I was looking at this new Promo that apple has right now, Get Finalcut Express for 100$ with the purchase of a new Mac. My friend is about to get a mac, and I was thinking I would take advantage of this deal, but first I wanted to know everyones opinion on using Final Cut Express. Is it easy to use? How diverse is the software or how creative can I be with it? What are some of its coolest features?
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Final Cut express opinions
- Thread starter Josephkyles
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I love it... Probably Soundtrack and LiveType... look up final cut express on apples website... they have a lot of info
http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/
Thats the site look under quick tours. You should find a lot of information.
http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/
Thats the site look under quick tours. You should find a lot of information.
go for it. play with it for a while, then get Pro if you find you like it
iMovie & iDVD will become frustrating after a while if you want to express your creativity. but if you just want to "get the job done", they're fine.
for $100, go for it if you're willing to spend some time learning them
iMovie & iDVD will become frustrating after a while if you want to express your creativity. but if you just want to "get the job done", they're fine.
for $100, go for it if you're willing to spend some time learning them
It's pretty sweet. Go for it. Livetype is sick and the power of FCE is perfect for anything but uber intense editing. I haven't really used soundtrack but I haven't needed to.
Ben
Ben
I agree with all of the above. iMovie was sufficient for me, but one of the biggest frustrations with it for me was that you couldn't lay a clip over another (i.e. there was only one video track.) I've been using FCE for the last year and a half, and it's gotten me to places I've never been. Thanks to FCE, my videos are now on a site that over 8,000 people regularly visit.
LiveType is great for graphics. I haven't really used Soundtrack, as I usually use GarageBand's podcast tracks, nor do I do the kind of work that needs sound effects. Overall, it's a steal for $99. I'd highly recommend it, especially if you're interested in film.
LiveType is great for graphics. I haven't really used Soundtrack, as I usually use GarageBand's podcast tracks, nor do I do the kind of work that needs sound effects. Overall, it's a steal for $99. I'd highly recommend it, especially if you're interested in film.
It does have a learning curve (mostly cause it takes a while to find out all of the cool things it does), but it knocks the socks of imovie. Great effects (not just the cheesy ones with imovie) like adjustable video speed, numerous wipes, and my favorite: Keyframing-being able to manipulate the position of the footage on screen.
Livetype is good, some of its lettering is really good, some is cheesy
Soundtrack is great. Very Intuitive (moreso than Garageband), easy to get work done (downside, only works with AIFF files, so you'll need to do some converting if your a Mp3/AAC fan like me)
I paid full price for it, a whole 300 bones, and I made the best football highlight tape my school has seen in years.
P.S. it is also very helpful for categorizing and organizing lots of footage, miles ahead of imovie
Livetype is good, some of its lettering is really good, some is cheesy
Soundtrack is great. Very Intuitive (moreso than Garageband), easy to get work done (downside, only works with AIFF files, so you'll need to do some converting if your a Mp3/AAC fan like me)
I paid full price for it, a whole 300 bones, and I made the best football highlight tape my school has seen in years.
P.S. it is also very helpful for categorizing and organizing lots of footage, miles ahead of imovie
I agree. I took a class on Final Cut Pro about three years ago, (which I still believed the mac was running OS 8 and were still selling translucent iMacs) which caused me to switch, but I didn't buy Final Cut Express until about a year later. Most of my knowledge of FCE came from that class, which was quite a bit, but I am still finding all of the cool stuff (like I just discovered keyframing earlier today).
Great program.. I found it to be a pretty steep learning curve, but I'm just an amatuer video hack..I ended up having to take a class, which helped me get started- I found it tough to learn on my own, so you may want to look into getting some help getting started with it..
Motion or Shake
If I later wanted to use something like Shake or Motion, would I be able to integrate these programs into Final Cut Express the same as I would in Final Cut Studio?
If I later wanted to use something like Shake or Motion, would I be able to integrate these programs into Final Cut Express the same as I would in Final Cut Studio?
Shake, I'm not sure, but Motion, yes. Just good luck finding a standalone copy of Motion because the only way you can get it now is in Final Cut Studio, and if you have a copy of Motion 2, DVD Studio Pro, or Soundtrack Pro, you can get FCS for only $199.
I've been researching FCE for a while, and it seems to me that it's worth getting Final Cut Express HD, rather than going for FCE (if it's still being sold, which I think it is).
The rebate that your friend has seen may be for FCE, not HD, so I'd check that out. In my research I also read the fine print of the rebate, and I would advize your friend to do the same as there are very specific conditions which he might want to check with the vendor to make sure that he will be able to get his rebate. (e.g., the computer *and* FCE HD must be bought from the same authorized Apple dealer, must be new - not resold - and the details of the cost, serial numbers of the computer and other details must be printed on the receipt. Nothing can be handwritten. There are other details, too).
Having said that, it doesn't make sense to me to buy anything other than HD, because it has compositing options not available previously in FCE. (Do a search if you're interested in the other details, too).
Please post here with details of how your friend makes out,
GVDV.
^^^
The only version of Final Cut now being sold is HD-compatible. You don't need to worry about this.
The only version of Final Cut now being sold is HD-compatible. You don't need to worry about this.
It's really worth it, great program, although every now and then I get back to iMovie for the more meat and potatoes kinda work.
And I absolutely love Livetype
And I absolutely love Livetype
Arrggh! My friend backed out of getting a mac! Nevertheless, I got a copy off Ebay for only 150$, so it should be here tomorrow!
Tell me how you like it, I think i'll be buying the student copy to mess around with in the next week or so.
Ahh! I feel so stupid! I could have just got it through the education store at apple.com!!
Don't worry about it. The edu version doesn't qualify for upgrades. So when 4 comes out you can upgrade your retail version for $99.
Some people (at least me) can go to their computer store on campus and get FCE-HD for 100 bucks anyway. Online it is $150. I guess ASU students get a pretty good deal.
That's a great deal. Even at $299 it is well worth it. However Final Cut is NOT for the casual video user. There is a steep learning curve and you will need a good, large screen and a decent computer.
What's the best feature? Multi track editing. Compared to iMove it is night and day different. with sound and video on different tracks you can do things like cut dialog with audio and video cuts in different places (an "L cut") Color correction is good too. It's really the basics like that that you need that imovie lacks
I got it in this morning! I just finished the tutorial DVD, and I'm so excited to do my first project!!!
The real power with multitrack editing comes in being able to treat portions of the sound differently, if needs be. For example, if you want to mark a section of the track where you want to boost or cut various frequencies or raise the volume (if it has suddenly dropped) in order to make it more uniform.
For example, I have a video of a friend talking in the street, and at one point a car drives past (luckily, he is not taking at this point); taking the volume of the clip down at that point, and also using equalization to remove the some of the higher frequencies of the 'rush' of the car going by changes the sound from an annoying noise that demands attention, to an unnoticeable sound that doesn't distract at all.
I'm interested to know how much of this kind of control FCE has, but even the most primitive controls in good video programs can be useful if used correctly.
GVDV.