Final Cut Express 4.0
Now you can edit like a pro with Final Cut Express 4. Start by capturing DV, HDV and AVCHD footage or import your movie from iMovie ’08 — and discover the advanced moviemaking power at your disposal in the new, open format Timeline. Ready for still more? Add dynamic titles and graphics using LiveType. Final Cut Express 4 delivers all the tools you need to make great movies.
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Overview
Advance your moviemaking.
Work with DV, HDV, or AVCHD footage — or all three — in a single Timeline, sculpting your video quickly and precisely using pro-level editing and trimming tools. Final Cut Express 4 supports a virtually unlimited number of video tracks, lets you add amazing real-time special effects and transitions, and provides powerful color correction and matting tools.
Take the next creative step.
Send your iMovie '08 projects to Final Cut Express 4. Then take advantage of its additional creative options — professional editing tools; the new, open format timeline; hundreds of real-time effects and transitions; animated titles; and multiple video and audio tracks — to create more sophisticated projects.
Add dazzling titles.
Quickly and easily create dynamic, animated titles for your next video project using LiveType 2.1 and its revolutionary LiveFont animated font technology. Tight integration means that when you make a change, LiveType projects automatically update in Final Cut Express 4.
Mix sound effects and voiceovers.
Mix up to 99 audio tracks in your movie, and further enhance your audio with real-time volume and audio filter adjustments. For documentary-style projects, use the voiceover tool to record narration in an audio track while your video plays.
Share your movies.
Author a DVD using iDVD, export your movie in QuickTime for your website, or send it back to your camcorder or deck for a fast connection to your HDTV home theater system.
What's New in Final Cut Express 4
- • Ability to import iMovie '08 projects
- • Editing of AVCHD, HDV and DV — NTSC and PAL — in a single Timeline
- • AVCHD support (Intel-based Mac computers only)
- • Support for FxPlug third-party plug-ins
What Comes with LiveType 2.1
- • More than 200 customizable text effects
- • 500MB of royalty-free animated content
- • Sophisticated project templates
- • FontMaker utility for creating custom LiveFonts
What's in the box
- • DVD containing Final Cut Express 4, LiveType 2, and LiveType content
- • Electronic documentation
System Requirements
- • A Mac computer with a 1.25GHz or faster PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, Intel Core Duo, Intel Core Duo 2, or Intel Xeon processor
- - For AVCHD: A Mac computer with an Intel processor
- • 1GB of RAM or more
- • An AGP or PCI Express graphics card compatible with Quartz Extreme; or an Intel GMA integrated graphics processor in a MacBook or Mac mini computer
- - Some FxPlug filters are not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors.
- • A display with 1024-by-768 resolution or higher
- • A DVD drive for installation
- • Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later
- • QuickTime 7.2 or later
- • 500MB of disk space to install Final Cut Express and LiveType
- • Additional 500MB to install LiveType content
* Upgrade information: Requires a previous commercial version of Final Cut Express (version 1, 2, 3, or HD 3.5) for installation. Academic and not-for-resale versions are not eligible for this upgrade.
Most Useful Reviews
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Say goodbye to extras
Written by JR from Nashville
4/12/2007
For those who are looking to purchase FCE 4 because they have "outgrown" iMovie, think twice before you jump. I was drawn to FCE because I have been able to use friends' prior version of FCE -- which contained a music application called Soundtrack and contained loads of music and loops -- well beyond that contained in Garageband. The prior version of FCE also provided a plethora of extra content for LiveType, which is a fun application for animating text.
What Apple does not say on their web page is that the FCE 4 "upgrade" is actually a downgrade. Soundtrack is gone, and so are almost all the LiveType extras. So for a $100 price cut, Apple has taken out $200 worth of extras. …More3732 of 4639 people found this useful
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Final Cut Express 4.0
I'm Not Sure About This...
Written by AS from Centennial
16/11/2007
I love Final Cut Express HD, but I am not sure if there are large benefits to upgrading to FCE 4. The changes seem very small, unlike the upgrade to the HD version. I will be very interested to hear what others think, especially those that upgrade from HD. **I will say that if you are thinking about learning FCE and don't own it already, it is an amazing program and well worth your time to learn. It is an exceptional value at $199 for a new user. …More
1816 of 2683 people found this useful
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Amazing!!!
Written by MS from Escondido
16/11/2007
What a fantastic upgrade for Final Cut Express. Support for AVC HD and multiple formats in the timeline along with the new video effects are great new additions to Final Cut Express, and at only $199! I will say, its a shame that not all the effects are compatible with Intel graphics chips; but that doesn't mean Final Cut is bad, just that you have a poor graphics card. I still wish I could have had and NVidia GPU in my MacBook. At any rate, this looks like a great buy. Anyone who does any editing on a Mac whatsoever should get Final Cut Express 4!
…More1685 of 2429 people found this useful
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Most Recent Reviews
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Perfect software
Written by AN from London
27/09/2009
At this price you will get a full featured editing software. Compared to PRO, you have ALL the tools, filters and possibilities you need as serious amateur or aspiring filmmaker. If you don't use multicam setups, XDCAM or other pro formats you will never need FC Pro.
Oh, and by the way the review written by EK earlier is totally inappropriate. FCE does handle AVCHD in FULL HD size. Learn to use the software, dude. …More15 of 15 people found this useful
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Final Cut Express 4.0
FCE4
Written by DM from Clevedon
23/09/2009
I am a complete amateur/novice.
Having invested in 3 PCs and countless hours on helplines- all ending up with programme stability and driver compatability issues, started over from scratch with Mac.
After 2 succesful attempts with imovie, felt the need for a metered timeline. Viisted an apple store to check compatabilty with my camera & purchased FCE4. Used the online tutorials and the occasional forum to get me through the sharp learning curve.
First project entailed downloading from Mini HDV & DV tape (Canon HD10) Direct from Sony TG7. VHS & Beta through an analogue converter and mixing in Quick Time movies - all within the same project.
Export for archiving to external hard drive & Mini dv tape. Burning to DVD for current use as well as ipod & Youtube.
FCE4 has enabled me to edit film clips, sound tracks and titling with much greater accuracy & precisicion than imovie and allows me to develop technical ability at my own pace. …More7 of 7 people found this useful
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Excellent (except for the output options )
Written by TC from bracknell
10/08/2009
FCE 4 is brilliant stuff. Very stable. You do not need to understand all of it to make it work well as there are several ways to do any task. Once you have moved up from i-Movie you will not wish to return. Imports AVCHD fine from my Panasonic HCD SD 200. However as this camera will not record other than 'through its lens' ( hardly the fault of FCE !! ) you have to go through the tortuous process of burning back to DVD, which for HD is a lengthy task! If FCE would go direct to DVD it would be 'smoother'. FCE also strips off the Dolby 5.1 ( But am I bovvered?? ) The Full screen cinema playback is a good feature not featured on earlier FCE versions. If you are thinking of moving into HD camera may be a good idea to get a DV tape model with firewire whilst they exist !!!! …More
23 of 27 people found this useful
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Questions & Answers
Most Interesting
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If I want to work with the Green-screen effect, would that program come with this Final Cut Express Package
- Asked by ZR from Denver
- 7/10/2009
Best Answer
You don't even need that.
if you wanna do it really simple all you need to do is use iMovie '09
that should have it. unless you wanna get really technical, but it's your choice …More- Answered by LH from Vista
- 10/10/2009
- 4 of 6 people found this useful
- 1 more answer
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I'm having trouble with poor video quality from iMovie. Will Final Cut Express be any better?
- Asked by BW from Gladwyne
- 11/10/2009
Best Answer
...sorta.
It depends on what you mean by video quality, and it depends on how you view or export your movies.
FCE has more tools for tweaking your videos, so you might get more "viewability" by adjusting your video. FCE also allows you more export options... it supports raw DV export and can also read back your video onto a MiniDV tape or back to your camera at full quality, iMovie 09 can not.
However, the primary measure of video quality will always be the camera you are shooting with (and your microphone). Exporting video from iMovie 09 can, indeed, reduce quality... in my opinion, the designers of the program crippled it a little bit. But that won't make any difference for a YouTube video, or even for the videos you burn to DVD, in most cases.
End result: If you're just making basic movies, in most situations FCE will not improve video quality and you should save your money for a new HD camera. …More- Answered by DB from Colchester
- 12/10/2009
- 12 of 15 people found this useful
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Can iMovie 09, or Final Cut Express 4.0 import AVI files?
- Asked by BJ from Geraldton
- 5/10/2009
Best Answer
Yes, you can import AVI by using iMovie 09, I do not have FCE 4.0 but I would say it should also works. …More
- Answered by KC from Sydney
- 6/10/2009
- 5 of 6 people found this useful
Most Recent
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Want to make music videos that show animated lyrics as the music plays (rotating text, flying text etc) can final cut express do this?
- Asked by WB from Glenrothes
- 5/11/2009
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Can either I movie, i dvd or Final Cut express import off a dvd?
- Asked by RD from Van Nuys
- 4/11/2009
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Loss of picture quality from DV to iMovie 09, will this software work better?
- Asked by RS from Hampstead
- 3/11/2009
