“Since Final Cut Pro X’s release last week, the editing community has been largely divided by those who love it, and those who absolutely hate it. Take a look at the current ratings for it on the App Store, and you’ll see it earns a 2.5, with most people going with either one or five stars: there isn’t much middle ground on this one,” Ryan Ritchey writes for TheDigitalLifestyle.tv. “Let me try to put this whole thing into a bit of perspective that could bring both sides together.”
Advertisement: Students, parents and Faculty save up to $200 on a new Mac.
Ritchey writes, “First, it is inaccurate to refer to this as an update, or even really a new release of Final Cut Pro. While it made sense for Apple to keep the name for marketing purposes, had this software launched with a different name, the reaction could have been a bit different… So let’s start to mend the divide by thinking of Final Cut Pro X as a completely new editing application, that just happens to share the same name as one of the most popular editing programs in history. An app by any other name would not be facing the backlash seen by Final Cut Pro X.”
“I have to think that the ratings are largely based on knee-jerk reactions,” Ritchey writes. “When you open Final Cut Pro X, frankly very little of it operates the same way as Final Cut in terms of being able to jump in right away and start on a project. This is new software. That means things are different.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
Michael Wohl, one of Final Cut Pro’s original designers, discusses Final Cut Pro X – June 25, 2011
Final Cut Pro X ‘backlash’ coming from competitors scared to death over Apple’s $299 price tag? – June 24, 2011
Conan blasts Apple’s new Final Cut Pro X (with video) – June 24, 2011
Answers to the unanswered questions about Apple’s new Final Cut Pro X – June 23, 2011
‘Professional’ video editors freak out over Final Cut Pro X – June 23, 2011
Apple revolutionizes video editing with Final Cut Pro X – June 21, 2011
IT’S “NEW” COKE ALL OVER AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!
No it’s not. New Coke sucked, FCP X is just missing features
Yeah like New Coke was missing….ummmm… T-A-S-T-E-!!!!!!!!
Yeah just like New Coke was missing….taste, refreshment and the basic desire in a person to buy another ONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Indefensible.
The Pros I know are livid. The need to work, not have a new workflow thrown at them. The “knee-jerk” compaints are justified.
I don’t know any pro I’d hire who jumps into something brand new and gets rid of their old stuff immediately. If people don’t like it; they shouldn’t use it. If people think it has potential; they should wait for the patches/upgrades.
Regardless, people (and especially professionals) should not have torched their old environments. Even if they’d not taken a few moments to read the release notes to be aware of the caveats, spending 2 minutes due diligence on google would have revealed the caveats of upgrading everything. I agree that they need to work, but that is why they should continue working in what they know while they learn the new software in parallel. If they’re hurting because they can’t work due to the upgrade then frankly that’s their own fault.
Old dogs, new tricks, etc is how we end up with relics running IT departments who refuse to run anything but windows on Thinkpads because it’s all they know, and they won’t take the time to learn something new. It doesn’t mean they need to toss out everything they know and halt productivity while they learn the new tech, but you have to keep moving forward or you’ll wither on the vine.
That’s not to say that Final Cut X is the future, but to knee-jerk hate it just because it’s not the same is the definition of not giving it a chance and hating it solely because it’s different.
Just my $0.02
@Kevin,
Agreed.
I think I agree with all if this except there will be situations where a team has to upgrade when they need an extra license.
@Kevin – you’re right. No pros I know would suddenly jump mid-project to FCPX and nobody is saying that old FCP can’t still be used, as long as people want to use it.
So, the FUD from “pros” are not pros at all – they are competitors from Avid, Adobe, and every little editing software maker who are literally QUAKING in their boots at the incredible bargain that FCPX brings. Period.
Kevin, Ditto
I work at a postproduction contractor so I defiantly qualify as a “pro” user (compositor). We normally don’t even jump at (application) version upgrades (particularly in the middle of a project) or even OS upgrades (sometimes for a year or more) Hell, we STILL USE SHAKE! (often actually) which was EOL’d years ago.
All of the “pro” users who are claiming the absolute necessity of importing existing projects (are you kidding me? you would switch editors in the middle of a project?) or about multi-cam support (They were thinking of immediately pushing inline multi-cam editing support to a brand new 1 dot ZERO release editor??? (no matter how robust it seemed) -that boggles my mind!!) -I am sorry, but the responses of some of the “PRO users” just don’t see very well though out OR very professional. (which makes me doubt their authenticity, whether by motivation (astroturfers) or experience (Prosumer users like “event” (wedding ect) videographers)
Perhaps there are a few users that only have a single, and unsupported at this time, workflow that were thinking they could quickly get this new version into production and are disappointed (though I have to believe any real professional would have enough experience and insight to be able to see the forest for the trees.)
We have played with it (FCP X) for a several days now and it is nothing less than stunning, it is so fast and easy to cut together (+ grade & match) prototype concepts and story lines that it could even partially replace (reduce the need for) our “clientside” suites (which cost an order of magnitude more $ to operate) Perhaps that is what AVID is so frightened of?
FCP X will truly be a revolution in production and I predict that within 6 mos to a year we will see almost every (contemporary) workflow now available (for FCP7) not only available, but significantly improved under FCP X.
Thanks, Kevin. This has been my biggest gripe about all of the professional editors who have stated that they are jumping ship. Why on earth would ANY production house immediately embrace a new software release right out of the box? Even with minor upgrades to existing software, you would always wait days even weeks to see if there are any new bugs or problems that would crop up. To do an auto-upgrade would be very un-professional.
And how many of these livid pros have actually taken the time to master the app & really what it can do? I’d say none. More likely they’re repeating the same things everyone is saying & just jumped on the band wagon.
Why don’t we breathe & really what it can do first?
“… and really learn what it can…”
I’m sure plenty tried. They went to import an existing FCP project and quickly discovered that does not work!
Since car analogies are oh so famous on the interwebs this would be like having a nice new car with no wheels. Sure you can sit in the thing and admire the beauty but its a little hard to get a feel for what the car is really capable of when its sitting there on jackstands!
I’ve said this before: Why the hell should a 7 project open in FCPX? That makes no sense. The entire flippin program has been redesigned. Finish your project in 7 and shut up.
LOL. Typical apologist response… “don’t like it then shut up”…
Jesus man… Most Windows users are more open minded than the wind bag @ssholes on this forum. haha.
LOL – why should I expect to open my library of Quark 7 files in Quark 9? What on earth should lead me to think I could open my important Photoshop CS3 files in CS5?
These new Apple fanbois are truly Microsoftian in their low threshold for quality and usability. Apple must be laughing all the way to the bank.
Look at the new interface. Saying there should be an upgrade path after such a radical redesign is a bit foolish. The lead FCP engineer basically said as much when he said the FCP 7 project file does not have the necessary information to create a FCP X project.
– not likely
The revolutionary thing about this editor (one of a kind) is is’s ability to quickly and easily create a storyline.
No one, with an once of clue, would want to import an existing project to it “to try it out” and (furthermore) then go on to dismiss it because it couldn’t.
Either they are unbelievably inexperienced or they are just script kiddies or they have another motovation ( I am suspecting more and more that someone avid adobe has spend a fair amount of PR budget on astroturfing.
Has anyone noticed that 95% of the 1 star (and come on giving a product like this a -1- star review is absurd in it’s self, but I digress) reviews on the app store have never reviewed anything else. Nothing never another review of anything.
This same behavior runs rampant on the IOS app store unfortunately (actually buying copies of emerging competitors and giving them one star reviews to “stall” a competitors new product) So don’t’ let any of the astroturfers dismiss this kind of thing out of hand, it does happen and to a company like avid or adobe who routinely spend a quarter million on a trade show, spending 50 or 100 thousand dollars on a PR campaign to stall the launch inertia of a new version of FCP (which was head and shoulders beyond your product) would be downright economical. Or perhaps you think adobe or avid have too much business ethics to do something like that (pay users to give bad reviews to a competitors product)
yeah me ‘neither.
“And how many of these livid pros have actually taken the time to master the app & really what it can do? I’d say none.”
you wouldn’t say ‘none’ if you’d looked around for what they’re actually saying. A good place to start is http://jefferyharrell.tumblr.com/
Read from the bottom up.
“Up to day-before-yesterday, Apple had what was arguably the world’s best multi-camera editing system. Today? Gone. I don’t mean it’s not as good. I mean it’s gone. The feature is simply not present in FCP X.”
Perfect example. That feature is present, it is just done differently.
This is an adobe fan bashing apple and using lies.
Rather than mindlessly regurgitating reviews, maybe you should take some time to understand why the multi-cam workaround mentioned is a kludge and not useable for anything bu the most basic of edits.
I understand everyone’s frustration here, but for the pros you know, do their existing copies of FCP 7 no longer function? Yes, working professionals need to work, and for that reason alone, they should be the very last group of users to instantly upgrade their livelihoods to radically new software a day after its release. I’m a professional writer, and I refused to upgrade from MS Word ’08 for THREE YEARS because I was comfortable with ’08 and its place in my workflow. I didn’t need all the new whiz-bang crap, and none of it was required for me to earn a living.
Now, Word vs. FCP is certainly not apples to apples, but the philosophy is the same. Voluntary software upgrades in the professional space should be slow and deliberate. Apple’s not forcing the upgrade on anyone, and Apple has already admitted the software has plenty of pro-level refinements coming.
The pro community needs to take a deep breath.
Apple hasn’t reached out and deleted FCP7 from people’s computers, but it has been immediately EOL’ed and withdrawn from the roster so a shop can’t buy more licenses if they needed them.
A quick search of eBay negates this argument. Most software companies retire old software when they release new versions. Nothing new here.
‘cept this isn’t a new version — it’s a new product serving a different market segment (prosumer). And they’ve discontinued the product in the original market segment (pro)
@jjjj: “The Pros I know are livid. The need to work, not have a new workflow thrown at them.”
Then they can keep on using FCP 7 (and stfu about FCP-X since they have no interest in it anyway).
For all those who used FCP to make a living, they are now in a situation where they MUST choose their next platform. They realistically CANNOT continue to use FCP7 for much longer, as Apple will no longer support it, there will no longer be fixes and patches. Anyone who uses high-end software for professional work (Quark Xpress, Indesign, Premiere, Avid, Maya, etc) knows how much they rely on tech support for bugs and issues. FCP7 will no longer have this, and that is simply a deal breaker.
So, if you are a high-end pro user, you are now facing a situation wherein your multi-thousand dollar investment in the FCP7 environment (plug-ins, filters, etc) is quickly becoming worthless, as you must start making migration plans to a properly supported platform. This means choosing the next platform that has functionality you need, as well as roadmap for the future (reasonable expectation of support for many years to come). You also must figure out how to pay for this migration. For many, the new FCP X does NOT have the functionality they need. Apple loyalists among them will likely try and coast along on FCP7, hoping they can survive without tech support for the platform until FCP X matures (feature-wise) to the necessary feature level, so that they can migrate over and stay with Apple. Others will sell their FCP license (together with licenses for all filters/plug-ins) and migrate to a non-Apple solution. Many of those will make sure Apple (and Apple community) clearly hears their voice of displeasure.
Can they not PRETEND that FCP X was not released at all? I mean, if FCP X had been delayed another year, would the sky have fallen in, as you and other critics seem to be implying?
What is remarkable is that the critics claim to be real pros working in major institutions. These are the very people who one would expect to learn the ropes about new software on some dedicated workstation that is not connected to the regular workflow.
Even if FCP X was an “update” on previous FCP versions – and I think it’s been made pretty clear from the beginning to everyone who cares for such things that FCP X is a major, major reworking of the old paradigm – wouldn’t real pros spend some time getting to know the program before implementing it?
And if things aren’t working, wouldn’t they take their complaints privately to Apple and look for solutions instead of making Armageddon declarations in public forums?
The devil is usually in the details. When you get a little deeper into the complaints, things don’t add up, lending weight to the suspicion that these criticisms appear to have a wider agenda than pure professional angst.
All I’ve been hearing the last few days is to expect a mass migration of video pros out of FCP into other editing programs. Would these other programs be able to open previous FCP projects?
Of course, they can ‘pretent’ FCP X was never released, but the point is that the FCP they now still own is NO LONGER supported. No professional can afford to work with unsupported software. Apple had always continued to support older versions even after it released newer versions of the same product. Now, they are simply completely abandoning the whole product line, with NO FURTHER SUPPORT.
That is the essence of all the complaints.
I work in a TV station in Indonesia. Some departments here still use FCP 3 and OS 9 on G4 PowerMacs. Jobs still get done. No support, yes.
Just because something can be done a certain way, doesn’t mean it should be done that way.
I’m not saying your shop is doing it wrong–it works for you, that’s great. But many places prefer having modern equipment and a support contract in case things go wrong.
Sorry, but that is BS. Been working for years on a version of FCS that is three generations old. Your hyperbole is so far from reality it’s almost comical. Abdullah is right, they can relax and wait a few months as Apple adds features as if FCP X was never released. Their plugins will still work in old FCS just like they did two weeks ago. These editors are stupid if they upgraded on day one so it makes me doubt some comments too.
Yes. EDLs are the bread-and-butter of moving editorial work from one system to another for online/offline work, color work, sound work, film cutting, etc.
FCP X doesn’t import or export an EDL.
I have to assume everyone who believes the outcry from the editorial customers is about having to learn a new system don’t use the product or work in the industry. This is important, use-every-day functionality that’s been left out. Which is fine, since they’re launching a new product in a new segment.
They’ve discontinued their Pro video editing product line. Dandy, but a little notice would have been considerate, as would NOT making claims that they haven’t.
Another ridiculous point.
I can remember many shops using old out-dated versions of Media Composer because they didn’t want to pay for upgrades.
Migration plans should be slow and well thought out, and if you think Apple is going to stand still and not add features you are making a fool’s bet.
The smarter thing would be to add FCPX, learn the new features and workflow and when it makes sense you transition. Not right away and certainly not until you are completely comfortable with the paradigm… which so many seem to have done.
WTF?
Cutting of support? Hell Apple pro video support still supports Shake- which was EOL’d several years ago. Dude stop talking out your ass and spreading FUD.
http://store.apple.com/us/product/MA698?mco=MTc0MzgwNjQ
http://www.apple.com/support/products/enterprise/video.html
Kind of a desperate move, linking to this little puff piece. I know he says he’s used it and changed his mind, but I’m not sure one random guy’s opinion is worth all this oxygen… the situation still sucks.
There is also a large segment of the FCP user base that will happily (or initially less so, but still successfully) migrate to FCP X: wedding videographers (and other independent small-time video shooters). The wedding video industry is quite large, and many of them are on FCP. These users often don’t need or use any of the features identified so far as missing from FCP X (as compared to FCP 7).
I haven’t seen FCP X yet, but it seems to me that it is unfair to call it a glorified iMovie. Feature-wise, it would likely be a glorified FCE, if it is to be called glorified anything. Based on my reading so far, it seems that it is still a professional tool and it is exactly worth the money you pay for it. I have no doubt that Randy Ubillos and his team will quickly build on top of this platform, open it up for extensions/plug-ins/filters, sell truckload to independent videographers to build a solid user base, and soon re-invent all the features that big-time Hollywood really needs. When this happens, I’m sure FCP X will be much more robust code-wise, and consequently less buggy. By the time this happens, though, it is likely that Apple will shed a noticeable percentage of their FCP user base who simply can’t wait.
Actually… I think you are 180° off
I have a feeling it is mostly the prosumer “event videographers” (wedding and contract corporate video) who are lamenting their years of FCP “expertise” that will be “lost” because of the new workflow in FCP X.
Anyone who is truly an industry “professional” (has been the industry for very long) likely has been through this again and again. To step up you often have to learn a new system (and sometimes a brand new paradigm)
Similar to many of the interns we get (AE “experts”;-), who are amazed that high end compositing system have no “layers”, but rather are node and flow based (and require them to learn a completely new way of thinking) The one’s who can’t “get it” will likely do fine editing wedding videos for someone, the ones who can, we keep 😉
I can’t comment on the quality of the software, but it does strike me as odd that they discontinued the old one completely, when for the consumer iMovie they made the old version available for a long time after they introduced the new one. Yes, I know you can still use the old one, but it seems like they would have saved themselves a lot of negative PR at the least if they didn’t make the change so abrupt.
Actually, the old iMovie was not available until there was a huge outcry about the new version and they made the old version available for download again.
http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.html
Give the software some time. There’s an awful lot more that’s good with FCPX than bad. It vindicates all the effort the OS X team has put into OpenCL, GCD and 64 bit.
Anyone remember the iPhone 1.0? It wasn’t until 3G that it really began to show its promise. Give FCPX a revision then decide whether to ditch FCP and move on.
My strong feelings are that Apple missed a masterstroke by not including the ability to load FCP7 and to export XML. It would’ve allowed people to continue with FCP7 and integrate FCPX into their workflow just like the other parts of the FCStudio. I could foresee editing in FCP7 then finishing inside FCPX with all the realtime goodness of the filters, Color Board and Motion templates. The finished project could then have been sent back to FCP7 for output back to tape. This would’ve enabled FCPX to be useful straight away and deflect much of the criticism.
iPhone isn’t comparable, it didn’t replace anything in Apple’s lineup.
The OS9 -> OSX and PPC -> Intel transitions are comparable paradigm shifts. In both cases Apple continued supporting the older systems via backwards compatibility for several years.
Jeez – how much deeper are Apple and its fanbois going to dig to get themselves out of this unholy mess?
Pretending to change its name? LOL
Promising vaporware fixes? LOL
The graphic design community have already experienced Apple’s new-found appetite for dumping its loyal pro customers in the do-do whilst it goes chasing after the consumer dollar with dumbed-down bubblegum products.
Any pro looking for a mid-range matte screen Mac… Apple don’t want your business no more!
Wow what a pathetic ‘apologist’ piece.
He can try to spin it any way he wants “Lets call it a different name” blah blah blah… does not matter, what happened has happened. Apple shipped the thing and called it “Final Cut Pro X” and caused some upset with their core audience.
This guy thinking of yet another way to make it look ‘not so bad’ does nothing for the group of users who are upset.
I love the part about ‘more nimble’ competitors. First it just reeks of the typical elitist attitude of “you have any complaints? Oh you must just be stupid and slow!” … Second how are the competitors going to more nimble? They are already crippled since they can’t ‘import’ an existing FCP workflow!
Apple is rapidly transforming itself from the Mozart of the Pro world to Lady Gaga as it dumbs down its professional grade products to meet the expectations of the wider general public which means bubblegum software for the rest of us. Witness the cancellation of Xserve and now this debacle with FCP X.
Oh, pleeeease.
Ditto- Oh Puh-lease
This reminds me of the “antennagate” FUD they tried to run up the flagpole (about how the iPhone4 was fatally flawed) to try to kill the launch inerta of the iP4.
Same players, “a huge percentage of unhappy users” were claimed as well as all the “industry experts” all proclaiming what a horribly flawed flop the iphone 4 was….
Sound familiar? It should….
Lets hope this FUD campaign works as well as that one did (ie almost not at all… most could read right through the BS that was being “experted” and “astroturfed” )
Not only does FCX not have all the features that pros need, but by cutting off FC7 and its support, they really screwed the pooch on this one.
They should continue FC7 until such time that FCX encompasses all the pro features found in FC7. It’s not too late to resurrect FC7. Can you hear us now Apple???????????
Not on this website. How about you actually submit feedback to Apple?
“http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.html”>feedback to Apple
Ok, one more time:
http://www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.html
There are several very valid reasons why the high-end pro users of FCP are livid.
First, the loyal users have had a number of feature requests for the next FCP upgrade. They were patiently waiting, as the last release was becoming really long in the tooth. Competition was meanwhile moving along and providing these features. Not to waste ton of money on migrating to a competing platform, workflow and architecture, users stood by while Apple worked on the next version. So, out comes the ‘next’ version, and it turns out it is NOT the next version at all! The old FCP they put a lot of money (and learning) into is officially dead and no longer supported. The new software that is to replace it not only does NOT address the issues they were having with the existing FCP, nor does it bring the features they were asking/hoping for, but it actually doesn’t even have many features that were already there and working in the existing FCP! So, Apple is essentially indirectly expecting/asking these people to abandon the old platform (no more support for it) and migrate to a new one, which is apparently inadequate for quite a number of high-end pros!
There are plenty of articles online with justifications for Apple’s decision (such as this one above). None of this matters for those who put in thousands of dollars of hard-earned money, plus hundreds of hours of learning, into a platform called Final Cut Studio, which is now officially obsolete, since nobody would provide tech support for it anymore. If I were making my living doing what they do, I would be justifiably very, very angry.
I think you should stop posting. This is your third or fourth attempt to make a made up point and you’ve failed every other time. This one doesn’t look much better either.
I guess the thing that I don’t understand is, why couldn’t they just have waited until it DID have all of the missing features to release it? It seems like the amount of bad press and ill will it has garnered so far is going to cost them. If they’ll be added over the next year, why not just release the complete new product next year?
another analogy…
Toyota develops a slightly better Yaris, adds some luxury features, rebrands it as a Lexus. Toyota eliminates present Lexus line.
Since I’m stuck with it, I’ll try to use iMovie Pro for some simple, “Yaris” projects.
Piss on the so-called ‘Pros’. They are like the First Orangutang with their head up their ass.
That’s the toluene talking. Come back later after the huff has worn off.
This is a massive marketing and communication blunder for Apple. Confined to the pro space, perhaps, but major mis-steps by a company as big as Apple ripple around the internet in no time.
Apple is already ill-suited in the pro space because of its secretive nature. It’s exactly opposite of Microsoft’s vapourware and FUD announcements, saying they’ll have feature X in a year; but extremes of any kind are bad. Unlike consumer-space, pro-space spends a lot more, and has to plan and budget for it too.
No, Apple didn’t promise them anything–but this is a double-edged sword. Lacking promises or evidence that their issues would be addressed, the pros relied on faith that Apple would deliver updates that they needed, and stuck by the aging software for a long while. Then, not only did they have a stone wall slammed in front of them, but the floor was yanked from under them at the same time (immediate, unexpected End-Of-Life of FCP7 and no new licences can be bought). It was rightly seen as a betrayal of their faith.
What Apple could have done to soften the blow and reduce the amount of backlash we’re seeing:
1) provide end-of-life timeline for FCP7, e.g. can still buy licenses for another 6 months, support ends one year later
2) release FCPX with a clearly-marked “early adopter” price, to entice pros to try it and to acknowledge missing pro features that they plan to add
If Apple wants to play in the pro space, they have to respect some of its practices. Note I didn’t even say Apple should have provided a pre-release timeline and feature promises. The two points I mentioned above aren’t outlandish ideas created just to appease IT doofuses, they make obvious business sense.
If it helps to vent then by all means do it, but don’t speak when you are angry because you say stupid things. I very much enjoy my FCP X, the pluses are many times better than the minuses and I have only scratched the surface after a few days of use as to what this beast is capable of performing.
Does it have drawbacks? Of course and a few of which I really need, but Apple has committed to making them available as its top priority. Apple has been very good to me and there’s absolutely no reason to doubt its stated commitments, so I am giving it a chance to come through for me.
Meanwhile, I direct my energy towards learning the new product and finding possible workarounds to overcome limitations.
> If it helps to vent then by all means do it, but don’t speak when you are angry because you say stupid things
Follow your own advice.
Unhelpful.
The clip is funny, but that ain’t a review. 🙂 just a rediculous exaggeration playing on the emotions of video editors who choked on their Riesen chocolates when X was released.
Here’s Jeffery Harrell’s far better movie on FCP X (21,000 views so far).
Nothing better about harell’s clip.
It is dishonest, smug, snotty, and ignorant.
It is typical of those bashing FCP, though. People who were adobe fans already, just looking for an excuse to bash Apple. These are the same people who get all excited about the Flash battle.
I haven’t seen a negative review of FCP yet from someone who took 10 minutes to learn about how it was new and then gave it a fair shot.
All the bashing I’ve seen has been dishonest, by people who presume that, because something works differently in FCPX than FCP7, it is simply impossible to do.
Ignorant idiots have been smugly bashing Apple for the past 3 decades. I don’t expect it to stop any time soon.
But we shouldn’t give the idiots any respect.
Stay with the Stockholm Syndrome, Engineer. The RDF might wear off one day.
You know, attacking me only proves my point. Especially when you’re snotty, smug and dishonest about it.
“I haven’t seen a negative review of FCP yet from someone who took 10 minutes to learn about how it was new and then gave it a fair shot.” On my work I rely on the flickr filter and in the end I have to export to tape. I can´t do this on FCPX. To me, and I’ve spent more than 10 minutes on the app, FCPX sucks.
As a 10-year veteran user of Final Cut and a die-hard Apple fanboi, I’d like to say: “Sometimes there’s no amount of sugar that can keep the Kool-aid from tasting bitter.”
If you were either, you’d invest enough time to learn how the app works, and thus discover that it does most of the things people claim it doesn’t, and doesn’t need to do the others, or will do them soon….
But you don’t. You post a content free, snotty bashing apple comment.
That proves my thesis, doesn’t it?
Apparently your limiting your reading. There are a ton of negative from users who spent aday or two and are not happy with. It is NOT a pro editor. If you think it is, perhaps you do not have a clue what that entails. It’s great for a kid shooting his buddy skateboarding and sharing it to you tube or some bday party. It’s not a pro tool. That is the complaint. I do not see Hollywood blockbusters now being editing w FCP X. It would be impossible.
Yes it is defiantly a “pro” editor (again; more so in many ways than FCP7 is)
Just like all the “honest” bashing about the iPhone 4 and “antennagate!” when it came out.
If you were to believe all the astroturfing that went on, the number of totally dissatisfied iPhone 4 owners was HUGE! It was a disaster, The phone was faitally flawed! Apple will have to recall them all!!!!
Apple messed up badly!
Well… Jobs (apple) offered anyone who what dis-satisfied with the phone their money back (and free them from the contract), no questions asked, no strings attached.
And then what happened??? Less than a quarter of one percent took him up on the offer.
Turns out all it was all a bunch of made up crap and an unbelievably high percentage (>99%) of users were totally satisfied with their phones.
I have a sneaking suspicion the same thing is happening here. The game plan seems almost identical (you see the “talking points being repeated again and again) and… it certainly smells the same…
The clip no longer exist. Interesting!
Must be the heavy hand of Apple – it was around 30,000 views last time I looked.
Ciip now removed
The Conan clip, I meant.
Someday, all this drama will pass.
Continue using your version of FCP. Change when you think it is necessary.
I don’t use FCP but I use Photoshop. I’ve not upgraded to the newer photoshop and it isn’t hurting me one bit. I’ll upgrade when the right features are present. Some people will find FCPX as great software others are not ready for it yet.
The problem is not with the software- it is the fact that a truly professional application was end-of-lifed by Apple without a suitable replacement suite and no advance notice of this action.
I have not tried Final Cut Prosumer X, but have no intention to in the near future. This would appear to be a mis-step by Apple and will not garner it goodwill within the community of professionals that use FCS to produce their art or commercial content.
Apple may have an ace up it’s sleeve, but only time will tell. Right now it looks like iMovie Pro has arrived and Apple has killed off a respected and highly valuable suite of professional grade software.
I truly hope you are just another turfer, and not a real user…. Because if you are you have been had.
If you are (legit) you should evaluate FCP X and not take the (somewhat suspect) word of all these “experts”. It is only $300 if you are making your living (or intend to ) in the industry, $299 should be a no brainer.
I work in the post production industry and I will tell you that everyone I know who has played with it is blown away (as am I) Is it ready to completely replace FCP 7 for all workflows -right this second? No, and no real professional would have done it, even if it had been. Will it be up to speed within a year or so (WRT certain specific workflows and 3rd party support), that is almost certain.
Ritchey: “I have to think that the ratings are largely based on knee-jerk reactions”
NO. Sorry. This is a new program that REPLACES a previous program in the market, making the previous version UNAVAILABLE TO PURCHASE. What we hear from users are bone fide reactions.
If Apple had kept Final Cut Pro 7 and Final Cut Suite 3 AVAILABLE along side this new application, I would see your point. But Apple KILLED OFF all previous Final Cut Pro software. It’s dead. It isn’t available. It’s gone forever. Final Cut Pro X replaces it. Therefore, HONOR the FCPX complaints and take them seriously.
Oops, Apple BLUNDERED. FInal Cut Pro X is a stooopid replacement for what came before it. Face it. It’s not the first or last time Apple made a mistake. All human endeavors involve blunders. To err is human, etc.
Having faced the death of the past, we then move on to consider with what we have now in the present:
Final Cut Pro X is a terrific program for what it is. It’s NOT the ‘Pro’ app we would prefer. But it is a terrific general user app for video editing, after you get over its learning curve.
Meanwhile, if you have Final Cut Pro 7…, hang onto it. FCPX is NOT an adequate replacement.
Derek, no matter if FCP X had been the Cats A__’s… no professional would have thrown away FCP7.
I am sorry but that is just silly
Yes it is a pro level app (significantly more so that FCP7 is now, in many ways) Does it have all the I/O, workflow & third party options of FCP7, well of course not. It is a brand new product both in code and in form & function.
Trust me, specific workflows will be added rapidly and 3rd parties will QUICKLY spring onto the new platform. And the solutions will very likely be far BETTER than we now have with FCP7.
@tessellator: I hope FCPX gains what it’s missing. It could happen!
But what’s this about?
“Derek, no matter if FCP X had been the Cats A__’s… no professional would have thrown away FCP7.
I am sorry but that is just silly”
And yet throwing away what Apple has now discontinued is entirely the concept! FCP7 is gone. It’s replaced with FCPX. Where in that event is it inferred that anyone keep FCP7? What are you calling silly?
Despite Apple’s bungle, as I said above, I personally suggest NOT tossing FCP7 specifically because, again as I said above, FCPX is NOT aimed at professionals in its current state. LOOK AT IT! It’s an upgrade from iMovie. Isn’t it! The real ‘Pro’ app was discontinued.
Even you have to agree FPCX is NOT, at this point in time, a suitable replacement for FCP7. It’s a different code creature that is NOT an upgrade from FCP7. Just say it. Therefore, no wonder people are complaining.
Derek, I will take you at your word and not as a YAAH (yet another apple hater) or astroturfer, though I suspect that is likely.
So let me make it a little clearer, no professional is tossing their FCS in the trash the day after. They wouldn’t have done that even if FCP X had been perfect and complete in every way, -including extensive third party support (which of course it couldn’t as it is a completely new product) It is a brand new editor Attempting to replace you existing system 100% on the first day with a brand new (and different) product would be daft. So recommending “don’t trash your FCP7” is at once true and also conspicuously self evident. Akin to stating “the sun is bright” That is why I said the advice was silly.
Second FCP X is absolutely aimed at professionals, it a VASTLY faster more powerful more flexible editor than FCP7 was. As a mater of fact it’s extensive real time ability will likely enable it (for us) to cover some of the client-side work we now do with (very) expensive dedicated systems.
That it doesn’t have the same pipelines and third party support as a product that has been on the market for 10 years is a pretty thin basis for criticism.
And No I don’t agree the FCP X is not a suitable replacement, or somehow “not professional”, I am a real post professional and I say -Bravo to Apple- for having the guts to totally replace the old creaky FCP framework rather than heaping more and more crap on an old outdated chassis that was already laboring under the strain (like some others {cough} adobe {cough} avid {cough} have done.)
FCP is indeed a pro App and not only is it far better (head and shoulders faster an more powerful) than FCP7 but it sets a new performance standard for editing on a PC that approaches in many cases what could only be achieved on dedicated hardware before this.
“Derek, I will take you at your word and not as a YAAH (yet another apple hater) or astroturfer, though I suspect that is likely.”
Good idea to take my word. Search my name some time. Meanwhile, I think a lot of good opinions are being expressed. It will all likely lead to a better FCP.
” It will all likely lead to a better FCP.”
If you think that you have no idea at all of the culture at appl (and if you are wondering, yes I do)
Also thi thing you say about FCP X are one, not true and two are nothing but senseless bashing
So ya wanna fight, eh? Stick up yer dukes!
BTW: You’re becoming more incoherent as the day draws on. Please take out your aggressions on someone who cares. 😎
So when will apple actually reply? That is the real question… They need to say something and fast.
Just tell us it will be fixed- give us OMF / AIFF export… More extensive Dual monitor support, folders, Multicam( yeah I know it’s coming…). But when…???
I am a Pro user and have been waiting for this upgrade for a long time- and hence why I’m in the concerned camp… Because Ive been waiting since FCP Studio 2 for the 64bit support and new features…( Many pros- my friends… forgave FCPS3 for not having these features) And the thought of having to wait another 6months (suggestions have been made that it’ll be updated twice yearly) for the features that I need now, is just a little more than frustrating.
The reason many are complaining is because we WANT to use FCPX and yet without the basic pro support for pro workflows/pipelines (OMF for me…) we are left on the sideline…
I mean come on… Every professional (a majority) needs to send their edit off to a Soundie for post work. It’s very basic…
Apple please just let us know you’re listening… Fan boys can only hold on for so long…
Apple HAS replied for several days in a row now. You need to STFU in order to hear their reply though!
Apple has said nothing. Perhaps you need to STFU and listen to the existing users of FCP who have been screwed by Apple’s direction change.
Actually Apple HAS had engineers commenting on this for almost a week now. I AM a FCP user and I was smart enough not to upgrade on day one, I’ve read multiple replies that apple will be working quickly to add missing features in coming updates (that came from Apple dips hit!), and i’m also smart enough to realize it will take a while to get used to the new interface.
You obviously don’t know what you are talking about so please keep quiet. Your disingenuous attempt to paint Apple as being silent on this whole thing is just pathetic. If you don’t know what you are talking about or can’t comment without lying then please keep your mouth shut.
Well, the title of the article is “In Defense of…”, and it indeed looks like yet another attempt to justify what is nothing short of shocking.
I’ve already posted several lengthy responses to similar articles and have noticed pretty much unified fronts between the true industry pro and the amateur/high-end hobbyist. Sorry, but this article clearly takes its stand on the latter side of the issue and just becomes part of the growing noise of naivte.
For the company I work for this is some superficial debate over better/best. Between now and the fall of this year we’re stuck (“…all of a sudden…”), with having to reinvent a whole new roadmap for ourselves. Wish us luck ’cause we’re going to need it.
And for the humpteenth time: When FC was available as a stand-alone product it never costed more than $300-350. FC X does not offer some never-before-seen price break. So please stop with ooing and awing over the $299 for FC X. All Apple did was was break up the Studio package. When it comes to price there really is nothing to see here.
I have worked my entire 25 year career to move my employers and clients toward Apple hardware and software – and that’s no BS. This move by Apple, however, is HS.
So what really is your complaint? You seem to have listed two completely unrelated things drawn from your Whack Apple bag:
(1) Having to reinvent a whole new roadmap between now and fall. Why? Is your organization that unprofessional that they hanged their by-fall projects on a new piece of software that had not even been released yet? I hope for your organization’s sake they did not erase all copies of FCP 7 when they heard FCP X was being released! Also, get off your easy chair – true professionals in any cutting-edge IT-related industry have to constantly learn new roadmaps due to rapidly-evolving technology. Maybe your organization could spend some cash getting you guys a training workstation. How did you learn the software you now use?
(2) You inexplicably then “attack” FCP X’s low price by saying, well, you know the actual FCP software is not really cheaper than the last one. You sound more like a competitor running down a selling point for this product.
So what ARE you – a “pro” unhappy with the software’s features, or a competitor trying to dampen sales by trying to make the low price seem like nothing to shout about?
As a video professional for many years, producer, camera, editor, etc. for PBS, NBC, independent, etc. Former Apple video VAR, Avid, Media 100, Final Cut, Panasonic etc. dealer, I can definitely tell you Apple has screwed up big time here. Or they already intended to dump the pro line two years ago, when they should have made their intentions clear. Final Cut Pro 7 as it stands now is so long in the tooth that all file based formats need to be laboriously converted to ProRes to function properly. Premiere, a program I laughed at 2 years ago can play anything you put on a single timeline instantly without conversion. It uses professional output hardware to tape, file, and pro monitoring. They are paying attention and will eat Apple’s lunch in the pro sector if they don’t add features soon. FCPX cannot be viewed on pro color correct external monitors, it will not input or export tape except DV or HDV types via Firewire with no control or batch recording. Tape is still widely used in pro environments, as are EDL’s, OMF, etc. for audio sweetening and digital intermediate for theatrical release. It is HUGELY important to be able to open older projects as clients constantly need updates to existing programs. You don’t just “finish” a program and put it on the shelf in the pro environment. It is absurd that Premiere can open FCP 7 projects and FCPX cannot. Imagine if you could not open Photoshop 3 files in Photoshop 5. The sheer ignorance of some of the comments here I find befuddling, but perhaps to be expected. BTW, until it gets multicam, it is not even good for weddings. I really hope they are not abandoning the higher end user (not even the highest end), but i am learning Premiere as fast as I can. Believe it or not, it is easier to learn than FCPX. I have been using Apple computers exclusively since the Apple II. We even developed video devices based on it. I have no intention of leaving Apple hardware. i will use FCP 7 until it is not practical. Will it even run on Lion? Who knows. But FCPX has me on the verge of moving my video production software to a different vendor.