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Final Cut Express 4.0

The Coolest Software

Written by CS from Marshfield

15/11/2009

i just bought final cut express for my new macbook pro and i love it a lot so far i've done a lot of my high school projects with it for high school digital media and hope to use it in college too!!!!

15 of 22 people found this useful

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.

38 of 38 people found this useful

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.

25 of 26 people found this useful

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 !!!!

31 of 35 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

No 24FPS

Written by MM from Burnaby

28/07/2009

FCE is great, only that you should know it doesn't support 24FPS.

It just doesn't.

300 of 376 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Misinformed, erroneous review

Written by TW from Boynton Beach

22/07/2009

The information in this review

Written by EK
02-Mar-2009

is incorrect. AVCHD 1920x1080 material is NOT converted to 1440x1080. It is maintained as 1920. It is converted to the Apple Intermediate Codec but the data rate is not 14Mbps but closer to 100Mbps.

The information about the Canon camera is also largely misleading as Canon has made a non-standard format all of its own that uses a non-standard frame rate using a delivery codec not a production. No editing system edits it without processing.

FCE is designed for editing the consumer formats DV, HDV, and AVCHD. Its capabilities are those of a professional editing application for a small fraction of the price. For editing these formats it gives the best price to performance ratio of anything currently available.

31 of 32 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Great! Just no Flip Video Support

Written by NK from New Rochelle

14/07/2009

I bought this and I love it! But there is one flaw. That is that I have a Flip Mino and you cant import it via FCE you are gonna have to go into the DVIX folder on the Flip and then copy it to another folder than import it from there. You can import it from the camera as if it was on your hard drive but your flip has to be connected to edit.Over all I would say to buy it and if you have a flip Just do what did as described above use the DVIX folder.

95 of 132 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Put in effort to get the rewards

Written by FD

13/07/2009

Having changed from PC to Mac a few months ago, I had to decide which NLE software package I would use to edit my (mostly windsurf action / road trips) videos. On the PC I used Adobe Premiere Elements, which I found very user-friendly and provided sufficient possibilities for the stuff I was doing. Of course, this package is not available for Mac (only the Pro version, which I considered too expensive and probably too complex). Putting Windows on my Mac was no option for me, as you lose the possibility to share media in between different programs.

A lot of reviews of the FCE software were quite negative, which made me doubt to actually buy it, but as some reviewers recommended, I bought a proper training book (Diana Weyand, Apple Pro Training Series) when I decided to get FCE.

After I finished the book and it's exercises my conclusions is: What a great NLE software package is FCE! It offers so many more options and control over your editing and yes, it's not as intuitive as some other Apple programs, but this is professional grade stuff.

I highly recommend this to anyone who's made editing into a serious hobby / professionals on a budget and DO get some sort of training right at the start to avoid any frustrations.

240 of 260 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

I'm A Pro Now

Written by EL from westlake

11/07/2009

I am the school computer geek and have been making movies for my school.I was so great to jump from imovie to final cut.I love the overall look of it and it is fun and easy to edit with. Because of final cut in the professional world,I now want to be an editor.
Keep It Up Apple!

38 of 52 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

It's Good

Written by EM

11/07/2009

It's a profesional and good program. Much better than iMovie and Adobe premiere Element

23 of 36 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

AMAZING!!!!

Written by MH from Broomfield

15/06/2009

This product is amazing. I like iMovie 09, but I wanted a program that would give me more editing freedom. After a few hours of playing with the software, I have learned most of the basic features ... this is a VERY powerful program. If you liked iMovie HD, you will LOVE this software. Don't let the other negative reviews steer you away from purchasing this software. Most of the reviews are negative simply because the person could not figure out how to use the software. If you have a couple hours to spend looking at Apples online tutorials, you will easily get the hang of this great editing tool!

74 of 79 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Don't bother

Written by AS from Perth

4/06/2009

This would be great if it actually worked.
I bought it, installed it, and have had it spontaneously quit and perform unprogrammed and uninitiated edits a dozen times already. This is no exaggeration.
The program looks fantastic, but so far does not deliver any of the useful features and editing control I bought it for.
If you want to upgrade from imovie '09 wait for version 5 or go back to version 3.
I am most severely disappointed with apple for the first time ever.

63 of 165 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Good for amateurs

Written by ES from Christchurch

31/05/2009

If you spend a lot of time perfecting your imovie edits then this it for you. It runs great on my 2.0 ghz mac book with 2gb of ram, but if you want to edit large videos (several hours) you may want a larger HDD for the renders.

The Keyframe features are great and the way everything is keyframeable gives you limitless possibilities. My one annoyance is that it doesn't have image stabilization, seeing amateur video would be a bit shaky no?

its best if you can get a camera which works with the software without converting so have a look at the compatibility list in the support section.

I picked up the software very quickly, and i now find it as easy as breathing.

5/5

3 of 6 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Very powerful video editing software, Worth every penny!

Written by JR from Williston

27/05/2009

I was originally going to upgrade to imovie 09, but for about $100 more I chose to go with FCE. At first I thought, "what did I get myself into" it is a little discouraging at first. But once you get the basics down, you will learn very quick. It is a pro app in my opinion. You are only limited by your imagination. I used to use microsoft movie, and this blows it out of the water. Get it, you'll be glad you did in the long run. Cause you can grow into this software. make your videos look professional with FCE. Go out and get it.

97 of 113 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Great Product!

Written by SM from Acton

19/05/2009

I bought a macbook with final cut express 4 and it took me about 2 days to get used to it. I had been using Adobe Premeire Elements, but final cut works like a dream, it recognized my firewire the first time around. It is such a compatible interface, although if you have movie files from final cut pro the codec isn't the same, but other than that, I highly recommend this product for editors on a budget or for people who make good edits for youtube. Get IT!

75 of 82 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Professional Looking, and Moderately Easy to use.

Written by LY from Pinehurst

18/05/2009

I go this just a couple of days ago, and I am already starting to get the hang of it. I've been reading some reviews saying it is too hard to use, and harder than imovie. Well, imovie is not for professional film editing. This program does take a bit of time to get the hang of, but after you do, you will love the way your movies look!

30 of 35 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

FIVE STARS

Written by KE from YPSILANTI

25/04/2009

Great software Final Cut Express is all that and more plus live type, And for the price you can't beat it. If you are into video's Final Cut Express is your soft ware.

33 of 43 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

It's good and it is a tool

Written by JA from NIJMEGEN

24/04/2009

Steep learning curve ahead. You can make great movies with it. Software has some quirks. HD editing on a mac mini with firewire works very well. Program plays nice with resources. De-interlacing is a problem. Less then perfect with HDV. General advice, not for novices unless you are willing to invest time and effort.

41 of 44 people found this useful