ARGHHH! The learning curve is killing me!

[David Bogie]

It’s not the Learning Curve that’s killing you, it’s the UNlearning Curve. Training your fingers top use a new set of keyboard shorties and using the new interface is tough, absolutely.

Give yourself and your teammates a break and run the tutorials. Yes, they’re going to feel insultingly fundamental but, now that you’ve got some time on the application and you know some basics and you know where the menus are, you will find Apple’s instruction quite helpful and illuminating. Take the manuals to the gym. Buy Apple’s FCP advanced books.

[Once you get over your legacy issues, FCP will keep surprising you in pleasant ways. As a former M100 user myself, I still miss certain things and I will NEVER forgive the FCP designers for AutoSelect.]

bogiesan

This is my standard sigfile so do not take it personally: “For crying out loud, read the freakin’ manual.”

[Ed Dooley]

Ditto what Bogie said. As a recovering M100 user, I can say that the best way to learn is to rip out the M100 card and be forced to do a real project with FCP. I waited until I had a non-critical deadline for a project delivery, and jumped in with both feet. It meant sitting with 3 FCP books on my lap as I edited, but full immersion really helped me. I also am a fan of FCP for Dummies. I have 5 or 6 FCP books, but when first starting, the Dummies book had the quickest. simplest answers to keep things moving, at least for the basics. The Peachpit book is my second favorite (actually my favorite once out of the total newbie phase). Diane Weynand’s book (the official Apple book) doesn’t fit my learning style, so it’s my least used book.
HTH,
Ed