Don't think so. I think they want to make FCP a tool for consumers who have no idea about narrative structure and storytelling. FCP isn't useful for Apple any more. Regarding editing conventions, they are far older then 20 or so years. However, they've been around for a very long time and those conventions will be here to stay. Why? Because in the end of the day stories are linear and that fact won't change one bit even if Apple releases iMovie Pro.
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Next Final Cut Pro at NAB Next Week? Due Spring 2011, Some More Hints
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Don't think so. I think they want to make FCP a tool for consumers who have no idea about narrative structure and storytelling. FCP isn't useful for Apple any more. Regarding editing conventions, they are far older then 20 or so years. However, they've been around for a very long time and those conventions will be here to stay. Why? Because in the end of the day stories are linear and that fact won't change one bit even if Apple releases iMovie Pro.
Thank you.
The funny thing is that most of the ranters here calling themselves "professionals" are really just hacks using professional grade equipment. They comfort themselves in the fact they use the same s/w (FCP) as many in the H'wood TV and movie studios (home of the true professionals), much like a kid with an Albert Pujois edition L'ville Slugger.
I admit when iMovie '08 came out my head imploded. The entire concept seemed so ass-backwards after years with NLEs. I still don't like the "new" iMovie because its features pale in comparison of previous versions, which limits creativity. iMovie '09 and '11 have improved but are still too basic.
I have warmed up to the editing concept. I actually like it now for a quick splice job. So if it turns out iMovie has really been the beta engine for the new FCP all along I'm OK with that. It's really a snappier, more organized way to edit once you divorce all previous notions of NLE editing. Of course I don't pretend to be a professional either.
Well, I can say this much:
I don't care if they change the interface, because if the new version doesn't fix the LONGSTANDING issues with FCP, my post house is dumping FCP and moving to Avid and I'll have to get used to a new interface anyway.
Sick of bad file handling, sick of flawed roundtripping, sick of crappy multicore support, sick of flaky-as-hell Qmaster, sick of stupid little idiosyncrasies that make sense to nobody I've ever spoken to in the industry.
Apple needs to get their crap in gear or they're going to lose a lot of their FCP install base, not many places are happy with it anymore. I'm sure the idiot fanboys will buy it no matter what, but people like myself (who actually make a living and want reliable, efficient software) are ready to leave.
I don't care if they change the interface, because if the new version doesn't fix the LONGSTANDING issues with FCP, my post house is dumping FCP and moving to Avid and I'll have to get used to a new interface anyway.
Sick of bad file handling, sick of flawed roundtripping, sick of crappy multicore support, sick of flaky-as-hell Qmaster, sick of stupid little idiosyncrasies that make sense to nobody I've ever spoken to in the industry.
Apple needs to get their crap in gear or they're going to lose a lot of their FCP install base, not many places are happy with it anymore. I'm sure the idiot fanboys will buy it no matter what, but people like myself (who actually make a living and want reliable, efficient software) are ready to leave.
I don't think anyone is worried about interface changes. Its more of Apple "re-inventing" how NLE's work aka making it "iMoviePro". I fully agree with your gripes about where FCP is right now. We are moving rest our FCP suits to Avid MC if Apple can't pull it together. Regarding the move from FCP to Avid MC 5.5 - its is very easy due to 5.5 flexibility towards the way FCP editors used to work.
Then that just begs the question, "why haven't these people left already?" FCP has been fairly stagnant for years. There are plenty of other alternatives, so doesn't that kinda make them fanboyish too for sticking it out when up to this point Apple has given zero hints about when or how it will take FCP to the next level?
I'm not in the video editing biz, but if the pro s/w I use in my profession hobbled my efficiency and workflow the way you are carping about FCP, and there were viable alternatives, I would abandon it quicker than pigeon can snatch a bread crumb. Just sayin'.
No kidding!
Where's Picasso when you need him?
Avid image was from here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYw4vvr7Aq4
It's costly to change. It takes time to learn new software, time that could be spent working instead. Then it's all the money already invested in the platform.
At least here, premiere is not really an option if you work in broadcast or film since everyone either use final cut or avid
OMG, these drop-down menus! It burns....No kidding!
View attachment 280734
Where's Picasso when you need him?
Avid image was from here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYw4vvr7Aq4
I hope they remove the Constant Crash feature.
I've still got the t-shirt they gave out w/ Version 1.0. Somewhere.
In keeping with the videos they produce (the one's I've seen anyway)
I've still got the t-shirt they gave out w/ Version 1.0. Somewhere.
Aww, give them a break, they're probably just trying to keep with the 90's design of the UI.
Honestly, the website totally sucks. Looks like a get-rich-quick advertisement site. They might be FCP pros, but they know amateur HTML.
In keeping with the videos they produce (the one's I've seen anyway)
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I'm an independent corporate video editor. Work out of the house. I've been doing NLE since 1993. I started with VideoCube, then Media 100, then Avid, and then FCP in 2001. Avid had to get really behind (and threaten to leave the mac platform) before post houses made the switch. They really screwed that up at NAB that year. They had been languishing on the mac apps and releasing certain products- Symphony, DS, etc. on Windows only for a few years and at NAB one sales guy said to someone that they would essentially be phasing out the mac platform. They denied it later, but it was probably their plan. Then FCP came out and for the corporate folks that didn't need to spend 70,000 on an Avid system, it was wonderful. In the years that followed it closed the gap immensely and Avid fought back with cheaper products and options. It became a either or situation, with FCP being the slightly cheaper option. But with the new tech in the last 2 years, Apple has to leap frog again.
But still, it's so much more than just the app. Which is why Adobe (which has all the features everyone wants in FCP) is having such a hard time getting anyone but hacks to use it. There is an installed user base and an entire generation of people trained on FCP & Avid. And it was just the above fluke that gave FCP an in. It's one thing for an individual like me to switch, but for a company that uses contractors and other companies and rely on compatibility and workflows and such, it's a nightmare. I work with independent producers, and their clients are usually large companies. All 3 of us are using FCP. If I switch, I make life hard on the producer who is cutting together rough ideas on her laptop. When we deliver product, we deliver a product and the FCP project and files so that the big company, who has editing facilites of their own, can make changes without our help in an emergency. It's part of why they feel comfortable going out of house.
It's the smaller turnkey shops that do it all in house that can afford to keep totally cutting edge and buy every upgrade. But truth is, most good editing should rely on cuts and dissolves. You need anything fancier audio or graphic wise, you should be hiring an audio professional or a graphics professional.
I have the Adobe Master collection myself because I dabble in AE, PS, Flash and Dreamweaver. But the web authoring has just gone crazy. I can't keep up with all that. And AE is starting to get that way too. For me, I would just like FCP to upgrade and/or reinvent itself so I can integrate new tech simpler. Better authoring for Blu-Ray and DVD. Better web options. Importing file formats without log and transfer BS. And lets tune it up to make it use all the processors and be a ridiculous powerhouse. High end features rivaling Avid, and the touch and elegance of Apple. Plus a few neat tricks like offline editing on iPad or using the iPad as a controller, etc. would be cool and welcome.
I find this line of "reasoning" fascinating.
If Apple was really intent of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" and totally re-defining the way FCP works then why, pray tell, are they bothering to (presumably) announce the new FCP to industry and film editing heavyweights?
That seems rather daft - if Apple is no longer catering to them, why announce to them?
How can Apple simultaneously be a marketing genius (it is the only reason people buy iPods, iPhones and iPads after all!) and stupid enough to target people they are getting ready to diss?
I'll have the popcorn ready for tomorrow as well as my running shoes so I can sidestep all the backpedaling that will be happening
I think Apple's timing with tomorrow is perfect for them to capitalize on this. If you watched the first two clips, the panelists talked about the lack of real standards for data and more importantly meta-data for file based workflows. They also referenced the only factory in the world that produces the most commonly used tape in pro workflow as being wiped out by the Tsunami in Japan - if Apple follows up with a new standard for file based workflow (which I fully expect them to do - skating to where the puck will be - it's a no brainer) and with Thunderbolt and a few manufacturers ready to capitalize it, I think you could see a dramatic shift in workflow since the tape situation will get dire for many. As one of the panelists pointed out, people aren't going to stop creating content just because they can't get more tape.
This might be the external catalyst that causes a dramatic shift. They are rare, but they do happen and events certainly seem to be lining up!
(I can't wait for the eventual conspiracy theorists that will no doubt claim SJ engineered the Tsunami in order to take advantage of it
)
And as with the iPhone and iPad, if you are hopelessly behind in a traditional market (i.e. Mac OSX vs. Windows) go create a new one (i.e. iOS)! I have no doubt this is where Apple is going...
Why wait (and risk them not living up to your expectation)? Just pretend Apple dumbed it down now and start your move now - like that's the only thing "keeping" you on the Mac platform
To people who resist change - which is pretty much everyone, myself included -just to varying degrees depending on how much it affects me.
The initial reaction will be negative - what a shocker! The key will be that if Apple does nail the new paradigm and it makes sense, the anger, shock and grief will be displaced with enthusiasm and acceptance. There is nothing new here, it's human nature in motion.
They key is for Apple getting it right. They have a pretty good track record (not perfect, mind you) of anticipating and getting things right.
And even if you hate every single decision Apple has made, you still can't deny that we all benefit since they are pretty much the only entity pushing any significant innovation - and they have been the primary pusher for some time now.
So wouldn't that make the recent pushes with iMovie, particularly on the iOS redundant? That' doesn't seem a very smart use of resources or use of branding...
Really? Had lunch with SJ lately? Care to share more?
I guess time will tell. I remember reading comments like yours from industry "experts" when I first started playing around with PageMaker 1.0 on my school's Mac Plus - dismissing it as a toy and not a serious or professional tool.
Perhaps "old timers" problems like yours is that you have been in your box for so long that you can't possibly imagine how it could be different and useful? The panel touched on that - I think it was in Part 2. It was fun to see who embraced that notation and which members of the panel dismissed it (either verbally or by their body language).
Final thought: evolve or die; be prepared to get out of your comfort zone. Heck, you might even like it!
Why wait (and risk them not living up to your expectation)? Just pretend Apple dumbed it down now and start your move now - like that's the only thing "keeping" you on the Mac platform
Maybe there is, or maybe this is the final straw given Apple's trend in dropping professional grade products. Either way, his decision, no need for the
. Thought we were all adults here. iMovie on Mac or iOS are not about creating a movie for a paying customer. They are all about sharing your personal moments with those who are more or less interested about it. FCP is all about putting food on the table, selling the story to those who have never heard about it. Its all about art of story telling.
Regarding the usefulness of FCP to Apple; times have changed a lot. When FCP first came out Apple was trying its best to find its way in Win dominated market place. Enter the FCP, pro editing at fraction of price of competition. Today Apple is doing extremely strong in consumer market place so cornering hard market like moving image isn't promissing.*
Regarding changes anything Apple will bring is small change compared to continues changes in the industry. However, change for the sake of it is meaningless or sometimes very much counter productive. Regarding FCP, Apple NEEDS to make huge changes however these changes need add on productivity and not making it some semi half way creation trying to serve advanced consumers and professionals at same time. Apple needs to bring it now!
Exactly. Apple has been neglecting its professional products since the iPhone and iOS release, and focusing on consumer level products. A lot of people on MacRumors are new to Mac/Apple. For those of us who have used Mac's for 10+ years, mostly for work, we have become weary of the direction the company is taking for US, not for the average Joe. FCP was a standard at the time, for less than its competitors it offered a great GUI at a reasonable price point. The hardware and software are business investments.
As for the sarcastic comment regarding someone not leaving Apple now before FCP is released, it's because leaving is a huge decision. We have lots of money, time and equipment invested in our work. It's not as simple as dropping everything you have used for many, many years and investing and training yourself for another platform.
Sorry, but I am tired of the new users brought in from iPhone's and iPods and MacBook's getting snarky with the professionals who carried Apple through tough times and rely on Apple's professional line for our work. First the dedicated ACD's are neglected and replaced with ONE 27" LED LCD panel from the 27" iMac, OS X Lion is morphing into an iOS GUI, the Xeon Server processors in the Mac Pro line that replaced the affordable PowerMac G4/5's are over priced and over powered for some of our needs, Xserve was dropped not due to less sales but less marketing and development due to Apple's focus on iDevices, less OS X development such as Resolution Independence, 64-bit implementation, TRIM support for third party Sandforce SSD's, and so on. Heck, even professional such as Annie Leibovitz has left Apple due its lack of professional level products over the past four years.
There's much more to Apple than iDevices, as great as they may be. iMac's, iPads, MacBooks - they don't replace the systems Apple has left that are necessary for our work.
*and before anyone states that Apple has made billions on iDevices and iOS, they certainly can take a small amount of that cash reserve and reinvest it into a much needed market, such as a mid-level tower that fits between the top level iMac and entry level Mac Pro for those of us who need 5+ tower's but now can't afford them since the Intel transition. Apple could easily restructure their professional focus with new project managers to give a much needed refresh of their high end niche, and they could easily make a profit from that market. They created/restructured a niche market with iDevices and made a killing, why not with their professional end products? There are thousands if not more of us who would gladly pony up and stick with Apple.