Editing

[vulsker]

Well guys I finally broke and recently bought a 17" MBP and got a nice pair Kingston RAM inside to give me my 8gb. First Mac and I love it!

Now on to the question. I am a film student and would like to get to know each program that I can. I am pretty decent on FCP 7 as that is what my school uses and have done some with Adobe CS4. I was thinking about getting FCX just to mess around with and get to know but not use as my main software until the fixes are released. I was looking at Avid Media Composure 5.5 since my MCP is on the comp. list. Is the academic version for $295 worth it? Anything else you all can recommend?

 

[CaptainChunk]

It's always a good idea to get exposure with various NLEs used in the industry, so learning Avid MC isn't a bad thing at all. Does your school teach Avid at all?

I'd also investigate the possibility of obtaining an academic copy of FCS3 if you can still find one (Apple discontinued it). But if you want to be able to take work with you, it might not be a bad idea.

 

[acearchie]

Well guys I finally broke and recently bought a 17" MBP and got a nice pair Kingston RAM inside to give me my 8gb. First Mac and I love it!

Now on to the question. I am a film student and would like to get to know each program that I can. I am pretty decent on FCP 7 as that is what my school uses and have done some with Adobe CS4. I was thinking about getting FCX just to mess around with and get to know but not use as my main software until the fixes are released. I was looking at Avid Media Composure 5.5 since my MCP is on the comp. list. Is the academic version for $295 worth it? Anything else you all can recommend?

Learning AVID will definitely looks good on your CV.

When you say buy FCP X to "mess around with" I'm not sure what you are exactly planning to do with it. Like you say there is no harming learning all the systems and the more under your belt the better but if it was between AVID and FCPX and they were both the same money (bare in mind that AVID is a lot more expensive if you aren't a student) it would hands down be AVID, this will also have a steeper learning curve than FCP X.

This will then allow you to learn the current software that is used on a lot of features leaving you time to save up for FCP X for, as you say, all the fixes are released!

 

[vulsker]

The more I read up on Avid the more I would like to learn it. I think I might break and order it tonight or see if there is a reseller around where I live. Is there any add-ons or other software that you all would recommend learning as well?

My school ONLY does FCP but offers CS5 just to play around with, nothing actually taught. I enjoy FCP a lot so "hopefully" the kinds start getting worked out on FCX soon.

 

[puckhead193]

The more I read up on Avid the more I would like to learn it. I think I might break and order it tonight or see if there is a reseller around where I live. Is there any add-ons or other software that you all would recommend learning as well?

Adobe After Effects and understanding 3d layers and everything else that goes a long with AE.

 

[vulsker]

I completely agree on AE. Is decently cheap way to obtain a copy? I like Adobe educational prices but hate the fact you can't upgrade. Plus, how is Avid FX?

 

[acearchie]

I completely agree on AE. Is decently cheap way to obtain a copy? I like Adobe educational prices but hate the fact you can't upgrade. Plus, how is Avid FX?

Educational is going to be the cheapest way to get your hands on a copy. Plus if you learn it well you could easily start earning money from it and pay for the full version within time.

 

[vulsker]

Acearchie, that is a good idea and a good way of thinking about it.

But now after some research, a new question came up. I was looking at Adobe's educational store and found two things that kinda brought up more interest. They have the student teacher version of the production prem. c5.5 for $449 and then they offer a full version for $599. Now is the full version just the boxed at a discounted price and comes with the ability to be upgraded to the new versions in the future or do they have the same limitations as the student but oddly just cost more? Because if it is the full retail boxed then I will just order that and then get avid and have to two programs I really want to learn(media composer & AE) with additional ones I can get to learn as well.

 

[vulsker]

Well nevermind on that. I called customer care and they said that the $599 is only if a school is paying for it and if you are a student you only can buy full retail or student edition.

 

[THX1139]

If your primary experience has been on Final Cut Pro, then you are going to hate the difference with AVID. I've spent a decent time on both and found Media Composer to be frustrating. Things that would take only a second or two on Final Cut, is very difficult on Media Composer. It's not that Media Composer is bad... far from it. It's just that the timeline and method of working is different than Final Cut. I did appreciate that you could do many editing functions fast on Media Composer, and once I got the hang of how it works (I had to forget what I learned in Final Cut), I started to like it.

If you are trying to learn an NLE just to find a job as an editor, then you have better options knowing Media Composer. I would have said Final Cut 6 months ago, but now the whole industry is in a funk right now as studios try to figure out what to do to replace Final Cut now that it's been discontinued. Some are going back to AVID, others are going the Adobe route. If I had limited funds and wanted to learn editing today, I would go with the Adobe Premiere and After Effects package. This would give you a decent NLE that tightly integrates with After Effects... a reputable FX and editing program. Knowing that combination is going to get you further than knowing Media Composer alone. Then you could always decide later on the NLE once Apple gets it together with FCX. Especially since you already know Final Cut and can use it over the next year. That's the route I'm on.

Or, you could just screw it, and jump on FXPHD online and learn Flame or Nuke for composting and finishing. Huge learning curve, but totally worth it if you are serious about working in the high-end editing/FX industry.

 

[dtechlogic]

I actually bought Academic version of Adobe CS5.5 production premium. Also i did call customer service and they said i can upgrade to the latest version. The only thing i cannot sale my license to someone else. I have been using it and i like it. Also will like learn how to use other software too.

 

[acearchie]

Or, you could just screw it, and jump on FXPHD online and learn Flame or Nuke for composting and finishing. Huge learning curve, but totally worth it if you are serious about working in the high-end editing/FX industry.

I am tempted to do this as I think I can get a free student edition (I believe it's watermarked) as a student but having access to such expensive software as a lowly student watching the pennies is not so bad!

 

[vulsker]

I totally agree with you guys. I went ahead and bit the bullet for the student media composer edition and probably be biting again here in a few days for the cs5.5 student edition.

I just really want to know what I can so I can eventually be a serious editor down the road.

I have heard of flame but not nuke. Im going to look into those for the heck of it.

And yeah I know that Autodesk gives a lot of their software to students for free.

 

[THX1139]

I am tempted to do this as I think I can get a free student edition (I believe it's watermarked) as a student but having access to such expensive software as a lowly student watching the pennies is not so bad!

Actually, unless they changed it since I last looked... none of the software FXPHD provides is watermarked. Neither is the HD footage that they provide for your lessons. They get around the license issue by having agreements with companies and using a VPN server to issue a temporarily license with your paid subscription. So, that means you can run Nuke, Maya.... or whatever class you signed up for in full version mode without limitations. I'm not sure how they get around teaching software that requires proprietary hardware (such as Flame), but they are probably assuming you have a computer that is powerful enough to run it. The goal of the classes are for you to learn the software and leave with something for your demo reel. I've been contemplating signing up, I just need to find a decent break in my schedule so I can focus on the classes.

 

[vulsker]

So I got bored at work today and was looking up some things and came across that Autodesk Smoke is a free download for 3 years for students. Anybody have any opinions or experience with it?

 

[CaptainChunk]

So I got bored at work today and was looking up some things and came across that Autodesk Smoke is a free download for 3 years for students. Anybody have any opinions or experience with it?

Smoke is a high-end on-line editing, compositing and finishing system that's not intended for off-line editing. It differs from NLE software like FCP, Avid MC, Premiere, etc. I don't have a ton of experience with it, but it does have a steeper learning curve than After Effects does (but you do get a more powerful toolset than AE). Commercial licenses for the Mac software-only version run around $15k.