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FCP Tutorial
Very basic question, and sorry if this is posted in the wrong forum.
I want to learn FCP Studio, starting with FCP. I have had minimal exposure the that program. However, I’ve been editing for 12 years–I’m a high-end user on Avid Media Composer. What do you guys recommend for a good FCP tutorial?–seems like there’s many of them out there. Classes in the US are presently not an option for me because I’m overseas right now.
I’m willing to try to learn the program without any preconceptions, or trying to conform to the Avid interface. Honestly, FCP looks a bit slow and disorganized at first glance. But Motion, LiveType and Soundtrack in FCP Studio look amazing, and the hardware options are certainly attractive. I want to start building more efx chops . . . so I’ll give it a try. Any suggestions or advice?
This is my first post on Creative Cow. Thank you in advance!
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5 Replies
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Just start with the tutorials that come with FCP Studio. As an Avid editor with years of experience you will quickly find that FCP isn’t terribly different or terribly difficult. There are many good training packages out there, and I’m sure you’ll get some good recommendations here, but you just may find that you just need to learn where things are and then just jump in and start editing. Having worked on numerous NLEs over the years myself, I have found that they are all very similar, and once you’ve mastered one you can easily master another.
DRW
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Googling “Final Cut pro for Avid editors” yielded over one million hits! Obviously, there alot of interest in this topic.
To help you get started, I’d suggest a book titled “Final Cut Pro for Avid Editors” by Diana Weynand. It’s sole goal is to translate FCP into terms and concepts that Avid users are comfortable with. It’s a fine book and a Diana’s a great teacher. When we switched our entire company to FCP a few years ago, we hired Diana and her company to come in and personallly lead the transition. We haven’t looked back since.
In your post you say, “Honestly, FCP looks a bit slow and disorganized at first glance.” I would caution you that you’re trying to compare ten years of Avid to ten minutes of FCP. Don’t underestimae the learning curve. You can get up and running in a few minutes, but it will be weeks before you truly feel comfortable and actually understand the subtle difference in philosophy behind the interface design. We’ve transitioned over a hundred “die-hard” Avid editors over the past few years, and they all “hit the wall” after about two weeks. “Arrrgh! I’ll never understand this!”. Once they stop trying to “make it work like an Avid”, the smiles appear and the “Arrrghs” turn into “Ahhhhs!”.
I would also strongly suggest NOT trying to do the transition yourself. There’s a certain synergy that takes place with a teacher by your side to immediately offer help, suggestions, and techniques to keep you from learning “the wrong way”. Three days with a teacher probably equals three weeks on your own.
Good luck. Learning FCP is a great New Year’s Resolution.
Mark
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I got into the film/media business by way of talent and saw a lot of editors using Avid along the way. I switched to behind the lens about five years ago and started with Premier and then six months later bought my Apple and started to learn FCP. It was no big deal. However, I’ve always wondered what I’m missing having never used an Avid and how much weight the debates have regarding which one is better. Is there really a difference if you are “feeling it” in either program?
I did have a frustrating experience using FCP’s markers and timecode. I needed to create a take-by-take screening dvd that brought markers into DVDSP as well as the same marker info into Excel for batch lists. I had to re-enter all the 100’s of marker info twice to make this work. Having the deadline I did, it was like pulling teeth. I was told at the time I could have done it easier with Avid. Other than that, I’ve been completely happy with FCP, especially the speed of moving in and out of LiveType, Soundtrack, and DVDSP.
Eric
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Just start playing with it. And if you can’t figure out a function, just look in the menus. Yes, that’s right, in FCP the functions are also included in the menus! (many avid keystrokes you just have to “know” – I guess it adds to the mystique.)
The raw editing tools of FCP is pretty similar to Avid. digitizing, bins, timeline, source window, record window, etc. It’s the little stuff you’ll have to pick up. When I switched I just started editing my demo and some family vids.
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I came to FCP from years of Avid (and D-Vision before that) earlier this year. Bought FCP for Avid editors and never needed it. Do the dvd & pdf tutorials, read every page of the manual (excellent documentation), search this forum, and that’s really all you need. Every question you’ll want to ask has already been answered, and nearly every feature your used to and many you wish you’d had are right there. It’s a pretty easy transition, all things considered, and I needed not one third party book to get up and running.
One suggestion – try not to learn the whole suite at once, it can be a bit overwhelming. Get a couple of FCP edis under your belt, then add in the rest of the programs gradually. I came to FCP fairly reluctantly, but wow, I am so glad I made the switch, keep an open mind, don’t try to make it an Avid, and you’ll really like it.
G5 Quad Core, 4.5 MB RAM, Dual Dell 1905FP’s, KRK RP-5’s, DSR-11, FC Studio 5.1.2 OSX 10.4.8
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