“Which came first: Apple’s creative pro market shrinking, which might have led to dramatic changes in Final Cut Pro; or Apple’s cavalier attitude toward legacy features, which might have frightened video editors? According to the professionals we spoke to, there was already signs of an industry shift to Avid before FCPX came along, but Apple still had a very loyal and dedicated user base that it’s now turning away from,” Jacqui Cheng reports for Ars Technica. “‘The perception here is that Apple is more concerned with selling iPads and iPhones than they are with the people who have stuck with them since the 90’s, the professional editors and VFX people,’ said Jude Mull, who works at a post-production facility in Hollywood that processes and digitizes some of your favorite TV shows.”
“Mull explained that this perception was already there when FCPX was announced, but has only increased since then due to Apple’s aggressive attempt to cut and switch up its features,” Cheng reports. “For example, when editing video for TV shows, editors will put together a final Edit Decision List (EDL) with data that essentially tells the post production facility which scenes to keep or cut. ‘Why Apple decided to do away with EDLs is beyond me. This makes me think they aren’t targeting the professional market,’ Mull told Ars. ‘When I read Final Cut Pro X didn’t have the ability to generate an EDL I figured Apple is targeting a different audience, the Tweeners, people with a little $, time and creativity, the Indie crowd. This looks stupid to even read, so again, kind of baffled.'”
“Despite the amount of hatorade being dumped on FCPX by the professional crowd, not everything about it is sour,” Chang reports. “‘My personal view on FCP X is that it’s a brilliant program, provided the user can essentially forget everything they’ve learned from using the previous Final Cut Pro/ Studio applications and go into it with an open mind. Don’t be quick to judge a book by it’s cover, or give in to all the negative hype,’ noted production systems and workflow consultant Jon Alper told Ars. ‘I may be more optimistic then others by nature, but after learning FCPX in it’s current state, I’m more excited about future potential of the application then I am concerned with it’s current shortfalls.'”
Chang reports, “Everyone we spoke to agreed that Apple would have a much better standing among professional users if the company would just acknowledge them a little more and act like their concerns are being listened to.”
Read more in the full article here.
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