Post-Production : Leaving FCP by Eric Peter Abramson

I was terrified about moving from FCP 7, when I had a DSLR edit to do a few years ago. Everything was shot H264 so I figured it was time bite the bullet and move to Premiere. The transition took all of about two days. The keyboard shortcuts have changed, but just about everything else you'll look for is where you'd expect to find it. Whenever I got stuck a quick Google or search on Creative Cow had me back on track very quickly. When I have to go back into FCP 7 now I find it a pretty frustrating experience by comparison. My feeling is that Premiere now is what I'd hoped FCP X would have been.

Have you tried FCP X? Premiere and Avid are both track based systems, FCP X is not track based, at least not in the same way as Avid/Premiere, Avid/Premiere are clones of Classic FCP [6 and 7]. Apple took a hit changing the user interface to a "trackless" or magnetic track system, combining the audio and video tracks, not using the 99 video tracks and 99 audio tracks located below.. Once you get your head around this, the work flow, the multicam, the audition clips, the compound clips, the used/not used indicators, and the smart collections, then it becomes very easy to use..

Have looked at and tested FCP X... Not the right tool for me. Adobe is in my future. Anyone else have comments or suggestions on the migration?

Hi Eric I made the transition two years ago and just love my Adobe Suite . . . no more proxy files . . . seamless integration with all the other Adobe tools (especially Adobe After Effects) . . . I was five years on FCP and would never go back even if they did still offer it. You won't regret it I am sure. Here (below) is a link to my recently released movie William Kelly's War . . . we shot on RED . . . started editing on FCP but ended it all on Adobe . . . William Kelly's War Trailer . . . https://vimeo.com/106268719 Regards Geoff

Geoff watched your trailer...Looks good. Did you do the explosions in AE? I've been using Adobe for a couple years too. I came over from Avid. Funny I still get people who insist on the deliverable have been edited in FCP. I ask what do you care? It is the deliverable you want... Unless they want the timeline and that is whole nother ball of wax.. There is a wide range of software for narrow minds to pick from.... I use whatever Is needed for the trick...Blender sometimes.. That is free BTW, more powerful then most editors as well.

Hi Simon Glad you liked the trailer . . . Explosions and the majority of VFX were done by Kelly Sheeran (www.kellysheeran.com) using AE and Nuke. I have had EXACTLY your experience . . . being told how the deliverable must be prepared by people with zero digital knowledge . . . I had been told the final stage before color MUST be done on AVID etc etc . . . I have had people demand the whole timeline and other people demand a sectioned timeline . . . I've been told you cannot possibly do a whole movie in Premiere or FCP . . . only AVID . . . I think people just like to stick with the method they know best or the one they have already paid for on a previous project . . . (I know I do) . . . and sometimes it is only when a situation forces you to try something different that you find a better way. Having very little money is a big motivator for me. Anyway . . . That's my experience, and I am really happy with the Adobe suite and will probably be clinging to that desperately ten years from now when some youngster is telling me that technology is dead. Regards Geoff

I love it. I call it "Final Cut 8!" No learning curve at all once CS6 came out.

NUKE is trick but costs $$$ Like RED GIANT fx... Necessity the Mother of all ingenuity/inventions. Check out Blender 2.72 Free- even a standalone you can run of a jump drive.

I've made the switch recently, and it was a very smooth and pleasant transition. They both operate almost the exact same as each other, outside of different short hands. But Premiere seem s to process playback smoother, and render faster, than FCP.

switched to adobe / nuke and C4D recently... so happy I switched from FCP 7... the only other option was to go back to AVID. ( I started editing on AVID...)