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- Average user rating: 3.0 stars out of 5 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
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2 out of 3 people found this review helpful
4.5 stars
"Apple impresses again"
Pros: Full featured production suite. Not much you can't accomplish.
Cons: I'd like to see a full media management tool.
Summary: With each revision, Final Cut Pro sets the bar higher for features in a production studio suite.
I should start by saying I'm an Avid user. There are things that drive me CRAZY in Final Cut. I don't blame Apple for these issues, it's just what happens when you're raised on a certain set of tools. I wind up hacking my way through the manuals looking for something that was "so easy to do!" on the Avid. Final Cut isn't worse, just different.
That bit of business out of the way, this package really rocks. Editing is snappy, the programs are all rock solid. It really does everything you'd want in an editing package. Apple is to be commended for the wealth of features it debuts with each release. Avid's industry standard Media Composer application has had very little development in the software over the past five years, and has fallen behind in the feature department. Apple continues to forge ahead, giving users more options and tools with each release. What's missing is a quality paint tool. Motion is supposed to be the answer for paint, but editors could use a good paint tool within Final Cut in their arsenal.
Soundtrack Pro is an application that started out as a nice supplement to Final Cut, but it's developed into an essential part of my workflow. With the new release, Apple has beefed up surround sound mixing and given users a massive library of sound effects for mixing. It's become my second most used application in this suite.
DVD Studio is probably the weak link here. Mostly because it's not as elegant as Final Cut or Soundtrack. It's in need of a serious overhaul, simplifying some of the tasks like returning to the home menu after playing. Today's DVD software should be smarter, intuiting where I'm going with a design, and auto-completing the mudane settings. Still, it's a powerhouse DVD design tool and I still use it a lot.
Motion is an app that many designers swear by. I can't get my head around it. I've used Adobe's After Effects program for so many years now, it's just impractical for me to change applications. So I can't give a fair review of this module.
Color is the freshman entry. I haven't done any serious grading on it, but I did pull some footage over and I've got to say, my days of using Synthetic Aperature's Color Finesse for grading and correction are over. Color fits the bill, it's snappy, and it's got a ton of secondaries, which are key to doing serious color work. The only downside is learning curve. It bears no graphic similarities to the other programs as far as interface, and operating it with good results takes practice.
LiveType is an app I wore out when it first came out. But the promise of LiveType has never panned out. There needs to be a huge aftermarket library of LiveType fonts, and it's just never developed. After a few years, the font animations seem dated. Still, for quick animated text, it does the job adequately, and the volume of presets makes it really useful for producing quality titles in a hurry.
The only real sticking point with Final Cut is the media manager. They desperately need to dissect what Avid is doing with regard to tracking assets and adopt their own version.
But in the end, these are just niggles. I rate the program a 9, because it really is nearly perfect editing platform. The biggest advantage to choosing Final Cut Pro is its hardware independence. You can put virtually any capture card on the system and it will work, and work well. Purchasing a capture card won't set you back the cost of a new car any more, and this makes Final Cut a wise choice.
- 1 reply to this review
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"The biggest advantage to choosing Final Cut Pro is its hardware independence."
For a product that doesn't support Blu-Ray and some professional cameras that's a pretty wild statement, I'd say.
Oh, wait, I forgot this is an Apple product, sorry.
