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Final Cut Express 4.0

Camera recognition

Written by NK from pottsville beach

Jan 23, 2009

I use the old sony mini dv cameras for my work and find this program doesn't pick up some of the later models, Also, some time the program refuses to let me put in an editing effect in some places without a lot of mucking around. Otherwise a good product for a novice like me and at least me computer doesn't crash like it use to with windows.

35 of 48 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Destuction of work flow

Written by JB from Battle Creek

Dec 26, 2008

Wow,you cant even make the slightest move without waiting a hour to move to the next.This is how you make a movie in FCE.Add a video effect/filter,take a shower...it should be done now.Add another filter and move some clips around,then go to the store and do your grocery shopping.FCE should be ready when you get back.Play with some more effects,then go see your girlfriend or whatever.This way your not the only one getting screwed.I could make a whole movie in Imovie in the time it would take to edit and arrange 10 sec in fce.It does seem to be a powerful program,but whats the use if it takes a month to do a 5 min video.Im not a person that just pieces clips together,I am a mad man with effects and filters.And this app here just destroys my creative work flow.

60 of 113 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Powerful, but doesn't work as advertised...

Written by MH from Anchorage

Nov 16, 2008

I purchased FCE in an effort to learn more about video editing, and to have some fun with family home movies/motorsport videography. It is a powerful application, and appears like it will do most anything you might want in terms of editing. However, it will most likely NOT work with your home video camera without having to purchase additional software (MPEG-2). In my opinion, if I pay $200 for an application that says it will import from your digital video camera, it should work straight from the box. Since MPEG codecs are an industry standard, a consumer shouldn't have to purchase more software to make an application like FCE work. Buy FCE with this in mind.

79 of 90 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Time to upgrade

Written by AJ from Billings

Jul 28, 2008

Don't spend the money on FCE. Just go all out and get Final Cut Pro. It's got so many more options and little things that make all the better. If you are native to iMovie '08 then I'll just warn you right now that this is an actual editing program and not some funky compilation thing. I can't stand the new iMovie and if you think that's what you're getting into with this then you're dead wrong.

36 of 56 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

A Definite Disappointment

Written by DB from Wichita Falls

May 11, 2008

Having been a fan of Express since version 2.0, I have to say that 4.0 is definitely a downgrade from version 3.5. It is great for what it does but the loss of several functions and menu items from 3.5 is at best inconvenient. I guess Apple has accomplished what it probably wanted to do and that is make Express less an alternative for Final Cut Pro. In any case, I will be moving to Final Cut Studio 2.
I will say that Express 4.0 is a good choice if you have not used any previous versions and want to go beyond a program like iMovie.

214 of 299 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Pretty decent program

Written by KK from New York

Mar 27, 2008

Overall, FCE is much like FCP minus a few extras.

For new users, a fair amount of time will be spent learning FCE. What Apple did was facilitate "ease" by making it mesh with the dreadful Imovie 08. Trading files between the two programs is somewhat simple, but really redundant. It’s far easier to capture footage straight to FCE vs. Imistake 08.

The weird stuff is:
• FCE cannot share files with Imovie 06! Bummer.
• The converting of non-FCE files can become a long process. I had some Quicktime files which took hours / days (?) to render! Mind you, the clip was only 4 minutes long.

In summary, it's a useful tool ; the creative options it gives you to manipulate both video and audio are terrific, but only as useful as the time you are willing to put learning FCE.

154 of 260 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

Not worth the upgrade

Written by WS from Devon

Mar 20, 2008

I recently upgraded from final cut express 3 on a powerbook to fce 4 on a macbook pro. i was looking forward to new features etc but was somewhat disappointed.

First off, say goodbye to soundtrack. they got rid of it. THIS IS NOT GOOD. i was angry to find out that i had to do all of my audio editing directly in final cut. not cool.

also, livetype is a little watered down. it can do all the same stuff but some of the templates, livefonts, and objects/textures are gone

all in all im not too pleased.

on the other hand, editing with multiple formats is excellent. it has saved me a lot of converting. definitely a plus, but still would recommend final cut studio 2 for those who know how to use it and can afford it.

221 of 316 people found this useful

Final Cut Express 4.0

You get what you pay for!

Written by RK from Poughkeepsie

Jan 21, 2008

Don't get me wrong. This is a great editing program and the perfect step up from iMovie. The $100 price drop makes it even more accessible to the masses. But beware that this version of final cut does not come with Soundtrack, the audio editing software packaged with prior versions. Aside from the addition of support for AVCHD and a few more filters, there is nothing that this version offers that final cut express 3.5 does not. If you don't desperately need these features, my advise is to find an older version of final cut express that will cost the same but still has soundtrack. It is a better buy.

286 of 360 people found this useful