Written by Sean Garrett
For aspiring film editors, there are a variety of video editing software products available, from simple low cost options, to high cost professional ones. Serious film editors have a need for powerful, versatile editing software. For those, Apples Final Cut software has earned a reputation as being able to meet the needs of professional artists. The new version of Final Cut, Final Cut Pro X, has been rebuilt from the ground up to provide new time saving features. One of these is the Magnetic Timeline, which automatically links
clips that are next to each other, improving the way video editing is done. In addition this new version of Final Cut performs tasks in the background to cut down on rendering time. This has promised to be a great asset to editors, meaning no more having to take huge amounts of time for your video to render.
What Apple has promised with Final Cut Pro is nothing short of a game-changer. With its multitude of new features it has created something to revolutionize the way editors edit. While the new version of Final Cut is by all measures great, it is not a product everyone will feel comfortable with.
Final Cut Pro X has come out with mixed reviews by users, but consumers should take the negative reviews with a grain of salt. With the amount of hype and the lofty goals that where set for this product it is no wonder many are disappointed. Apple has created a good product with Final Cut Pro X, but it is one that is flawed all the same.
What you get with Final Cut Pro X is a program with many fantastic features, and some issues and annoyances. Many of the features, such as the automatic organization tools simply work, creating a great experience for the editor. Others, such as the background rendering work, have unexpected consequences, such as not being able to delete events while it is running.
Some reviewers have claimed that the helpful tools that Apple has incorporated into this new version of Final Cut make it feel burdensome, while others have claimed that this new version is fast and elegant. Ultimately it comes down to a matter of preference. If you’re someone who is comfortable with the traditional Final Cut style, then you may not want to make this switch.
With a $299.99 price tag Final Cut Pro X is for only the serious video editors out there. There are other cheaper options out there for people seeking to learn about editing, such as Final Cut Express.
Prospective buyers should take into consideration that this new version of Final Cut Pro is not backwards compatible, meaning if you have projects from a previous version of Final Cut they will not work with this version. Also, the software requires Mac OS X v10.6.7, meaning unless you haven’t recently bought a new system, or upgraded an existing Mac operating system, you will probably have to do so to run it.