Is FCPX gaining any ground?

[Andrew Kimery]

[Sjon Ueckert] “A simple question; have you ever had to add visible time code to a 90 minute video for transcription? If you are using FCP7, be prepared to let your system render overnight (it takes about 7 hours – and I have a very powerful system)”

Not to side track the thread, but what were you doing to make it take so long? I recently worked on a doc with around 250hrs of footage and every minute either got logged or transcribed and footage that arrived in the morning was ready for transcription or logging that afternoon (this included copying footage onto a local drive then using Log and Transfer to rewrap the file into a QT for FCP). I’d drop the clip in Compressor (our custom settings included the TC burn in) and let it go in the background as I continued to work in FCP. It wasn’t as quick as 30min but it sure as heck wasn’t 7hrs either.

-Andrew

[Shane Ross]

And I use Compressor for this…and it doesn’t take nearly as long. Export QT reference files…take into Compressor, add the TC Reader…encode:

https://library.creativecow.net/ross_shane/visible-timecode/1

Shane
Little Frog Post
Read my blog, Little Frog in High Def

[Kevin Rag]

I’ve been editing for over 16 years now, 7 years with Avid MC and then switched to FCP. I’ve also been test driving CS 6 PrPro. When FCP X was released, I didn’t think much of it especially with all the negative reviews it got. I mainly edit sports highlights (mainly golf) on-site as part of the OB. I gave FCP X a shot a couple of months back and never went back to FCP 7 or PrPro. For what I need, it is super fast. I use a retina MBP 15″, Matrox MX02 and a Promise R4 8TB. I’m just loving FCP X. I don’t think I’d go for FCP X in a shared environment or cutting long form. But personally, I wouldn’t want to cut long form anyway. FCP X first and then PrPro second for me for what I do.

Kannan Raghavan
The Big Toad Films Pte. Ltd.

[Paul Neumann]

I use both FCPX and PPro CS6. I tend to use PPro more for the After Effects/Photoshop/Illustrator/Audition integration. Dynamic link, especially for audio is invaluable to me. I have two shoots tomorrow that can easily be done in FCPX and I just might. I say that alot and end up in PPro most of the time. Whatever works I reckon.

[Bill Davis]

[Mike Jeffs] “I think that FCPX will have quite a hard time gaining traction. “

Nope. It’s going to be really easy. It’s just not going to be particularly fast.

X has killer capabilities that aren’t always immediately evident – primarily in the area of being a tool for managing and deploying video as well as just creating video files.

We’re still in the era where people are barely learning why it’s so different from the NLEs that came before it. Actually, there’s still massive misunderstanding about the REASON X does things differently. It reminds me of how I barely realized that DVDs were over for me – until the day I realized that I wouldn’t EVER have to burn them for anyone other than a client who didn’t understand what had changed.

Until I had a “I can now totally work AROUND DVDs! tool like FCP-X , I didn’t understand I could have on-line distribution of my work, directly to clients – heck even distribution to world wide customer groups via YouTube and Vimeo – right from inside my NLE – which would would do everything those plastic discs did and more, faster, better and more securely.

That’s a lot like how important I see the change in my editing work since I adopted X. Transformative as to how I see my whole job.

I understand why people want the “comfort” of a traditional style NLE. And there are certainly workflows with specific needs that require tools that X hasn’t developed yet. But overall – in my brain, the “classic style” NLE’s ship has sailed for the general video editor.

Mark my words, the editing competition will be getting more and more and more like X – just as cel phones in general have gotten more and more like iPhones.

The folks in Cupertino “got it right” once again. Providing a re-think that has advanced the state of the art in general purpose editing.

Not everyone will be comfortable with that at first. And in shops without the time or patience to change – they’ll be waiting for the parts of X that work really, really well to migrate to their platforms. But migrate they will. (And I truly hope that the other NLEs drive new features as well – innovation helps everyone!)

But for heaven’s sake, stuff like having a robust database that’s LIVE in your editing system and having those sharing pipelines that make work distribution orders of magnitude easier are just too big a set of advantages to ignore, IMO.

That realization is infecting the discussion as more and more editors climb the learning curve. And I doubt many of us who know X will ever want to go back to an “old style” program that, like FCP-Legacy – evolved over time to be largely targeted for cutting a 1.5 to 2.5 hour hollywood style collaborative movie.

That’s ONE type of workflow. But NOT the most efficient one when massive numbers of editors spend their working careers without EVER cutting “movies” at all.

AVID and PPro can happily compete for those editors. (and as we’re hearing more and more, folks with long-form needs are working with X and enjoying that far from perfected process!) Some of the folks who migrate away might think that X will never follows the Legacy pathway of building a system that does one kind of basic editing really, really well (DV based work for FCP legacy) then evolves those tools to encompass the very processes that the “big boys” need.

But I kinda think Cupertino will do precisely that.

The race is on.

Pull your shorts and running shoes on and get yourself a number!

Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.

[Bill Davis]

[Kevin Monahan] “We’ve had a HUGE influx of Premiere Pro users since FCPX was launched. Not sure if FCPX is gaining ground, but Premiere Pro certainly is. We’ve seen a lot of interest in the professional broadcast realm, specifically.”

Not surprised, old friend.

I never underestimate the desire of people not to move too far or two fast when it comes to important changes in life or business.

You guys have a great program. And I know you’re working hard to make it even better. I wish you well.

If you’re in SF for the SuperMeet, say Hi to Mike H and the gang for me.

Take care.

Know someone who teaches video editing in elementary school, high school or college? Tell them to check out http://www.StartEditingNow.com – video editing curriculum complete with licensed practice content.

[Chris Harlan]

Hey Mike! Ain’t seen you in awhile. How’s it going? I watched that last cold front come down over Idaho and it did NOT look pleasant!

[Michael Gissing]

In my area dealing with editors who are on broadcast docos, still not a single request to online & grade an FCPX project. That said I no longer have concerns about editors using it thanks to third party developers like X2Pro.

I have now built and installed a WIN 7 screamer with CS6. After a few days getting it setup and working on a short DSLR edit, grade (da Vinci) and OMF to Fairlight for sound post I am really happy with performance, ease of use and lack of any need for mental retraining. I deliberately kept the Pr keyboard layout and frankly tools like trim, warp stabilize and even the basic title tool is nice to jump onto with zero training. I then watched a few free tutorials and picked up some finesses.

Frankly I want to see FCPX develop and fill more niches. As long as the system can talk happily with others I couldn’t care less what people use to edit and I sure as hell don’t want AVID, Adobe or Apple to be the dominant player. I like the diversity and feel it has driven a lot of advancement in the past two years. I think Apple did us all a favour by stepping backwards and then forwards.

[Chris Harlan]

[Michael Gissing] “I sure as hell don’t want AVID, Adobe or Apple to be the dominant player”

Definitely. I’m also pretty certain that I want to be fully comfortable on multiple systems. Not quite knowing which way to go has made me choose several ways, and I think I’m a far better editor for it.

[Michael Gissing]

Frankly Chris, one of the reasons I went CS6 is that it allows edits from many systems to be integrated and finished. So does Smoke but it is overkill for my finishing work and not available on WIN7.

I agree that editors need to be multi system skilled more so than ever before. I find the rants that one system can rule them all to be a Mordor fantasy.