Review (re-visit): Apple FCP-X Editor

Definition Magazine by

Apple’s Final Cut Pro ‘X’ edition has been the whipping boy of the professional editor’s world for the last couple of years. But there were supporters who were sure that Apple would re-instate the fundamental ingredients of their v7 software. Now their support has been justified as the BBC start cutting programmes with an ‘X’ on them.

Although there was an endless, and pointless, debate about whether Final Cut Pro X deserved the epithet ‘Pro’, it was clear on its launch that it was missing functions required by editors working in high-end TV and feature film production. Walter Murch, referring to the lack of EDL, OMF/AAF and XML support, famously gave it the report card, “Does not play well with others.”

Slowly but surely, however, Apple have been adding in the features that we need. First came multicam and XML – which, crucially, allowed third party software vendors to provide some of the missing inputs and outputs. Then we got external monitor support, separate ‘canvas’ and ‘viewer’ windows, persistent clip In and Out points, and so on. It seemed that most of the hurdles preventing FCP X’s use at the higher end had been removed.

That’s certainly the belief of Craig Slattery, a freelance editor who has become the first person to cut items for the BBC’s Culture Show on FCP X.

“I’ve been cutting features for the Culture Show on Final Cut since about version 4 or 5, so I bought a copy of FCP X pretty much as soon as it was released. Then, in October 2012, with the latest updates, I though it was time we tried it out on a real programme.” read more...


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