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Should I Learn FCP7 or FCPX?

D

Desmond Ford

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Hey Guys,

So I decided to invest in an editing course. I want to learn the most useful and practical, as well as industry recognized editing software program. I think that I've decided on FCP, but I don't know if I should learn 7 or X...

Basically, my goal is to be able to edit my own stuff and do on set editing when needed. I'm interested in becoming a DIT eventually, so I know editing is a useful if not necessary skill, along with color grading and camera tech. I currently work as a media mgmt so I work with all sorts of cameras in the field. So please bear in mind that this isn't a Red specific question.

So my question is whether I should get FCP7 or FCPX?

I hear great things about FCP7, but horrible things about FCPX. I don't want to learn FCP7 because I know that eventually it will be obsolete and I can't even buy it anywhere anyway. I mean, people can't continue to use it indefinitely, right?

However, from what I've read, Apple claims that FCPX will restore all the missing features from FCP7 within a couple months...Do you think Apple will come through on this one? If so, will it be worth it?

What are your opinions on FCPX in general? Will it eventually replace FCP7? Or will the industry move to another platform?

Or should I jump ship to Avid or Premier?
 
Paul Provost said:
actually you really need to learn them all, along with adobe cs5.5 production suite...
Click to expand...

+1

As for the order that you learn them in - from a R3D perspective I don't see any compelling reasons to learn FCP7 or FCPX. Media Composer and CS5.5 both play better with R3D footage.

[edit] Oh, and the industry has already jumped ship from Final Cut. Most are keeping a few suites with FCP7 on them for backwards compatibility reasons, but I don't know of any editing houses around me that have put any new suites in, and most of the existing FCP suites have been converted to Avid.
 
Premiere is excellent for personal or smaller stuff, so learn that. It's awesome fun.

If you want to become a DIT or editor on something involving a lot of people, chances are you'll want to know Avid - it's currently the industry standard for a reason.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
 
Thanks for the responses so far.

Yeah, I think it makes sense to learn them all as well. I guess, since I'm so new to NLE, it seems like too daunting a task. Someone recently told me that learning one NLE is like learning all of them because they're all so similar. Is this an accurate statement?

So if I get really good at one NLE, I can expect to transfer the skills over to the others and it would simply be a matter of learning a new interface or style. I think...

Also, what about color grading... which is best among the three?
 
Desmond Ford said:
Thanks for the responses so far.

Yeah, I think it makes sense to learn them all as well. I guess, since I'm so new to NLE, it seems like too daunting a task. Someone recently told me that learning one NLE is like learning all of them because they're all so similar. Is this an accurate statement?

So if I get really good at one NLE, I can expect to transfer the skills over to the others and it would simply be a matter of learning a new interface or style. I think...
Click to expand...

Yes - in general, Avid, Premiere and FCP 7 are very similar (since Premiere and FCP 7 had the same lead designer... who was obviously "inspired" by Avid) in terms of basic paradigm - video tracks, audio tracks, in points, out points, etc. But they each have their own quirks and also nifty workflow features that are not in the other... for example Avid treats effects as Adjustment Layers, Premiere and FCP treat effects as, well, effects. Both work slightly better for different things but FCP 7 and Premiere are a little less confusing. Avid has a trim tool with lots of tools for playing an edit over and over while nudging things a frame or two, Premiere and FCP have similar tools but not quite as nice.

Vegas and FCP X can also do awesome stuff but they are a little bit different...

Desmond Ford said:
Also, what about color grading... which is best among the three?
Click to expand...

Just download DaVinci Resolve Lite, which is free.

Bruce Allen
www.boacinema.com
 
You said "industry standard" - FCP 7 and Avid. Premiere is next.

I'm one of those who thinks FCPX is awesome. I edit an award winning commercial with it and while I definitely felt the angst of a new learning curve, there were features in it I loved. There were things in it which annoyed me greatly too... things that were promised and not delivered... but what it does deliver it does well. But it's definitely not a standard and standards take a little time.

I think from your description, you should learn all of them equally FCP7, AVID, Premiere - you don't want to lose a job because you don't know the basics of a program. It's MASTERING which one that is the question. I would master the one once you've used them and started to integrate yourself into the industry some that you find people around you needing and using. For my world, that's definitely FCP7. Exclusively almost.

someone else surely has their own circle of experience.

And BTW - editing tools are about the easiest programs to learn. Next up is Compositing, next up is 3D. Don't be intimidated. What you need to learn is what is possible in the realm in editing... then it's just a matter of how to access that tool.
 
Mark Allen said:
You said "industry standard" - FCP 7 and Avid. Premiere is next.

I'm one of those who thinks FCPX is awesome. I edit an award winning commercial with it and while I definitely felt the angst of a new learning curve, there were features in it I loved. There were things in it which annoyed me greatly too... things that were promised and not delivered... but what it does deliver it does well. But it's definitely not a standard and standards take a little time.

I think from your description, you should learn all of them equally FCP7, AVID, Premiere - you don't want to lose a job because you don't know the basics of a program. It's MASTERING which one that is the question. I would master the one once you've used them and started to integrate yourself into the industry some that you find people around you needing and using. For my world, that's definitely FCP7. Exclusively almost.

someone else surely has their own circle of experience.

And BTW - editing tools are about the easiest programs to learn. Next up is Compositing, next up is 3D. Don't be intimidated. What you need to learn is what is possible in the realm in editing... then it's just a matter of how to access that tool.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I actually enjoy working with FCPX. Recently I had to deliver a short film on a biweekly schedule this past fall and I bit the bullet and went with the FCPX workflow. It's great, and it does a lot of things right that other NLEs can learn from, in particular the new timeline concept. Takes some getting used to, but in the end works fascinatingly well. That's what a lot of FCPX is, just another learning curve. I have high hopes that Apple will include 4k support but until then, for HD/web finishing, FCPX is a fine tool.


Nevertheless, for the OP, my take is to go for FCP 7. FCPX is nice, but it's in early-adopter status right now, and until it becomes professional-spec, it's more valuable to gain training on the more established version of Final Cut.
 
Alexander Thomson said:
Agreed. I actually enjoy working with FCPX. Recently I had to deliver a short film on a biweekly schedule this past fall and I bit the bullet and went with the FCPX workflow. It's great, and it does a lot of things right that other NLEs can learn from, in particular the new timeline concept. Takes some getting used to, but in the end works fascinatingly well. That's what a lot of FCPX is, just another learning curve. I have high hopes that Apple will include 4k support but until then, for HD/web finishing, FCPX is a fine tool.


Nevertheless, for the OP, my take is to go for FCP 7. FCPX is nice, but it's in early-adopter status right now, and until it becomes professional-spec, it's more valuable to gain training on the more established version of Final Cut.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if it is still like this but the initial release of FCPX could not do OMF media export for pro tool. There is a reason to assign audio tracks. It's important for audio, organization, archiving, and rebuilding projects in other programs like colour and Resolve. The near fact you could not open legacy projects is a MAJOR flaw in design, but also apples thinking. You need to support previous projects. In Avid I can still open projects I made 8 years ago in Avid DV.

I have never lost an FCP editing job (when I was an editor) by knowing Avid, but you can really get Avid jobs knowing FCP. I have not used Premiere in a long time but like the things I hear.

The one thing that could help us all though is to OPEN UP r3d acceleration to third part players. Red rocket for 4k is just too expensive. It's based on 2 year old technology that I'm hesitant to buy. In another year or two an MX02 mini should be able to handle 4k with out a problem and add acceleration for rendering.
 
There's a difference in how you learn these programs if your aspiration is to become a DIT/data wrangler. Some of the major differences between these systems are metadata and media management, and how an editor interacts with the footage while "creating". As a DIT/data wrangler it may be helpful to know the different subtleties of editing paradigms, your main job will be delivering dailies to meet the needs and specs of the production and the system being used and represent the intent of the DP in whatever format and color space those dailies may be used. Knowledge of (and not limited to); archive systems, drives, monitors, calibration, color space, organization, labeling, verification, are traits needed for that role regardless of system being used.


Michael
 
Don't waste one millisecond on FCPX - you will not be asked to use it in a professional environment. The only people using it are experimentalists who decide they want to try it, like the few people who posted about it to this thread so far.

1. Avid - Best professional reputation
2. Premiere - Many many companies have moved here from FCP
3. FCP7 - There are still plenty of shops using it, though the number continues to steadily decline
 
FCPX is the future!!!

FCPX is an entirely new BEAST!! i've edited in Premiere, FCP7 and After effects.... and now FCPX. I can honestly say, fcpx ALONE combines all 3!! i repeat! it combines all 3, and does it well, fast and simplified. Having taken the time out to learn it (ripple training tutorial).... it's simply the best. Hard to go back. It has simplified everything... and DAMN IT'S FAST. For r3d files, premiere is the only way to go at the moment but that will soon change. I edited few projects in premiere due to the need for Aftereffects, but have always found fcp 7 to be more stable. sFCPx has changed all that. It's also 4k (Finally), so on a 2k timeline, i have 2 focal lengths to choose from. To each it's own.

FCPX is the future!!!
 
Oliver Peters said:
It does support 4k using DC specs. It does not currently support native r3d files.
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I knew FCPX didn't take r3ds natively, just assumed it didn't take 4k resolution at all. Cool.

Kalechi Noel said:
FCPX is the future!!!
Click to expand...

Yes! Hopefully Apple realizes they have an opportunity on their hands to take back the industry.
 
Last edited:
Alexander Thomson said:
Yes! Hopefully Apple realizes they have an opportunity on their hands to take back the industry.
Click to expand...



Sorry, but they're too busy selling iPhones...

Seriously, let's go back to his original question: " I want to learn the most useful and practical, as well as industry recognized editing software program." - Emphasis added by me.

FCPX is only industry recognized in the sense that everyone recognizes it was not made for our industry. Maybe it will improve someday, but that is very much up for debate. Meanwhile, the industry IS using Avid, Premiere, and FCP7.

- Tim
 
Desmond, if you only choose to learn FCP then you should learn FCPX. FCP7 is a good system now but it won't have much life left since Apple decide to make a new software, FCPX. It is a much easier to learn compare to FCP7 but it doesn't have all professional tools like FCP7. FCPX can be a future if Apple decides to listen to pro editor's concerns and suggestions.
If you are open to any software, try Avid Media Composer 6. If you learn Avid MC6, then you're really future proof.
 
Jay Kim said:
Desmond, if you only choose to learn FCP then you should learn FCPX. FCP7 is a good system now but it won't have much life left since Apple decide to make a new software, FCPX. It is a much easier to learn compare to FCP7 but it doesn't have all professional tools like FCP7. FCPX can be a future if Apple decides to listen to pro editor's concerns and suggestions.
If you are open to any software, try Avid Media Composer 6. If you learn Avid MC6, then you're really future proof.
Click to expand...

+1.

If you're still set on FCP training, learning X will be good if/when FCPX becomes a standard, but if your desire is to be proficient in industry standard editing, Avid training is the best option.

Don't worry about Premiere.
 
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