Final Cut Express 4 or Final Cut pro X?

[xelentoliver]

I've been using iMovie HD and 09 for the past 18months, and I just want something a bit more professional and get away from the 'family friendly' feel. So that's why I was looking at FCE4 and was waiting till FCE5, but it doesn't look like Apple will continue with that now. But now Final Cut Pro X has been released, and sure, it is probably twice the editor that FCE4 is. But it looks so much like iMovie I'm not sure if I want that simplicity. So should I save some money and buy FCE4, which has a semi-professional feel and looks totally different to iMovie. Or should I risk it and buy FCPX which, let's face it is iMovie and Final Cut combined, I'm not sure if I want that...

 

[chrfr]

Final Cut Express has been discontinued, so I suppose that probably makes your decision for you.

 

[george-brooks]

In my opinion, FCP X falls in between FCE 4 and FCP7. And now FCP X is the same price that express used to be. If you're coming from iMovie, you'll probably have a fairly easy time getting used to the new interface in X too, as the older interface is very different from the new iMovie and took me some time to get used to. Probably best to stay current and go with X.

 

[jwm2]

Why would you not want simplicity? Folks like myself pay extra for simplicity. Theres nothing "cool" about having to search and find tools scattered across your screen.

 

[Zwhaler]

Definitely give iMovie '11 a try, it is much improved over '08 and '09, then try switching to Final Cut X (or just do that right off the bat) and you will enjoy a much wider array of editing tools than iMovie.

 

[B. Hunter]

Go buy Adobe Premiere Elements. Works just fine and is very affordable.

 

[AppleDroid]

Agree with everyone else FCE is dead and buried. Unless you run PPC machines look at iMovie/Premiere Elements/FCPX.

 

[BethParker]

Go to Adobe Premier. May as well use an industry standard.

 

[Mac In School]

Since Apple released the multi-cam update for FCP X, I'm become a HUGE fan of FXP X. It now has all the power that I used* in FCP 7, with the simplicity of iMovie.

* I'm not saying it can do everything FCP 7 did. Just saying it did everything I used FCP 7 for, and I'm fairly experienced with editing. FCP 6 certified.

 

[MonkeyBrainz]

Since Apple released the multi-cam update for FCP X, I'm become a HUGE fan of FXP X. It now has all the power that I used* in FCP 7, with the simplicity of iMovie.

* I'm not saying it can do everything FCP 7 did. Just saying it did everything I used FCP 7 for, and I'm fairly experienced with editing. FCP 6 certified.

Essentially that is what Apple said their plan is, to slowly introduce features back into it. Hopefully they keep doing this. FCPX is finally a viable option for me. It's pretty quick, too.