Just a few days into the release of Final Cut Pro X and the reviews are still pouring in. The new editing software has been radically redesigned and the change is causing quite the backlash from the internet community. Many of the complaints can be summed up with this tweet from yesterday – “Final Cut Pro X is an enhanced iMovie with loss of professional control. Plus old projects won’t open?! HUGE FAIL.”
While there are some that praise the new software for its relatively low price point ($300) and its simplicity and ease of use, a quick scan of Twitter reveals that a majority of users find it to be frustrating.
It currently has a 2 and 1/2 star rating in Apple’s Mac store. The top three customer reviews lament the fact that many preferences and professional features are gone and one of them simply says “Extremely buggy, overly simplistic.”
The Twitterverse is still on fire about Final Cut Pro X, here are some selected tweets –
@SanjkaBorodach
АлександрFinal cut pro x = iMovie Pro.. Im sad for professionals.
2 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhone · powered by @socialditto
@grum
that grum guyI’m desperately looking for a site that answers all the “how the fuck do I do this” questions generated from “upgrading” to Final Cut Pro X 2 minutes ago via Power Twitter · powered by @socialditto
@findenlake
Ross McMinnSometimes I’m glad I edit in both Final Cut & Adobe Premiere Pro. It comes in handy when one of them decides to self-sabotage their product. 51 minutes ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto
@MattRichardson
Matt RichardsonIf even Conan is making fun of the new Final Cut Pro, I’m definitely sticking with version 7: http://t.co/9IXrAF2 (via @Ihnatko) 32 minutes ago via Twitter for Mac · powered by @socialditto
That final tweet is referring to last night’s skewering of Final Cut Pro X by Coco. He sets up the clip with the premise that his editors are the best in the world, and they love the new Final Cut. The clip that follows is a mess, as you might expect. Check it out –
In this period of freak-outs, The New York Times’ tech guy David Pogue offers some reason. He goes through a pretty extensive list of complaints about X and debunks a good deal of them. He has this to say in the end –
Apple has followed the typical Apple sequence: (1) throw out something that’s popular and comfortable but increasingly ancient, (2) replace it with something that’s slick and modern and forward-looking and incomplete, (3) spend another year finishing it up, restoring missing pieces.
Professional editors should (1) learn to tell what’s really missing from what’s just been moved around, (2) recognize that there’s no obligation to switch from the old program yet, (3) monitor the progress of FCP X and its ecosystem, and especially (4) be willing to consider that a radical new design may be unfamiliar, but may, in the long term, actually be better.
How do you feel about Final Cut Pro X? Let us know in the comments.