Best FCP Training sources (books and/or DVDs)

[Spaceghost1]

Hi there,

I know how to do basic editing, I have edited two short films with Adobe Premier Pro but now my university has switched over to Macs and so that means I switch over to FCP5.

This is also my final year's film so I want to do the best damn job I can, I don't want the editing/post-production to look like it was done by a student.

Anyway that does not really affect my question.

There seem to be two types of training material, books with DVDs (that have practice material on them) like the Apple Pro Training series, and then there are the DVD only materials that have the practice clips but also show you what to press with voice over etc as they are doing it (like Ripple training).

I guess both have their pros and cons, so I would like to know who has tried any training material and if there are any they would like to recommend.

Thank you kindly.

 

[chriscorbin]

I am still learning and i've tried the videos and the apple pro training series as well as pro care 1-on-1 training IMO buy the book even if its just for reference its a great thing to have, its the best money ive ever spent in my entire life i use it every time i need to look somthing up. i also used it to learn when i first started out. i rarely did the activities, but even reading through it was helpful as for the video training try lynda.com even though its pricy. go through the trial videos and see if its worth it.if you have pro care USE IT for those un-awnsered questions. I used the videos mainly though
Finalcut has kinda a steep learning curve, but dont get scared

Hope this helps

 

[gvdv]

I've been looking at online materials and really like the stuff at atomiclearning.com
and plan to subscribe when I've got FCE.

I've looked at other online resources and have not been impressed. I watched some introductory lessons on another page yesterday (as you can at atomlearning, to see how the training materials are presented) and was not impressed and have forgotten the page.

Please let us know what you decide on.
GVDV

 

[PkennethV]

It's not a book/DVD but I use http://www.lynda.com/
it's $25 a month or $250 a year for unlimited access to their online training library. There's a Premium subscription for $375 a year and with that you can download the clips they use in the tutorials. Quite frankly though, I don't think you will need their content because the only other movie editing I have ever done is on iMovie and I am very quickly getting the hang of FCP just from watching their training videos.

ah, and I forgot to mention, they have training on a whole bunch of applications. But I signed up primarily to learn FCP. Nice to brush up on my Aperture too though.

 

[Spaceghost1]

I think having the exercise videos would be a good thing because it means I don't have to go out and film something suitable for what I am trying. I looked at some of the lynda videos, the preview ones look boring because it reminds me of a powerpoint presentation, I'm sure they do get more exciting though.

In terms of basic editing, non-linear editing suites are quite similar, certainly the layout of premier pro and FCP are nearly the same, but I guess it is when you start getting into the more advanced features that they begin to differ. I think one thing I am looking to try and acomplish with my film is some kind of colour grading to make it look more like it was shot on film.

Another thing I want is to nail the sound, FCP certianly seems to have superior sound features, and soundtrack pro looks interesting.

 

[Rod Rod]

I recommend the "For Dummies" book for learning Final Cut Pro. According to the search I just did, they only had it for versions 3 and 4.5. However, there are 15 free articles posted on the Dummies site at that link. Here's a search that yielded more free articles and another book (for version 4).

I learned nonlinear on Avid Media Composer in school, so you could say I wasn't a beginner.

In the three years since I bought FCP and the Dummies book, I've been teaching people how to use FCP. Those people had already taken classes in FCP before I met them.

After getting started with the book I've taught myself by doing, by reading sites such as kenstone.net, and I've learned from others by attending meetings of and joining my local Final Cut Pro Users Group.

The learning curve isn't as steep as it first appears. It takes me 15 minutes to get people started on the basics, from logging and capturing to cutting and output.

edit: Here you go for color correction tutorials.
http://www.creativemac.com/2002/10_oct/tutorials/fcpqt9.htm
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/cc_legal_fcp4.html

 

[Spaceghost1]

Thanks for the links and recommendations.

I think I will check out the first Apple book, the good thing with those is that I can take an exam and become certified which I'm sure is something handy to have on the CV.

If anyone has anymore suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks.