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Final Cut Express 4.0

Good product slightly stripped down from previous versions

Written by SW from Republic

Nov 28, 2007

I had previous version on an old G5 which I am pleased with new options and price. I just wish they wouldn't have taken some of things away in Livetype and not offer soundtrack like previous versions. Can't complain to much again worth the money. Users manual for product talks of a few livefonts that are not included in software. If they are I have not been able to find them. Best video editing program you can find for the money no doubt.

134 of 186 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Many Issues

Written by MP from Columbus

Nov 27, 2007

1. Forget about having FCHD4 import your AVCHD files from the SD card reader (as iMovie 08 does). This turkey actually makes you connect your camcorder to the computer with a FireWire cable and capture the files old school style. Who engineered that? Isn't that the whole point of using AVCHD and SD cards for video.

2. Typical of most recent Apple software where 1.0 translates to "paid beta", I have to delete the FCHD4 preferences file every time I launch the application or it won't launch. Amazing.

3. Worst of all, the two features above ("real" AVCHD support and new-version-stability) are how I convinced my self to upgrade to the meager bundle of new features in FCHD4. Given the $100 price and the failure to deliver on Apple's part, this is easily my worst software purchase this year.

Beware!

301 of 419 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Amazing

Written by SP from Baton Rouge

Nov 25, 2007

At first, I was overwhelmed by the options and effects available. But it's so easy to put together a high quality video. I had to create a commercial for one of my classes, and it only took a few hours. I highly recommend this.

131 of 189 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Taken the plunge..

Written by FP from Montreal

Nov 24, 2007

and purchased FCeX 4. I'm wanting to learn more on video editing than what iMovie offers and, while being quite honest in saying that it is daunting, I'm already learning how powerful this software is and can be. Only bother is an esthetic one: the controls have a pre-OSXish look and feel to them but in no way are their functionality affected. I've read in Discussions that FCeX 3.5 came with a tutorial DVD. if this is the case it would have been nice for it to be included in this package too.
Finally I find it a shame for some to have knocked FCeX' rating because they neglected to carefully read the requirements prior to purchase.

123 of 162 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Unbelievable!

Written by KB from Mechanicsburg

Nov 20, 2007

If you have an AVCHD camcorder, this new version is a dream come true. Over the past year I had a DV cam and Final Cut Express HD (3.5) and honestly did very, very little editing. Not that 3.5 wasn't good, but the work of capturing tapes is tedious, particularly when you shoot a lot of video.

I bought a new Sony AVCHD Hard drive based cam last week and got Final Cut Express 4 today. Now I can shoot, import, edit and output in minutes (literally). Couldn't be faster or easier. I'm one of those who love iMovie '08 as a great whole-family solution and while the integration with it is great, Final Cut Express 4.0 is so fast and easy, I find it faster to just skip iMovie.

AVCHD and Final Cut Express 4 is a quantum leap in video production. The only two drawbacks are: 1) My MacBook Pro 2.33Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo w/ 2GB Ram slows down quite a bit when running 4.0. 2) Super effiecient AVCHD files bloat up to 10X their native size when imported to the necessary Apple Intermediate Codec.

Basically, you need some horsepower and lots of HD space.

I went from having to 'force myself' to plow through a project to not being able to stop playing. Great job Apple!

446 of 579 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Amazing Product

Written by MY from Lancaster

Nov 18, 2007

If you are looking for a very professional way to edit your videos, this is it. Many features, which I thought would be hard to remember, but it is layed out perfectly!

An amazing buy!

Beats out Magix for PC

165 of 231 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Looks like a nice upgrade - if only it would work with my G5 PPC!

Written by JM from Albuquerque

Nov 18, 2007

I bought a Canon HG10 as a gift to my wife. I also bought FCE 4, but didn't notice that AVCHD OPERATION ONLY WORKS WITH AN INTEL-BASED MAC.

I have a G5 Quad (4 2.5GGz cores) which is only about 19 months old. Now I learn I can't use it and FCE4 with the Canon in HD mode.

Bah Humbug!

156 of 231 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Victor Gonzalez

Written by VG

Nov 15, 2007

This Software is great!

78 of 350 people found this useful

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 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!

1695 of 2439 people found this useful

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, 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.

1826 of 2694 people found this useful