Moving from Avid

[Dan O’brien]

I say take advantage of the mapping feature and customize the heck out of your keyboard settings. Anything that makes switching between machines easier is a good thing!

[Mark Raudonis]

[StephenSF] “Has anyone here made the leap from Avid to FCP?”

Uh… let me think. 800,000 copies sold. Perhaps your question should be “Do you know anyone who HASN’T made the leap?”

This topic is often discussed. Do a search .

Mark

[Walter Biscardi]

I’ve seen two trains of thought on these forums. Folks that say make the switch completely and those who try to map the keyboard. Since you’re hopping back and forth between them, it might make sense to map FCP to your liking.

If you have not found it yet, there is a very good book on making the transition from Avid to FCP.

https://www.amazon.com/Apple-Pro-Training-Final-Editors/dp/0321515390/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/105-9006468-7468433?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1189111860&sr=8-1

Walter Biscardi, Jr.
https://www.biscardicreative.com
HD Editorial & Animation for Broadcast and independent productions.

All Things Apple Podcast! https://cowcast.creativecow.net/all_things_apple/index.html

Read my blog! https://blogs.creativecow.net/WalterBiscardi

[Stephensf]

[Mark Raudonis] “Uh… let me think. 800,000 copies sold. Perhaps your question should be “Do you know anyone who HASN’T made the leap?””

It is not inconceivable that many people have never used Avid before using Final Cut Pro. In answer to your other question, yes, I know many people who haven’t made the leap from Avid.

[Mark Raudonis] “This topic is often discussed. Do a search .”

I did do a search. I searched “configuring keyboard, keyboard layout, remapping etc” and just about every other permutation and nothing came up. So don’t lecture me. I know how to use a forum.

Maybe you should try a forum for social skills.

[Stephensf]

Yes, I have ordered that book. I’m just waiting for it to arrive.
I have also taken the plunge and remapped just about all of my FCP keys and am flying through now! The two programs are quite similar when you get moving with them both at a basic level.

[Mark Raudonis]

[StephenSF] “Maybe you should try a forum for social skills.
“

Ouch! Just because you’re behind the curve, don’t attack me. I’m just telling it like it is.

While you’ve been stuck behind your avid for the past few years, a whole new generation of folks have discovered a new tool. “To map or not to map like an Avid” has come up on this forum numerous times. Most people feel that just like learning a foreign language, the best approach is to immerse yourself… embrace the new language and learn to “think” in the new language. As such, I’d suggest you NOT map avid functions to FCP keys.

Mark

[Jason Lyons]

[StephenSF] “Has anyone here made the leap from Avid to FCP? I am trying to work out whether I should remap the keys in FCP to more closely resemble Avid’s layout but I’m not sure.
I will be using both so I can’t help feeling switching between the two all the time will be difficult.
Any ideas?”

I guess then its – Welcome 800,001st FCP User… you are always welcome here!

I like the foreign language comparison.

I tried mapping my keyboard from AVID to FCP… and well I found that there were so many more modifier keys available in FCP!

1st Shortcut I guess would be Option-H for keyboard customization. 🙂

I could never get used to reaching all the way up to F-10 all the time to do an overwrite or insert edit, so I use trusty old memory driven V & B from AVID to overwrite and insert.

Probably the best keys I have found native to FCP are the bracket keys. Highlight a clip and move it with the brackets or select the head and tail of the clip and extend or shorten the clip with the brackets, add the shift key for multiple frame increments defined in the user preferences.

Many options of keyboard customization are great, but I am still longing for the day I can map, Media Tool, Calculator, Timecode window, Trim Mode, oh yeah and also on my list – more elegant Digitize Window with robust asset database, add locators on ingestion, subclips on ingestion, Solid Multi-cam implementation.

But I digress. FCP has been my bread & butter for the past 5 years! A great value, kinda like the new iPhone.

Cheers!
j