Final Cut Express 4
by Apple
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List Price: Category: Software See more product details and other editions |
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Software Reviews of Final Cut Express 4
Customer Review: Amazon trumps Apple
Summary: 4 Stars
I was really impressed with the price of this product compared to Apple's prices. Even with the option for a student discount through Apple, Amazon's price still beat Apple's. That was a really clever discovery!Customer Review: Endless possibilities
Summary: 5 Stars
Final Cut Express 4 speaks for itself. Don't rush into it thinking your going to learn how to be a pro at FCE4 in a month. It is going to take you some time, but once you have it down you won't believe what you can do with that family video you shot on your cam corder. This program puts Imovie to shame. Enjoy! Customer Review: Tough to learn, but worth the time.
Summary: 5 Stars
As with most Apple programs there is no user manual accompanied with it. I also purchased FCE4 Editing Workshop by Tom Wolsky and it has been very helpful in guiding me through its infinite functions and options. Price on both is fine. FCE is a huge upgrade over iMovie but it will take much longer to learn. If your looking to take your video editing skills a few notches higher and give yourself a challenge at the same time this is truly a cost effective way to start without jumping into Adobe Premier.Customer Review: New to a Mac?
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought my first MAC thinking that, even though I loved my previous editing software (Video Studio 11), Final Cut Express, with all of the positive responses to it, had to be as good or better. Now, before I move on, I want to let you know that I am not an editing professional. I make movies of my kids (each year of their lives, age 1, 2, 3) and have done a few other projects such as a 40 year anniversary DVD for my inlaws and a DVD on my travels to various baseball stadiums over the years (17, but thats another story). So, as you can see, I'm a normal Dad who just wants to make personal home movies more exciting.
Two things really, really disappointed me about Final Cut Express:
1 - the inability to easily incorporate Text into my DVD. With Video Studio 11, it took all of about 1-2 minutes for me to type right into the timeline what I wanted and where I wanted it. If I had special effects to add to the text, it was very easy for me to do. With Final Cut Express, not so much. You need to go to an outside product (called Live Text) to create a separate text project and then import it into your project. While Live Text seems like an incredible text application, the whole process is just too time consuming and honestly, for the novice, very difficult to understand. This alone had me praying for Video Studio to release a version of its editing software for MAC.
2 - Pictures. With Video Studio 11, I could (very easily) bring my pictures to life with movement within the picture. What I mean when I say this is, I could easily pan across a picture, say from one person on the left side to another person on the opposite side. Or, I could start of by zooming in on my Sons eyes and then maybe easily zoom out to show everyone in the picture - again, very easily. With Final Cut Express - not so much. I attended a One to One training ($99 for the year at my local Apple store) and was told that this alone would be a full hour of training to master and even then, would take practice. Keep in mind, I bought this "Express" version and not the "Pro" version - thinking I was getting something made for someone who is not a professional.
Overall, I love my MAC. I really do! And I plan on going back again and again for the 1:1 training at my store so I can master this program. I only wish the people at Apple would have thought about ways to make this easier to use for folks who are not as technically savvy.
I am still praying that someday, Corel (makers of Video Studio 11) will make their products for MACs as well. I will convert immediately.
Customer Review: At Work: Final Cut Express
Summary: 4 Stars
Working with Final Cut Express
Creating titles and credits with Express is important. The key is the Video Generator. You can create synthesized clips that you superimpose over your existing video clips in the Final Cut Express Timeline.
For good-looking titles, you can use san serif fonts such as Arial, Futura, Gill Sans, Helvetica and Impact. I have found using bold, red or blue 30 point fonts effective for my titles.
You need to watch for the 20 percent factor. The 'Title Save Boundary' is 20 percent smaller than your television screen. To see the boundaries in Final Cut Express, go to View then to Show Title. Best to keep your titles within the safe zone.
Final Cut Express allows you to create rolling credits like the credits at the end of a movie. You can set the duration of your video clips plus set the in and out points for speed of the text and scrolls.
Looking at Final Cut Express Storyboard
Storyboard gives me a visual look at my movie. I control-click the Final Cut Express browser and choose large icon new. Then, I drag the clips into the order that I want them to be played. Next, I click on the project's tab in the Browser and save it. Finally, I save the entire project.
Now to add my new storyboard to Final Cut Express 4 sequences. Draw a marquee around the Storyboard clips. Next, I drag the clips from my Final Cut Express Browser to my Timeline and save the project. To protect them, I can lock them to make sure that they cannot be modified. I can lock and unlock them with the F4 key for video tracks and the F5 key for audio tracks.
Pro Reaction
Express allows you to import iMovie projects. You can also import your Final Cut Express project to iDVD complete with special chapter marker. Express comes with an excellent hardcopy paper manual for learning how to use Final Cut Express 4. The manual is easy to follow without computer jargon.
Con Reaction
You have to work at learning how to use the Final Cut Express application. You have to spend the time to read and work with the Final Cut Express manual.
You cannot capture DV across time-code breaks. You cannot import your Final Cut Express project to iMovie or QuickTime with chapter markers and comments.
Final Remarks
Express is better than my iMovie applications and gives you professional storyboard, title and video effects.