Matt Toder has a piece up at Gizmodo on the new Final Cut Pro X, and how in spite of all the new features, he’s dumping it for Avid. Mostly, the entire review is summed up in this one sentence:
And now we’ve been given a glimpse of FCPX, a massive, from-the-ground-up revision of Final Cut Pro which proves one thing definitively: that Apple understood many of the problems that were inherent to Final Cut Pro. But, instead of fixing them, they just decided to change everything.
He does break it down into more details tho, particularly in how the new interface seems to go a little too far towards automation, taking away some valuable controls.
The biggest, most apparent change is the absence of the source monitor: it’s the iMovie-ing of non-linear editing. Of all the people watching the preview, applauding wildly and yelling out “I want it!” and “thank you,” I can’t believe that one person didn’t scream, “where’s the freaking source monitor?” This represents a gigantic change in the way non-linear editing occurs, a nearly unfathomable one. Since non-linear editing was invented, the mainstays have been the source monitor, the record monitor, the browser and the timeline. To take one of these away means that non-linear editing has to be rethought entirely. I’m not quite sure how you can set an exact in point without it, especially when you’re forced into using the iMovie yellow selection brackets.
What do you think? Has Apple embraced the consumer, in lieu of the professional?
@ final cut guy
Just like Logic, Shake, Quicktime X, etc? There’s nothing at all to indicate that there’s a concerted effort to maintain the professional market for FCP. Apple is looking past the professional market, which is great for Apple and shareholders and consumers. There’s nothing wrong with it. It’s just not professional.
…apple will rule…they ain’t stupid…they looked at all the competition out there……THIS WAS A SNEAK PREVIEW…..get over it…..the real release will be AWSOME…and professial so chill..
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So a guy who edits video for Gawker TV is switching to AVID based on Apple’s presentation at NAB?? lol
“The biggest, most apparent change is the absence of the source monitor: it’s the iMovie-ing of non-linear editing. This represents a gigantic change in the way non-linear editing occurs, a nearly unfathomable one.”
It’s an antiquated concept brought over from the LINEAR tape days which required separate systems. It’s actually INCREDIBLY inefficient. My only question is how they are going to implement MULTI-CAM. Doing away with a source monitor, doesn’t really change anything. You never are actually watching the source and canvas play at the same time, unless you’re in multi-cam, which i assume they will devise another solution for. So really, what changes? nothing… you can use the same window for both and not really alter workflow that much , but reorganize the space so that you can take advantage of more useful tools.
“Has Apple embraced the consumer, in lieu of the professional?”
Yes, but several years ago. FCP had a longer leash than other applications, but the writing was on the wall. There’s just too much money to be made catering to the larger audience. That larger audience is easier to keep happy, too. Even if they pay less for the software, it doesn’t matter, since Apple makes it up on the hardware sales.