What do I need to learn AVID?

[Jason Wood]

If you’re going to be doing offline creative work, than you should be fine diving into Media Composer. From there you shouldn’t have a problem moving to Symphony if need be.

[Chris Conlee]

I responded to a similar question above, so I’ll just post it here again:

Welcome aboard. Just so you know, Avid is much different than FCP, and it’s just a fact that you WILL be resentful at first at some of the methodology. It’s a different animal.

I moved to Avid from Toaster/Flyer, Speed Razor, Incite, and D/Vision Pro. Almost all of those are closer to one another than to Avid. It took me a month of beating my head against the computer until one day I had an epiphany and started to do it “the Avid way,” and the clouds parted and God rays shined down on me. Why had I tried to bend the software to my way of thinking for so long? I couldn’t say.

Now I’ve been using Avid for a decade and I don’t touch another editor unless I absolutely HAVE to. It’s so fluid and second nature to me that I don’t even think about it any more. It’s like an extension of my own two hands.

Jump in and start pushing it. Don’t be discouraged. Eventually it’ll make sense and I’ll wager you will become a die-hard fan sooner than you expect.

Chris Conlee

PS: Make sure you join the forum on Avid’s site as well. The people there, as here, are top pros and will help you a lot.

[Scott Davis]

Highly recommend the book Avid Agility

https://www.amazon.com/Avid-Agility-Working-Intuitively-Composer/dp/1449998925

Scott Davis

[Andrew Hays]

I’m also Just starting to learn Avid, got it during the crossgrade promotion. I’ve been editing with FCP for about 7 years now, and I’ve always wanted to cut on Avid. I just never had the money to.

Chad, if you haven’t already, I encourage you to pick up the software. Avid has extended the crossgrade promotion. When you get the software, it comes with a tutorial DVD to get you started. I haven’t gotten very far in it, but I hope to learn how to edit more form the keyboard rather than use the mouse

A constant learner of new things, that pretty much sums me up!

[Andrew Hays]

Chad, here’s the post on the extended crossgrade promotion:
https://community.avid.com/blogs/avid/archive/2011/06/30/making-great-products-to-serve-professionals-is-our-lifeblood.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AvidInsideOut+%28Avid+Community+Blogs+-+Inside+Out%29

A constant learner of new things, that pretty much sums me up!

[Neil Patience]

Just wanted to back up Chris’s advice. I had exactly the same epiphany only the other way when learning FCP after years of Avid – I wanted it to be like Avid, it frustrated me it wasn’t. I even initally went as far as mapping the FCP keyboard to be more like Avid – what a mistake !
Once I went with the flow it was all good and can happily switch between without problem.
Avid will be to be broadly familiar to you but the differences will bug you if you try to make it FCP.
If you can follow that basic route you will save yourself all the time and frustration both Chris and I and probably many others spent fighting the comparative systems.
It can only improve your prospects knowing both platforms – good luck and enjoy.

best wishes
Neil
http://www.patience.tv

[Chad Haberstroh]

Thanks folks. Downloading the MC 5.5 trial as I type this.

[Steve Knattress]

I drive both avid and fcp here in the UK, most of my broadcast work is still on avid, but I do edit fcp at home/ on OB’s.
I have just taken advantage of the cross update so have both fcp and MC on my laptop.I have the appropriate tool for the project..

When I was learning fcp a few years back I used a book called FCP for the avid editor, which was very useful. There is also a web site avid2fcp.com.

I’m sure “reverse engineering” these could be useful, or has anyone already done the inverse web site/book?

Steve