Walt_Atwood

Q: Migrating to FCP X

For years, I have been a happy user of Final Cut Studio 3, including Final Cut Pro 7 and DVD Studio Pro 4. Now, I am looking seriously at upgrading my NLE and MacOS software, and eventually my hardware as well.

 

I do occasional video editing on my own personal machine. I have old DV and HDV equipment, so I'm still using tape-based cams. I am looking at eventually marginalizing my tape-based systems, but it will be a very long time before I could eliminate them. I have a small but substantial library of tapes.

 

If/when I upgrade to El Capitan and FCP X, I'm wondering what to expect. How well does it handle DV and HDV footage? If I need to make any DVDs, how does the workflow for that coordinate with FCP X? I occasionally make self-running presentation DVDs of C-SPAN-style video verité footage of important meetings and events. Sometimes I make videos for social media. I do a lot of lower-thirds captions, identities of talent, and credits.

 

Another thing I would like to get into would be slideshows-on-video and also integrating slide presentations with live-action demonstrations of activities on video. How well do PowerPoint and Keynote presentations integrate with FCP X. I am also looking at making my first tapeless devices be iPads and GoPros.

 

What am I in for if I take the plunge and start upgrading?

iMac, OS X Yosemite (10.10.5), late-2013 Core i5 2.9 GHz, 8GB RAM, 1 TB HD

Posted on May 23, 2016 10:08 PM

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Q: Migrating to FCP X

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  • by Russ H,

    Russ H Russ H May 24, 2016 4:28 AM in response to Walt_Atwood
    Level 7 (21,770 points)
    Quicktime
    May 24, 2016 4:28 AM in response to Walt_Atwood

    Hi Walt.

     

    For starters, I'm sure you are aware that FCP X is quite different than legacy versions of FCP – in organization, workflow and terminology. Importantly it's clip-based editing compared to the traditional track-based approach. Often times users will post their frustration with X because they can't or don't want to let go of their old work habits. But there are a lot of good (and free) resources available so you can get a sense of whether it will fit your needs. Check out the FCP Support Page. Also, there are many short tutorials here.

     

    Tape is not its strength, but it will import DV and HDV footage. However, there is no Log and Capture.

     

    Titling and effects are one of its strengths – far superior to 7.

     

    Not sure what you're expecting with PPT and Keynote integration. There is no interoperability with either, if that's what you mean. If you export out a slide presentation as a MOV, you can certainly import it.

     

    There is a 30 day full featured trial version available for download if and when you're ready to test first hand.

     

    Finally, you may want to hang on to your older hardware when you buy your new Mac – since there is no guarantee that the FCS apps will run on future OS versions; in fact, a couple of them have been broken since Mavericks.

     

    Good luck.

     

    Russ

  • by Ian R. Brown,

    Ian R. Brown Ian R. Brown May 24, 2016 7:23 AM in response to Walt_Atwood
    Level 6 (18,658 points)
    Mac OS X
    May 24, 2016 7:23 AM in response to Walt_Atwood

    You can make DVDs or Blu-ray discs straight from the FCP X timeline by selecting Share>DVD/Blu-ray.

     

    Nothing could be simpler as FCP X will select the best settings automatically, however the DVD menus are also extremely basic  .  .  .  nothing like iDVD or DVD Pro.

     

    If you just want to put one video on a DVD and have it start playing automatically, nothing could be easier, but if you want complex menus you will have to export your project as a video file and drop it into iDVD/DVDPro same as with FCP 7.