Newbie question

Apple Final Cut Pro Legacy

Newbie question

Posted by Mike Mackenzie on July 21, 2009 at 12:28 pm

Hello…
I am a motion graphics designer (After Effects guy) that’s been asked to do a basic editing project, with some graphic content. I’m wondering if Final Cut Express will be sufficient to do what I need, or if I’ll have to spring for the full-on version. The edit requirements are pretty basic, but I’m guessing it may be crippled in terms of formats I can work in (16×9 SD for this project), formats it can output, what kind of files it can accept, etc.
I’ve never really edited before so I’ll need to ramp up quickly on this.
So…my real question is, do you think I’ll have any problems or roadblocks if I buy the stripped down version, or do I really need to get the full package to do this simple edit job?

Thanks!

Motion Graphics Designer / Art Director
Boston, MA

System:
Mac/Leopard
2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
6 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM

Mike Mackenzie replied 16 years, 10 months ago 4 Members · 4 Replies
4 Replies

Thaxter Clavemarlton
July 21, 2009 at 12:57 pm

Why not go to a post house and use their FCP?
Tom Wolsky
July 21, 2009 at 1:52 pm

What formats do you need to work in? FCE is a DV and Apple Intermediate Codec editing application.

All the best,

Tom

Class on Demand DVDs “Complete Training for FCP6,” “Basic Training for FCS2” and “Final Cut Express Made Easy”
Author: “Final Cut Pro 5 Editing Essentials” and “Final Cut Express 4 Editing Workshop”
David Bogie
July 21, 2009 at 2:51 pm

This may sound elitist but I’m just trying to save you from a project that has only a 50-50 of failure.

You do NOT want to buy an editing application and then learn it for a single project. It would be easier for you to edit in AE (with all of its limitations) than to learn how to use FCE (just to find out it’s not as powerful as you need) or FCP in time for you to satisfy your client’s needs.

How long did it take you to understand AE? A couple of months? Maybe a year or two (maybe six or ten years like me?) Both FCE and FCP are deep, complex, and tricky.

Hire an experienced editor, even if you lose a bit of money on the deal. But that’s not likely if you include the capital you were going to invest in software you don’t want nor the time you would require to come up to speed, 40-60 hours, that you could not bill.

bogiesan
Mike Mackenzie
July 21, 2009 at 9:39 pm

Thanks everyone for the input. I’ve dug enough to know I need the pro version. I appreciate the wisdom of not tackling new software on the clock, that’s a rule I generally follow, but FCP would be a valuable skill for me regardless. I hate editing in AE, and after a couple of days training I should know if I’m capable enough with FC to do the simple stuff I need to do; if I don’t feel comfortable then I’ll just do it in AE.

Thanks again everyone who chimed in!

Motion Graphics Designer / Art Director
Boston, MA

System:
Mac/Leopard
2 x 2.8 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon
6 GB 800 MHz DDR2 FB-DIMM

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