Q: More beachballs than Bondi, more crashes than a demolition derby

No use ranting at Apple here, this is a user forum - you need to send in feedback via the FCP X app.

Meanwhile, I expect there are many things you can address to help your unfortunate situation.

This is my pet checklist for questions regarding FCP X performance.

Make sure you're using the latest version - FCP X 10.0.3 runs very well on my 2009 MacPro 2 x 2.26 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon with 16 GB RAM and ATI Radeon HD 5870 1024 MB. I run it with Lion 10.7.3.

First, check that you have at least 20% free space on the Hard Drive that your System and your Media, Projects and Events are on.

Check the spec of your Mac against the system requirements:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/specs/

Check the spec of your graphics card. If it's listed here, it's not suitable:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4664

If you are getting crashes, there is some conflict on the OS. Create a new (admin) user account on your system and use FCP X from there - if it runs a lot better, there's a conflict and a clean install would be recommended.

Keep projects to 20 mins or less. If you have a long project, work on 20 min sections then paste these into a final project for export.

Create Optimised media - most camera native files are highly compressed and need a great deal of processor power to play back - particularly if you add titles, filters or effects. ProRes 422 takes up much more hard drive space but is very lightly compressed. It edits and plays back superbly.

If you are short of drive space, use ProRes 422 Proxy (FCP X Preferences > Playback) - but remember to select High Quality when you export your movie.

Hide Audio Waveforms at all times when you don't need them (both in Browser and Storyline / Timeline). They take up a lot of processor power. (Use the switch icon at the bottom-right of your timeline to select a format without waveforms if you don't need them at the moment, then switch back when you do).

Create folders in the Project and Events libraries and put any projects you are not working on currently, in those folders. This will help a lot.

Move your Projects and Events to an external HD (make sure it's formatted OS Extended - with journaled on or off) and run from there.

The biggest single improvement I saw in performance was when I upgraded the RAM from 8 GB to 16.

Andy

Or use this link to send FCP X feedback.

Hi Jules,

I couldnt help but smile a little, reading your post. Trust me, I FEEL you...

However, THAT empathy is based on ME being in your shoes a few months ago... Got FCP X the day it came out. Hated it until I started cutting a BIG project in PPRO... I am a VERY intuitive guy and after sorting ALL my clips in PPRO I was like... Jesus, I feel that I am BLIND all the clips are THERE but they are SO hidden away... I DONT like to READ names on video clips I like to SEE whats in em. FCP X gives me JUST that. It litterally SAVED my movie which I delivered yesterday, VERY successfully...

Now the reason I hated FCPX as it came out was that I was thinking TOO complicated to understand how simple it is.. Sort of like switching from PC to Mac, At first you are griping over the fact that things are not the way they used to be... Then After a month you understand that you were being dumb ;-)

Same thing with FCP X, if you have been used to the OLD way of NLE'INg.... Adobe PPRO is a DINOSOUR and AVID media composer is a Relic... The REST of NLEs, well they are just there.. Picking up the scraps from those who are using the big boys...

Take a week and get DOWN and DIRTY with FCPX and if you understand WHY it is so god darn amazing then you will be like.... WOOOW>... THAAAAATs how to do it... And in a months time, you WILL be flying. Lord knows I am...

Few things to understand about FCPX... It is the most Hyngry app out there CPU Wise. But if you feed it, it will blow away PPRO (even when it uses CUDA Rendering).....

Use PROXIES..... I can apply like 5 effects and STILL play back real time when using proxies... Amazing.

TURN OFF BC Rendering.... Unless you REALLY need it... I found leaving it off is MUCH better, and THAT is where I discovered that FCP X doesn even NEED to render.. It does it on the fly...

Get to know the app, Jules and I PROMISE you will LOVE it more than you ever thought possible !

Studio Engineer wrote:

Get to know the app, Jules and I PROMISE you will LOVE it more than you ever thought possible !

Totally agree with SE here.

Andy