Does Final Cut Pro X Satisfy?

Apple released the updated Final Cut Pro yesterday, and like normal, whenever does anything of note, it’s big news. In case you’re unaware, Final Cut Pro is a movie-editing software suite,...
Does Final Cut Pro X Satisfy?
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  • Apple released the updated Final Cut Pro yesterday, and like normal, whenever does anything of note, it’s big news. In case you’re unaware, Final Cut Pro is a movie-editing software suite, one that promises users the ability to make professional movies from the comfort of their homes. A great pitch, especially when you consider just how many people are uploading videos on a daily basis. No longer is such software only for the movie-making geeks with ultra-expensive recording equipment.

    Naturally, when Apple updates any of its stable of products, the world takes notice. The update of Final Cut Pro to the X level was no different, either, as social media acted as a big staging platform for these reactions. Unfortunately, there isn’t much value at the Facebook page for Final Cut Pro, and so we’re concentrating on Twitter.

    By and large, the reaction seemed fairly positive, although, there is some surprising dissent. Nevertheless, the new price point for Final Cut Pro X is a fan favorite:

    Final Cut Pro now costs $300. That’s a really really big deal. It makes me happy to know that such powerful tools are so easy to get now. 1 day ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Final Cut Pro X is available today for only $299.99 from the Mac App Store http://cot.ag/knyAlJ (It used to cost an arm & a leg!) 1 day ago via CoTweet · powered by @socialditto

    However, word soon got out that updated version wasn’t getting fantastic reviews, which, if you’re used to following the Cult of Mac for anything of time, brings a “gasping for air” kind of response. Nevertheless, not only were some of the reviews negative, but some people enjoyed watching Apple take slaps over its update movie-making software suite:

    Early reviews say Final Cut Pro X is an enhanced iMovie with loss of professional control. Plus, old project won’t open?! HUGE FAIL if true. 3 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    i’m oddly excited that the new Final Cut Pro is getting all this bad press. AVID 4 life. #nerdtweet 1 hour ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Maybe those 148 ONE STAR ratings for Final Cut Pro will finally convince Apple to let devs respond to App Store reviews. 6 hours ago via Twitterrific for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    So far it seems like Final Cut Pro X is more like iMovie Plus. Professional editors, stay away until more pro features are added. #FCPWTF 23 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    Final Cut Pro X undercuts its customers and power users http://ow.ly/1tYMIF #finalcut #fop 1 day ago via HootSuite · powered by @socialditto

    While the backlash was indeed present, not everyone was dissatisfied with the new Final Cut Pro product. In fact, some of them loved it. Noted Internet celebrity/WebProNews blog partner Robert Scoble loved Final Cut Pro X, and wasn’t afraid to tell the world about it and it’s sweet price point:

    @RobinDickinson yeah, the new Apple Final Cut Pro is much easier to use than the old one. And a lot cheaper too! 8 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    This was my first video produced with Apple’s new Final Cut Pro: http://t.co/n3fswWi Love the quality and the speed! 27 minutes ago via Tweet Button · powered by @socialditto

    The video in question. It does have nice production values:


    Although Scoble actually practiced what he preached, and seemed to really enjoy the new version, the criticisms of Final Cut continued unabated:

    #finalcut X = faster software, slower user. Is this really the future? Hoping my initial Luddite reaction fades as the brain rewires. 8 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Oh but I can import iMovie projects! Greaaaat… I haven’t used that in years. #finalcut 11 hours ago via Twitter for Mac · powered by @socialditto

    Perhaps this last one gives a more honest idea of what the update was all about:

    I wonder if Apple is not concerned about keeping it’s professional user base. They may sell more volume on a $300 app. #finalcut 4 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

    But it wasn’t all lemons in regards to Final Cut Pro reviews. Some seemed to appreciate what Apple was trying to do:

    Once skeptical, vidguru Larry Jordon calls new #Apple‘s video editing s/w #FinalCut X release “a large step forward” http://t.co/vYs55cm 21 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

    Over at KenStone.net, Steve Martin, a Final Cut Pro user since 1999, offers his take on the upgrade. There are things he enjoys:

    I love the organizational intelligence of FCP X and frankly it’s long overdue. If you think about what a computer was born to do, it excels at chugging through and making sense of huge amounts of raw data. This is something a machine should be doing, otherwise it’s something I have to do myself or pay someone else to do. I also like the smart analysis, background rendering, the skimmer and the Precision Editor. These features make the editing experience feel fluid, organic and less mechanical then track based editing applications.

    And things he doesn’t:

    While FCP X is very promising, it still lacks key features for professionals. (I’m cutting it some heavy slack because I’m taking into account this is essentially a version 1 product built on an entirely new foundation). But the fact remains that there is no professional audio editing capabilities. With many of the features of Soundtrack Pro now rolled into FCP X, I still long for a full featured waveform editor to perform bread-and-butter audio editing chores. This coupled with the fact that there is no built-in way to collaborate with sound editors using ProTools or other DAWs is problematic.

    But in the end, the lower price wins out for Martin, as it does with a number of people who reacted to the update news. It should also be noted, Martin’s quotes come from perhaps the most extensive one-day/first look review for a software suite you’ll ever see.

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