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Just finished a project with FCPX and Motion 5
I’ve been reading this forum for quite some time, but I wanted to have sufficient experience with the software before I made any comments on it. I have just finished my first project using a combination of Motion 5 and Final Cut Pro X, and, although my comments may be redundant, I thought that another user experience may be of some use to others.
A little bit of my background: I have been working professionally as a video editor for the past 13 years, and have experience with virtually every non-linear editing system out there. I edit everything from news stories, to corporate video, to documentaries and motion graphics. I started working with Final Cut in 2002, and have used each version on a daily basis since that time.
Overall, I like the updated interface. It took a little while to wrap my head around the new terminology, but I found it very easy to jump in and edit once I knew where the tools were. I didn’t find the magnetic timeline to be a problem in any way, and simply used the placement tool when I wanted to park clips at the end of my project. Simply put, the software is fast, and despite the problems and work-arounds I was forced to use, I really like it.
As much as I feel that Apple is right in taking Final Cut in a new direction, I agree with many on this site that this software is in no way ready for deployment in a collaborative, professional setting. I really hate the fact that I can’t save my work, and have to depend on the software to do it for me. I got around the inability to save different versions of an event by making duplicates of my project when I got to a point where I wanted to experiment, but I’d rather just be able to save alternate versions of the file itself.
I also can’t fathom why Apple decided to do away with something as simple as motion blur. I ran into a situation where I had to replace a word in an After Effects animation, and since the animation was done on another machine and I did not have access to the software or project file, I decided to fix it in Final Cut. All I needed to do was apply a motion blur to the text and manipulate it in Z space, and was stunned to discover I could do neither of these things. Luckily I found a free plugin from Ripple Training that solved the Z space issue, but I can’t understand why Apple decided not to ship this functionality with the software. I considered trying to use Motion to fix the text, but you can’t selectively place motion blur on individual layers. It must be applied to the entire project (as far as I understand. I could be wrong about this). Not only that, but if I alter the clip externally and re-save it, even if I retain the same file name, Final Cut loses it’s connection to the file, and it can’t be reconnected.
Even with all of the hassles of finding work-arounds for things that were once simple affairs, the speed with which the software handled my media still made the job faster than if I had done it in FCP7. I am taking a gamble that Apple will stay true to their word and continue to update this software, and I might very well be wrong, but I feel that it is a gamble worth taking. Whether we like it or not, the industry is increasingly trending toward the “one man band” content creator, and FCP X reflects this trend. Right now, I’m going to be using this software for side projects, and not for my “day job”. For these smaller projects, I am the editor, graphics designer and sound editor. My experience with both Motion 5 and FCP X proves that each can handle these tasks well.
The next test for the software will be a documentary I am currently in the process of writing. After this recent project, I am both excited and terrified at the prospect of completing a large project with this software, but I am looking forward to the challenge.
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4 Replies
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Welcome Brad, it’s great to some fresh insight on FCPX here, feel free to post here or on the techniques forum if you need any help with the new project.
Steve Connor
“FCPX Agitator”
Adrenalin Television -
Brad, I echo Steve and would be glad to hear more about your experiences.
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One thing I really liked about the FCP X/Motion 5 duo was the ability to publish parameters in Motion (color, font size, speed, etc.) and make them available in Final Cut X for tweaking. That has saved me A LOT of time when working on lower-thirds and other graphics.
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Documentary Camera in Los Angeles
http://www.lacameraman.com -
Brad,
What do you use for sound editing?
thx
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