Which Final Cut for editing weddings

[9999]

Was wondering for wedding videography and editing, would Final Cut Pro be the best option or Final Cut Pro X.

Or if there are any other recommended options I would like to hear of them. Thannks

[SENSEI]

I know many videographers that are satisfied using Premiere Pro.

[angrydingo]

What kind of a shoot is it? If you need multi-camera editing final cut x won't do for a while.

How experienced are you with non-linear editing? I've heard there's a bit of a learning curve if you're an experienced editor moving to final cut x. If you're used to the latest iMovie workflow, it might be worth checking out, especially with the 30 day free trial.

I still use studio 2 (fcp 6) and it works well. I've done sd, hd and red on it.

You might want to take a look at creativecow or Ken Stone's final cut pro site. They're both good resources.

Good luck!

[thericyip]

God I hate Final Cut Pro X... Really prefer FCP more. But if you're just starting out, perhaps Final Cut Express is sufficient.

But in the end, Avid is where it's at.

[9999]

I have only really used movie maker and imovie for editing video's, for home movies.

Wife and I have a photography company. We are thinking of adding a videography division to it in the future and want to start to get set up and editing software.

I have recently purchased the Sony NEX-VG10. I was thinking of purchasing the Glidecam HD2000 along with atleast 1 slider. Just to play around with over the winter and get used to.

I need some editing software that will support AVCHD and I can create HD video.

I have looked into Final Cut Pro, what is the learning curve on FCP vs Avid?

Looks like the price tag on FCP is $299 and Avid is $2200-2500. FCP is more my budget.

[mk5gti]

doesn't Sony Vegas do AVCHD as well? my understand is that panasonic and sony co-develop AVCHD, so the vegas must do it? :o

also, its alot cheaper as well. i have seen pro using it with no problem.

[awais]

yea sony vegas does avchd and i saw a deal for it on bestbuy for $59.99 for Vegas 11 Platinum HD over the weekend but i think the deal is done now.. but they have it for $99

[thericyip]

If you're using a mac, use FCP.
If you're using PC, use Premiere.

AVID is a step up. It's a steep learning curve. And it's costly too.

[9999]

I am using a mac.

How do I import AVCHD clips into FCP, I have read that it is hard to do.

I have also read that it is hard to save AVCHD to a macs hard drive and be able to replay and watch?

[angrydingo]

It's not hard. AVCHD is a terrible codec to edit with, so fcp would convert it to something else (usually another codec called prores) more suitable to edit with. It's like capturing from a tape but under "log and transfer" instead of "log and capture" for tapes. The big downside to Prores is the files are huge.

Since you're new to editing but are familiar with iMovie, give final cut x a try. It's made for users just like you who need something more robust than iMovie. Plus there's a 30 day free trial, so the risk is low. Disclaimer: while I'm suggesting fcx I can't use it in my own workflow yet. I find iMovie and iDVD impossible to use whereas fcp and avid are pretty straight forward.

Sony Vegas has a similar workflow to fcx, but I had some bad experiences with it.

As another member suggested, adobe premiere has improved considerably and integrates well with their other software. As a photographer, you might be more familiar with the interface.

Avid is of course the standard for high end broadcast and production, but I've been burned by them before. They're so used to the high end, they don't know how to market to smaller outfits properly, hence product cancellations (dvxpress) and incompatible legacy products (dvxpress.1 users had to buy a turnkey system which was incompatible with the next version that came out shortly after).

Anyone considering Avid should look at Lightworks, their competitor in the high end. They're moving toward an open source model and charging for dedicated support. It's windows for now, but the Linux and Mac ports are due by the end of the year.

Hope this helps. (sorry for the long post, it's kinda my field)

[angrydingo]

PS: premiere works on intel macs.

(hee hee, my iPod doesn't automatically capitalize adobe or premiere...)

[mk5gti]

yea sony vegas does avchd and i saw a deal for it on bestbuy for $59.99 for Vegas 11 Platinum HD over the weekend but i think the deal is done now.. but they have it for $99


missed that one, should have frequent the electronics section more.

as a side note, anyone here tried buying software from B&H with their pre-pay duty purolator option? i find it cheaper if there is no discount available here.

[9999]

I am having troubles finding just FCP, when I google FCP most of the links are for FCPX..........I bought and downloaded what I thought was FCP from the apple itunes store but when I pull up the "about FCP" in the menu it shows FCPX version 10.0.1

How would I go about getting a refund from the ITUNES store

The recept even says "Final Cut Pro, v10.0.1, Seller: Apple Canada" said nothing about being X version.

Thanks.

[9999]

From reading it looks like they took away FCP 7 and replaced it with FCPX.

Would this be the one I am looking for:

http://www.amazon.com/Final-Cut-Studio-Old-Version/dp/B002J1UJ4A

[angrydingo]

Final Cut Pro X is the latest version. FCP studio (which had version 7) was EOLed and taken off the market. After user complaints, Apple brought it back, but you have to call 1-800-MY-APPLE and order it through them. Some vendors may have copies left over, but they're expensive. (more than $1000)

What don't you like about X? I've never used it myself as I have legacy files and need features that have to be re-implemented. But you sound like the perfect user for it (new to Final Cut, small business owner branching out, unlikely to need to send projects out for high end audio mastering and colour grading).

People unhappy with fcx have gotten refunds. You can try emailing support and explain you thought it was the previous version.

One important piece of software that might be missing for you is DVD Studio Pro. It was discontinued. I'm guessing you'd deliver on DVD? I think Adobe and Avid still make theirs.

[angrydingo]

From reading it looks like they took away FCP 7 and replaced it with FCPX.

Would this be the one I am looking for:

http://www.amazon.com/Final-Cut-Studio-Old-Version/dp/B002J1UJ4A

Yep, but it's EOL.

[9999]

Final Cut Pro X is the latest version. FCP studio (which had version 7) was EOLed and taken off the market. After user complaints, Apple brought it back, but you have to call 1-800-MY-APPLE and order it through them. Some vendors may have copies left over, but they're expensive. (more than $1000)

What don't you like about X? I've never used it myself as I have legacy files and need features that have to be re-implemented. But you sound like the perfect user for it (new to Final Cut, small business owner branching out, unlikely to need to send projects out for high end audio mastering and colour grading).

People unhappy with fcx have gotten refunds. You can try emailing support and explain you thought it was the previous version.

One important piece of software that might be missing for you is DVD Studio Pro. It was discontinued. I'm guessing you'd deliver on DVD? I think Adobe and Avid still make theirs.

I have read in alot of reviews that people hate FCPX and that it is lacking alot of features that FCP had. I have to be able to put out HD video, which FCP has to DVD disc

If DVD studio Pro is discountinued, is their a replacement for it?

But you can’t use FCPX to setup menu’s and chapters, that is a huge problem for wedding editing. How are you supposed to set up different chapters and menus?

What does EOL mean?

Reading abit more: For users who still need to deliver projects on disc, they will have to use the existing version of DVD Studio Pro or consider Adobe Encore.

[angrydingo]

Sorry, EOL means end-of-life. I used to work at an Apple reseller a long time ago.

You can still burn DVDs with fcpx, but I don't think you can make custom menus. Not sure what kind of support DVD studio pro has for bluray, you might want encore if that's a concern.

Shame about DVD studio pro, it was my favourite part of fcp.

Have you had a chance to play with fcpx? The biggest missing feature is currently multi-camera editing (like a sitcom) which is supposed to arrive in 2012. A lot of the other features were added in a recent update.

Hope this helps.

[9999]

I have had a chance to try it and I like it alot. I cant compare it to FCP cause I have never used it.

Only thing I can see that I need is to be able to make menu's which FCPX doesnt offer?

[M-e-X-x]

FCP. I have a bias towards FC, since like the OP, my experience has just been the simpler 'movie maker' applications. I used FCE (Express) for my friend's wedding and it did what I needed. Wasn't hard to figure out and the end-product wasn't too bad (at least my friends liked it). iMovie wasn't enough.

[angrydingo]

I have had a chance to try it and I like it alot. I cant compare it to FCP cause I have never used it.

Only thing I can see that I need is to be able to make menu's which FCPX doesnt offer?

Yeah, FCPX is geared toward online distribution as opposed to DVD or blu-ray. You can burn DVDs but you don't have many options like custom menus and all. How much of your business will be on blu-ray in the next couple of years?

[9999]

Yeah, FCPX is geared toward online distribution as opposed to DVD or blu-ray. You can burn DVDs but you don't have many options like custom menus and all. How much of your business will be on blu-ray in the next couple of years?

I agree but I cant make different chapter. It appears that with FCPX, I can only make one long movie.

Instead of making chapters:

Bride/Groom getting ready
Ceremony
Reception
Final dance

I cant do this now.

[angrydingo]

I think you need compressor for chapter markers now. From what I hear it works, but it's clunky.

[9999]

I just downloaded Compressor but haven't had a chance to work with it.

I actually like FCPX but need to figure out how to make chapters.

[angrydingo]

I dug round in the apple forums and it looks like you need to do it in compressor for now. Chapter markers didn't make it to the last update, but there are more on the way. Looking forward to trying fcpx myself, probably after my thesis.
Have you looked at ken Stone's final cut pro page? There are some good articles and tutorials on fcpx (among other things).