FCP X Free trial

I have made three attempts to install the 30 day free trial for FCP X and have failed..... I follow the on screen instructions and drop the download file into the applications folder and it starts away, telling me how many hours and minutes it will take...and then after a few hours it stops!!! Any ideas? Am I doing something wrong? Please HELP!! :ohmy:

You probably need a faster Internet connection.

Check your internet speed
www.speedtest.net

Post results and we'll know if that's the problem.

This is the result of the speed test.....

Ping 48, Download speed 1.57Mbps, Upload speed 0.31Mbps.....?

Too slow??

What size is the free trial file? Does 2.1GB sound right?? I thought it would be bigger??

To me it seems very slow connection.

rough napkin math but I think it would take over 3 hours for you to download the trial assuming you sustained that speed. Some carriers throttle large downloads especially if you're tying up a lot of shared bandwidth.

Hi Rita,

That is indeed a very slow connection you have. At the office we have fibrenet connections that are 30 to 40 times faster than what you see. I'm at my home now but even here over a simple wi-fi I get this speed:



So yes it's possible that your connection gets timed out because the download takes too much time.

- Ronny

The download speed of 1.57 Mbps is surely too slow and likely not reliable enough to download most of Apples large applications. If you can take your computer into an Apple store or a friends house with a faster connection (at least 5 to 10 Mbps) I suspect you will download the app just fine.

And, yes, 2.1 GB sounds about right for the trial size of FCPX.

Thanks for all those comments and suggestions. I will take my computer to somewhere with faster speed and try again - I will let you know how I get on.....might be in a day or so before I get a chance!!

Thanks Again.....Happy New year!!

Good luck and Happy New Year to you also.

So I managed to download Final Cut Pro X free trial.......delighted!!!!

But....
I can't import my files - I have them stored on my new apple TB but they are 'wmv' files (Windows Media) and FCP won't allow them in.......

so can you tell me what format my files have to be in and how do I change the format....or should I go back to the original tapes and take them in to FCP directly from the tapes??

Wasn't really expecting this to be an easy ride but this is getting more and more complicated!! HELP!

Hi Rita,

WMV is a Windows distribution format that really shouldn't be used for editing. You can convert your WMV files to a QuickTime mov format such as ProRes 422 but you will need a third party plugin (Flip4Mac) or an external converter to do this. You can find different solutions for converting WMV to MOV on the web. Once you have converted the WMV files you can import the converted files from the drive they are stored on.

If you have the original tapes for this footage importing the tapes will give you the best quality to start with. Just connect your tape deck or camera to your system and you will see the device appear in the FCPX import window. Select the device and start importing.

- Ronny

So.... I have managed to import footage from my tapes and I have been playing around with FCP X learning as I go and enjoying it immensely. I still have lots to learn!
Can anyone tell me what the restrictions are with the trial version. My last edit didn't render and I have tried to do it manually by clicking in the menu option 'render all' and render selection'. Could this be one of the restrictions. Also I don't see an option for saving my project....another restriction perhaps??

Thanks for all your help so far -

Happy punter, Rita!

OK so as far as I can see, in order to share my work (which is to publish it as a quick time video) I need to send it to the Compressor - therefore I need to purchase Compressor 4.1 ($44.99) but reading the reviews, there isn't much positive comments about Compressor 4.1?? Any views on that?
Also haven't worked out the rendering yet!!

Hi Rita,

The trial version has no restrictions, you can do everything with it exactly as with the purchased version.

Rendering is not really required in FCPX unless you find that your system does not play back your video smoothly. I cannot see any reason why your timeline would not render. If you want to render your edit make sure your timeline is selected, then press SHIFT+CTRL+R. But you don't need to render anything to export your work.

No need for saving anything manually either, FCPX saves all your work in the background and if something should go wrong it will open again without any work being lost. Since 10.1 you even get the option to make timed backups of your Libraries.

You don't need Compressor to share your work. Just push the Share button and you will be able to export your edit to a lot of different formats.

I'm glad you are enjoying FCPX. The best (and in fact the only) way to learn it well is to get some basic training. The majority of mistakes people make with FCPX are due to not understanding the very basics of the application. You can find lots of free basic training videos on the internet, as well as payed in-depth training courses. I think this is a must for anyone starting with the application. And of course you are always welcome to ask any questions here.

- Ronny

Which version are you using? Which version of the OS? What happens when you try to export?

As Ronny says, no restrictions other than 30 days. You should not need Compressor.

OK so when I click on share I choose one from the menu - I have shared via email twice and via facebook - but I dont know where it goes?? I can't see it anywhere. I tried putting it onto my hard drive but con't see it. I m obviously doing something wrong or not doing something I should......aghhhhh!!!!! So nearly there, and I am watching some tutorials now Rony and taking notes!!!

Thanks again!

What version did you say you were using? The exported items are in the projects shared folder.

OS X version 10.9.1

Where is the projects shared folder?