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How hard is Final Cut Pro?

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I've been using iMovie since I got my Mac, but I began to realise that it just won't cut it for what I do.

Is Final Cut Studio easy to learn? What about Final Cut Express?

I don't know which one to get. Final Cut Express is probably the same level as what I'm used to. But Studio is what I want...but it costs ALOT.
 
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FCP costs a lot because it does a lot. It is also not so easy to understand and navigate, if you are unfamiliar with professional video editing. That is why it is designed for the professional in mind. ;)

I would suggest that you get the Express version, as it offers much more than iMovie and isn't anywhere near as complicated or complex as FCP.
 
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and then after you learn fce you can move up after you mastered that.
 
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Or just go on ebay and get fcp 5.1 for a very low price. I got mine for under $400(it was the non-upgradable verson but it still studio). I don't think express is really any easyer then studio because its basically the same thing with out some special stuff and extra programs to make your video better. I had express and now I have pro 5.1.I think that studio is really just a upgrade from express. Once you know express and get pro theirs nutting else really needed to learn exceped the other programs wich you won't need to use much since you can still burn from idvd. So if you have $350 to spend on a final cut I would recomend just geting 5.1. But i'm sure a new express will come out for fcp6.
 
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If you can afford Pro get pro, if you can't get express. Either one is going to be confusing to you because they are both on the same level. Express just has a few pro features removed that you won't notice.
Make sure you get a tutorial book and spend a weekend reading it/learning the program. I recommend something from peachpit but there are many good books on the programs.
 
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Has anyone had experience switching from Adobe Premiere to Final Cut? I'm about to undergo this myself and I'm wondering if the transition was any less difficult because of experience with Premiere.
 
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I've been using iMovie since I got my Mac, but I began to realise that it just won't cut it for what I do.

Hi, I think you would be better off explaining what is it that you do in order to get a better answer. It all depends on what you need.

Cheers.
 
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Has anyone had experience switching from Adobe Premiere to Final Cut? I'm about to undergo this myself and I'm wondering if the transition was any less difficult because of experience with Premiere.
I haven't used Premiere before but they both look very much the same, I think if you know premiere good then it shouldn't be hard to change. Take a look at final cut at the apple store and play around with some of the stuff to see if you can handel it. If your a good editor they then it shouldn't take look for you to master it.
 
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Thanks for the response CAMERA MAN. I consider myself pretty proficient in Adobe Premiere so I suspect it shouldn't be that hard to learn Final Cut. I'll be making a trip to the Apple store soon just to check things out.
 
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killedbyinterne, if you've been using Premiere Pro, then migrating to FCP should be fairly painless. When Adobe updated Premiere 6.5 to Pro 1.0, they redesigned the interface to be more Final Cut (which has always, suspiciously, looked and worked like the Avid video products). Things will in in different places, obviously, but the two work pretty much the same. Everything seems to be converging into, almost, an industry standard for video editing.

As to the original poster, what is it you are trying to do? Final Cut Studio is a large, expensive package and unless you are setting out to make really professional looking pieces, may well be overkill for you. Will you need Motion or Soundtrack Pro? Will you be authoring DVD's from scratch in DVD Studio Pro? If not, then go with Express, no use paying for programs you won't use. But, if you truly see a need for sound editing in Soundtrack Pro or author in DVD Stusio, then I would definitely consider Studio.
 

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