Final Cut Pro X Information & Resources 8

Resources

The Empire Strikes Back
Apple comes out, sort-of swinging with an FAQ of their own answering several questions. Some of the answers are no [Can I import projects from Final Cut Pro 7 into Final Cut Pro X?] and some of them are "support coming":

Does Final Cut Pro X allow you to assign audio tracks for export?
Not yet. An update this summer will allow you to use metadata tags to categorize your audio clips by type and export them directly from Final Cut Pro X.

Can Final Cut Pro X export XML?
Not yet, but we know how important XML export is to our developers and our users, and we expect to add this functionality to Final Cut Pro X. We will release a set of APIs in the next few weeks so that third-party developers can access the next-generation XML in Final Cut Pro X.

They also note that Volume Licensing will be "available soon."
Apple: Answers to your Final Cut Pro X Questions



50 Pro Features
Apple also wants you to know that Final Cut Pro X has at least 50 "top pro features":
Apple: Final Cut Pro X. Built from the ground up for pro video editors



Tips & Tutorials

Rendering Less - Saving Disk Space
Richard Harrington provides a tip on how to adjust rendering settings in Final Cut Pro X to both reduce rendering and save disk space.
RichardHarrington: How to Render Less in FCPX



XDCAM Workflow
A tutorial showing the workflow for XDCAM in FCPX.
Vimeo: Sony XDCAM and FCPX Workflow



Should You Switch?

Should You Switch to Final Cut Pro X?
Regina McCombs tries to answer the question; should you upgrade?

After talking to a number of folks who’ve played with the software pretty extensively, my advice is to wait. Things might get better. If you can’t wait, or are still confused about whether you’ll update, here’s a short list of reasons you may or may not want to switch.

Poynter: Decision-making guide: Should you upgrade to new Final Cut Pro X editing software?



Switching Away from FCPX
Walter Biscardi - who had already announced his switch to Premiere - isn't swayed by Apple's FAQ:

More than anything else, that [no support for FCP7 projects] is the complete deal breaker for us and confirms what some very smart people have been telling me all along. In our production workflow we refer back to projects 4 to 6 years old with a need to revise, pull elements from or sometimes complete re-cut using the original elements. While FCP X can access the media, it cannot access the original sequences and project organization.

BiscardiCreative: Apple “X” FAQs, confirmation our move away is the right one



Calm Down
Mike at Eurekamatic thinks everyone needs to calm down. Besides, he doesn't really need the features Apple left out:

Can’t send my mix to Protools or Color. – I don’t understand as I do my show mastering in FCP. Always have. I know your head just popped but thats how my group does it. Even the stuff I won an Emmy for. I cut that whole show on a core 2 duo laptop in final cut and only when to a desktop to export. Stop whining.

Eurekamatic: Hey Editors. Switch to Decaf



Maybe a Review will Help
Oscar at Rivaucci Digital Media posts a review of Final Cut Pro X, based on using it to edit a project over the past week. He compares features and functionality with FCP7, giving each a win or loss for each of six categories. FCP7 won three - with one a tie, and FCPX won two.

Overall, I believe that Apple missed the mark a little bit, even though I think that FCPX is a good program, the lack of features that were previously available for us professionals on previous versions outweigh the innovations.

Rivaucci: FCPX First Week Review



Innovative, Not Ready for Prime Time
Jan Ozer provides an in-depth review of FCPX, and concludes:

If this product was released by some unknown Silicon Valley startup, and judged solely on its merits, it would be an innovative release that competes well with most consumer programs, but has some critical feature gaps for even prosumer use. Released as iMovie Pro, as perhaps it should have been, the program would be a fantastic upgrade, if a bit overpriced.

As a replacement for Final Cut Pro 7 or Premiere Pro in its 1.0 state? Fuhgetaboutit.

OnLinevideo: Apple Final Cut Pro X Reviewed: Not Ready for Professionals



The Real Question
Ron Brinkman was involved with Shake both pre and post acquisition by Apple, and he's posted his opinion of how professionals should view Apple as a software provider:

Apple isn’t about a few people in Hollywood having done something cool on a Mac (and then maybe allowing Apple to talk about it). No, Apple is about thousands and thousands of people having done something cool on their own Mac and then wanting to tell everyone about it themselves. It’s become a buzzword but I’ll use it anyway – viral marketing.
[...]
See, here’s the thing with how features happen at Apple to a great extent – product development is often driven by how well things can be demoed. Maybe not explicitly – nobody ever told me to only design features that demoed well – but the nature of the organization effectively makes it work out that way.

DigitalComposting: X vs. Pro