*** FCPX vs Premiere Pro ****

I want to thank everyone who gave their feedback regarding FCPX vs Premiere. I've really been wrestling with this decision. One forum member even suggested that I edit the feature on FCP7 and move on after that. That comment definitely made me stop and think. I'll be reaching out to a few of you for couple a questions in the near future. Overall, I think I'm learning towards FCPX.

I would suggest that now is the time to jump in and learn FCPX, you have a ton of resources right here at fcp.co, and if you need further help, there is Ripple Training, Larry Jordon, Lynda.com, and many others.

The only way to learn is to do, and by doing you will encounter issues, and the lessons you learn by solving yourself, you will not find anywhere and you will be the richer, better editor doing it.

Forget Premiere/Avid/FCP6/7, they are old and useless, based on 1980 code, not fit for purpose, jump in now, learn to swim now, no excuses about complexity, it is not complex, you make it so...

....and when you jump to FCPX don't make the mistake of trying to make FCPX conform to your old way of doing things. Learn the new ways and after a few days you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner.

That should be the banner on FCP.co homepage and on the Apple.com/fcpx page....
"....and when you jump to FCPX don't make the mistake of trying to make FCPX conform to your old way of doing things. Learn the new ways and after a few days you will wonder why you didn't do this sooner. "

First thing we ACTs are told to do in a class, tell students to take everything they know about FCP legacy and other NLEs, throw it out the window. Never compare collections to bins, it doesn't work, not the same at all. Don't compare Sequences to Projects or Compounds, doesn't work, not the same at all. May as well try to say a bird is an animal, and a fish is an animal, thus, birds can breath in water and fish can fly.

At the end of the day, get the NLE that works for "you", not for other people. And know this is an FCPX forum, so you won't get any of the very good and valid reasons to use another NLE.

And the best way to learn I think is to take a class from someone like Ben or I. I'm doing a week long training at Stanford in the first week of August. We have both taught a lot of people, and having an instructor, especially for someone coming from 7, makes a huge difference in getting you past what can be initial stages of frustration.

I cannot emphasize enough how important decent training is, no matter what NLE you want to use. Web tutorials are great, but nothing beats taking a hands-on course with a professional trainer. And don't let anyone fool you: the transition from FCP7 to Premiere is not easier than the transition to FCP X at all. Anyone who is using the three major NLEs on a professional level will confirm this.

My advice: never use a major paying gig to try out new software. Stick with what you know for that feature and take one or more FCP X classes until you feel comfortable with the application. Then use it for work, you will be amazed how well it performs once you know how to work with it.

- Ronny

Agreed, class room training, though pricey, is worth every penny in the long run.

I have done Ripple Training, class room training, and Lynda.com, and I passed the exam after just doing the Ripple Training and working through Brendan Boykin's offical FCPX training book, and I am still not able to find a lick of work.

Being certified through Apple is great, only no one respects it, I know that Ripple do not respect the course and the certificate.

Mike Matzdorf moans all the time about Snottywood not having any FCP X editors, I would do it free if I could, and would...Just to develop skills.

To be honest I am training video fatigued..For all sorts of historical and legal reasons I cannot produce a showreel, I kind of do like to travel, producing a showreel would land me in the local grey hotel here, not a place I fancy visiting, being a guest of Mr President...

So what to do??? Sorry rant over...

MsJustine wrote: I have done Ripple Training, class room training, and Lynda.com, and I passed the exam after just doing the Ripple Training and working through Brendan Boykin's offical FCPX training book, and I am still not able to find a lick of work.

Being certified through Apple is great, only no one respects it, I know that Ripple do not respect the course and the certificate.

Mike Matzdorf moans all the time about Snottywood not having any FCP X editors, I would do it free if I could, and would...Just to develop skills.

To be honest I am training video fatigued..For all sorts of historical and legal reasons I cannot produce a showreel, I kind of do like to travel, producing a showreel would land me in the local grey hotel here, not a place I fancy visiting, being a guest of Mr President...

So what to do??? Sorry rant over...

Ys being certified in a application will not make you find work faster or better paid... what counts is who you know and your results.

The OP is not about getting one's first editing job, it is about what workflow to adopt when you already have a job.

Apple pro app certification works for those in a position to take advantage of it. If you can't put a demo reel together, you simply are in the wrong line of work.

As for R.T. not respecting the Apple certification, well, then why are they still Apple certified trainers? They support Apple's program very much. In fact their FCPX training video was the only Apple authorized video training at one point.

Wrong line of work? What does that mean exactly? I could every easily write 25 000 words on how to edit for TV news, or how to direct, or do any one of a number of jobs in live broadcasting.

Mr Obama did not study "How to be President or How to lead the Armed Forces" to be Commander in Chief or to be president of the USA. Is he in the wrong line of work? NO.

Just because I do not have a demo reel, does not mean I have zero experience, I have been editing tv news since umatic 1 inch tapes and through Betacam through DVCPRO and finally on FCP X, skipped out Final Cut Pro 6, to care for a elderly ailing parent, which took a few years out of my career.

I live in a 1 horse country, by that we have really only 2 news broadcasters, and I specialized in tv news editing, as this requires very acute skills, no storyboards, no long deadlines, 4 or 5 languages within 1 hour of the crew arriving back at base. Knowing what is legal from a broadcast standpoint, that is technical and what is legal from a moral/legal, will the company be sued point.

I had to make decisions on the fly as to when best to use a shot, make sense of the script, what archive material to use. So I am no moron at editing. For legal reasons I am embargoed from having my own material.

There are in fact at least 2 ways to open a bag of pretzels, Ben you seem to advocate opening from the top of the bag, when the bottom is just as useful. So what if I do not have a show reel/demo reel. If I was hiring, I would disregard show reels/demo reels as they can be faked.

What would I do? Set up a short complex test of my skills under pressure, see how I perform on site, and not use some fake demo reel.

OMG, you've got to be kidding me. Are you aware I've been hiring post-production personal for over a decade now? No demo reel, no consideration. Even kids fresh out of college or high school have demo reels.

Anyway, back to the OP, there was no question about how to get work, but how to design a workflow once you have work. In that situation, do your homework, download free trial versions, find what works best for you and your specific situation.

never mind...

BenB wrote: The OP is not about getting one's first editing job, it is about what workflow to adopt when you already have a job.

Apple pro app certification works for those in a position to take advantage of it. If you can't put a demo reel together, you simply are in the wrong line of work.

As for R.T. not respecting the Apple certification, well, then why are they still Apple certified trainers? They support Apple's program very much. In fact their FCPX training video was the only Apple authorized video training at one point.

Well I can say, after being Certified in Adobe and Apple applications in the past years. Your not going to learn much about Workflow. Again experience will teach you this. Look at news and threads here on FCP.co you will not find anything close in the FCPX Certification book.

ronny courtens wrote: ... And don't let anyone fool you: the transition from FCP7 to Premiere is not easier than the transition to FCP X at all. Anyone who is using the three major NLEs on a professional level will confirm this.

My advice: never use a major paying gig to try out new software. Stick with what you know for that feature and take one or more FCP X classes until you feel comfortable with the application. Then use it for work, you will be amazed how well it performs once you know how to work with it.

- Ronny

You are correct. Conceptually Pr (and MC as well) *looks* kinda the same as 7. It's not. Even with training you need time to "lock in" to your new NLE. Factor that in if you switch.

If me I would pick FCP X. At least it deal with my raw footages directly, I don't have to worry about any third party converting tool with the risk of lossing timecodec, quality, etc.

"Look at news and threads here on FCP.co you will not find anything close in the FCPX Certification book."

What you refer to has nothing to do with the stated purpose and goals of the Apple training and certification program. Comment is out of context. Getting a drivers license doesn't mean you can handle every situation on the road, either. But if you're fresh out of school, just getting started, etc, it is a legitimate resource that can help you, if utilized properly.

As for workflow, I answer tons of workflow questions in my classes, so yes, the classroom experience is way beyond what only the book gives you, which is what makes it so valuable. Then again, "workflow" covers such a wide, vague subject, nothing, not even this forum covers all workflows out there in the world.

I will also state, you'll not get a better FCPX education than the Apple authorized training classroom, or simply doing the APTS books. Nothing comes close to getting you up and running professionally. No, they doesn't cover every possible aspect of the business, but neither does this, or any other forum or online resource.

Back to the OP,

I've just finished my first TV series as a post super that was cut on Premiere and I've never ran into so many "gotchas". No matter what you choose (FCPX is my recommend) be sure you understand the whole workflow pipeline and if you don't it's worth finding someone on the team that does. I'm assuming since it's falling to you to create a cinematic color look that this is a very low budget, indie film. Thinking about color correction, audio sweetening, etc. - super important.