Final Cut Pro X + Motion and Logic Pro X or Adobe After Effects + Premiere?

[LOLZpersonok]

I want to get myself into producing film and movies. I need professional software, and I have an idea of what I need. I want to get a new Mac for this kind of thing, but, as of now, I have no job, and when I do, I will be able to afford the software before the hardware.

I know that if I go the Adobe route, I could run it on my HP laptop which is nearly as powerful as a top-of-the-line Retina Display MacBook Pro (The only difference being is that my HP laptop has a quad core AMD processor and not a quad core Intel processor, and AMDs don't perform as well as Intel) and I won't have to save up $2,800 (maybe). However, this does not solve my problem of wanting Logic Pro X, which I do not know of any PC level equivalents. I don't think Fruity Loops Studio is nearly as good. I could get Logic Pro X on my late 2006 iMac, but with its graphics processor being disabled (that's a whole different story right now) I'm not sure how well it will run (note that GarageBand performs flawlessly on this same iMac with its disabled GPU).

However, I will purchase whatever can do the best video production and what ever has the most features available. I want to be able to create some CGI effects for film and apply it into the video, which I know After Effects is capable of. I'm not sure of what Final Cut Pro X with Motion can do, and as I hear, it isn't quite capable of the same thing. Keep in mind that I did buy a copy of Final Cut Pro X.

What is a better idea?

1. Buy a new Mac capable of running Final Cut Pro X with Motion and Logic Pro X (Keep in mind that I'm not concerned about the speed at which video renders, but at how well it will run while producing it). If this is the case, which Mac do you suggest I buy, that is best for the budget? I can connect to an external display, if need be.
2. Not buy a new Mac, and buy Adobe After Effects and Premiere for my HP laptop and buy Logic Pro X for my iMac

I need some help. I would like suggestions based on which software is better for creating and/or applying CGI-like effects (doesn't even have to be insane like Tron Legacy) and better professional quality film. I did get Final Cut Pro X for my iMac but I couldn't experience it because it was insanely slow (odd thing to note that it did render video faster than Sony Vegas on my HP laptop).

If you need me to clarify some points, please ask, and I will try my best.

 

[12dylan34]

I want to get myself into producing film and movies. I need professional software, and I have an idea of what I need. I want to get a new Mac for this kind of thing, but, as of now, I have no job, and when I do, I will be able to afford the software before the hardware.

I know that if I go the Adobe route, I could run it on my HP laptop which is nearly as powerful as a top-of-the-line Retina Display MacBook Pro (The only difference being is that my HP laptop has a quad core AMD processor and not a quad core Intel processor, and AMDs don't perform as well as Intel) and I won't have to save up $2,800 (maybe). However, this does not solve my problem of wanting Logic Pro X, which I do not know of any PC level equivalents. I don't think Fruity Loops Studio is nearly as good. I could get Logic Pro X on my late 2006 iMac, but with its graphics processor being disabled (that's a whole different story right now) I'm not sure how well it will run (note that GarageBand performs flawlessly on this same iMac with its disabled GPU).

However, I will purchase whatever can do the best video production and what ever has the most features available. I want to be able to create some CGI effects for film and apply it into the video, which I know After Effects is capable of. I'm not sure of what Final Cut Pro X with Motion can do, and as I hear, it isn't quite capable of the same thing. Keep in mind that I did buy a copy of Final Cut Pro X.

What is a better idea?

1. Buy a new Mac capable of running Final Cut Pro X with Motion and Logic Pro X (Keep in mind that I'm not concerned about the speed at which video renders, but at how well it will run while producing it). If this is the case, which Mac do you suggest I buy, that is best for the budget? I can connect to an external display, if need be.
2. Not buy a new Mac, and buy Adobe After Effects and Premiere for my HP laptop and buy Logic Pro X for my iMac

I need some help. I would like suggestions based on which software is better for creating and/or applying CGI-like effects (doesn't even have to be insane like Tron Legacy) and better professional quality film. I did get Final Cut Pro X for my iMac but I couldn't experience it because it was insanely slow (odd thing to note that it did render video faster than Sony Vegas on my HP laptop).

If you need me to clarify some points, please ask, and I will try my best.

After Effects is decidedly a more powerful and versatile program than Motion. I worked as a motion designer for a few years, and I never even encountered someone who knew how to use Motion past opening it up a few times.

Overall, Motion is comparatively very limited in its abilities. You can make good-looking things, but it's very canned and limited to presets that you don't have much control over. In After Effects, you have to make things yourself, but you have control over literally every parameter, so more possibilities. VideoCopilot.com is a great resource for learning how to use After Effects.

Premiere vs. Final Cut is more of a toss-up. Use whatever you like better.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

After Effects is decidedly a more powerful and versatile program than Motion. I worked as a motion designer for a few years, and I never even encountered someone who knew how to use Motion past opening it up a few times.

Overall, Motion is comparatively very limited in its abilities. You can make good-looking things, but it's very canned and limited to presets that you don't have much control over. In After Effects, you have to make things yourself, but you have control over literally every parameter, so more possibilities. VideoCopilot.com is a great resource for learning how to use After Effects.

Premiere vs. Final Cut is more of a toss-up. Use whatever you like better.

So I will buy After Effects and Premiere for my HP laptop then. I will use my friend's new iMac to buy Logic Pro X because I can't buy it on my iMac, as it requires OS X 10.8 or higher to run, but I did find a trick to make it run on my iMac which has 10.7.5. (I did the same thing when I got Final Cut Pro X). Oh well, there goes the last of my money. But I do need Logic Pro X to score the movie, something else I need to learn as well.

How much does After Effects and Premiere cost? When I go to Adobe's website it shows only monthly plans, so I don't know if I can just buy it outright, which unless it's terrifyingly expensive, I don't want to do. I already have Sony Vegas Pro 10 on my laptop, but I know it won't have that seamless integration with After Effects, which is my reasoning for wanting Adobe Premiere. So, I won't be using Final Cut Pro (wasted money, but oh well).

I realize that if I do want to be applying CGI effects into film (like space ships or cool explosions) I'm gonna have to know my s***, which I don't. In a year I'll be going to college, and the courses I plan on taking will hopefully teach me some stuff like that, but I want to do it right now. I'm so inspired to do a movie in a dystopian future society, I've even started some planning for it. But, I don't even know the first part of making a hover car go down my street. Cinema 4D seems to have integration with After Effects, am I right?

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Okay, so this thread is going to take a shift.

I just did some research about Adobe's Creative Cloud. Long story short, I'm worried about it.

For those of you who don't know about it:

With the Creative Cloud, you don't buy a license for the software (i.e. you don't pay $500 all in one go), instead, you "rent" it, and get immediate updates. To use one application, you pay $20/month for that one application. Two, and it's $40/month. For access to the entire suite of applications, it's $50/month. But, Creative Cloud is like a cellphone contract: You're locked into the plan for one year. After that, you can cancel without any reprimanding.

This is what worries me:

Though, the fact that I don't have to pay $1,800 outright for the two applications I want is quite nice, the fact that if I lose my job and cannot continue to pay for the software is something that bothers me, because even though my files will be okay, I will not be able to use them. I also don't like the idea of "not owning anything". The Creative Cloud is essentially renting. Also, I'm scared of what would happen if I were to lose my job and not be able to pay for the Creative Cloud before my one year commitment is over.

I want After Effects and Premiere BADLY. But, the Creative Cloud poses a problem for me. Though they still sell the CS6 versions of After Effects and Premiere for $1,000 and $800 respectively, I would much rather not do that because it's too long to save for, and they won't have all the new features and tools that the CC versions have.

Is there anyone who has experience with the Adobe Creative Cloud? What is it like, and is it a good idea?

 

[12dylan34]

Okay, so this thread is going to take a shift.

I just did some research about Adobe's Creative Cloud. Long story short, I'm worried about it.

For those of you who don't know about it:

With the Creative Cloud, you don't buy a license for the software (i.e. you don't pay $500 all in one go), instead, you "rent" it, and get immediate updates. To use one application, you pay $20/month for that one application. Two, and it's $40/month. For access to the entire suite of applications, it's $50/month. But, Creative Cloud is like a cellphone contract: You're locked into the plan for one year. After that, you can cancel without any reprimanding.

This is what worries me:

Though, the fact that I don't have to pay $1,800 outright for the two applications I want is quite nice, the fact that if I lose my job and cannot continue to pay for the software is something that bothers me, because even though my files will be okay, I will not be able to use them. I also don't like the idea of "not owning anything". The Creative Cloud is essentially renting. Also, I'm scared of what would happen if I were to lose my job and not be able to pay for the Creative Cloud before my one year commitment is over.

I want After Effects and Premiere BADLY. But, the Creative Cloud poses a problem for me. Though they still sell the CS6 versions of After Effects and Premiere for $1,000 and $800 respectively, I would much rather not do that because it's too long to save for, and they won't have all the new features and tools that the CC versions have.

Is there anyone who has experience with the Adobe Creative Cloud? What is it like, and is it a good idea?

Firstly, the student and teacher edition of Creative Cloud is $30/month, which is a good discount from the $50/month that everyone else pays.

Also, you can still buy CS6 Master Collection (Student and Teacher edition) for $1000. http://www.adobe.com/products/catal...sl_catalog_sl_software_sl_creativesuite6.html

But I've been in the situation of being in high school or college and not making much money, but I would take the $30/month for a year over paying out $1000. It takes 33 months, or 2.75 years for the cost to be the same, and you get updates that whole time. It's nice to be able to always have the newest version, and not have to worry about classmates being on newer versions, and you being stuck on CS6 3 years later.

Also, as an unrelated piece of advice, I would suggest minoring in something like computer science. Creative jobs aren't always easy to find, and having programming skills is a huge employability boost.

 

[sevoneone]

Also, as an unrelated piece of advice, I would suggest minoring in something like computer science. Creative jobs aren't always easy to find, and having programming skills is a huge employability boost.

I'll agree with this 110%. Good creative jobs are few and far between, and decent ones are fleeting. Having a backup is a must. If you are really into post, which it sounds like you are, then you probably have a good tech background already. Getting some IT/Networking certs wouldn't hurt.

Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking you need the latest and greatest equipment and software when you're just starting out. Those things are just tools that are all built on the same principles. Some might have neato features that make things easier or faster, but the general concepts and knowledge that you must first build can be learned on any of them. And none of them have features that can substitute knowledge of the basic principles.

I took a sound design class in college from one of the best in the industry. The most important takeaway I got from her class was it is easy to learn to drive on a Ford and switch to a BMW, to a Mercedes, and to a Chevy because when you were learning, you didn't learn the car, you learned to drive. When you get hired you never know what 'car' someone might hand you on a job, and you might not get any say in what that car is, but if you know the fundamentals you can 'drive' anything.

Whether you're using Creative Cloud, CS6 or CS3, Final Cut or Sony Vegas, Motion or Autodesk Smoke, the knowledge and experience you gain from these early projects isn't going to be dramatically impacted by the choice of tool. Just my friendly 2¢.

 

[daybreak]

I'm no expert regards what software to buy. But when it comes to making a video film you need a good script and a basic knowledge how to edit. To me iMovie is a good simple editing software and thoose the basic edit with some good plug in's for effects. I use FCP-X and even that allows me to cut a video to the standard which is acceptable for clients who request and pay me to make a video.
Having the tools of a higher expensive software is o.k if you got the work and understand the ins and out of these software.
I think you know best what you should go for and the advice given should help you.
Good Luck.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Firstly, the student and teacher edition of Creative Cloud is $30/month, which is a good discount from the $50/month that everyone else pays.

Also, you can still buy CS6 Master Collection (Student and Teacher edition) for $1000. http://www.adobe.com/products/catal...sl_catalog_sl_software_sl_creativesuite6.html

But I've been in the situation of being in high school or college and not making much money, but I would take the $30/month for a year over paying out $1000. It takes 33 months, or 2.75 years for the cost to be the same, and you get updates that whole time. It's nice to be able to always have the newest version, and not have to worry about classmates being on newer versions, and you being stuck on CS6 3 years later.

Also, as an unrelated piece of advice, I would suggest minoring in something like computer science. Creative jobs aren't always easy to find, and having programming skills is a huge employability boost.

So, it is a good idea to go with the Creative Cloud? I'm worried about not being able to pay for it before my "year commitment" is up. Also, I don't want to use credit to pay for it either.

I know that I should probably minor in something else, and as much as I would love to go into computer sciences, I don't have the math required. SAIT requires high level math classes in high school, which I don't have. I won't try upgrading after high school either - math is a really big weakness for me. I can try and get help in these hard maths, but it doesn't work. Trust me, I've tried.

It sucks too because I already have pretty good knowledge of computers, both inside and out and software wise.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

I'll agree with this 110%. Good creative jobs are few and far between, and decent ones are fleeting. Having a backup is a must. If you are really into post, which it sounds like you are, then you probably have a good tech background already. Getting some IT/Networking certs wouldn't hurt.

Also, don't fall into the trap of thinking you need the latest and greatest equipment and software when you're just starting out. Those things are just tools that are all built on the same principles. Some might have neato features that make things easier or faster, but the general concepts and knowledge that you must first build can be learned on any of them. And none of them have features that can substitute knowledge of the basic principles.

I took a sound design class in college from one of the best in the industry. The most important takeaway I got from her class was it is easy to learn to drive on a Ford and switch to a BMW, to a Mercedes, and to a Chevy because when you were learning, you didn't learn the car, you learned to drive. When you get hired you never know what 'car' someone might hand you on a job, and you might not get any say in what that car is, but if you know the fundamentals you can 'drive' anything.

Whether you're using Creative Cloud, CS6 or CS3, Final Cut or Sony Vegas, Motion or Autodesk Smoke, the knowledge and experience you gain from these early projects isn't going to be dramatically impacted by the choice of tool. Just my friendly 2¢.

Though the courses I'm taking will involve graphics design and film (documentaries, news TV shows, etc.), one of them will also involve video game development along with some other things related. I just found the course outlines for the courses I plan on taking on SAIT's website:

New Media Production and Design: "Students learn the tools and techniques used in web design and development, corporate presentations and communications, audio and music production, educational design, animation, simulation, game design, and many other specialties. The program emphasizes project-based, hands-on training, with students working in teams for assigned clients to produce comprehensive and useful media products."

"Graduates find employment in specialty new media production houses, agencies, corporate, educational or government organizations. Some develop their own freelance and small business opportunities. Work ranges from web design, corporate communication and digital signage to educational media, animation, simulation or game design."

Film and Video Production: "The FVP Program prepares you for a career in one of Canada's fastestgrowing industries. You will learn the fundamentals of scriptwriting, producing, directing, cinematography, sound recording, editing and the business aspects of the film and video industries."

"Upon graduation, you may find employment in television series, movies of the week, feature films, commercials, music videos, documentaries, specialty channel programming, public service or corporate productions. Most entry-level work is available on a freelance or contract basis. A growing number of entrepreneurial graduates contract their services to multiple clients. Some start their own businesses and employ others. This industry is always hungry for creative new talent. Graduates of this program are working primarily on term specific projects and for organizations such as Renegade Arts Entertainment, Corkscrew Media, and Guest-Tek."

This isn't bad, I hope, right?

I know that learning one piece of software can carry over to another software. This isn't what I'm worried about learning. I would say that I have good knowledge of video editing, as I've been using Sony Vegas Pro 10 for about 2-3 years now. However, I've never done CGI compositing before. The reason I want to get After Effects is for its ability to do this. I know how to edit a video, but I don't know how to create CGI effects and do other motion compositing. That's what I'm a little iffy about.

I also have little knowledge of creating 3D models (say like a hover car) in other programs to apply in After Effects. I have some very basic knowledge of AutoCAD, and this is because I took a design studies class in grade 11. I don't know if AutoCAD and After Effects would work together, which would be great because I've still got another year of my free student software.

 

[12dylan34]

So, it is a good idea to go with the Creative Cloud? I'm worried about not being able to pay for it before my "year commitment" is up. Also, I don't want to use credit to pay for it either.

I know that I should probably minor in something else, and as much as I would love to go into computer sciences, I don't have the math required. SAIT requires high level math classes in high school, which I don't have. I won't try upgrading after high school either - math is a really big weakness for me. I can try and get help in these hard maths, but it doesn't work. Trust me, I've tried.

It sucks too because I already have pretty good knowledge of computers, both inside and out and software wise.

Well, no problem. I would suggest something like marketing or advertising in addition then, which doesn't require much or any math, and opens up a lot of other possibilities. Design/animation/VFX is great, but it's just not that easy to get into and it's good to have options.

 

[handsome pete]

I also have little knowledge of creating 3D models (say like a hover car) in other programs to apply in After Effects. I have some very basic knowledge of AutoCAD, and this is because I took a design studies class in grade 11. I don't know if AutoCAD and After Effects would work together, which would be great because I've still got another year of my free student software.

No, AutoCAD is not a good match for After Effects. For creating film/broadcast 3D motion graphics and VFX then you should look at programs like Maya, C4D, Modo, etc. Those programs can be prohibitively expensive, but I know at least Maya and C4D offer free student versions that are good for 3 years and 18 months respectively.

Since you're just learning, you're also going to need to focus on just a couple of concentrations at a time. you're just going to be overwhelmed if you jump right into editing, compositing, 3D, etc. all at once. 3D modeling/animation alone has so many different variables that it alone can be overwhelming if you don't take it slow.

Also, don't feel tied to just one developer either. For example, there's nothing wrong with going with a FCPX and After Effects combo. You may lose some linking features between applications, but that may not be a big deal to some.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

No, AutoCAD is not a good match for After Effects. For creating film/broadcast 3D motion graphics and VFX then you should look at programs like Maya, C4D, Modo, etc. Those programs can be prohibitively expensive, but I know at least Maya and C4D offer free student versions that are good for 3 years and 18 months respectively.

Since you're just learning, you're also going to need to focus on just a couple of concentrations at a time. you're just going to be overwhelmed if you jump right into editing, compositing, 3D, etc. all at once. 3D modeling/animation alone has so many different variables that it alone can be overwhelming if you don't take it slow.

Also, don't feel tied to just one developer either. For example, there's nothing wrong with going with a FCPX and After Effects combo. You may lose some linking features between applications, but that may not be a big deal to some.

This is exactly what I'm scared of. I don't know how to use these programs. Because I still have a year left of free student software from Autodesk I can get Maya no problem, and, if I can come up with the money for After Effects CS6 or pay monthly for it, then I can use my existing copy of Sony Vegas Pro 10 and do this. But I wouldn't know what to do aside from working in Vegas Pro.

Would it be best to put it off until college (The courses I wish to take will likely teach this kind of stuff I want to do)? I would really like to produce this movie right now (because I'm extremely inspired right now) but I know that if I did and simply followed Internet tutorials the movie would turn out awful. That, and my best camera is literally my iPhone, which even though has good quality in high amounts of light, it cannot do low-light shots admirably. A good expensive Panasonic or Canon camera would do that. But, I don't have the money. I guess it will have to wait, won't it? Or is there a website where I can learn these pieces of software and how to do compositing quickly? I'd need a job to get After Effects CC because my parents sure as hell aren't going to pay for it. And I'm not quite ready to go and get another job. Working at Sobey's really left a bad taste in my mouth and now I'm scared to get back into the work place.

EDIT: I spent the last of the money that I had saved up from working at Sobey's to buy a copy of Logic Pro X on my friend's iMac. My plan was to copy the application over to my iMac, like what I did with Final Cut Pro X. But, the trick I found on the Internet to make the program run on OS X Lion apparently doesn't work for any version of Logic Pro higher than 10.0.1. Did I really just waste another $200?

 

[geomiga]

To be honest you've got all you need right now in FCPX and Vegas. When the time comes for Motion or AE, then you can invest in it at that time. But you are a ways from that now. BTW, $50 for Motion is a great deal. It is a powerful piece of software.

Anyways, you're quoting from SAIT,s film and video program and if you go there they will give you a laptop with the complete Production Premium suite from Adobe. Free software for 2 years!!

In general you're putting the cart before the horse. You don't need to spend a ton of a money on gear to 'create'. Your time now needs to be on the creative side, writing, planning, collsborating, and then doing on a shoestring is the way to go. Borrow a DSLR, use an old super 8 cam, edit with fcpx, score with logic! You got it all right now!

 

[pinholestars]

After Effects is decidedly a more powerful and versatile program than Motion. I worked as a motion designer for a few years, and I never even encountered someone who knew how to use Motion past opening it up a few times.

Overall, Motion is comparatively very limited in its abilities. You can make good-looking things, but it's very canned and limited to presets that you don't have much control over.

I disagree with the part about Motion being "very limited" and "canned and limited to presets." Not completely true. Is it as robust as After Effects? No. Is it weak in comparison? Not at all. I learned AE in school, but once I graduated I was too broke to buy it and wasn't going to pirate it, so I taught myself Motion (since I had Final Cut Studio). I definitely agree that After Effects is more powerful, but for the cost and ease of use, Motion will always be my go to.

Side note:
I don't work for a firm or production house, so I'm not claiming to be the end-all be-all motion graphics expert. I really like Motion and have to stick up for the little guy. I do however, work for a large church producing all the videos myself with Final Cut and Motion , so I at least have some knowledge

 

[profwilliams]

From your initial comment about your computer, your mac is too old to work at the level you'd want. Adobe CC on a mac wants some horsepower CPU & GPU. An old mac would give me pause.

However, since you have an HP, get it. BUT since money is an issue. Don't.

See? That's your problem here, you want stuff, but you say you can't afford it. CC is great- but you have to be able to afford the monthly- $30 isn't too much considering.

But since your new, learn with what you have-- grow out of it. You say you want to do a lot, but have you tried a bit of it? iMovie is a great, easy program. Have you done everything it can do? FCPX is a great program too. But it needs a new mac to really work well. So I wouldn't consider it with your old mac.

SO--- if your HP can handle it, this is a no-brainer- get CC (don't touch the old ones- unless you can, eh, "acquire" them for next to nothing). And work your ass off to get your $30 a month.

I do want to tell you one thing though: I enjoy your enthusiasm and talk about YOU to my students every week (yes, YOU- a kid who is eager to learn and will KNOW this stuff inside out in a year or two). My college kids are going to get KILLED by kids like you!!!

Good Luck! With a little luck and time, you will be very successful!!

 

[LOLZpersonok]

From your initial comment about your computer, your mac is too old to work at the level you'd want. Adobe CC on a mac wants some horsepower CPU & GPU. An old mac would give me pause.

However, since you have an HP, get it. BUT since money is an issue. Don't.

See? That's your problem here, you want stuff, but you say you can't afford it. CC is great- but you have to be able to afford the monthly- $30 isn't too much considering.

But since your new, learn with what you have-- grow out of it. You say you want to do a lot, but have you tried a bit of it? iMovie is a great, easy program. Have you done everything it can do? FCPX is a great program too. But it needs a new mac to really work well. So I wouldn't consider it with your old mac.

SO--- if your HP can handle it, this is a no-brainer- get CC (don't touch the old ones- unless you can, eh, "acquire" them for next to nothing). And work your ass off to get your $30 a month.

I do want to tell you one thing though: I enjoy your enthusiasm and talk about YOU to my students every week (yes, YOU- a kid who is eager to learn and will KNOW this stuff inside out in a year or two). My college kids are going to get KILLED by kids like you!!!

Good Luck! With a little luck and time, you will be very successful!!

I know very well that my iMac is much too old to do any of this stuff. Final Cut Pro just barely ran on the iMac and Logic Pro X won't run at all without OS X 10.8. I did go out of my way to find Logic Pro X 10.0.1, because it can be made to run on my iMac, and it does work well. And, with my GPU completely disabled (the computer runs faster with it enabled, but it is worse off. The 2006 iMacs were notorious for faulty GPUs) I cannot watch videos let alone run iMovie or Final Cut Pro X.

If I had a job, and I may have one soon, I should have no issue getting the CC versions of Adobe After Effects. Though you have a year commitment to deal with, it is much easier to get my hands on a copy, as I don't have to cough up $1,000 for a personal license.

To be honest with you, I really don't care for iMovie. It's too simplistic for my likings. Sure, it's more advanced than Windows Movie Maker and I think it can do greenscreen and has the sound effects available, it's too simple and can't do some of the things that I use often in Sony Vegas Pro, such as cropping custom shapes and placing and tracing things for cool and unique picture in picture scenes.

My HP has roughly 2-4 times more processing power than this iMac does, 4 times more RAM and GPUs that are several times more powerful than my iMac's GPU (Yes, GPU is pluralized for a reason). It doesn't quite add up to a fully configured 15" Retina Display MacBook Pro (Because my HP's processor is made by AMD and not Intel) it is still an admirable performer when it comes to demanding applications.

People say good things about Final Cut Pro X + Motion. It's not as advanced as After Effects, but for as easy as it sounds I think it might be ideal for me, but going the way of a new Mac and to buy Motion (I did buy Final Cut Pro X a few days after I got this iMac though) is still significantly more expensive. I won't buy a Mac without dedicated graphics for this task. It's also harder for me to get. I have poor spending habits and would have trouble saving if I had a job. Luckily, I don't need to pay for my car yet so I could still save more.

----------

I disagree with the part about Motion being "very limited" and "canned and limited to presets." Not completely true. Is it as robust as After Effects? No. Is it weak in comparison? Not at all. I learned AE in school, but once I graduated I was too broke to buy it and wasn't going to pirate it, so I taught myself Motion (since I had Final Cut Studio). I definitely agree that After Effects is more powerful, but for the cost and ease of use, Motion will always be my go to.

Side note:
I don't work for a firm or production house, so I'm not claiming to be the end-all be-all motion graphics expert. I really like Motion and have to stick up for the little guy. I do however, work for a large church producing all the videos myself with Final Cut and Motion , so I at least have some knowledge

What can you do with Motion? Are you able to create and animate other models in external programs (for example, Cinema 4D or Maya [I have easy access to Maya right now]) and composite them in Motion? This might sound really dumb, but Motion can do motion tracking (i.e. pinpointing movement and tracking it so you can apply things such as 3D models and have them not jut around unnaturally) with ease?

 

[rei101]

I work in TV

We are using FCP 7 and every one is moving towards Adobe Premiere. Even, Univision is switching from FCP7 to Premere besides the Avid stations they already had.

Motion is good, is not bad to learn it, but After Effects is an industry standard.

You can use FCPX as an extra, it doesn't hurt, but never as your primary software, the industry is not accepting it.

 

[pinholestars]

What can you do with Motion? Are you able to create and animate other models in external programs (for example, Cinema 4D or Maya [I have easy access to Maya right now]) and composite them in Motion? This might sound really dumb, but Motion can do motion tracking (i.e. pinpointing movement and tracking it so you can apply things such as 3D models and have them not jut around unnaturally) with ease?

Motion doesn't have any 3d tracking without Mocha. It's one of those plugin issues, since AE comes bundled with Mocha now. Motion does however do regular tracking with it's Match Move plugin.

I also recently found out there's an amazing plugin for Motion that lets you actually manipulate 3d objects in motion from a 3d file.

Overall, I suppose it all depends on price. For me, I have zero budget, so I have to work with what I can. I've recently started using Blender for 3d as they recently added some pretty robust tracking features. And since it's free and an open source community, someone created a script to import Blender tracking data to Motion.

If you're going to do a lot of cg stuff, know that Motion will work, but probably not have quite as straightforward of a workflow as AE would. It is just a fraction of the cost, though

 

[catonfire]

Premiere and After Effects is the Answer.

1. Adobe is cross platform. FCP is not.

2. Adobe CC, even at $50 a month which you probably won't have to pay as a student, would be equivalent to the historical price for owning a 'student' copy of the suite.

3. Tight integration between Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere, Encore, and Illustrator. Don't underestimate this from a workflow standpoint. Motion is capable but it is a dead end product. If you think you will be working in video production long term, you will be there, AE will be there, Motion won't.

4. No one likes the subscription model but realistically, it's not that much. Thousand's of people's livelihood's depend on the CC. Entire industries even, are based on the Adobe product. Yet even at $50 a month, how does that compare to your smartphone bill or a cable bill? Does your smartphone earn you a living? How about your cable TV?

5. Considering this is to be your livelihood, you should be prepared to do a job in the meantime that can earn you $50 a month so you can focus on your livelihood. Unless you don't think you can earn $50 a month as a filmmaker when you graduate, it's probably a good deal.

I make a living shooting and editing corporate, documentary, and narrative feature work. Things like this are the cost of doing business and believe me when I say, software will be the least of your expenses and the most value you will get. Don't begrudge this cost.

6. After Effects will take care of your compositing. You'll need to know Maya or somesuch for 3d environments & characters which you can get for free as a student. Honestly, though, I've done Maya and that's a full-time job apart from learning video production & postproduction.

A better bet is to pour your efforts into shooting and editing once in school. Then find a Maya student and team up with them. One thing you'll soon learn is that it is tough to do everything yourself. It's possible but it will take 10 times longer. That isn't necessarily feasible. Learn to focus in your career.

7. When you graduate and look for jobs, you'll find no one cares about generalists. It's great to know a little of everything for your personal projects but people who are hiring video editors don't care if you know Logic or Maya. People who are hiring Maya artists don't care about your Logic know how. You don't really need Logic for video production, unless you are also a musician or something.

8. FCP X has been playing catch up. It is single platform. It has a nonstandard interface, capable and improving as it may be. Premiere is the better bet for what most people will be using and what most people will be looking to hire on in the next few years.

9. Go to Creative Cow.com. You will learn a lot about film production, all aspects. You can find good information from professionals and nonprofessionals who use all these tools. What the advantages and disadvantages are.

10. I went from FCP 3-7 and Motion to Premiere and AE. I haven't used FCP 10. Premiere has some quirks but Abobe is very responsive about improving the interface and they have done a great job of picking up where FCP 7 left off. Motion was nice. AE is far more capable, and far more ubiquitous for working professionals.

Good luck, have fun, make mistakes, and embrace your own ideas!

 

[LOLZpersonok]

Motion doesn't have any 3d tracking without Mocha. It's one of those plugin issues, since AE comes bundled with Mocha now. Motion does however do regular tracking with it's Match Move plugin.

I also recently found out there's an amazing plugin for Motion that lets you actually manipulate 3d objects in motion from a 3d file.

Overall, I suppose it all depends on price. For me, I have zero budget, so I have to work with what I can. I've recently started using Blender for 3d as they recently added some pretty robust tracking features. And since it's free and an open source community, someone created a script to import Blender tracking data to Motion.

If you're going to do a lot of cg stuff, know that Motion will work, but probably not have quite as straightforward of a workflow as AE would. It is just a fraction of the cost, though

So it may be a good idea to wait, save for a new Mac and then buy these programs, with the plugins. I think it might be a good idea because I hear Final Cut Pro X and Motion are easy to use. Also, my iMac is sluggish and has issues.

Just a little question: What's the difference between 3D motion tracking and regular motion tracking? I have an idea but I'm not 100% sure. I'd search Google, but I'd get no definitive answer.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

I just thought of something:

Blender 3D is an incredible program, and what's best is that it's free. It can do 3D motion tracking and compositing. I know that with a plugin or on its own, it can import .dwg files from AutoCAD (In the movie I wish to do, I do have a pre-existing model of a skyscraper I made that would be used, created in AutoCAD) and would be used in film.

Can someone please help, and tell me how Blender can come into play with what I want to do? Without Blender, I'd need Maya and After Effects. Does Blender effectively remove the need for both Maya and After Effects or would After Effects still be necessary?

EDIT: I just discovered Blender's video editing function. Does this also remove the need for Sony Vegas/Premiere?

 

[jpine]

If I understand this thread correctly, you're a university student or about to become one next year. Check with the university to see if they provide a site license to enrolled students. And if you don't have a job, get one. Delivering pizza, mowing yards, shoveling snow sucks, but it will help you get cash and remind you why you're enrolled in higher education.

 

[LOLZpersonok]

If I understand this thread correctly, you're a university student or about to become one next year. Check with the university to see if they provide a site license to enrolled students. And if you don't have a job, get one. Delivering pizza, mowing yards, shoveling snow sucks, but it will help you get cash and remind you why you're enrolled in higher education.

I'm still in high school, and am about to graduate. I plan on going to college after a year away from high school, and in that time, I plan on working. The college courses I plan on taking will give me a computer with the software preinstalled. That has it covered.

 

[geomiga]

Just wanted to mention that the course your looking into is rather oversubscribed. No guarantees that you'll get in your first few times. Do what you can do now to build up a portfolio, work hard, and good luck!

 

[pinholestars]

So it may be a good idea to wait, save for a new Mac and then buy these programs, with the plugins. I think it might be a good idea because I hear Final Cut Pro X and Motion are easy to use. Also, my iMac is sluggish and has issues.

Just a little question: What's the difference between 3D motion tracking and regular motion tracking? I have an idea but I'm not 100% sure. I'd search Google, but I'd get no definitive answer.

3D tracking lets you put a 3D object into a video plate. 2D tracking lets you track something non-3d. Not a good explanation...but I'm lost at how to explain it better