www.apple.com/finalcutpro/
www.apple.com/finalcutpro/motion/
www.apple.com/finalcutpro/compressor/

It is finally here! So what are your thoughts?

First FCP X Color Review: bit.ly/jsogQO

Is SLCCut going to do a presentation/workshop/demo about the new features and workflow of FCP X anytime soon?

Thanks!

Yes, we are in talks of a meeting that will feature the new Final Cut Pro X.

Anyone found a way to change the scratch disk on this? Im not finding it which makes me very glad that I have not yet purchased a whole new raid setup if Apple just wants me to edit on my main drive.

I do love that FCP is now actually using all my cores and RAM now. I am adding affects just for the hell of it and it really is taking everything I can give it.

A part of me wishes they had left alone the interface, key strokes, and tweaked the timeline a bit, but give it the background horse power that FCPX has.

You set your render file location when you first create your project similar to hate to say it, "iMovie" the default is:

user/Movies/Final Cut Events

same place as:

user/Movies/iMovie Events

Cheers,
Denver RIddle

Andrew,

What are your machine specs? I am finding that its running really slow. I'm on a 2008 Dual Quad-Core 3.0 with 6 GB of RAM.

I can tell you right now, I'm feeling like I have less control over the timeline...not a good thing for me. It may just be the initial shock, so I'm withholding judgement until I actually use the software to cut a piece together.

I do kind of feel like I'm a beta tester though...I really don't think this app was ready for Prime Time.

Dual Quad-Core 2.8GHZ Mac Pro Early 2008
14GB RAM
ATI Radeon HD 5770 1GB VRAM (Not officially supported by Apple but it works great!)
Three 74GB 10,000 RPM in a OSX software Stripped Raid
Working with footage shot from my Canon T2i (Not supported by Apple but somehow my iPhone4 is supported)

My early thought and this only after about four hours of use so these are very early thoughts...

The good
1. Love the real time affects and the fact that I have yet to see any window saying I need to render to see my edit is just awesome. I finally really feel my Mac Pro is being used to its fullest.
2. I originally thought I would miss the Viewer window, but I have yet too. Its brings me back to my days of editing in Sony Vegas.
3. Updated interface that looks like a modern day Pro App, just like how Color and Aperture look. While this of course is not important to the over all edit, still nice to look at something that looks like its from 2011, not 2001.
4. I'm fighting the new timeline....opps I mean storyline, but I can see where Apple is going with this and I like.

The Bad
1. Most of the keystrokes I use have changed now. Yes I can go into the settings and change them back, but might as well re-learn them if thats how its going to be on every install of FCPX

2. What happened to the Preferences of tweaking how FCP worked? Maybe your average user never change them but I made my own little tweaks to the settings to have FCP run the best on my machine. I guess Apple has taken the theory of, if it works then don't fix it.

3. File>Save As is now gone? I know I can go in to the Project library and do a duplicate project but come one. So much easier for me to just do a files Save As to create a new version of a project I'm working on. But I have a feeling this is the future apple is taking with OSX Lion. If you want yesterdays edit, then just TimeMachine it back I guess.

4. iMovie Pro is a term I have been seeing on the forms today and it does kind of feel like that. Like this should be FCEX and next month FCPX will be released. To be honest, if Apple were to offer a refund I would probably take it and wait to see how this software grabs market share. No reason to have it if nobody buys it which will lead to the lack of plug-ins, hardware support, and such.

5.Seems like Apple has drawn a line in the sand with the current FCP users and future new users. For example, someone that has been editing with FCP would know what a "Slug" is. But a new user would have no idea what that is or its purpose. But rename the term from slug to "Insert Gap" then everyone knows what that is. That makes sense to me why Apple has done many little things like that, but they have basically told there base customer, you need to re-learn it all.

Like I said, I haven't played much with it yet. I do have some paying jobs coming up that I will use FCP7 for the fact less of a learning curve right now. I will start playing with FCPX with some family movie edits I need to get off the hard drive.

Here is an interesting article on FCX

www.philiphodgetts.com/2011/06/what-are-...out-final-cut-pro-x/

I think I will wait. My concern is if I buy now at 299 and they put back in the stuff that pros need that they should have left alone, what will it cost to get the update? Will it be another $299 or will it be something like $30 or less or $13.99 (haha). According to some I can't buy it anyway because I have a HD3870 graphics card that is not compatible. The App Store won't download the app if your machine does not meet the minimum requirements.

Philip Hodgetts is the only one that seems to LIKE the software and i watched a live video chat with him tonight and he had some interesting things to say about it. He has the inside scoop. 2 or 3 fxplugs will be released tomorrow (or updated?) and then the things which you can read in the link that SiggyVision linked.

I'm totally confused by this new release, but i also haven't been with it long enough, but hearing certain people talk it seems straight forward and I SHOULD be able to use it. But it just isn't working for me. Weird.

It wouldn't even work on my MacPro, said my graphics card wasn't up to snuff...oh well. I'll mess around with it more before I too pass judgement. But things like OMF export, XML support, EDL support are going to be killers if they don't implement them and soon! For someone shooting on DSLR's and cutting for the web only, it is a great little tool.

Again, though, for every NLE there is a learning curve and we have to look at this as a brand new NLE NOT an upgrade. It is a new way of thinking.

Forgot one more thing.

Unless I'm missing something, but you can not customize the windows at all. They are locked down in there spot which at least for me makes my secondary monitor useless. Hey Apple, not everyone edits on a 15" Macbook Pro like your website suggests.

Andrew

It seems from what I have read is this is for new editors that won't know what they are missing. The only card I can put in my machine is a ATI5770 which seems to fit the bill.

As I just posted, I think Apple wrote this for the MacBook Pro user. I have the ATI 5770 and its a great card.

Andrew,
You can't rearrange windows but you can push the event window or the viewer to a second monitor.

I think Walter Biscardi sums up what his welling up inside of me:




magazine.creativecow.net/article/final-c...issing-for-some-pros

I filed for a refund with Apple on this and I hope I get it. They changed so much of this I have to relearn every keystroke, location of settings, workflow...basically everything! I'm not opposed to learning new software (I actually enjoy it) but from what I have read no production house will ever use this in their business, so why learn something that will never help me land that dream job at their facility? If I am going to take the time to learn new editing software, it will be AVID or Adobe.

I don't want to leave the FCS product line but I was dealing with the slowness of FCP7 while Apple worked on a modern editing suite that used the full power of my computer. Friends of mine shake there heads when they see me transcoding footage while they just drag and drop there footage into their projects and I'm tired of adding an effect to then have to wait for the damn thing to render a preview. My friends do complex edits in near real time on their dell notebooks while my Mac Pro is filled with orange bars on the timeline.

Look at how the "Professional" mac user has been treated this year. The end of Xserve, no fully dedicated Server OS for Lion, and now FCPX has been taken from the pro user and given to the consumer. I can understand why Apple wants to move way from the small pro user market and focus on selling 10 million copies of FCPX to the masses. Just don't get us all fired up that we are getting something "Pro" when its just an upgrade from iMovie.

Now if in six months Apple improves it and the software falls back into the good graces of the editing community, then I will buy it again. But for now, why hold onto something that doesn't have a bright future for it?


- Andrew

Some answers to your FCPX conundrum

pogue.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/06/23/profe...-on-final-cut-pro-x/

Apple sent me an email saying they are refunding my purchase. Sucks to be leaving what was an awesome ecosystem of editing but as Rich Harrington said "it's time to find a new tool."

So who's sticking it out or finding a new tool. I'll use FCP7 while in transition but I leaning towards premiere suite. I really want something that harness the full power of my computer. Suggestions anyone?

www.dvcreators.net/what-does-the-guy-who...l-cut-pro-x-release/

Interesting read. I agree on many accounts. I think that this brings me back to the days when we first started SLCCut.com -- I remember having discussions about how we did not want to tie the group's name to one piece of software, as software kingdoms rise and fall like the great cities of old.

Have you guys signed the petition? www.petitiononline.com/finalcut/petition.html

I signed it. I just think the fact that they have removed Final Cut Studio from their store, and are recalling them from Apple Stores tells me they do not care about the professional. What about all the shops that still need to add Final Cut Pro 7 editing seats to their shop? They are out of luck! They have locked it down.

Apple does not care about the professional market, and they don't have to, because they do not depend on it.