Final Cut Express vs Final Cut Pro

[pnic101]

Hi All,

I'm wondering whether to get Final Cut Express or save up for Final Cut Pro. I'm just starting out editing and am wondering if iMovie will be enough until I upgrade to FCP or whether it would be better to get FCE and start with that. Is FCE a good way to get in to the Final Cut interface before moving on to Pro? I'm wary about getting FCE because there's no upgrade discount to FCP and I've heard that iMovie can do many things just as well.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

What sort of camera do you use?

 

[pnic101]

HV30 -- I'm not terribly worried about HD considerations at this point.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

HV30 -- I'm not terribly worried about HD considerations at this point.

That's fine. Personally I really like FCE, however it is not something you can just dive into like iMovie. (you may have better luck asking in the video productions forum).

The differences between Final Cut Express and Pro are negligible. The only real advantage to Pro is how it ties into the rest of the Studio Suite. Since you're not doing any big production stuff I would recommend FCE. But you might as well just start with iMovie and see if you grow out of it.

 

[mac88]

If you are just starting out go small. Why invest in a very expensive program (FCP) if you then realize it's not for you? Buy FCE, learn everything about it and then down the line make the decision to upgrade.

 

[TuffLuffJimmy]

I'll agree with the post above ^^^

FCE is nice for your own personal movies. FCP is a big investment you should only make if it'll pay for itself eventually.

 

[macrumorsMaster]

Go with Imovie

It's best to start w/ imovie, some people prefer imovie 6(you can download it for free from Apple) because of some features that it had that were removed in later versions.

FCE is pretty much the same as FCP, as far as basic editing is, and as anyone can tell you, there is a steep learning curve for it.

It's best to start simple, so you can concentrate on telling the story, rather than worrying about the interface, and all the different options.

I took a digital production class where we created a short. We had to add music and v/o and have some dialogue. Imovie suited us just fine. It's so SIMPLE to use, it allowed us to FOCUS on the important thing(Whether it's a short or a feature) the story we were telling.

Look at most major movies, most use simple STRAIGHT cuts, there a few dissolves here and there, but most don't use the visual effects that FCP(FCE) give you.

Hope that helps.

Once you've learned how to tell a story and the basics of editing. THEN you can dabble with FCP(you'll have had time to save the money by then).

 

[pnic101]

Great advice guys! I think I'll stick with iMovie for now.