This time next year…

[Mitch Ives]

[David Mathis] “I also like how Motion takes the approach to what would be the equivalent of a pre-comp in After Effects or other layered based motion graphics software. No need to switch between tabs and using a simple keyboard shortcut makes things much more approachable and fast.”

Not to mention the speed. I just finished a series of projects that start in Motion and finish in FCP X. With Motion on a fully loaded New Mac Pro, the speed is amazing. I don’t need low res or any other settings off while designing in it. Playback is instant. Final renders are under a minute, with motion blur and the whole kitchen sink thrown at it. These used to take 45 minutes in some cases on an old Mac Pro.

Apple has a jewel with Motion… I just hope they realize it…

Mitch Ives
Insight Productions Corp.

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.” – Winston Churchill

[David Mathis]

I keep hoping that Apple will add video scopes in as they are necessary tool when color correcting. I really don’t like guessing where the levels are.

[Craig Alan]

Yes. I get students editing rough cuts in 2 minutes. Then fix audio levels in another 2. Add titles … Transitions … Even transforms … Speed changes … Music etc.. The basic stuff is just really easy to learn. I’m talking kids who have never edited before.

I don’t see this as a threat to pros. Just a generation will grow up on it and some will dig deeper and do long form or edits with greater complexity.

The one thing I do get asked — is there a program like this on a PC.

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Steve Connor]

Add scopes to Motion?

[David Mathis]

[Steve Connor] “Add scopes to Motion?”

Would be a nice feature. This way there is an objective measurement of levels and saturation.

[Walter Anasagasti]

Looking over FCPX customer ratings in Apple’s App Store, I see a large proportion of negative (one star) reviews, with many coming across as otherwise diehard FCPX fans who have reached the end of their rope with crippling stability and performance issues.

However as I read threads like this one in forums like creativecow, I see an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards the product from what appear to be video editing professionals.

Any explanations for this disparity in opinion?

[Tim Wilson]

[walter anasagasti] “However as I read threads like this one in forums like creativecow, I see an overwhelmingly positive attitude towards the product from what appear to be video editing professionals.

Any explanations for this disparity in opinion?”

One basic one: the Creative COW Community itself.

People commenting in the App Store aren’t looking for help. They’re looking to vent. And while there’s obviously a component of that in the COW, by and large, even the venting is in the context of trying to actually get work done. That is, the venting has been along the lines of “I can’t do my job,” with responses suggesting ways that might help. Early detractors have become converts.

That said, to underscore the objective validity of the venting here in the early days, Apple addressed a number of the issues identified then. There’s still a list of dealbreakers for some folks, but it’s a lot shorter list for a lot fewer folks than was the case a couple of years ago.

Which is another reason why things are so much more positive here. A comment in the app store is a snapshot in time. It necessarily only reflects a single moment that will never be updated. There’s no telling how many of those people eventually came to the COW to get the help they need, and are now delighted. 🙂

It’s why I’ve been a believer in the COW as a self-correcting mechanism. As long as new experiences get added to the mix, whether within a single person’s life or the forum as a whole, voices gravitate toward practicality. Tones can get harsh when people can’t get work done, but once people ARE getting work done, positivity rises fast.

And since the professionals in the COW are all about get working done, the community, as a whole, over time, trends toward enthusiasm, even if most of the threads ever started here are from people who need help. They make those posts in faith that they WILL get help. Enough people get the help they need that we’re still around after 19 years, and still growing.

Thanks for noticing. 🙂

Tim Wilson
Creative COW

[Craig Alan]

FCP X has a 3.5 average rating out of 5. Resolve has a 2.5. People tend to post when they can’t get the thing to work and are ready to throw their computer out the window. Thus 1s. I don’t see these users posting their system specs. FC requires a decent set up. Do these folks use a media drive? How old is their Mac? Have they read anything at all on how to set up the organization of FC? By default it can fill up their system drive to the point where things will crash. No question FC X takes a bit of an adjustment if you are used to anything else. The real question: once you work out the system set up with a computer that can handle the app, and get past the initial learning curve, does the program meet your needs?

Mac Pro, macbook pro, Imacs (i7); Canon 5D Mark III/70D, Panasonic AG-HPX170/AG-HPX250P, Canon HV40, Sony Z7U/VX2000/PD170; FCP 6 certified; FCP X write professionally for a variety of media; teach video production in L.A.

[Andrew Kimery]

[walter anasagasti] “Any explanations for this disparity in opinion?”

People that feel negatively about something are most likely to say so publicly. People that absolutely love something are a distant second to saying so publicly. The vast majority of users fall someplace in between and are least likely to say so publicly.