7 after X – an emotional toll?

[Walter Soyka]

Thanks for the response, Bill.

I didn’t mean for my original reply to you to come across as it apparently did. I understand that you’ve happily settled on FCPX and that PrP is not for you. I’m actually interested in your transition experience, specifically because you’re happy with how it’s going.

I don’t always have the luxury of choosing my editorial platform. I am often tasked with finishing or “plussing” existing edits, so I must either be very careful about interchange or use the platform the project started with. While most of my clients used to rely on FCP and are hanging on as long as they can, I expect that some of them will go Avid, some will go PrP, and some will go FCPX. I intend to be ready for all these eventualities.

I completely understand and agree with your criticisms of FCP7’s legacy limitations, as well as your praise for FCPX’s strengths. For me, though, the magnetic timeline is the largest single difference between FCP7 and FCPX (see Jeremy Garchow’s and David Lawrence’s discussions on editorial techniques), so I’m sincerely curious about how you see it affecting the way you work.

Walter Soyka
Principal & Designer at Keen Live
Motion Graphics, Widescreen Events, Presentation Design, and Consulting
RenderBreak Blog – What I’m thinking when my workstation’s thinking
Creative Cow Forum Host: Live & Stage Events

[Bill Davis]

To put it as simply as possible.

At first the “magnetism” was a pain in the ass. It was unexpected, counter-intutitive, and would throw things out of whack when I least expected it.

Then, slowly, I started to EXPECT the magnetic behavior.

I simply started to understand when it would be a problem — and when it would be a blessing — and that the entire operating style of X is subtly based on CONTEXT rather than universal, fixed commands.

It was my brain becoming accustomed to thinking in THIS context I must “replace with gap” instead of “click and delete.” Once that new thinking started to myelinate, I found it simpler and simpler to get the results out of X that I’d been getting out of Legacy all these years.

I guess I had to start “learning how to learn” X. For me, that was spending almost a full month reading and studying before I started operating – but that fits my learning style. I need to see the overview before I can grasp how the specifics fit.

That’s probably also why I was so frustrated by so many people who were yelling about all the details that were driving them crazy. I was busy looking at the overview, and never felt I could understand the details unless I could first come to grips with the context of the whole.

Perhaps talented editors, as a class, have a more “details” oriented learning style than I do. As I said, I’m more a “program creator” who happens to edit, than a specific editor. So my default thinking is more global than task based.

That’s also why there are so many people who are much better editors than I am!

FWIW.

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor

[Andy Neil]

[Walter Soyka] “I am not seeing advantages to the magnetic timeline in my work, so I’m legitimately curious to hear how others are using to improve their editorial process.”

For me, I don’t feel like I get much of a measurable improvement with the magnetic timeline. At least on short, uncomplicated projects. In larger projects with more complicated edits, sfx, music and such, moving elements from one place to another in the timeline or inserting sections from elsewhere tend to be quicker than splitting the timeline and reattaching clips where there is overlap. Not a huge difference, though. Still, on the other hand, I don’t miss tracks at all.

I suspect a large portion of those unhappy with the magnetic timeline are really unhappy about how the magnetic timeline is more or less an offshoot of the lack of tracks. If FCPX had a track-based paradigm and yet still contained a magnetic timeline, I wonder if there’d be more complaints or less complaints about it.

Andy

https://www.timesavertutorials.com

[Gerald Baria]

Thanks for these real world experience sharing Jim. And having taking the higher road politely responding to that noisy dude on the internet.

Cristian, how much time have you spent actually using FCPX, NOT reading about it. Cause you know, there is a huge difference between the two, “using” and “reading”.

Quobetah
New=Better

[Christian Schumacher]

For the record this is my credential – but also my say-goodbye;

I am an experienced broadcast editor since 1997.
Came to Apple’s platform on the Pinnacle’s Cinewave with FCP2 in 2001.
I’ve worked on tons of AVID and Discreet solutions, like MC, PT, DS, Symph, Edit, Combustion and Smoke.

I’ve been there and I’ve done that. Been to more than 20 countries. Lived on three of them.
I have a daughter and have been married to a beautiful woman, a psychologist, for more than 10 yrs.
Let me be bold and scram here many other very cute girls too – blah, blah, blah…

er, let’s talk FCP, eh?

I did mostly all of the FCP’s transitions known; from G4 OS9 to OSX, from G5 to INTEL
From KONA SD to KONA LS and all HD KONAs, 2/3 – also have worked in many Black Magics.
All professional transitions at Apple’s Pro Apps – from FCP 2, 3, 4.1, 4.5, 5.1, 6 all the way to the 7.
And now X.

And I don’t just sit there and push buttons, despite having lots of hands-on experience.
I’ve edited, I’ve produced, I’ve directed, I’ve owned, I’ve assisted, I’ve consulted, I’ve taught.
I’ve mastered all of the Final Cut Studio apps and all Adobe’s Creative Suite apps as well.

I would also add that I have plenty more of FCPX experience than “a couple of days” for the record.
And that’s is real experience. Not reading off the freaking internet, no,no.

Well, but that’s where Creative Cow comes in – and why i recommend it to anybody in need i know.
When i found about this site many, many years ago and its focused approach to postproduction,
I loved it. But only joined it in 2008 to ask for help once and for an AVID – On a Mac, mind you!
But I never have written anything further than that, mostly because all the answers were covered.

i hate to talk online, I deleted my Facebook account, I abandoned my Twitter account.
I’d rather research among the technical wise ones to gather input about workflows and equipment.

But now, “things changed in post” and accordingly things have changed here too.
This forum being named “Final Cut X or Not – The Debate” is what reflects off that.
I am sorry for any emotional response at any emotional post within this emotional forum.

The early birdies must be aware that the main theme here is still controversial, right?
The game is far, very far from over. Whether they like it – Or not!

I don’t intend to pass as one trying to start up a fight so just let me refrain from posting any longer.
Carry on with the show. Let the alpha monkeys set in.
I have stepped on some bananas, allrite, but I bet that other cute chimp likes me though…

[Chris Harlan]

[Andy Neil] ” If FCPX had a track-based paradigm and yet still contained a magnetic timeline, I wonder if there’d be more complaints or less complaints about it.
“

O, I think less. I’ve always wished there were a way I could lasso a group of clips and make them clump or lock together as a whole beyond the initial selection and release. If there were a way of doing that without the penalty of tracklessness, I would be very happy.

[Chris Harlan]

Bill, now that you are down to specifics, I totally get why FCP X is attractive to you, and why you see it as a step forward. I would very happily read more about your experiences with the software.

[Rafael Amador]

[Jim Giberti] “Not to disagree with you Rafael but to offer a counter point of view:

I too have over 25 years experience editing on virtually every serious system in both video and audio going back to the first transitions from analogue to digital.
….
Perhaps it’s because I’m used to adjusting my thinking and command routines as I bounce between FCP, PS, Motion, Digital Performer etc everyday. But honestly – cutting nice work in 48 hours and being impressed with the speed and ease of use was something I wasn’t anticipating after reading so much negativity.

That’s been my experience so far.”
Hi Jim,
I do not disagree with you at all.
We belong to the same school.
I’ve been working long time too in environments were speed was fundamental so I understand the advantages of FCPX for this kind of jobs. As I wrote in few pots, i would have enjoyed of something like FCPX few years ago.
But what I do now is a kind of “bonsai editing” (write the story while selecting and cutting, and try to get the best of the picture); speed i not a priority, neither organization and method (i shoot the stuff too).
I know that that if I should go back to edit with somebody beside and two other guys waiting to edit, would be easier to lift my “mental barriers” with FCPX, but as no needed, that exercise becomes very hard to undertake.
As Charles Darwin said “The function develops the organ”.
If I would need wings, I would learn how to use them 🙂
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Rafael Amador]

[Bill Davis] “…….but the idea that I would need to learn three complex systems to do the same job seems to me insanely non-productive.
……..
Once I cleared the initial very high bar of re-education with X, I’m getting great satisfaction with it as a primary editing tool. “
That’s the point for me Bill.
I do not compare NLEs, neither dismiss FCPX as a viable editing tool (FCPX will be what Apple wan’t him to be), but I know that for me PP (never worked with) has a reasonable “bar of reeducation” and will allows me to do the same job I’ve been doing with FCP.
rafael

http://www.nagavideo.com

[Bill Davis]

Then it should be a good choice for you.

Particularly if you’re currently doing, (or for some, aspire to do) high-end hollywood style movie making. Based on the “feature sneak” posted elsewhere in this forum from Adobe – they have their sights firmly fixed on the top end of the editing spectrum and are hard at work to cram more and better niche workflows in the time intensive processes like ADR, Effects compositing, and even odd stuff like fixing blurry photos ruined by unstable camera work!

(I’ve always thought that just pulling out a tripod largely fixes that in advance, but I appreciate that someone like a war correspondent can’t do that – so bravo to Adobe for looking for future ways to address it for those folks!)

Viva different strokes!

“Before speaking out ask yourself whether your words are true, whether they are respectful and whether they are needed in our civil discussions.”-Justice O’Connor