybody was hoping they would address the rather obvious shortcomings of that app and now they've ruined that little they had.

 

[zedsdead]

Final Cut Pro X is a "pro" app, however it appears to be geared toward "prosumers" rather than "professionals" which is where the crux of the problem is.

I am in the "prosumer" camp, and have used Final Cut Studio since version 5, and Final Cut Express since it came out. I completely understand why the professionals are upset.

I personally like the overall approach that Final Cut Pro X provides. I think the skimming features that iMovie pioneered are great. However, the crippling of so many professionals features such as the color grading, media organization, and input/output issues is absolutely ridiculous.

I agree that this should have had a different name, or just call it Final Cut since there is no Express or Studio anymore. It is a version 1 product, not a version 10. It has major crash issues. The background rendering and tasks are good, but that could be improved as well.

Overall, I am using it because it is extremely quick for my workflows. I also do not need XML, EDL or anything like that so it works for me for the most part. My biggest requests at this point are Multi-Cam Editing (I shoot bands sometimes), Chapter Marker Export, Copy/Paste of Filters, Folders to organize Events into, etc...as Apple upgrades the program it will help my personal workflow.

Pro have a right to be upset. Apple killed off more than just some features in Final Cut Pro, they completely ended many of the other apps as well.

As for Compressor 4, what a piece of garbage. Even the Batch Monitor was rewritten in Cocoa 64-Bit...how could they not upgrade compressor? It should just automatically use all cores and threads. You should not have to set up clusters that constantly crash and not work anyway (they could have hired the Handbrake people for this...would have been much better...). It would be nice if it had advanced tagging features as well.

 

[NoFlash]

The report I saw said Multicam will be free.

2 Apple reps, one said paid (most senior) other thought free... I know where my money is wanted...

 

[Chupa Chupa]

Some will cost?

That is pretty much the final straw for our facility. Between the disastrous release itself, dependence upon third parties for partial functionality, and now the prospect that there will be additional Apple costs on top of it all for this amateur piece of junk to even approach the necessities of a professional NLE, it will soon be time to jump ship.

Did you really expect every future update to be free? It wasn't in the past, i.e. 1.0 to 2.0, etc. Why would you think when FCPX 2.0 ships in 12 or 18 or how many months it would be free?

I'm not defending either Apple or FCPX, Apple clearly botched this launch, and FCPX 1.0 definitely is more for hobbyists and small shops than those that do corp and movie gigs. However, your overreaction is a bit cliched, weeks after the launch. FCP is a piece of s/w, not a girlfriend that cheated on you w/ your best friend. Get over it.

 

[Lone Deranger]

Is not about pricing or lack of features, it is about trust. That is why 100% of my colleges are changing to Avid or Adobe.

Apple came to the party and crap in the middle of the floor. No one wants to work with amateur and Apple is showing just that, if you stay with Apple with FCP X you will live a nightmare when the other two are just fine.

Apple dropped the ball.

By the way you've been blindly ranting about this for weeks now, even in the face of reason, they dropped it right on your head I think.

 

[coocooforcocoap]

Well that's some good news!

Oh dear...

But wait, if you can export XML from 7.03 and then import that XML into FCPX 10.?, isn't that support for FCP 7 projects? Or am I missing something? Anyway, at this point, any news is good news...

 

[milo]

So many of the missing features will require third party solutions, and some of the updates from apple will be paid ones? So much for X being cheaper.

All the more reason for high end users to give it a lot of time before switching. Assuming it even makes sense to stay with FC instead of switching to another app.

At least apple is finally giving some answers, it's pretty amazing how much they managed to botch this release, both the software itself and their communication with users. Hope they learn from it and consider changing their policy of no product roadmap visibility.

 

[handsome pete]

With all these forums pages for the fcx, i really would hope the people commenting are editors who earn their wages from final cut. If not, please stay out.

You can't turn around and say "well there you go, stop whining now". I have said this before and i will say i one more time. Editors are not complaining about having to learn a new way of editing, the problem with this release is that it does not do the basics. The basics the older software did and that you need it to do to edit!

Apple has dropped the ball on this one, and now they're just kicking it around and by the quotes from the meeting they're not even bothered with getting it fixed. They've even made it impossible to carry over your old projects. No help there to move you over to a new programme!

Post houses will walk away from FC. The don;t have time to possible have something fixed "soon", at a cost. Automatic duck costs another $500! Whats the full cost of getting a working NLE system?

Well said. I've been saying pretty much the same thing since the release.

We've had to buy 2 additional FCP7 seats in the meantime, but we've been looking at our upgrade path over the past year hoping to see what Apple was going to bring with the next major update. No one was going to switch overnight, but seeing as FCP7 was outdated already, this release has so far painted the picture that Apple isn't all that concerned with their broadcast customers anymore. And unless they perform some miracles on FCPX in the next 6 months to a year, they're going to lose a lot of business to Adobe and Avid.

I know many professionals (people who get paid to do this type of work) who simply don't use the same workflows as those who need those niche features (which, like it or not, they are).

You simply have no idea what you're talking about if you call any of the missing features "niche."

 

[charlituna]

Closest thing to an admission of fault we'll ever get from Apple, I'd say.

Apple gave us advanced notice of the software's look and feel and a notion of the release. So how it is their fault that some very loud mouth folks didn't bother to secure extra copies/licenses just in case before this happened.

Folks I might add that didn't do their research to see the "completely rewritten" comments or to know Apple's release style.

This is more Apple fixing their screw up.

And don't try to claim they didn't know they would need the seats. They knew it was very possible. Because these movies, tv shows etc don't just pop up over night. The planning started way before April for many and by May for pretty much all. Even if it was just planning they knew they would need X more seats and that FCP7 would be cut cause that is Apple's style. So one of the first things would be to secure more seats, etc. Well if they were smart. But they weren't and not they are trying to blame someone else.