We can only guess at the success of FCPX as we don't have any statistics on the number of copies that Apple has sold. Judging by the number of free tutorials posted online however, there's a rapidly growing user base out there.
There are about three or four popular companies out there that offer online training courses for Final Cut Pro X. But what about the free tutorials that get posted online?
It's been a while since we did an online tutorial roundup and we were pleasantly surprised at the number of them out there. Many more are being published compared to the last time we did a trawl.
FCPX free tutorial regular Dan Allen has published a guide on how import Motion generators. He uses a lens flare generator as an example.
Chris Fenwick always likes to take FCPX to a new level. In this new tutorial he adds a compound clip into a multicam clip. Why would you want to do this you might ask? Chris shows us how he built a quick 'two box' new clip from the other two separate angles. Very cool and yes, mind blown as it opens up a whole new range of possibilities for multicam editing.
If you've never organised and edited a multicam project in FCPX, no problem as Chip Dizard from Web Video Chefs has a ten minute introduction to get you switching angles in no time.
Capital Community Television in Salem offer courses on video production. They have also produced a nine part online introduction which is aimed at the first timer to FCPX. A great playlist to point people to who have never edited before.
We have embedded the whole nine episodes as a playlist.
Larry J gets in on the act with a nine minute free extract from one of his courses. It's basic, but he does his stuff providing a run through of working with keywords in FCPX.
It looks like Robin S. Kurz is one half of a German answer to MacBreak Studio! In this QuickTipp the guys look at importing Red media. Worth a bookmark for our German readers if they produce these on a regular basis.
Next is a series of FCPX tutorials from Jon Ruffidge. The videos are scattered about on his YouTube channel, we picked this one called 'Editing Title Templates.'
And finally, Drew Taylor has embarked on producing regular YouTube videos in a series called 'Essentials of Digital Media.' He's picked FCPX as his weapon of choice for cutting and starts right from the very basics in episode 4. Click through to his YouTube channel if you want to watch more of his relaxed style of tutorial.
Phew! That's about it, all these tutorial videos (or the latest episodes) were published in October. We will let you come to your own conclusions about the health of Final Cut Pro X, for us it is definitely alive and kicking.
A big thank you to all the tutorial producers, keep up the good work!
I am the Editor-in-Chief of FCP.co and have run the website since its inception ten years ago.
I have also worked as a broadcast and corporate editor for over 30 years, starting on one inch tape, working through many formats, right up to today's NLEs.
Under the name Idustrial Revolution, I have written and sold plugins for Final Cut Pro for 13 years.
I was made a Freeman of Lichfield through The Worshipful Company of Smiths (established 1601). Though I haven't yet tried to herd a flock of sheep through the city centre!
Current Editing
2020 has been busy, the beginning of the year was finishing off a new property series (cut on FCP) for Channel 4 called The Great House Giveaway. I also designed and built the majority of the graphics as Motion templates. It has been a great success and the shows grabbed more viewers in the 4pm weekday slot than any previous strand. It has been recommissioned by C4 for 60 episodes, including prime-time versions and five themed programmes. The shows have also been nominated for a 2021 BAFTA.
Although both were postponed to later in the year, I worked again on ITV's coverage of the Tour de France and La Vuelta. 2020 was my 25th year of editing the TdF and my 20th year as lead editor. The Tour was the first broadcast show to adopt FCPX working for multiple editors on shared storage.
BBC's Snooker has played a big part in my life, I've been editing tournament coverage since 1997. I'm proud to be part of a very creative team that has pioneered many new ideas and workflows that are now industry standard in sports' production. This is currently an Adobe Premiere edit.
Covid cancelled some of the regular corporate events that I edit such as trade shows & events. I was lucky however to edit, from home, on projects for Amazon Kindle, Amazon Black Friday, Mastercard and very proud to have helped local charitable trust Kendall & Wall secure lottery funding.
As for software, my weapon of choice is Final Cut Pro and Motion, but I also have a good knowledge and broadcast credits with Adobe Premiere Pro, MOGRT design and Photoshop.
Plugin Design & Development
I'm the creative force behind Idustrial Revolution, one of the oldest Final Cut Pro plugin developers. It hosts a range of commercial and free plugins on the site. One free plugin was downloaded over a thousand times within 24 hours of release.
I also take on custom work, whether it is adapting an existing plugin for a special use or designing new plugins for clients from scratch. Having a good knowledge of editing allows me to build-in flexibility and more importantly, usability.
FCP.co
Now in its 10th year and 4th redesign, running FCP.co has given me knowledge on how to run a large CMS- you are currently reading my bio from the database! Although it sounds corny, I am pretty well up on social media trends & techniques, especially in the video sector. The recent Covid restrictions has enabled live FCP.co shows online. This involves managing a Zoom Webinar through Restream.io to YouTube and Facebook.
The Future
I'm always open to new ideas and opportunities, so please get in touch at editor (at) fcp.co. I've judged film competitions, presented workflow techniques to international audiences and come up with ideas for TV shows and software programs!
