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editing questions

S

silentownage001

macrumors regular
Original poster
Dec 1, 2011
151
12
NJ
hey guys so im interest in editing and was looking at different programs. i dont have a mac. yet. hopefully 2012 mbp.

so i know fcpx is a common program. i also looked at final cut studio but the last one was released in 09. also what is motion and compressor? it looks like it is included with fcpx. i watached a few videos for fcpx and it does seem pretty easy to learn the basics.

i also looked at avid media composer 6 since it seems to be one of the most widely used. but 2500 bucks is a lot for me right now

will also be looking into adobe some more but was curious about fcp for now.

any help is much appreciated :)
 
If you just start up with editing, play around with iMovie. The latest version is (nearly) back to a useful level. Once you got your feet wet, you can download the FCP X trial version. There's no big difference in workflow.
Motion is a pretty simple to use 2-1/2 D compositor and VFX generator. You don't really need it for simple projects, but it's definitely worth the 50 bucks.
Compressor is a program that transcodes your footage on export. It gives you a bunch more codecs, and you can roll your own settings. Additionally it speeds up export through clustering. If you only upload to youtube or keep your stuff on your computer, you don't really need it.

Avid is a whole different animal. It is pretty complex for the beginner (same as FCS was), and overkill for a home user.

I have been an avid FCS user (since FCP 3), but since I have FCP X, the "Classic" looks cumbersome to me, and I never looked back. I had to rebuild an older project last week in FCP 6. Had I done that in FCP X, I'd have done it in half the time.

I'm producing haf-hour agricultural docus, PSA and some stuff for local broadcast.
 
thanks a lot. yea ill be starting with imovie. i have vegas movie studio but its never appealed to me that much. im still in high school though. ive just always found editing interesting and have thought of it as a possible career

Edit: so motion would be for creating objects? is it like a toned down photoshop? sorry i dont really understand what it is. i understand what compressor does. i dont need it now. just going to be uploading to youtube probably.
 
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If you are looking into a career, then learn at least two languages. As a student, you will get a steep discount for Adobe Premiere. Look at the Production Premium package. It contains nearly everything you'll ever need.
Go the iMovie and FCP X route, then add Adobe.

FCP X is still in its infancy, so we don't know how it will develop in the "industry". For a multi-seat post production house it is of limited use, but if you want to work as freelancer, it surely is worth looking into.

I love FCP X, and it is deeper than than I initially thought.

There was an interesting article about FCP X' use in broadcast on FCP.co the other day.
 
very interesting article

found the adobe package. dont even know what most of that stuff is yet lol.

are there any programs to complement fcp besides motion and compressor? like how you'd edit in premiere then use after effects.
 
Motion is Apple's After Effects. It does about 90% what AE does, but with a (IMHO) much less steep learning curve and user friendlier interface.

The only thing that bothers me is that you can't roundtrip any more between FCP and Motion. On the other hand, Motion is now the development tool for FCP plug-ins, effects, generators, ... rigging and publishing are pretty nifty features.

Check Creative Cow. There are pretty good tutorials for both, Motion and AE.

----------

The main things I miss in FCP X, compared to FCS are DVD Studio Pro, some stuff from Soundtrack Pro and some of the secondary grading features in Color.
 
thanks. for 50 bucks thats impressive for what it can do. id expect it to be more expensive.

so i think ill start with fcp and motion. add compressor later if needed then when i get into college get the adobe package.

if i get any app on one mac then later on get a new mac would i be able to transfer the program over? or just log in and re-download it for free? or would it have to paid for again?
 
I would echo the sentiments of the first replier. Start with iMovie. Once you're comfortable there, step up to the FCP X (trial first). Once you've got that down, try some compositing and effects with Motion or After Effects (the latter has a 30 day, fully functional, free trial).

When it comes to editing applications (FCP X, FCP 7, iMovie, Adobe Premiere, Avid Media Composer, Sony Vegas, Windows Movie Maker, etc), they all pretty much do the same thing. Some contain more features and emphasize different workflow areas, but for the most part, they're different versions of the same tool. It all depends on what works best for you and what's in your price range. In terms of learning curve, capability and price it's hard to compete with FCP X, imho.

Video work can be a fun and exciting field. Like you, I became kind of intrigued by it in high school, then tinkered with it a bit more in college before getting hooked. Now, in spite of it being mostly unrelated to my formal education, I'm a video producer for a company, and really enjoy it. Like any other job, there are good days and bad, but it's fun to work in a field that you're personally interested in. It makes it a lot easier to get up and go to work every morning :).

The internet is a great place to find information on video production. Start reading stuff and frequenting forums like this one (creativecow.net is another great resource) so that you can hit the ground running once you get your editing system. One of the best learning tools can be some form of apprenticeship (doesn't need to be as official as it sounds). If your school has a video department, go in and talk to the folks there. If your town has a TV station or two, see if you can get in there as a student worker, even if it's a couple hours a week. Tell them you're interested in editing. If you're lucky, they'll put you behind a camera or have you run scripts to the talent and control room. Eventually you might get a chance to edit some remote pieces, or sit in with the news editor. I'm rambling now, but you get the idea. Making connections is important for editors.

Even if you don't end up pursuing it as a career, it's a fun hobby and a useful skill-set to have.

Best of luck.
 
handsome pete said:
I agree. Motion is a great value, especially for someone just starting out. But to claim it's 90% of what After Effects can do is pretty disingenuous.
Click to expand...
Thanks for that. After Effects is a very mature program that is used all over the world for motion graphics, broadcast design, vfx, conforming, and more. It's considered the gold standard, and preferred by most artists for compositing duties. While I do like Motion, and even beta tested the program internally at Apple for 7 months, After Effects is so much deeper.

silentownage001, if you have any questions about Adobe video products (like which products do what...), please fire away!
 
thanks for the info guys. appreciate it!

somebody mentioned the adobe production premium which ive taken a look at. is it really 1,699 dollars? after effects and premiere pro is greater than that and it includes other programs. i may be looking in the wrong spot though.

http://www.adobe.com/products/creativesuite/production.html

around the center of the page down a bit it says whats inside. bit confused as to how its that cheap unless there doing some deal.
 
Ok, Ok, I concede. Motion does not 90% what AE does. For me however it does.
The reason I start up AE, is if I need the Roto Brush. For the rest, Motion does the trick for me.

Silenttownage, as a student, you qualify for their educational discount. As a college staff, I got the Master suite for 900 bucks, instead of 2400 or so. Production Premium ($449 for students) contains everything you need for serious video work.
Adobe's package pricing is rather interesting, and I bet Kevin Monahan can help you out with questions to what package to choose.
 
silentownage001 said:
is it really 1,699 dollars?
Click to expand...

Yep. That's the price.

----------
cgbier said:
Ok, Ok, I concede. Motion does not 90% what AE does. For me however it does.
The reason I start up AE, is if I need the Roto Brush. For the rest, Motion does the trick for me.

Silenttownage, as a student, you qualify for their educational discount. As a college staff, I got the Master suite for 900 bucks, instead of 2400 or so. Production Premium ($449 for students) contains everything you need for serious video work.
Adobe's package pricing is rather interesting, and I bet Kevin Monahan can help you out with questions to what package to choose.
Click to expand...

I agree. I'm sure Motion is 100% suitable for a lot of people. I just didn't think your originally claim was very accurate.

As for educational pricing, someone correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure there's no upgrade path for educational volumes. At least that's how it used to be. If that's still the case, then it might be a factor in buying. It's an awesome value for students. But if you plan on using this software for the long haul and you can afford it, then you might want to splurge for the standard license.

Regardless, you can test drive all the Adobe applications for 30 days for free. I highly recommend it for anyone not already familiar with the software.
 
handsome pete said:
Yep. That's the price.

wow.

how easy is it to change between programs? so if you edited on fcp but then needed use after effects. or if you made a song in audition then wanted to put it in fcp.

i looked through all the programs on the adobe website included in that package. i understand what some do but not others. flash catalyst, flash professional, onlocation, encore, device central, bridge, and media encoder.

is illustrator like just being able to draw images and add effects that you wouldnt be able to if you were to hand draw it?
Click to expand...
 
Illustrator is a vector "drawing" program. You can bring Illustrator projects into AE for animation and stuff. It is more for the graphics designer than for a video editor.

For videos production, you need Premiere, AE, Audition, Encoder (export) and Encore (for BD or DVD authoring). Photoshop and Illustrator are nice additions.
 
thanks. ive used the photoshop free trial before and like it.

what does encoder do? you say export but im a bit confused. i know what export is but confused as to what the program is for.

does bridge like let you take a project in premiere and put it into AE? or another adobe program?
 
silentownage001 said:
handsome pete said:
Yep. That's the price.

wow.

how easy is it to change between programs? so if you edited on fcp but then needed use after effects. or if you made a song in audition then wanted to put it in fcp.
Click to expand...


I don't find it too difficult to work between the programs, however, you do have to get to know them. The advantage of Adobe is that the programs are integrated using this thing we have called "dynamic link". Meaning, if you have a Photoshop file used as a title element in a Premiere Pro project, if you make a change in Photoshop, it will ripple the change through to Premiere Pro. Premiere Pro and After Effects are tightly integrated too. Send your sequence to Audition and you can sweeten your audio, then send it right back to Premiere Pro. It's really cool.

i looked through all the programs on the adobe website included in that package. i understand what some do but not others: flash catalyst, flash professional, onlocation, encore, device central, bridge, and media encoder.

is illustrator like just being able to draw images and add effects that you wouldnt be able to if you were to hand draw it?
Click to expand...

1. Flash Catalyst: a way to make interactive websites and presentations easily
2. Flash Professional: make animations, websites, and more
3. OnLocation: is a video camera logging program, now discontinued
4. Device Central: a program to preview video and Flash content on various devices, like phones, etc.
5. Bridge: a place to browse all your assets: photos, video, PSD, etc.
6. Media Encoder: A tool to compress your video for all formats
7. Illustrator: Vector drawing program. You can animate vector graphics in After Effects
Click to expand...
 
thanks for the info. cleared all my questions up.

edit: what all can avid media composer do?
 
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