Avid or Adobe?

An informal survey: What do you think is the best software choice to continue doing small-budget pro video editing on my sweet 2011 MBP?

Zebulun wrote:
Why not use all the tools from the Big A's?  I've been working in TV Land for decades now and I can't remember a time when the price to enter and buy the necessary tools has ever been cheaper. 
Yes, great prices now! I'm leaning toward Avid Media Composer, which would tie in with my ProTools work, and maybe open up some opportunities for the future.
Zebulun wrote:
I think the biggest problem for you, as a Shake user, is finding another compositor as who knows how much longer our old friend, Shake, will run on the Mac os.
Shake works great on Snow Leopard. It's an incredible app, and ties in well with my real-time work in Jitter, which is also node-based. If Lion breaks it, then I'll just have to stay in Snow Leopard Land until I can afford Nuke.
BTW, if you can figure out a way to get a .edu email address, Autodesk Smoke offers a 3-year free demo!
Although Final Cut X represents another step away from Apple's involvement in the pro community, I still love my iPhone!

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  • Start to Finish in Premiere CS6

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    Jon

    Hi there David,
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    First of all, downloading the App- Brorsoft MXF Converter for Mac
    Overall, the program is a professional yet easy-to-use MXF Converter
    on Mac (Mavericks included) which can not only convert XF100, Canon
    C300, XF105 and XF305, Panasonic P2 recorded MXF files, but also provide
    simple video editing functions for you. The MXF to FCP Converter not
    only can convert MXF to ProRes for FCP, but also can transcode MXF
    videos for editing in Avid MC, Adobe Premiere Pro, iMovie, FCE, etc.
    Just download it and follow the tutorial below to get the work done.
    Transcoding (P2) MXF files to ProRes for Final Cut Pro 6/7/X
    1. Import MXF files to the converter
    Launch the best MXF to FCP Converter, and then click the “add files” button to browse and import MXF videos from your camcorder or hard drive.
    2. Select FCP editable format
    Click the Format bar, and move mouse cursor to choose “Final Cut Pro > Apple ProRes 422 (*.mov)” as output format.
    Tips:
    a. Settings- click to set video
    resolution(1920×1080/1440×1080/1280×720/720×480), bitrate (from 1Mbps to
    20Mbps), frame rate (24p/30p)
    b. Editor (next to “Add” icon)- click to set deinterlace, trim, crop, add effect, attach subtitles, etc
    3. Start transcoding MXF video to FCP
    Click “Convert” button to start converting MXF files to Apple ProRes
    MOV for FCP 6/7/X under Mac OS. Once the MXF to ProRes 422 conversion
    is done, you can transfer MXF footage into Final Cut Pro (X) for editing
    smoothly on Mac with ease.
    Source:How to import MXF files to Final Cut Pro with smooth editing
    [quote] jacknjchn.tumblr.com/post/76914947404/cant-import-mxf-footage-to-fcp-transcoding-mxf-to-fcp [/quote]

    You may refer to this step by step guide on how to convert MXF to Final Cut Pro more supported Apple ProRes or DV at http://www.idealshare.net/imovie-fcp/mxf-final-cut-pro.html
    It also applies to convert MXF to other video or audio format. It even applies to convert other videos like AVCHD, MOD, TOD, AVI, and MPEG etc to FCP format.

  • A tale of two (or rather four) cities/perspectives.

    The amount of conversation that has happened on these boards the last week has been nothing short of amazing. The passion, persistence and sheer love of what people do made it fun to read and watch, even when things would get slightly out of hand. It is why most professionals love what they do -- passion. When people love something, they take ownership of it, even if they had little hand in creating it. A company like Apple engenders a lot of this, because for the most part, it is the way they do business that makes the the perfect choice to use as tools to run our businesses and causes.
    I have watched as diverse opinions, which in many cases came at odds centered around a product that most likely had never seen an ounce of the code, nor know any of the developers that made it come to fruition. Four distinctly different sides (in no particular order): the consumer, prosumer, professional and the apple fan. Each had almost an entirely different point of view, yet each one had their reasons and rights to weigh in on a brand new product.
    Here is the coolest thing about all of this... Most companies would KILL for what has happened here this last week. How many companies truly have products that inspire so much territorial-like protection and social marketing? If this were a product from most other companies, little would be said. But, these are people that live to push their own limits, daring to dream and then pulling out the stops to make it a reality. I have to believe that this is exactly why no matter which side of the FInal Cut Studio argument they are on, each holds a reverence for both the former and the new product. They have let it become part of their lives, either professionally or personally, because it made a difference where other programs have not. This is a testament to just how good Apple can and does building solutions (when it wants to). When Apple does not live up to the level it has gotten us accustomed to, people feel like they lost out on what could have been.
    That all said, here is what I have taken from the last week.
    I was very, very much looking forward to a new pro-offering in the video market. Having seen them slowly let other pro-level programs and solutions fade over the years, I had hoped that this was so that things that Apple has historically been brilliant at come back to their full brilliance. Secretly, I had hopes that Apple was taking everything they had in Final Cut Studio, Shake, Logic and every other Apple talent and wrap it up into something mind-blowingly brilliant.
    As a backup in my mind, I knew that we already had FCS and had hoped that if it did not deliver, at least we would get an upgraded FCS that actually for once took advantage of the hardware Steve and Phil have been telling us we needed as professionals for years. Can you imagine that something like FCS was still unable to utilize the resources of machines released in 2006? So, the idea of at least getting to see workstations utilized was a dream come true. Even if no new features came to the table, we would have a suite we could rely on and really start to flex the muscle of the resources we had invested so much in over the years. Most people think that to be a professional, it just takes buying FCS. In reality, it is thousands of dollars beyond that to get a complete solution, and in most cases, years to integrate and finesse everything to work to the level that when you see a feature film, television show, documentary or commercial, they look the very best they can.
    What may seem like a bunch of whiners is only because we want to deliver our very best and when the toolset that is used is thrown away and the roadmap is blurry, at best, it lease us wondering what to tell our clientele, or how we are going to replace what we have to continue to be competitive in an ever changing environment. Now, imagine you have an entire facility built around that solution, with hundreds of thousands of dollars that was centered around a solution that just was "end-of-lifed." Imagine knowing that you will have to either add to or replace systems and now, you cannot even get the current version of the suite you were sold on as a long-term solution from Apple. Now, try to factor in how you are going to have to slowly find a more long-term solution and know that it cuts money out of the budget for raises, benefits or even outright salaries, just to keep a solution that the business needs for stability.
    I think if you ask the professional on this list, it is not as much about Final Cut Pro X, as much as it is about the way Apple handled it. The complete disregard for selling on an enterprise-level solution, all while knowing that they were going to get out of the professional market altogether. It is a respect and trust issue at stake and not a software, nor even solution-based issue. If this is a move Apple needs to make, be open and honest, so that we have a chance to make smart business decisions that can be long term.
    On the other side of the argument, I think that the prosumer market just got a heck of a nice tool for doing much of what we have built entire solutions to accomplish. They are slowly getting tools to make even the most mundane video project extraordinary. They really are the beneficiaries of the new software, and I look forward to how it inspires our next generations of videographers, motion graphic artists, editors, directors, producers. This definitely will be a tool that will help them.
    Having said that, the way Apple handled the professional market was extremely unprofessional, at best. As a company with such an immense talent pool, resource and technical capabilities, and a marketing arm that rivals almost any company on the planet, I expected them to handle this much, much more appropriately. As professionals, we could not survive if we treated our clientele in this manner, so I am no about to continue to reward them with continued sales for solutions they clearly have little interest in producing. I am also going to remain a little more apprehensive when they come to me showing new large-scale solutions. While companies like Avid and Adobe have their faults, they generally do listen to professionals, and as a reward engender great customers. We also are not afraid to pay for solutions. They respect this (for the most part), whereas Apple thinks that only its opinion need matter. Final Cut was an amazing suite, in many ways because Apple collaborated with some of the best in the industry to make it do what was not just needed, but wanted and dreams about. That is where magic begins.
    Steve, Phil, Randy... You let a lot of us down. You could have had FCS, FCPX and looked brilliant. You did not have to burn the bridges down. Or, if you wanted us to go elsewhere, at least had the respect to give us a head's up and some solutions to ease the transition. Instead, you simply didn't care, and still don't seem to care. Is this how you would like us to look at future Apple solutions? If you are going to abandon those that spend a good portion of income on end-to-end Apple solutions and watch you throw them away, what next is on the chopping block? If you want the respect of businesses, then you need to show businesses respect.

    I haven't tried to find out the cause of this stir, only days after I purchased my home-use FCS/hardware package. If companies are trying to restrict the access to the technology it could only be to give interests like yours time to adjust. I suggest you do so quickly, since people like me now know the capabilities and pricing requirements of the technology, and we don't stand for bogus monopoly in the land of individual liberty.
    However, I suspect Apple feels and acts with the same premises, and I know that's true for all the best companies, so I am looking forward only to the continuation of more and better solutions in the future.

  • My dvds that are made from iDVD will not play in a standard dvd player. Can anyone help me?*

    I am running iDVD v 7.1.2(1158).  I used to be able to make dvds that would play in a standard dvd player.  As of today I cannot.  I do not know what has changed and I do not know what needs to be updated.  Can someone assist me?
    The dvds that I can make will play from a disk image and they can play perfectly fine in a computer but not in a standard dvd player.  I am using an external dvd burner, (The same one  have always used) to create the dvds.  I am using iDVD to author them. 
    Here is a list of my hardware.
    HL-DT-ST DVDRAM GSA-5120D:
      Firmware Revision:          A102
      Interconnect:          USB
      Burn Support:          Yes (Generic Drive Support)
      Profile Path:          None
      Cache:          2048 KB
      Reads DVD:          Yes
      CD-Write:          -R, -RW
      DVD-Write:          -R, -RAM, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
      Write Strategies:          CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
      Media:          To show the available burn speeds, insert a disc and choose View > Refresh
    iDVD:
      Version:          7.1.2
      Last Modified:          7/19/11 8:19 PM
      Kind:          Intel
      64-Bit (Intel):          No
      Get Info String:          iDVD 7.1.2, Copyright © 2001-2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved.
      Location:          /Applications/iDVD.app
    Can anyone help me?  The dvds are not even detected

    • Material used: Video-Codec and Photo file format and Audio file format - matters too. I use
    - Video - StreamingDV .dv or AIC
    - Photos as .jpg (only)
    - Audio as .aiff 16bit 44.1kHz or 48kHz (ONLY - never .mp3 or directly from iTunes - all converted to .aiff first)
    With this I do not mean any setting in iDVD - BUT the raw material used in iMovie / FinalCut / Avid 100 / Adobe Premiere
    As this usually matters - later in iDVD
    How did You Export from Video-editing program used ? I prefer
    • iMovie HD6 - just drop the movie project icon (NOT iMovie Icon - the PROJECT one) over into iDVD big menu window (avoiding - drop-zones as they are for other tasks)
    • iMovie'08 to '11 - Share to MEDIA BROWSER - AND AS MEDIUM - not HD or other resolution as iDVD does a bad downscaling job.
    • iMovie'13 (version 10.0.x) - Share as 480p - Import this into iDVD
    • FinalCut (Pro or Express) - Export as QuickTime .mov - NO QUICKTIME CONVERSION - IMPORTANT
    • Adobe Premiere - I don't know - not tested Yet
    • Avid 100 - I don't know - not tested Yet
    Cleaning the DVD-burner - If it Burns DVDs OK then that's may be not the problem - But if it only burns CDs OK then either the DVD-burning-laser is dirty or broken.
    It is very easy to kill this DVD-laser as it over-heats if one burns several DVDs in a row. I only burn three at a time - then let it cool down for 30 minutes till next batch of three DVDs.
    Yours Bengt W

  • IMovie, Final Cut, Quicktime, online... a different colour in each!

    The same video - Photo Jpeg format from a Panasonic LX3 digital camera - looks different in Final Cut, QuickTime and iMovie.
    The "gamma shift" problems with FCP are well documented and I don't think I can be bothered to put anymore effort into finding a solution.
    My editing projects are simple so maybe iMovie, I thought, would be enough...
    But then I open the same video in QuickTime and iMovie and see that in the latter it is considerably darker and more contrasty.
    Obviously, if I don't know which version is correct, I can't even begin to adjust the colours and contrast of the video.
    Does anyone know where this difference might come from and exactly how I should set my system up so I can get on with editing rather than spending days trying to find information on the internet?
    I'm using a calibrated Apple Cinema Display (2.2 gamma, 6500°k) and want to export edited video that can be viewed online via blip.tv.
    Someone must have a solution... But I'm getting close to giving up on all this and using Avid or Adobe Premiere.
    And one other problem in iMovie: if I try to adjust the exposure of my LX3 video it becomes rapidly desaturated, even black and white.
    Message was edited by: Fato

    Yes Kirk, I did see your post, thankyou.
    I haven't tried it yet but I will although I'm still unclear as to what it is supposed to achieve: is it to match my monitor's gamma to FCP output? (I assume this is the case). If so, how does this solve the problem of needing to export a file that will display correctly on other people's machines - Mac and PC -that are either calibrated to, or default to, 2.2 gamma and 6500°K? Sorry if my question is basic but I'm trying to understand this.
    I've read the Apple information about FCP using 1.8 gamma and that being the gamma of a broadcast monitor. My problem is that my stuff will never see a broadcast monitor, being entirely destined for the web and I was hoping to be able to set up some sort of simple workflow that took that into account.

  • IDVD keeps ejecting my disc before final burn can anyone help

    My iDVD movie keeps ejecting the disc before the final burn what can I do

    • Material used: Video-Codec and Photo file format and Audio file format - matters too. I use
    - Video - StreamingDV .dv or AIC
    - Photos as .jpg (only)
    - Audio as .aiff 16bit 44.1kHz or 48kHz (ONLY - never .mp3 or directly from iTunes - all converted to .aiff first)
    With this I do not mean any setting in iDVD - BUT the raw material used in iMovie / FinalCut / Avid 100 / Adobe Premiere
    As this usually matters - later in iDVD
    How did You Export from Video-editing program used ? I prefer
    • iMovie HD6 - just drop the movie project icon (NOT iMovie Icon - the PROJECT one) over into iDVD big menu window (avoiding - drop-zones as they are for other tasks)
    • iMovie'08 to '11 - Share to MEDIA BROWSER - AND AS MEDIUM - not HD or other resolution as iDVD does a bad downscaling job.
    • iMovie'13 (version 10.0.x) - Share as 480p - Import this into iDVD
    • FinalCut (Pro or Express) - Export as QuickTime .mov - NO QUICKTIME CONVERSION - IMPORTANT
    • Adobe Premiere - I don't know - not tested Yet
    • Avid 100 - I don't know - not tested Yet
    Cleaning the DVD-burner - If it Burns DVDs OK then that's may be not the problem - But if it only burns CDs OK then either the DVD-burning-laser is dirty or broken.
    It is very easy to kill this DVD-laser as it over-heats if one burns several DVDs in a row. I only burn three at a time - then let it cool down for 30 minutes till next batch of three DVDs.
    Yours Bengt W

  • Udpate for Final Cut Pro 7

    Hi everyone.
    What updates are available for FCP version 7 users for download?
    I have Final Cut Studio 3 and my Final Cut Pro vesion is at 7.0.3
    Also, where 8 and 9 paid version? Somehow i missed those.
    Thanks for any help.
    Jemmen

    David Harbsmeier wrote:
    Final Cut Pro and the other Final Cut Studio apps have been discontinued by Apple.  There is no version 8 or 9.  The new FCP-X is just that; a totally new application.  Even though they're calling it version 10, it is the first version of this product.  For some reason, Apple decided to use the name of Final Cut Pro since it wouldn't be using it any longer for the old product.
    -DH
    That's okay, we all missed them.
    bogiesan
    LOL...Did seem a little fast for two versions to fly by.
    Guess I will stick with 7.0.3
    Axewarrior, this version of Final Cut is similar to what you get with Avid or Adobe editors. Same timeline type interface, color correcting etc. Far from obsolete, imho.
    The only down side i see is no 64Bit version. I dont think you would see much difference in a 64Bit version though. Since it is Intel multithread Application then chances are slim there will be any major OS changes any time soon.
    You could probably edit with it for 5 years, at least. Dont see any HD changes coming either.

  • Where can i buy a copy of FCS 3 or FCP7

    Im looking for a copy of Final Cut Studio or FCP7 where on earth might I be able to find that? Thank you in advance.

    Im based in Europe, most of the amazons ones does not sell to people outside the US. (Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.)
    I guess Avid or Adobe is getting my money

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