Opinion

My Eyes!

Posted by Charlie on May 11, 2017
Posted in: Opinion. Tagged: , , . 7 Comments

I’ve been working on a cut in FCP X of which I need a working copy in Premiere. So, after a quick run through X to CC, and a not so quick couple hours of cleaning up the FCP 6 XML mess and re-doing the mix, I had it back together.

I used the same Fx Factory effect in both, but had to match an FCP X Look Effect using Lumetri, and export a few speed ramped/retimed audio clips because, well… just because. (I’m trying to be nice here!)

Anyway, leaving aside the fact that the the workflow, ease of use, effects application, compositing results and audio quality are markedly better in one of the 2 (guess which one! 😉) it ended up more or less the same. Here’s the question though…

Which of these 2 would you rather look at all day, every day? I mean really… 🙂

Random Thoughts…

Posted by Charlie on September 17, 2016
Posted in: Opinion. Tagged: . 4 Comments

After another online “discussion” about FCP X vs. other NLE’s, the usual “You need to do things differently in X than in others” comment from an FCP X proponent came up. The point attempting to be made was that In X you must work in a different way than anything else. “Edit in the browser before you start to edit in the timeline!” In the course of the thread I wrote the reply below. Since I have nothing else to write about right now… here it is. 🙂

Telling people that X is a completely “new way of editing” is a pet peeve of mine. (what is a peeve anyway??) It’s not reinventing the process, as editors we are doing the same thing in X as anything else. Watching the footage, making selects, organizing it all, and then cutting pieces together. As we all know, getting all your stuff organized and prepped to cut is something you need to do no matter what you’re cutting with, from flatbeds to an editing app on your phone.

What X offers, IMO, is a different, and easier way of doing the same thing. The Browser, Collections, all the metadata goodies are great of course, but to me, the things that set X apart from everything else are:

The Timeline- being able to just cut stuff in and move clips around without any thought at all as to whether it will collide/overwrite/screw up anything that’s in your cut is a huge advantage.

Embedded Components- much easier to deal with than separate A/V. And you can of course separate these if you want.

Roles- Also huge, particularly for audio versioning, and I feel like there are some very powerful possibilities that remain untapped here.

Compound Clips- Nested clips on steroids, and also have some cool potential.

Motion Templates and Compressor Bundles- Create these in Motion and Compressor, load them into X, done. You can share them with other users who don’t have the apps which is very cool. Compressor bundles don’t get enough press IMO.

Having the ability to make a preset where you can create a 2k, 1080p, 720p and SD version of a cut with a couple keystrokes in the NLE is very nice. You could do all that and also upload a cut to YouTube, Vimeo and Facebook at the same time. Whatever deliverables you need… 1 command, no other apps needed.

Filmstrip View– Nothing else compares to this, it’s an enormous timesaver.

The Skimmer- love this thing, especially clip skimming.

Live A/V Effects Previews- Enormous time saver, and the quality and ease of the built in audio and compositing in X is really great.

Timeline Index- I’m not sure people get how useful this is. I mean, you can do basic editing from the index if you wanted to.

Anyway…. I could drone on and on… My point is that X is an NLE, and like any NLE, you should use all the tools it offers to get your material ready to edit. What keeps me hooked is all the other stuff that really isn’t in anything else. Makes my life much easier. What do you think?

Can We Drop The Pejorative “Prosumer” Label Now?

Posted by Charlie on July 22, 2016
Posted in: Opinion. Tagged: . 3 Comments

Since the day FCP X was launched, it’s been dismissively called a “prosumer” application. The implication being that it is not made for “professionals” to use. Well, I think it’s time to put this BS to bed. First of all, ‘prosumer’ is a noun:

Oxford English Dictionary Definition

prosumer

Pronunciation: /prōˈso͞omər/
NOUN

An amateur who purchases equipment with quality or features suitable for professional use:

‘The magazine is aimed at the prosumer who uses a $10,000 camera to make home movies of his dog’

So anyone implying this, or tacitly agreeing with it, is not actually disparaging the program, but the people who use it. Either way, it’s utterly incorrect.

Now, it is true that FCP X is probably the most accessible Professional NLE for people who are new to editing. The basic operation is very simple, and can be easily explained to novices. Not so with other NLE’s. At all. From what’s been said publicly, Apple aimed to make a program that ‘democratized’ video editing. And, arguably, they’ve succeeded. But that doesn’t mean that FCP X is not just as good an NLE for “pro’s” as Media Composer, Premiere and others.

Feature Films, Documentaries, Broadcast Television, Commercials, and lot’s of other ‘professional’ content has been, and will continue to be created in FCP X. But there are a lot of people, and companies, with  vested interests in perpetuating the perception of FCP X as less capable than other options. And nowhere are these voices louder than in the relatively tiny ‘high end’ market.

I don’t understand why so many pro’s still cling to the inane perception that Apple doesn’t care about them, or that FCP X – and by association FCP X Editors – aren’t capable of doing exactly the same high quality work as anything else. But here’s what I do know…

In Hollywood, we still use EDL’s for turnovers and finishing. In Hollywood, we still need to deliver motion graphics as image sequences rather than just transferring HD 2k or 4k (or whatever) movie files. We still sometimes finish material to tape. Yes, tape! In many ways, people producing hairstyling and makeup tips for YouTube are using more advanced workflows.

Some people don’t want to learn a new program even though it may make their job easier. Some people don’t want to use a program that might reduce their billable hours. Some people don’t want you to use a program that can do things in software that have been traditionally outsourced to them. Some people only want to use what their peers say is ‘good’. And some people don’t want you to use a program that decreases, or does away with, your reliance on their program.

If you’re a producer, FCP X can potentially save you time and money vs. other options. But if you depend on complexity and confusion for your livelihood, I imagine FCP X is seen as a threat.

So complain all you want that it’s iMovie Pro, whine about how Apple has abandoned the high end market, call it a prosumer program. Because name calling and FUD are really the only defense you have.

But… that won’t make FCP X go away. So you might as well just stop.

 

 

Apple Has Not Reinvented Editing.

Posted by Charlie on June 19, 2016
Posted in: Opinion. Tagged: . 5 Comments

As can be inferred from reading anything I post anywhere, I really like FCP X. Apple have, in their words, created “A more advanced take on pro video editing”. FCP X has “Unprecedented power for the next generation of post”, “…A dynamic editing interface (that) lets you experiment freely while working with extraordinary speed and precision”.

The trackless Magnetic Timeline, Roles, Keyword Ranges, Favorite/Reject. Powerful compositing capabilities built in to the NLE, Filmstrip View, the Skimmer, Auditions… the list of innovations goes on and on.  Apple has created an amazing, brand new NLE. What they have not done, and have not claimed to have done, is re-invent editing.

I make this distinction because there are some fairly insistent voices on the internets that do make this pompous, counterproductive claim, and I think doing so makes people who are on the fence less likely to give FCP X a fair shot.

Now, I certainly understand being passionate about a platform, I am. And I’m not above spouting a little hyperbole myself, as can be seen on my blog and in my videos and presentations. But I’ve never claimed that Apple have re-invented editing, because they haven’t. What they have  done is modernize it in some very helpful ways.

But this post isn’t about how great FCP X is – and it is great. 🙂 What I’d like to address is what I feel is the most egregious inaccuracy that is persistently presented in forums and on blogs… that being, and I’m paraphrasing here: ...in FCP X alone, you can do the majority of your editing in the Browser! You can’t do that in any other NLE!! Um… Not true.

Keyword Ranges and Favorite/Reject are simply a massively improved implementation of subclipping. X takes what was a tedious, mostly manual task, and effectively automates it for you. You create and tag ranges (subclips) and they get put in Collections (bins) for you. And you can tag Ranges (subclips) from within Ranges (subclips) without leaving the master clip. Create “stringouts” in the Browser. Way less clicking and dragging than in any other NLE, it’s really fast and efficient.

But here’s the thing, as anyone who actually uses more than one NLE will tell you… you absolutely can do that in any NLE. What Apple has done with FCP X, is make it wildly simpler. There’s more innovation in the FCP X browser than just Keyword Collections and Ranges, but it’s not a “new” way of editing, it’s a better way of editing.

The bottom line for me, is that FCP X does in 1 step what in other NLE’s require 2 or 3 or 4 etc. You can do many more things, and get better results, right in the FCP X Timeline and without round tripping to other apps. Retiming, Resolution Changes, Keying, Audio and Video Exports with Roles, Compositing, live preview of Effects, on and on.

It’s (mostly) the same stuff you can do in anything, but more efficient, faster, and with less distraction from the software. You can “program” your Library with Smart Collections etc, and then you edit like you always have, but faster, and you don’t have to keep re-organizing things like you do in everything else.

Editing hasn’t changed since the days of razor blades and tape. You get your footage, chop out the crap you don’t want, and assemble the bits you do. Add layers of audio and titles etc, mix it, and you’re done. Videotape was a huge improvement over film, Digital was a huge improvement over tape. The process is the same, the tools we use to accomplish the task have gotten much better.

FCP X is definitely a new, powerful, modern, reinvented NLE. It makes it possible for more people than ever -including “professionals” – to get “professional” results. Video literacy is a skill that, like printing, music creation etc., is now accessible to more people than ever before. And that is a very good thing. 🙂

But Apple has not reinvented editing. What they have done, is make it a whole lot easier. And that works for me, I can go home early. 😉

FCP X Update Reaction – Have Some Cheese With Your Whine…

Posted by Charlie on February 5, 2016
Posted in: Opinion. 15 Comments

On Feb 4, Apple released updates to FCP X, other Pro Apps, and Pro Video Formats.

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Lots of info on the internets about it… It’s a bug-fix update with a nice new default effect feature. Right click an effect to set it. It will show up as a command with KB Shortcut in the “Edit” menu. If you’ve modified your KB Commands you may need to manually assign the shortcuts.

defaudiodefvideo

All good right? Fixed the TC dashboard graphic glitch and other bugs, improved SAN performance, added support for more codecs, and who knows what else they tweaked under the hood. For many of us who use X, a solid update making an already stable app more stable. For many others… well, here’s a sample:

“This is just another lame bug fix update with virtually no new features.”

“…the updates are just bug fixes and tiny winny inovations.”

“But multiple YT accounts? Really?”

“Does anyone else think it is time to get worried about the FCPX update situation?”

And of course… the new refrain, mostly from disillusioned FCP 7 users dabbling in FCP X (news flash! FCP 7 is never coming back, get over it!):

“X does indeed need to start trying to keep up with Premiere.”

I’d like to respectfully (lol hahaha) address these comments in general. First of all, if you just don’t like FCP X, that’s fine. And if you use FCP X but for some odd reason think Premiere is better and more feature rich (it isn’t) then there’s one simple solution… Stop using FCP X and switch to Premiere.🙂

I use Premiere and FCP X every day. I know them both in and out. Premiere is fine, but for me, FCP X runs circles around it. I actually keep X open with a mirror of what I’m cutting in Premiere just so I can find things quicker, audition sfx easier, make better titles, etc etc…  Yes, there are more random features bolted onto Premiere. And, if you absolutely need those features, then use Premiere or whatever NLE has the stuff you need.

I’m not implying that asking for additional FCP X features is a bad thing, it isn’t. There are lots of ways in which X could be improved. What I really don’t understand is this widespread perception that Apple doesn’t care about FCP X because… There’s no mixer! It doesn’t do OMF! (really? OMF?!? from the 90’s?), or [INSERT ARCANE FEATURE FROM FCP 7 HERE] isn’t built in! Things change, if you want everything to stay just as it was you have plenty of options.

crying_baby_leo_562572

There is virtually nothing that I, as a “high end professional editor” (and I use that term very loosely) can’t do in X, or bolt on with an awesome 3’rd party plugin. Apple sells X into a lot of markets, how many people you think need EDL’s? How many need AAF export? Why should Apple waste their time with that stuff for a tiny percentage of users when 3’rd parties do it better than the built in solutions in other NLE’s? If you’re a “pro” and need things, you pay for them. Boo Hoo.

If you like FCP X, and want it to be “taken seriously” in [LA, NY, LONDON etc] then stop apologizing for it. Use it. Show people what it can do. Like everyone who uses X at the “high end”, I’m in the minority. I need to use other NLE’s, so I do, but I don’t apologize or make excuses for the fact that I think X is better. I try to demonstrate why I feel that way.

And then, inevitably… every time there’s an update to X, some people who use it find more things to complain about than the people who don’t use it. It’s like they’re saying  “I really like X!, why is Premiere so much better?”  [Ed. Note: it’s not.] Huh?!? Insanity.

Look, if there’s a feature you need for a gig that X lacks, request it. If it’s really a deal breaker, don’t complain about it, just use whatever NLE works.

If you want X to do things just like you used to do in FCP 7… then please, switch to Premiere or MC, they’re everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

Apple is kicking ass with X, many of the “new features” in other NLE’s are just lame attempts at copying Apple anyway. Hover Scrub?? Live transparent waveforms?? Optical flow?? Auto-shift overlaps in Trim Mode?? All basic FCP X functions. You want the half baked copy? Use it. But whatever you do… stop fucking whining. It’s really annoying and counterproductive.

Me, I’ll just keep using X, requesting improvements, and looking forward to the next feature update. It should be a good one!

Saving?! We Don’t Need No Stinking Saving!

Posted by Charlie on January 4, 2016
Posted in: Opinion, Uncategorized. Tagged: . 1 Comment

Oh, hey… Happy New Year and all that! 🙂 Just wanted to say a quick word about maybe the least talked about advantage of FCP X… that being the fact that there is no need to “save” your work. Ever. This was brought to mind by this tweet:

Screen Shot 2016-01-04 at 3.00.23 PM

To which I responded:

xcrashlol

In all seriousness though… The fact that you never need to  “save” in FCP X is an amazing feature. First of all, FCP X is very stable, but like any app it hangs or crashes once in a while. And because I’m not insane, I run backup apps to supplement the built in backups. But only once in the 3 years I’ve been cutting in X have I needed to restore a project. Once. In 3 years of pretty much daily use.

In other NLE’s, a crash is usually a nightmare, you all know the feeling. It sucks. But if X crashes, or hangs or the power goes out… It doesn’t matter. Restart X, pick up right where you left off. I’ve had the power go out right after making a cut, and that cut was there when I got everything back up.

You can debate the merits of FCP X all you want, but never worrying about saving may be, psychologically anyway, the biggest advantage of them all. 🙂

For Fuc*s Sake…

Posted by Charlie on December 14, 2015
Posted in: Opinion. Tagged: . 6 Comments

A couple days ago, Apple posted a job opening for an Assistant Editor to work in the Beats marketing dept. The skill set required included Premiere, Avid, ProTools, and Resolve. No mention of FCP X or Logic.

Now, as this is for a position at Beats (Apple owned but a separate division) it’s likely they have an existing workflow using these apps, and for all we know they use PC’s too. Not the most PR aware thing in the world for Apple to do, but… whatever. Hell, I seriously doubt iCloud runs on Apple hardware, and it’s likely many Apple commercials are not cut using Apple software. Like Beats, the agencies they hire use whatever they use. But unlike Beats, they’re not owned by Apple, so their jobs aren’t posted on the corporate job board.

However, someone – who apparently isn’t a fan of FCP X – picked up on this, and then posted an article on The Verge with the clickbait title “Even Apple doesn’t want to use Final Cut Pro X”. It worked, the article is now linked to or referenced by everyone who ever had a problem with FCP X. It’s on anti-X websites/pages, it’s on pro-X websites and pages. And once again, the morons are out in force gleefully braying:

donkey2

They’re just making sure they get a real editor not a wedding editor. Haha

Hahaaaa, if this wasn’t proof enough!

The best part about this advert is how all the FCPX fanboys are losing their shit saying it doesn’t matter. Yet every time FCPX is used for a TV show/feature “FCPX is amazing”.

OK, first off, the “wedding editor” insult really needs to be retired. I’ve seen wedding videos that make some feature films I’ve seen look like crap. Second, the fact that Beats is hiring an editor in Culver City doesn’t in any way reflect on what software “Apple” does or doesn’t want to use.

It seems to me that the majority of the vehement FCP X hate comes from former, or current, FCP “Classic” users who have some sort of weird psychological abandonment issues with Apple. I’m not talking about people who just don’t like X, or for whom X isn’t a good workflow fit, there are perfectly valid not to use any NLE. No, I’m talking about people who either tried X once 4 years ago, or who have never used it, and revel in every bit of opinion they can find to use as confirmation bias.

I know things like this are meaningless, and I suppose by even writing this post, I’m feeding the fire. But I work in a world where people have a real hard time accepting FCP X. Not for any serious technical reasons, but because they keep hearing crap like this and giving it credence. And for the record, I do think Apple needs to figure out a better PR approach for their pro apps.

But, just in case you were wondering… the people who take pleasure in spouting this nonsense, including whoever wrote this Verge “article”, have no idea what the fuck they are talking about.