Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

Premier or Avid as a FCP7 replacement

InuNacho

InuNacho

macrumors 68010
Original poster
Apr 24, 2008
2,001
1,262
In that one place
I've given FCPX a chance with the 30 day trial and couldn't get anywhere. My professors are giving FCPX another year before deciding to move onto Premiere or Avid, most likely Avid but they recommend waiting before buying any software. My question is, if FCPX continues the way it is which would be a more suitable replacement for FCP7, Premier or Avid? I know Avid is a given but how does the latest Premier stack up against it?
 
I've heard a lot of good things about Premiere Pro CS6 so I'd call that a solid FCP 7 replacement (which FCP X is not ... more like an alternative software)
 
I don't think FCP X is ever going to be a true replacement for FCP 7 because it has a radically different way of doing things. Whether that's a good thing or bad thing really depends on the person and their post production needs.

In terms of current (as in, still updated and supported) NLEs that have widespread industry support, I'd say Avid MC. But what does your school teach on? Premiere has gotten quite good over the past few years, but it doesn't exactly have the professional market saturation that Avid and (classic) FCP has.
 
I love a challenge so Avid MC/Symphony would be my choice.
Now only because Premiere Pro is easy for me since I started on it back in 94'.
I for one love FCPX. I had to learn so it was easy for me after.
I had to open FCP7 yesterday (helping a friend) to clean up a 30 minute cooking segment. I can not believe how painful it was to use that again.
Of note, I use Avid at work so I could be bias even though we have a dozen Premier Pro installs due to our Master and Production Premium licenses.
 
In my experience all NLE's (bar FCPX) are pretty much identical. Fundamentals like the timelines and in and out points work the same, the rest can be adapted to easily. I have spent a month using premiere CS6 and have found it a very capable NLE. I am still much much faster in FCP7 but I'm sure that will come in premiere. For me it's working out fine to use them both at the same time (CS6 is running on windows 7 PC).
I used Avid plenty many years ago long before fcp7 and premiere and again found the transition a breeze. Ultimately it should come down to price and how well your hardware will run whichever NLE you go for.
 
If you want familiarity, I think Premiere is a little more similar to FCP7 than Avid in the workflow and in the way it deals with media. However I personally have gone back to mostly Avid (not that I ever left), which I feel is still a bit more capable when it comes to film and television workflows.
 
Last edited:
Fcpx?

What is it about FCPX that you are having issues with?
If you are new to this game it should be easy to get into.
I can only see the ones that have muscle memory problems that would have issues. Curious thats all :)
 
I'm a producer/editor, I own both Avid and Premiere. Here are my 2 cents.

Each has strengths. I grew up on Avid, which I prefer for that reason, I love the interface and I feel that its media management is good and its a stable platform. If you are cutting long - form documentary, or feature film length pie ces, for me its a no-brainer. Also for scripted tv, the script synch feature is briliant. Integration with 3rd party hardware like flying fader mixers make a big difference to speeding up the audio side of editing, same goes for color interfaces.

I have less experience with my Premiere, but for me its strengths are in the suite as a whole and the integration with After Effects (though 3rd party plug ins make moving Avid pieces in and out of AE isn't hard). My feeling is that its strengths would be in short form, graphics-heavy commercials or pieces like this.

There are some good editor bloggers who discuss these issues, maybe look at

http://provideocoalition.com/index.php/ssimmons

http://lfhd.net/

http://dylanreeve.com/

Important to note that in the future, as a freelancer I think you should have expertise with both. Since you'll probably want to own After Effects and Photoshop, you might as well own the suite. But institutions like Discover, BBC, etc, the large facilities, are more likely to still run Avid rooms than go fully Premiere
 
CaptainChunk said:
In terms of current (as in, still updated and supported) NLEs that have widespread industry support, I'd say Avid MC. But what does your school teach on? Premiere has gotten quite good over the past few years, but it doesn't exactly have the professional market saturation that Avid and (classic) FCP has.
Click to expand...

My school uses FCP7. I've noticed that Premier isn't quiet there with market saturation like you said, but I have noticed that several of my peers are using it as more and more frequently thanks to the low cost of the Production Premium. Do you think it's possible that Premier could become the next Final Cut?

mBox said:
What is it about FCPX that you are having issues with?
If you are new to this game it should be easy to get into.
I can only see the ones that have muscle memory problems that would have issues. Curious thats all :)
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say I'm new in the game as I've been using Final Cut as a hobby for the past 7 or so years and only in the past 2 years have I been using it for more serious projects.
I'm mainly having issues with the interface. I love the old Viewer, I can't make heads or tails of the new timeline without the tracks, and a couple of other things. It just doesn't feel as friendly as 7.


CASLondon said:
I'm a producer/editor, I own both Avid and Premiere. Here are my 2 cents.

Each has strengths. I grew up on Avid, which I prefer for that reason, I love the interface and I feel that its media management is good and its a stable platform. If you are cutting long - form documentary, or feature film length pie ces, for me its a no-brainer. Also for scripted tv, the script synch feature is briliant. Integration with 3rd party hardware like flying fader mixers make a big difference to speeding up the audio side of editing, same goes for color interfaces.

Important to note that in the future, as a freelancer I think you should have expertise with both. Since you'll probably want to own After Effects and Photoshop, you might as well own the suite. But institutions like Discover, BBC, etc, the large facilities, are more likely to still run Avid rooms than go fully Premiere
Click to expand...

I am going to get Adobe Production Premium within the next few months just for After Effects and a newer version of Photoshop (still on 8) and since everyone uses Avid it seems reasonable to just learn them both.
Do you know if smaller production companies use Avid or Premier more?
 
InuNacho said:
I am going to get Adobe Production Premium within the next few months just for After Effects and a newer version of Photoshop (still on 8) and since everyone uses Avid it seems reasonable to just learn them both.
Do you know if smaller production companies use Avid or Premier more?
Click to expand...

I think it depends on the type of work the companies are doing. Indie companies producing television will certainly be Avid, whether that's documentary or fiction, multi camera event type shoots like concerts the same. It remains the industry standard, esp for anything broadcast or screened.

Many of these type of places are also Final Cut, but we are in a grey transition period now and I'm not sure how its going to shake out.

I think you'd find Premiere-only rooms in only a few small companies, and again more likely maybe those focusing on the 30/60 second spot market with a lot of graphics, political ads, etc. Lots and lots of places will end up having Premiere plus something else though.

I think Premiere is likely to show up where Final Cut used to a lot, the small companies that in the past wouldn't have owned in-house post but with the costs going down so much have gone for it. As everyone is likely to end up with premiere as they will buy prod prem, it will grow as more people give it a shake, then it will probably be battling FC for what was mostly FC's market in the past.

If I were you I would get Prod Prem and also look seriously at the AVID educational pricing while you are eligible, as I think its a very good deal now, both on price and then something like 4 years worth of upgrades from the time you buy it. Once you are out of school it becomes much more, but if you want to work widely its an important tool and buying an edu license would set you up for a few years.
 
What is it about FCPX that you are having issues with?
If you are new to this game it should be easy to get into.
I can only see the ones that have muscle memory problems that would have issues. Curious thats all
Click to expand...

Well, that's only part of it for me. I personally need to maintain compatibility with other trades that expect project and XML/AAF files from FCP 7 and Avid workstations and though FCP X is getting better in terms of file portability, it isn't quite where I need it to be. I also still deal with tape ingest occasionally and FCP X doesn't do tape capture at all.

I think FCP X is fine for those who run small (often one-man) shops that publish straight to web because it fills the needs of that demographic nicely. And it's very fast once you get a hang of the differences in its interface. I guess part of me still wishes that Apple would have pushed out a product that was closer to FCP 8 or at the very least provided some sort of "classic" mode with traditional numbered tracks for experienced "legacy" editors that are used to it. Heck, I'd even consider buying FCP X if they did that.
 
I work at a TV station

We use FCP 7. If we change platforms we would do it to AVID. I personally like Premiere better but no professional studio works with Premiere.

If you learn AVID you will find a job everywhere.
 
I fell in love with FCPX when it first came out, i previously used FCP7 and dabbled in Premiere CS5. The more i used FCPX the more it started too annoy me, just the little things. ..i wont be going back to FCPX anytime soon. I think with Premiere CS6 making the transistion from FCP7 to Premiere so easy and simple (So i have heard) the studios such as Brain Farm who used FCP7 are moving to Premiere. The film Act of Valor was cut on Premiere...I have looked at Avid, and the old GUI just scares me, it looks old. IMO. So with previous CS5 experience i went with CS6 and it was a good move, as i love the software

although AVID scares me, i still want to learn it. Due to the nature of its standing in the professional world
 
Last edited:
I just dumped FCP X for Premiere CS6, and love it. You can download a trial to see what you think, and their Creative Cloud lets you "rent" the apps for US$50/mo ($30 if you're a student, although the student price to buy the whole suite is about 10 months worth).
 
Sonicjay said:
I just dumped FCP X for Premiere CS6, and love it. You can download a trial to see what you think, and their Creative Cloud lets you "rent" the apps for US$50/mo ($30 if you're a student, although the student price to buy the whole suite is about 10 months worth).
Click to expand...
Hey why not donate that FCPX license to others in need ;)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back