Interview with Randy Ubillos and How I came to enjoy FCP X

[Andy Patterson]

Perhaps the instructors at the school were using old editing methods. Premiere Pro can make good use of metadata. Premiere Pro does not have keywords. Keywords, keyword collections and favorites are in Adobe’s Bridge. Premiere Pro has metadata fields that can serve a very similar function.

“They spent a day going over importing and logging and how you had to choose how you wanted to organize your material because the folder structure would determine how you looked for things later and you had to get it right from the start”.

I am not sure why a day was spent on importing and logging. I am not sure I agree that you have to get it right from the start. You can add and delete folders in Premiere Pro and make alterations to the structure throughout the entire editing process. I think Premiere could do that even back when Randy himself wrote the code for it. Does he think Premiere Pro got worse since he left? Having said that whenever I hear a comparison between FCPX VS Premiere Pro from someone who edits using FCPX I think they always have a need to make Premiere Pro seem much harder to use that it actually is. If you want to say FCPX is better that is OK. It is personal choice. It is the need to make Premiere Pro seem much hard to use than it actually is that I find odd.

[Brett Sherman]

Interesting to hear your take. It seems the biggest hesitation you faced in exploring FCP X was resentment from the roll-out. One wonders how many others are in that same boat and had Apple handled the release of FCP X better whether there would have been this massive anti-FCPX movement. It certainly is a lesson for all software developers.

There were others like me that didn’t freak out, and just waited. When FCP X had what I needed I jumped in. Was it 100% smooth. Nope. Starting out with ill-conceived Project and Event architecture (before libraries) and inability to store them on SMB servers created big hassles for me. But I was editing more efficiently than ever. So that kept me there.

Yesterday, I managed to edit a 2 minute video combining 8 interviews with about an hour of B-Roll on a 3 hour train ride from Newark to Washington, DC so I could release that evening. Frankly, I don’t think it would have been possible with Premiere for many reasons. That’s why I stick with FCP X.

————————–
Brett Sherman
One Man Band (If it\’s video related I\’ll do it!)
I work for an institution that probably does not want to be associated with my babblings here.

[Steve Connor]

Thanks for posting this David – a very good read

[David Busse]

Andy, I agree with you that Premiere is still great software. There is no reason that we have to be either with FCP X or against FCP X. For me part of what muddied the FCP X waters over the years was the black and white nature of many debates. To me, both Premiere and FCP X are tools that are both very capable. The rest is a matter of opinion and needs.

Brett, absolutely. Apple’s poor roll out of FCP X with the timing of me just graduating college is what drove me away from it. I think had the timing in my own life been different that I may have been more up for exploring FCP X and seeing what it really had to offer, but at the time Premiere Pro offered the closest thing to FCP 7 and I didn’t want to risk the early days of career on learning completely new software. I still believe switching to Premiere Pro was the right move for me and I have no regrets about not giving FCP X a better chance back then(for the record, I did dabble with it for a few projects). I’m glad to hear it is software that works great for you and I hope that I can convince some members of my local community to give it another chance.

Steve, Thanks!

Video Producer/Editor
https://cidesigninc.com/

[Greg Janza]

[Brett Sherman] ” It seems the biggest hesitation you faced in exploring FCP X was resentment from the roll-out.”

Just to clarify, for those of us who had established freelance careers when FCPX was introduced it made absolutely no sense to waste any energy learning and adopting FCPX. In my market no post house even considered converting to it and so over time some freelancers started dabbling in it on their own but from a purely business perspective there was very little upside to learning it or incorporating it into a real workflow.

Fast forward to the present and now there’s firmly entrenched systems in place at most facilities and also with freelancers with their own systems so once again there’s very little motivation to use it if you are well versed in another NLE. In my case I learned it for the sole reason of taking on a job that was offered to me. I like FCPX quite a lot but looking at my work as a business there remains no viable reason to move towards a FCPX workflow.

I Hate Television. I Hate It As Much As Peanuts. But I Can’t Stop Eating Peanuts.
– Orson Welles

[Gabriel Spaulding]

“Whenever I hear a comparison between FCPX VS Premiere Pro from someone who edits using FCPX I think they always have a need to make Premiere Pro seem much harder to use that it actually is.”

I did not sense this at all in the article. Rather, compared to FCP X certain tasks in Premiere Pro simply are slower by comparison. This is not a critique of Premiere Pro, it’s just one of the strengths of FCP X. Having used both, organizing footage in FCP X is leaps and bounds faster and more flexible than it is in Premiere Pro. That never stopped me from completing a job in Premiere Pro, but it was definitely slower to get started. Premiere Pro definitely has its strengths. It doesn’t have to be a fight to the death every time the two are mentioned in the same sentence.

Gabriel Spaulding
Creator & Director of ACE Enterprizes
Videographer | Video Editor | Motion Designer

How Can We Help You Tell Your Story?
http://www.aceenterprizes.com

[Andy Patterson]

[Gabriel Spaulding] “”Whenever I hear a comparison between FCPX VS Premiere Pro from someone who edits using FCPX I think they always have a need to make Premiere Pro seem much harder to use that it actually is.”

I did not sense this at all in the article. Rather, compared to FCP X certain tasks in Premiere Pro simply are slower by comparison. This is not a critique of Premiere Pro, it’s just one of the strengths of FCP X.

I don’t believe the part about you have to get things right the first time when setting up folders in Premiere Pro. That simply is not the case nor was it ever. That is making Premiere Pro look worse than actually is. In fact Randy could have stated Premiere Pro is not as ridged as the instructor implied but why fight a good smack at Adobe. There will always be a need to take a dig at Adobe. Be honest about that. Having said that keyword, keyword collections and favorites were in Adobe’s Bridge long before FCPX was released. Randy forget to mention that. I don’t doubt Randy used Adobe’s Bridge prior to implementing those features into FCPX.

[Gabriel Spaulding] ” Having used both, organizing footage in FCP X is leaps and bounds faster and more flexible than it is in Premiere Pro.”

I have both programs myself. I am hip to keyword and keyword collections. Could you do a short tutorial/demo between the two programs for your workflow? Keep in mind I am not saying FCPX is not your best bet. I just want to see how FCPX is leaps and bounds faster and more flexible than Premiere Pro for everyone. I say that because I have found many obstacles when using FCPX.

Just recently a die hard X user stated that FCPX allowed to him to edit in ways not possible in any other NLE. He stated that is the beauty of X. When all was said and done, not only can I edit the exact same way in Premiere Pro I had posted a video about it two years ago. That person really thought X saved him a lot of time over using Premiere Pro when it simply was not the case. Some people really want to hype every little feature of FCPX when there really is not a reason to do so. In fact it can be annoying at times. That is why I would really like to see a demo comparing FCPX to Premiere Pro for your workflow. That is what this forum is all about. It would be good info for everyone.

[Gabriel Spaulding] “Premiere Pro definitely has its strengths. It doesn’t have to be a fight to the death every time the two are mentioned in the same sentence.”

It is unfortunate that Premiere Pro is made to seem much more difficult to use than it actually is.

What I am saying is you don’t see Avid editors saying Avid allows them to edit in way not possible in any other NLE. There is a few things unique to FCPX but the same could be said of all the NLE in 2017.

I am looking forward to your demo but until then this person is stating Premiere Pro (not FCPX) works better for his workflow. How can that be? My guess is everyone’s editing needs is different.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l96ockhkzvw&t=7s

Some contents or functionalities here are not available due to your cookie preferences!

This happens because the functionality/content marked as “Google Youtube” uses cookies that you choosed to keep disabled. In order to view this content or use this functionality, please enable cookies: click here to open your cookie preferences.

[Steve Connor]

[andy patterson] “Some people really want to hype every little feature of FCPX when there really is not a reason to do so. In fact it can be annoying at times. That is why I would really like to see a demo comparing FCPX to Premiere Pro for your workflow. That is what this forum is all about. It would be good info for everyone.

“

I really don’t think this forum is about people making demo videos, generally here on the COW we trust what people say based on their experience 🙂

[Gabriel Spaulding]

“Keyword, keyword collections and favorites were in Adobe’s Bridge long before FCPX was released. Randy forget to mention that.”

Did he? We had similar functionality in iPhoto and Aperture. They were not integrated into an NLE until FCP X, so there would have been no reason to mention them.

“There will always be a need to take a dig at Adobe. Be honest about that.”

I have yet to see a FCP X user jump on an Adobe forum and bash Premiere Pro, yet it’s rare to find a FCP X forum that hasn’t been polluted by an acrimonious Adobe user. People are critical, and not always at the right time or in the right place. I honestly don’t see how one can paint Adobe as the victim without wearing a smirk.

“That is why I would really like to see a demo comparing FCPX to Premiere Pro for your workflow.”

I have not incorporated Premiere Pro into my current workflow because I dislike using it so much. This does not mean it isn’t capable. This does not mean I don’t recognize its strengths. This does not mean I wouldn’t or couldn’t use it if requested. I just personally find it cluttered and clunky, though it’s not worth my time to try and convince the rest of the world that it’s cluttered and clunky. Many people feel differently about it, and I respect that they have their own legitimate reasons for using it.

“I am looking forward to your demo but until then this person is stating Premiere Pro (not FCPX) works better for his workflow. How can that be?”

Having seen your last demo comparisons on this site, which had I think the unintended consequence of NOT making things any clearer, I think you would do well to remember your final statement:

“My guess is everyone’s editing needs is different.”

Exactly. Well, they “are” different. And every job is different. I use FCP X differently for different projects, I use it in different ways than I used Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro 7. I still use FCP7 for certain jobs and I use Premiere Pro when requested as well. I don’t have a problem with this. I think that perhaps you do, though, despite the statement “My guess is everyone’s editing needs is different,” because if you really felt that way you would not constantly be asking for comparison videos and continually claiming that “There is (are) a few things unique to FCPX” and then completely disregarding them by saying that all NLE’s have unique stuff. I do not care which NLE you use. It doesn’t make any difference to anyone. But perhaps those few unique things are worth looking into; perhaps those things are why some people prefer to cut with FCP X; perhaps those very things are why so many editors have exclaimed that they are now editing faster than ever before and the process has become fun again. I don’t mean that as an advert for FCP X, but many people DO feel that way, and those feelings are legitimate, and they do not in any way degrade how anyone else feels about their own preferred NLE.

Gabriel Spaulding
Creator & Director of ACE Enterprizes
Videographer | Video Editor | Motion Designer

How Can We Help You Tell Your Story?
http://www.aceenterprizes.com

[Neil Goodman]

[Steve Connor] “I really don’t think this forum is about people making demo videos, generally here on the COW we trust what people say based on their experience ☺
“

plus, who’s got the time to make demo videos? we are editors after all.