Final Cut Express 4

I'm new to the Mac world. For years for my work I've edited standard definition video on a twin processor HP PC workstation using various editions of Pinnacle Studio. While the product was easy to use, it had many creative limitations and crashed frequently.

About six months ago I bought a Canon HF100 AVCHD camcorder. I knew my old computer wouldn't handle AVCHD, so I bought a Dell 435T i7 quad core machine with Vista 64 bit. I tried Pinnacle Studio, Corel VideoStudio and Cyberlink PowerDirector 7. None of these products were stable enough for my needs. Their frequent crashes (about every five to ten minutes)caused me to lose lots of work and tons of time.

In utter frustration, I bought a 2009 Mac Pro quadcore (with the same i7 processor that the Dell had). So far I absolutely love the MAC. In 25 year of computer use, I've never had such a rock-solid, stable and reliable computer. So partly this review is influenced by the stability of the operating system.

Now to Final Cut Express. First, in dozens of hours of editing, I've only had one crash. This is phenomenal. The program is more complex than the mid-level PC products, and it will take more time to master, but it's so much more capable and has so much more to offer as your skills advance. (There is no such thing as a free lunch.) It seems best suited for someone who takes video editing seriously and does it on a somewhat regular basis, at least one a month or more. The PDF manual is 1,200 pages and is very helpful; you can keep it open in a window and try out new things at the same time. I was able to get the basics in about four hours of intense playing around. At first, you'll be using the mouse for most everything, but as I get more comfortable, I've been using keyboard commands more and more. It's "project" rather than "event" oriented, so casual videos of your vacation are probably better handled with iMovie.

But if you want to really be creative, there isn't much you can't do with Final Cut. I'm sorry that severasl reviewers sent the product back without learning it and then gave it a poor review. It does handle my flavor of AVCHD perfectly, albiet with some rendering and using lots of disk space for the temporary Apple Intermediate Codec files. It will import from files you already have on your hard drive IF you have copied the entire file structure from your camera card. (This is really important but I don't know the reason it needs this.)

The finished video has a beautiful, smooth, professional look (especially in transitions) that looks and sounds noticeably better that the PC products I've used. I know this product will grow with me and that I'll like it more and more.

Final Cut Express is your bridge to serious video editing. It has most of the features of the $1,000+ Final Cut Studio for a fraction of the price. It is a big jump for an iMovie user. Final Cut opens up a new world of expanse playground for creativity. It has a learning curve but very exciting and a joyful one.

A big difference between version 3.5 and 4 is the omission of Soundtrack (similar to Garageband but designed for videographers) audio software; but at the same time the price was slashed from $299 to $199.

FCE is a nondestructive video editing program. Clips in Final Cut Express are just pointers to the original source material and do not affect the source files themselves in your original footage on your hard drive. It can also import multiple formats and merge it in a project; DV, AVCHD, and even NTSC or PAL.

It might be worthy of upgrading from 3.5 if you have the new AVCHD camera. Otherwise, you may want to think again.

Check out the official Apple forum for tips and tricks. I also recommend to check out lynda dotcom for some great tutorials.

Mac only; If you want a good Windows video program, check out Adobe Premier Elements.

I recently graduated from film school and am certified by Apple as an FCP 6 "Pro."

After graduating, like many a film student, I found myself in a tricky sitaution. I was broke (in debt) and had no equipment to practice my newly mastered craft on. I didnt have any interest in working crew in hollywood. I didnt have any interest in taking an internship (hey, i went to art school becuase i DON'T want a 9-5 gopher job!) I wanted to self sustain on my skills until the "right chance" came up, and if it never did, i wanted to at least be able to pay my bills doing what i love.

But a decent HD camera runs at least $3,000. A decent audio package, $1,000. And Final Cut Pro? $1,500. I knew i just didnt have all that money yet, and likely wouldnt until I had a job and could save it all up.

There were cheap options. iMovie was included free on my mac...why not give it a try?

Allow me to say that once you have used Final Cut, iMovie is unusable and will never "Do" again. iMovie didnt give me the editing control I really wanted and too many of the controls just seemed counter intuitive.

Then I decided to buy FCE 4, and it changed everything. I started it up, and it FELT very very familiar. I uploaded some of my old footage that i wanted to re-cut and got right to work!

granted, there are quite a few tools and features on FCP that you won't find anywhere on FCE, but i think in the realm of pro quality consumer use FCE proves MORE than adequate.

Today, I am an "indie filmmaker" who pays his bills doing various types of freelance work (Weddings and the like)with the occasional narrative or documentary project and FCE is still 100% adequate for my uses.

i WILL be upgrading to FCP6 this year, but make no mistake, FCE was a lifesaver. If you want to get into making your own movies, and want to teach yourself in a way that you WILL actually use if you ever get into the professional world, FCE is the perfect tool.

I used to use Final Cut Pro 5. But, then I bought a new camcorder, which records in AVCHD. FCP5 does not accept AVCHD files. FCE4 is cheaper on Amazon than from the Apple store. It makes downloading AVCHD files easy. Editing is the same as it was for FCP5. I am glad I made this purchase!

Okay, if you buy Final Cut Express you're not buying the best video editing package available for the Mac: that, as the reviews say, is Final Cut Studio. But, then again, you're spending around $200 compared to the best part of $1,300 for the full show which, in anyone's books, is a massive difference in price. So, for 15% of the cost of its top-end brother what do you get and is it worth it?

Well... if all you want is a simple and, in it's latest configuration, deceptively powerful way of editing your videos then the latest version of "iMovie" will probably fit the bill. But, if you're into linear, time-line based editing then you'll probably find it difficult & frustrating to adapt to iMovie's "left-field" approach to it all. Professionals use time-line based editing - where you view and precisely control multiple video & audio tracks - for a very good reason: it's better. And, with Final Cut Express, what you're actually getting is an only marginally cut-down version of a highly complex and extremely powerful professional, time-line based editing package. Which means that it takes a considerable amount of time to learn how it works and it takes an equally considerable amount of time to make it work for you.

So, if you're not prepared to spend time fathoming all this out then the decision is simple: choose iMovie. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, if you're a professional, then ignore Final Cut Express and invest in Final Cut Studio's full, and necessary, range of professional tools. But... if you're a "top end" amateur who's prepared to go through the extensive learning curve that's involved here then rejoice, for Final Cut Express will deliver to you just about all of the features from its celebrated brother that you need (plus many, many more that you'll probably never use) at a price that's not only affordable but which must represent one of the best software deals out there.