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; over a hundred 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 Recent Reviews
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Final Cut Express 4.0
AMAZING!!!!
Written by MH from Broomfield
Jun 14, 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 …Read moreplaying 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!
(3 of 4 people found this review useful)
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Don't bother
Written by AS from Perth
Jun 4, 2009
This would be great if it actually worked.
I bought it, installed it, and have had it spontaneously quit and perform unprogrammed …Read more 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.(38 of 89 people found this review useful)
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Very powerful video editing software, Worth every penny!
Written by JR from Williston
May 27, 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 ge…Read moret 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.
(61 of 72 people found this review useful)
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Most Useful Reviews
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Say goodbye to extras
Written by JR from Nashville
Dec 3, 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 …Read morebecause 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.(3321 of 4163 people found this review useful)
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Final Cut Express 4.0
I'm Not Sure About This...
Written by AS from Centennial
Nov 15, 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, un…Read morelike 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.
(1721 of 2548 people found this review useful)
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Amazing!!!
Written by MS from Escondido
Nov 15, 2007
What a fantastic upgrade for Final Cut Express. Support for AVC HD and multiple formats in the timeline along with the new video e…Read moreffects 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!
(1593 of 2306 people found this review useful)
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