Macs or Windows

[David Kirlew]

(I am also postiong this in the Final Cut Pro forum) Sorry I just cut and paste the question.

David Kirlew
Reflection Pictures

[Martin Tiller]

If you like PC’s and like Adobe PPro then you’ve answered your own question.

Yes a lot of TV and Media is produced on a MAC.

But an example to the contrary is the Discovery Channel which uses Adobe Video Collection, which means its PC based.

AVID, which is used more in major movies, is also based on both a PC and MAC.

I own a PPro system and have done many projects on a FCP HD system.

In the end just use what you like and feel comfortable with, that is what will make your project easier.

Martin

http://www.mctimages.com

[David Kirlew]

I think that’s what I’ll do. It’s just many of my friends say that Final Cut is easier to use and helps novices. I think it helps novices in that Apple provides just about everything from the software to the hardware. I have alot of PC experience and I think I’ll stick with that. Thanks for the advice. For some reason or another they all think that I can’t use PPro in the same way they use FCP but I tend to disagree.

David Kirlew

Reflection Pictures

[Martin Tiller]

And along that vain, I personally believe that FCP and Adobe Pro are very similar in their user interface. If you are already familiar with Adobe even other Adobe products such as Photoshop then you are already familiar with how Premiere Pro’s interface is.

Plus because it is Adobe there is better intergration between After Effects and Photoshop.

There was a racing documentary a few months ago about a big off road race called “Dirt till dusk” or something like that that was cut on Premiere Pro and it used DV through 35MM.

And the Discovery Channel uses Adobe for their HD Theater programming.

And yes there is a lot of great work being done on Macs. But so what? It’s the skill of the crew and editor that makes a good project, not the machine it’s made on.

As I mentioned earlier I’ve used both and in my humble opinion it comes down to what YOU like to use.

Good Luck,

Martin

http://www.mctimages.com

[George Creasman]

I use both regularly, so here is another $.02 worth….They BOTH can do a great job, but I personally feel that FCP offers a few more features; such as composite modes (that work) directly from the timeline. I also agree that you should work with what you are comfortable with.

[David Kirlew]

I do know how similar Final Cut and Premiere Pro are, but if I do go Final Cut, I’ll probably end up getting Final Cut, DVD Studio Pro, After Effects and Photoshop. I don’t have all that muuch money so I figured that if I got Photoshop and After Effects Pro separately that it would be a little bit more than if I bought the entire Adobe Video Collection Pro. I’d get better integration going that way.

David Kirlew

Reflection Pictures

[Img-interactivemediagurus]

I also use both PPRO and FCP4. I like them both, and certainly agree the are more similar than different. Avid is a definite left turn and huge learning curve. We use and Avid system, and a Vegas suite as well as all of the other NLE’s, so that we have a compatible system for client work should the need arise.

Simply put, I have used PC’s and Macs for over 20 years, I like them both, both absolutely, the hands-down winner of the PPRO and FCP4 battle is defintely Adobe. The tight intregration Adobe has with ALL of its products is overwhelming. I can start a project in Illustrator, literally drag and drop a vector into Photoshop, drag that file into Premiere, make changes INSTANTLY in Photoshop if need be (without having to re-import the same file over and over!), import into AFter Effects if necessary, render it, import into Encore, make menu changes in Photoshop with INSTANT updates (again, no re-import or WASTED TIME is necessary, good ol’ FCP can’t BEGIN to touch that smooth work flow, PERIOD!), then render and burn or export to DLT as is required by the project. And NO, FCP4 is not necessarily easier, and certainly NOT for beginners. I would suggest Vegas for a novice before FCP or PPRO.

But again, I use and love ’em both; I hate my Avid, since it is a pain to work with, and I am forced to export as a QT file into “The CleanerXL”; I HATE the weight-lifter icon instead of the ease of use in PPRO and FCP4’s drag-and-drop of clips to move stuff around. Why in the world did they design the app like that? You have to select the beginning and end of the clip you want to move, then click on the weight-lifter guy, THEN you can drag to a new track….that’s a HUGE waste of valuable time. Anyway, either FCP or PPRO are great choices….just get lots of RAM and SATA drives. 250 SATA drives are dirt cheap now compared to 2 years ago, less than a dollar a GB. I get the drives from a wholesaler at around $129 for a 250 GB drive, so putting together an ASUS mobo with a Terabyte of on-board storage is easy and relatively cheap these days.

Scot Sheely
IMG – Interactive Media Gurus
https://www.interactivemediagurus.com

It’s always harder to do the right thing, but you’ll always be glad you did in the end.

[David Kirlew]

I would like thank you guys for your help and advice. I have since talkedto my partner about my use of Adobe’s Video Collection. Although he feels that Macs are better he said that I should uuse the one I’m comfortable with so I’m sticking with Adobe.

David Kirlew

Reflection Pictures

[Tae]

[IMG-INTERACTIVEMEDIAGURUS] “ut again, I use and love ’em both; I hate my Avid, since it is a pain to work with, and I am forced to export as a QT file into “The CleanerXL”; I HATE the weight-lifter icon instead of the ease of use in PPRO and FCP4’s drag-and-drop of clips to move stuff around. Why in the world did they design the app like that? You have to select the beginning and end of the clip you want to move, then click on the weight-lifter guy, THEN you can drag to a new track….that’s a HUGE waste of valuable time. Anyway, either FCP or PPRO are great choices….just get lots of RAM and SATA drives. 250 SATA drives are dirt cheap now compared to 2 years ago, less than a dollar a GB. I get the drives from a wholesaler at around $129 for a 250 GB drive, so putting together an ASUS mobo with a Terabyte of on-board storage is easy and relatively cheap these days.
“

It sounds like you would be happier if you learned to use the Avid. The weight lifter icon has nothing to do with the drag and drop features.

[Img-interactivemediagurus]

I know VERY well how to use my Avid system, Tae, as well as my Premiere 6.5, PPRO, Vegas 4 & 5 and FCP4 systems. I am not some novice punk with little knowledge and no experience; quite the CONTRARY. I probably have more DVD’s professionally duplicated and released on the global markets than you do (20+ titles so far with over 250,000 copies in distribution on the world marktplace. You can find copies of them in Wal-mart, Best Buy, Amazon and online at several other National and International distributers, but who’s counting?). FYI, I have been in the Audio and Video business for over 27 years, how about you? I also have played in two world-famous bands (one of them had a hit song that debuted at #1 on American Bandstand). So, my point is, before you start flaming somebody, listen and learn before you speak. Your ignorance is showing BIGTIME.

Your remark about dragging and dropping was a smug answer from someone who sounds like YOU don’t know what you are talking about. Because if you DID, you would know that, in fact, when you DON’T use the wieght lifter icon, you will screw up your timeline and compress the clips. And by compress, I don’t mean video compression, I mean that the entire timeline will then be out of sequence, with the audio out of sync. But of course, I’d just be willing to bet that you going to say THAT, weren’t you?

As for dragging and dropping, I was referring ONLY to my Vegas, Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro 4 systems. You can certainly drag and drop to your heart’s content with them, but I’d be willing to bet that you didn’t know THAT, either. Avid is nice in a lot of respects, but I find it to be lacking in the sheer intuitiveness that all of my other systems possess. As powerful as that company is, I believe that one day they will swing over to the side of everyone else’s approach in the GUI development. I would hope so, anyway.

I still have clients that bring projects (or FTP them to me) edited in their Avid that need some additional Post done to complete them. I think it is important to have the ability to work in as many NLE platforms as possible, and not just be a one-trick pony like so many of the young turks out there on the marketplace today. Of course, if you are just piddling around at home, and are not that serious about video and audio as a profession, then I can see where the laid back attitude is coming from. But for someone who makes their living on a National or Global scale, we cannot afford to be a snob who doesn’t know about the huge variety of NLE’s and digital posting tools available today. I would even be willing to get a Media100 system if I had the space in my studio. The cost of those systems have really come down since they first came out.

Next time, why not ask first before you pounce on someone’s response (which wasn’t even directly to or at YOU, until NOW. Kinda shows your ego; it’s gotta be about YOU, doesn’t it?), why don’t you chill out and just read a little more, first. Maybe one day you will learn how to use and Avid system. There are some fine tips posted here in this forum from some truly knowledgeable people that blow me away with what they know how to do. The beauty of it is, they (and I) are all willing to share that advice. This is not a forum based on negativity and nastiness, but rather, one of help and support. Please observe that statement next time.

Thanks.

It’s always harder to do the right thing, but you’ll always be glad you did in the end.