-
One Year Later, what do pro/broadcast FCPX users say about jumping from FCS3/ FCP7 to FCPX now?
It’s been about a year since I last considered migrating our shop’s editing platforms. A year ago I could say that X was missing things we enjoyed in 7 and so it wasn’t in the running at our shop, which is a broadcast environment concentrating on news production, training, and PSA/commercial production.
Now a year has passed, and I’m vaguely aware of some updates Apple has made to FCPx. I’d like the opinion of users who were on 7 and DID jump to x, as to how “ready for prime time” X is now, and can it deliver at least everything we had in 7, with regards to machine control, scopes, audio functionality, round-tripping to Motion and other apps, ability to externally monitor, all the stuff that made people rabid a year ago.
In a calm, simplified way, would somebody care to tell me how their X-perience has been and if X should again be considered against Adobe? (outside of the cloud issue, please, for the love of God)
-
27 Replies
-
I am a true convert to X. I have spent many years with FCP7 and Avid. I saw this change coming as soon as X came out. When I sat down to start a cut with X it made me so frustrated, but, over time I kept with it until that clicked* moment. Post FCPX launch i realized that I needed to learn Premiere as well to stay relevant. Honestly, side by side I will work with FCPX for most of my work. I created a broadcast workflow for a cable movie station. We created a huge amount of promo material every month all using FCP7 and AE. I know that if I had to I could maintain the same workflow for broadcast using FCPX and probably do it in less time. Creatively FCPX gives me the flexibility I never had with another NLE.
Most of those things you are looking for are there now. I know FCPX isn’t perfect by any means but we still haven’t seen a 10.1 yet! It’s so powerful. You just have to give it a chance.
I just finished a sizzle reel for a client. They were so happy with the end result and it took me half the time to cut and finish then it would have in FCP7.just sayin…
Jordan Mena | Editor | Colorist | Producer
Los Angeles, CA
jordanmena.com -
Ive been cutting broadcast television on FCPX since October last year, tonight at 11:20 I have a 60 min special on Danny Boyle screening on BBC Two. Moving to FCPX has been completely painless, nothing like the transition from Avid to FCP some 7 years ago. I met up with some other editors working for the BBC cutting news in X just last week and they also have found the transition completely workable and really enjoy the software. All the stuff that made people ‘rabid’, has been addressed and addressed elegantly. FCPX totally works for our production and editing is once again fun. You don’t often hear editors say they are having fun, especially on this forum.
-
[Mark Suszko] “as to how “ready for prime time” X is now,
Totally ready. Not perfect, but really nice, and getting better very quickly…
[Mark Suszko] can it deliver at least everything we had in 7, with regards to machine control,
Nope, though there are plenty of 3’rd party solutions to this if you need it. Blackmagic has some reall nice, inexpensive stuff
[Mark Suszko] scopes,
Yep, and again, if you for some reason need more than the stuff built in to X, BMD and others have some nice options here
[Mark Suszko] audio functionality,
Mostly there. Some people miss tracks, but I find cutting audio to be way easier in X even with the few remaining UI issues. These will go away soon…
[Mark Suszko] round-tripping to Motion and other apps,
Not yet, but I’m sure it’s on Apple’s radar
[Mark Suszko] ability to externally monitor
Done.
With FCP X, a BMD box with Media Express, a copy of X2Pro, a copy of EDL-X you’re pretty much set. And for not much $$. About 1/2 what FCS cost, minus the BMD box, which you’d need even with 7 for monitoring.
————————————————————-
~”It is a poor craftsman who blames his tools.”~
~”The function you just attempted is not yet implemented”~ -
[craig slattery] “editing is once again fun. You don’t often hear editors say they are having fun,”
Yeah, that too. It really is. I’m working in 7 now on a job and it’s painful.
————————————————————-
~”It is a poor craftsman who blames his tools.”~
~”The function you just attempted is not yet implemented”~ -
It’s pretty good now. We are using it and happy with it for the most part. I think most people who give an honest assessment in here will tell you they like some things while other things need some work. Just approach it like a completely different app when you pick it up to do work for the first time. It certainly can do broadcast work at this point. Sharing of projects back and forth is possible, but it does require some thought because the setup is different.
Keith Koby
Sr. Director Post-Production Engineering
iNDEMAND
Howard TV!/Movies On Demand/iNDEMAND Pay-Per-View/iNDEMAND 3D -
We still shoot on tape as well as P2, will continue to do so for a few years, and I’m trying to get off P2 and onto SDHC cards, down the road, but we’ll still have a mix of formats and recording media for a while. How would I bring in my DVCpro HD tape footage, and play edited masters back out of the imac, (or mac tower to be revealed at some point in the future), back onto tape, or dub it out to BluRay, or upload it to a server?
-
AJA VTR xchange, black magic media express or you can also pay for something like the tools on air just:in or softron stuff. Or you can still use fcp7 for capture and layback.
Keith Koby
Sr. Director Post-Production Engineering
iNDEMAND
Howard TV!/Movies On Demand/iNDEMAND Pay-Per-View/iNDEMAND 3D -
[Mark Suszko] ” How would I bring in my DVCpro HD tape footage, and play edited masters back out of the imac, (or mac tower to be revealed at some point in the future), back onto tape, or dub it out to BluRay, or upload it to a server?”
As Keith points out, AJA, BMD, or FCP 7 (we use that) for Capture/Layoff. You can do Blu-Ray from X, though the menus are fairly spartan. You can upload to YouTube or Vimeo from the app… to go to a server it’s just like anything else, export the cut as whatever you want and upload it.
————————————————————-
~”It is a poor craftsman who blames his tools.”~
~”The function you just attempted is not yet implemented”~ -
Hi Mark,
To chime in with everybody else, it totally works. In case you didn’t see that FCPX On-Air blog I did, that’ll pretty much show you the way. One cool thing we do now is have a single mac mini in the tape room for digitizing and layback through a Sonnet echo express with Blackmagic card for deck control. It’s kind of nice not having to worry about which suite has deck control, etc. The little mini chugs through HDCam with no problem.
We bounce events and projects around between sweets so often during the day it’s silly. I like it – and I own it. it’s pretty great.
John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.
-
Also, you can call me directly if you’d like to talk about it.
John Davidson | President / Creative Director | Magic Feather Inc.
Reply to this Discussion! Login or Sign Up