opinion of fcpx after editing my first project ...

I recently sent this message to a friend of mine who is still on the fence regarding the switch from fcp7 to fcpx X (or Premiere). Up until this project, my only exposure to fcpx was experimenting with it and going through tutorials. Having done a real edit, I am now officially drinking the Kool Aid. I've read concerns other people have with the platform and it may be deficient enough in certain areas to put off a lot of editors, but for what I do, it works. I mostly do corporate and web videos and documentaries. And I have nothing to gain by pushing the software. Here are my observations:



This is the first project I've actually edited in fcpx and I have to say I am beyond impressed. It's amazing how quickly you get to know a program when you start to edit with it in earnest. For me, it is head and shoulders better than fcp7. The work flow is so easy - once you get to know it - and the trimming tools are excellent and intuitive. Working with audio (using the range tool to isolate parts you want to modify, etc.) is so much easier. I love the color interface. When you feel lazy, you hit a color balance button and it does a great job of autocorrecting the image - you can fine-tune later with ease, The clips bin has thumbnails for all the clips which you can arrange in a variety of ways - it's really easy to find your clips - without having to read!. The magnetic timeline seems like a hindrance at first, but once you figure out why you're being restricted, you start making more sensible decisions - and you save time into the bargain - check out the audition tool. The sharing feature is also great. Share to Vimeo simply sends it there from the timeline. All it wants to know is which account you're sending it to (you can add others) and what your password is. You can also add your tags etc. right then and there. You hit send, eat breakfast, and it's up when you get back. For me this is great because I usually wind up with a lot of old exported movies that I don't need. And I love that I don't have to look for projects or events I've been working on. I just open the program and they're all there. Once you put them into folders, it is uncluttered and easy to navigate.

I know some of this was already available to me in fcp7 and I was just too stupid to know it, and I know there are plenty of bugs they need to address. I also assume that Premiere probably has a lot of these features. I'm still lost from time to time and have a lot to learn still and I also still have to figure out a good way to share projects, etc. but I'm glad I invested the time to get to know this program because it really works for me. I feel like I've turned the corner and no longer have a decision to make.

Thanks for posting. Proper training for FCP X is vital, I'd like to add. As an Apple Certified Master Trainer, for many years I've had editors from major cable broadcasters, local broadcasters, film makers of ever level, lots of folks who had been using FCP 4-7 for a long time, and were in my classes because the boss said they had to take it.

In every single case, they walked away amazed at how much they did not know, now much time they'd been wasting editing in inefficient workflows, and I have many emails from these folks thanking me for cutting their edit times at least in half. That's the difference between self-taught and proper training.

FCP X I'm finding is the same way. I've yet to hear negative comments from someone who'd had proper training, only from those who don't really understand it's capabilities nor proper workflow.

It is a fantastic platform to create stories with, and learning it properly is vital. The "Apple Pro Training Series" books, the Ripple Training video series, and the macProVideo courses are all very complete, comprehensive, and professional. FilmmakingWebinars.com also is starting to put out some great "5-Step" tutorials that are good tips & tricks, although not comprehensive training courses. I strongly urge everyone to get proper comprehensive training, and not to think you can be "self taught" and efficient or know the app in-depth. The time and expense will help you work smarter, faster, and with less headaches in the long run.

As for sharing projects, Duplicate a Project to an external drive, include either the Events or just the Used Media. It's that simple.

As for drinking Kool Aid, that's a term we use for folks who are not dealing with the reality of a situation. You my friend are dealing with the hard, cold reality, so there's no drinking anything here. Just the facts. And I personally very much appreciate your posting here.

FYI, on Facebook there's a page called "I Honestly Love FCP X" that I help administer. If you're a FB users I invite you to join us.

I'm the same; FCPX is doing exactly what I need.

At first, as an ex Premiere user, I was pretty confused by the workflow, and I kind of muddled through and worked out some stuff that got the job done.

Then I got the Ripple Training FCPX course, and the difference was like Night and Day. Once you go through the step by step stages you really have your eyes opened to the new efficient workflows and features.

I also bought the Apple Pro Training Book for Motion 5, but its a fairly hard slog to get through the lessons. I would definitely say that the video lessons are easier to follow than the book lessons (but you do get there in the end, its just easier to follow the videos, whereas with the books you can get lost easier).

Welcome welcome to the FCPX club, yes thank you for the small report.

I can only confirm all of the above. I am responsible for the video department of a major Belgian post house and I must say I had my doubts at first, like anyone else I guess. But after having done some intensive projects on FCP10 (I'm not calling it "X" anymore) I have grown quite impressed with its speed, its underlying power and above all its huge potential that still has to be unveiled.

IMO Ben is very correct when he says that proper training is the key to success with any editing or compositing platform. We have two FCP10 seats in production now, alongside with our "classic" editing bays. Once the app gets some more maturity (proper broadcast monitoring is on top of our wish-list for our broadcast clients) I won't hesitate investing in an intensive training course for all our editors to get more familiar with this application. I'm quite hopeful that we will make the complete switch before the end of 2012. But that's up to Apple.