I'm a editor who has been editing with Final Cut Pro for the last couple of years and I'm not impressed with the new Final Cut Pro X. I'm interested in looking for another NLE, such as Avid or Premiere or something else. What would you recommend in this situation?
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1I've converted this question to community wiki since it doesn't really have one "right" answer, but rather many answers that might be useful.– Warrior BobCommented Jul 7, 2011 at 15:28
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so many people were unimpressed with FCPX that Apple was issuing refunds. forums.thoughtsmedia.com/f386/…– Chase FlorellCommented Jul 12, 2011 at 16:12
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3 Answers
If you're not impressed with X then I'd suggest going back to version 7. Learning your way around a new program will be a pain in the arse.
I'm not sure how professionally you work but if you can be bothered, Avid is a great program once you get to know it.
Otherwise, man, I'd probably just get used to FCPX.
I think the traditional knowledge is that if you want to be an editor, then you should know how to drive all 3 of the major programs (Avid, Final Cut Studio, and Premiere), and maybe some of the less mainstream broadcast editing and finishing systems (e.g. Smoke). You should probably know a handful of specialized audio programs too.
Lucky for you, the 2011 FCX launch has simplified the landscape, reducing to 2, the number of editing programs you should know how to drive. Well, that's not entirely true - you do still have to know FCX, but it'll be a while yet before it's back on the table as a competitive option with a multi-user workflow.
Most importantly, think "editor". Not "an FCP editor", or "an Avid editor". Just "editor".
I don't know any "Makita craftsmen" or "Price Pfister plumbers", and if I ever met any, I probably wouldn't trust them with work around my house.
If you are in the market to rethink your workflow, now is a good time to look at Adobe's lineup. If you want to capture to a computer, check out the OnLocation application in the Production Suite. The fact that you can edit while you render in CS5... and that Premiere keeps up just fine... it's beautiful.
Avid is great when it works. I've never had FCP or Premiere throw so many errors, crashes and lost work as Avid has. Plus I feel like they aren't really keeping up. I used to be a big Avid guy and lately I've been working with FCP and Adobe and to be honest the only thing I really miss from Avid is the Colour Correction mode.
I'd say try them all out. Read reviews. Some say "It's just a tool, who cares" but it was Abraham Lincoln who said: "If I had six hours to chop down a tree, I would spend the first four sharpening my axe"
