final cut or avid

freelife2g · 01-04-2009, 08:29 PM

Which software do you use for editing? I am debating between Avid and Final Cut. At first I planned to get the express versions but I found out that you can no longer upgrade to pro (at least with Final Cut) You would still have to buy the full package. Is one software more user friendly than the other? How else do they compare? I am going to be running the software on a Mac Pro Quad Core with Intel so either should work fine I think. It also seems that the Avid bundle comes with Pro Tools Le, which would be an added plus for me, but that bundle also cost about 400 more.

acgold7 · 01-04-2009, 11:30 PM

I don't use either, but I think the consensus out there from others is that Final Cut Pro is the way to go if possible. It supposedly has a much easier and intuitive interface, as it was designed by the same guy/team that did Adobe Premiere. A drawback at the moment is that there is currently no Blu-Ray support with Apple.

Avid dates back to the earliest days of NLEs and apparently has an interface that is not easily understood by humans.

You should check out both in their trial versions and see what you like best.

s70driver · 01-05-2009, 07:12 AM

I have edited with both. I am a professional editor in the field of Television.

AVID is a pain in the butt to edit with. Has many quirks that just make it a pain to work with. Oh yeah and I had it crash on me multiple times a night when working with it.

I edit with Final Cut Pro at home and it is the best editing system I have ever used. Hands down the best... If you want a great editing system that will do almost anything this is what you want. It is just an amazing system.

*Oh by the way I also edit with Adobe Premiere Pro as well for work and FYI it is a piece of sh*t. It crashes on me many many many times a day. Loads of problems that make it yet another editing software that is a pain to edit with. Also honestly it seems as cheesy as SONY Vegas is and Vegas is an ok consumer editing software.

So if you want the best go with FINAL CUT PRO, you wont be disappointed.

Recherché · 01-05-2009, 08:24 AM

imo, without a doubt final cut. When it comes to media design, nothing tops apple. Have been using final cut (now hd) for five years as of now.

nyzwerewolf · 01-05-2009, 06:52 PM

final cut pro

love this app. I have a MacBook Pro, and I am looking forward to getting a new Mac Pro when they update the series, so I can edit and render faster with the new processors!

freelife2g · 01-06-2009, 07:28 AM

Ok. This is what I needed to know. I have been planning to go with Final Cut, but I read a comparison recently, and thought it would be a good idea to check with the crew here, and as always, I got good info. Thanks everyone.

s70driver · 01-06-2009, 09:27 PM

Final Cut Pro all the way.

OSV · 01-07-2009, 08:18 PM

freelife, i hope you realize that fcp does not support avchd, and apple does not support blu-ray.

there are workarounds, just know the limitations before you lay down the $$$.

nyzwerewolf · 01-08-2009, 07:43 PM

when you plug in your AVCHD video camera, you go to Log & Transfer, FCP, picks up the AVCHD files and while importing them to your scratch disk, it will encode to Apple Prores codec. So you can work with it, and it works great. Only bad part is, that encoding process makes the raw avchd file really huge..in file size.

OSV · 01-08-2009, 10:45 PM

i use the same workflow with vegas, even though it does ingest avchd, but it encodes to the canopus hq intermediate a lot faster.

freelife, if you are planning on exchanging video files between macs and pcs, you'd better google up "quicktime gamma shift"... it's a real dealkiller, and only apple wrecks the gamma like that... just another caveat to watch out for.

01-04-2009, 08:29 PM	#1
freelife2g Free to enjoy Life Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 27	final cut or avid Which software do you use for editing? I am debating between Avid and Final Cut. At first I planned to get the express versions but I found out that you can no longer upgrade to pro (at least with Final Cut) You would still have to buy the full package. Is one software more user friendly than the other? How else do they compare? I am going to be running the software on a Mac Pro Quad Core with Intel so either should work fine I think. It also seems that the Avid bundle comes with Pro Tools Le, which would be an added plus for me, but that bundle also cost about 400 more.

01-04-2009, 11:30 PM	#2
acgold7 I'll never go back to SD Join Date: May 2006 Location: Woodinville, WA USA Posts: 524	I don't use either, but I think the consensus out there from others is that Final Cut Pro is the way to go if possible. It supposedly has a much easier and intuitive interface, as it was designed by the same guy/team that did Adobe Premiere. A drawback at the moment is that there is currently no Blu-Ray support with Apple. Avid dates back to the earliest days of NLEs and apparently has an interface that is not easily understood by humans. You should check out both in their trial versions and see what you like best. __________________ Adam Proud owner of 8, no, 7, no, wait, now NINE Sony HDV cams. Somebody please help me! "There are no experimental failures. There's only more data."

01-05-2009, 07:12 AM	#3
s70driver High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 364	I have edited with both. I am a professional editor in the field of Television. AVID is a pain in the butt to edit with. Has many quirks that just make it a pain to work with. Oh yeah and I had it crash on me multiple times a night when working with it. I edit with Final Cut Pro at home and it is the best editing system I have ever used. Hands down the best... If you want a great editing system that will do almost anything this is what you want. It is just an amazing system. Oh by the way I also edit with Adobe Premiere Pro as well for work and FYI it is a piece of sht. It crashes on me many many many times a day. Loads of problems that make it yet another editing software that is a pain to edit with. Also honestly it seems as cheesy as SONY Vegas is and Vegas is an ok consumer editing software. So if you want the best go with FINAL CUT PRO, you wont be disappointed. Last edited by s70driver; 01-05-2009 at 08:54 AM.

01-05-2009, 08:24 AM	#4
Recherché HD DVD≥Women<Life Join Date: Aug 2007 Posts: 144	imo, without a doubt final cut. When it comes to media design, nothing tops apple. Have been using final cut (now hd) for five years as of now. __________________ Samsung LN-S4095D (1080p 40" LCD) Samsung HT-1200 (HDMI, Digital Dolby & DTS, DVD Audio, SACD 5.1 850W HTIB...yeah, so what if it is) Toshiba HD-XA2 302 HD DVD's 27 BD's PS3 40gb

01-07-2009, 08:18 PM	#8
OSV High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 112	freelife, i hope you realize that fcp does not support avchd, and apple does not support blu-ray. there are workarounds, just know the limitations before you lay down the $$$. __________________ Vixia HF11 HD Camcorder Vive Surround Mic

01-05-2009, 06:52 PM	#5
nyzwerewolf How can anyone watch standard def? Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 18	final cut pro love this app. I have a MacBook Pro, and I am looking forward to getting a new Mac Pro when they update the series, so I can edit and render faster with the new processors!

01-06-2009, 07:28 AM	#6
freelife2g Free to enjoy Life Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: South Florida Posts: 27	Ok. This is what I needed to know. I have been planning to go with Final Cut, but I read a comparison recently, and thought it would be a good idea to check with the crew here, and as always, I got good info. Thanks everyone.

01-06-2009, 09:27 PM	#7
s70driver High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2007 Posts: 364	Final Cut Pro all the way.

01-08-2009, 07:43 PM	#9
nyzwerewolf How can anyone watch standard def? Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 18	when you plug in your AVCHD video camera, you go to Log & Transfer, FCP, picks up the AVCHD files and while importing them to your scratch disk, it will encode to Apple Prores codec. So you can work with it, and it works great. Only bad part is, that encoding process makes the raw avchd file really huge..in file size.

01-08-2009, 10:45 PM	#10
OSV High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 112	i use the same workflow with vegas, even though it does ingest avchd, but it encodes to the canopus hq intermediate a lot faster. freelife, if you are planning on exchanging video files between macs and pcs, you'd better google up "quicktime gamma shift"... it's a real dealkiller, and only apple wrecks the gamma like that... just another caveat to watch out for. __________________ Vixia HF11 HD Camcorder Vive Surround Mic

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