What other software does Final Cut Express require?

Sorry for the totally ignorant question ... but I've just bought a new MacBook Pro and I'm ready to retire my ten year old Casablanca Kron, a dedicated video editing appliance with its own proprietary software that I've been using for all those years.
After a bunch of reading, it seems like FCE is right for me. I just want to make simple movies with clean transitions and good looking titles. On my old editor, I had to launch a separate program to create a DVD menu, render the movie, and burn the DVD. I think I actually had to pay again for the software to make the physical DVD on top of the editing software which was in the machine when you buy it.
Is FCE the same way? Once I make a movie, do I need a separate program to create a DVD menu, render the movie, and burn the DVD?
Or is that a part of FCE's abilities?
-JOHN
ps. And I guess I should ask ... is there any software I'll "inevitably" end up buying within a year? These are not Hollywood movies I'm making ... just low-budget corporate videos that still need to look good enough to grab attention in a boardroom.

+in addendum+ to Meg's excellent advice:
for me, it is essentiell to have some kind of 'painting'-app for usage of movie and disk-creation.
the many presets, templates, 'boiler plates' FC/e and iDVD come with are excellent designed ...- but perhaps you want a special pointer in your movie, your very own title-'chart', some home-brewn background for a title-animation, a hand-made 'cut out' mask ...
no need for the huge and complete Adobe Suite, Photoshop/elements, or, my favorite, Pixelmator do superb jobs for the video-maker.
and may I recommend one of my sites
https://sites.google.com/site/idvdmodding/
the title says it all ...

Similar Messages

What video formats does Final Cut Express support?

I have Final Cut Express HD 3.5. What video formats are compatible with this program? Also, what frame rate and aspect ratio do my videos have to be in for Express to accept the video file?

Good of you to have read the manual. It helps us answer the question now that you've included that information.
Your material must be converted to either DV, HDV or AIC (FCE Native formats). As you have discovered, while FCE will accept a number of non-standard or native formats, it will not play happily with them.
DV and HDV are anamorphic formats. That is, they use non-square pixels. Standard DV is 720x480 (a 3:2 ratio) that FCE will do the conversion magic and have is display in a 4:3 format. Widescreen DV (aka 16:9) is ALSO 720x480 but the narrow dimension of the pixel is oriented the other way. When you tell FCE that the file is 16:9 anamorphic, it will do the magic and display the material properly. If you do not, it will display as though it is standard definition 4:3 and the people will be much skinnier but not taller.
HDV is 1440x720 but displays in 16:9.
AIC can be 1280x720 or 1980x1080.
All other dimensions are not supported and you may have very unreliable results when using them. This very limited abiltiy to deal with more than a couple of formats was one of the main differentiation points between Express and Final Cut Pro. There were a great number of other differences but this was one of the biggest limitations for most consumer level users.
If you want to edit a lot of non-standard, non-native formats, look into Final Cut Pro X or Adobe Premiere Pro. Premiere Pro is within the editing paradigm of Final Cut Pro/Express. Final Cut Pro X has gone in a different direction which involves a new learning curve. Don't be fooled by the name, it is a very different animal than Express.
x

Does final cut express have the functionality like macromedia flash 8?

does final cut express have the functionality like macromedia flash 8? I'm looking to compile my movie for easy viewing on the internet

In the interest of not appearing like a total idiot
The link of my 3-minute video of Native American Indian dancing (above) has been changed to: http://www.goliveusa.com/MoviesFlv/PowWow.html
where it should remain for at least the next two years.
Part of this change has to do with a discontent with .Mac, thought that is certainly a topic for another forum.
Since back here at this thread, and considering the initial forum topic, I'd guess it would be appropriate to ask: "What is meant by the term: functionality?"
FCE is a a video editing program. Flash 8 is graphic animation program.
You can incorporate video into Flash 8 and do extra animation with it.
PowerPC G5 Duel 2.3 Mac OS X (10.4.5) 4.5GB RAM; 2HD's; CS2/FCE/Studio8/Maya7/Optura500/GoLiveUSA.com

Does Final Cut Express 4 Read Clips From an External NAS Drive?

After upgrading from iMovie 08 to 09 I have found out through these pages that iMovie no longer supports reading clips from and writing them to my external wireless drive (via the Events library). The question for this forum - does Final Cut Express 4 have the same issue?
Just to anticipate a couple of points - I do not intend to use my external hard drive for 'in line' editing, it is merely a repository for excess clips that my hard drive cannot accommodate. I understand this kind of arrangement is slower than Firewire 800 but it is what I have and I want it to work.
Message was edited by: Plutonian

FCE has nothing to do with how you archive your media as long as it's not used for playback within the application. The only issue might be how the drive is formatted. For large media files it really needs to be formatted in Mac OS Extended.

Does Final Cut Express support ProRes 1080p?

Does Final Cut Express support ProRes 1080p?

Hi(Bonjour)!
ProRes codecs was introduced with Final Cut Studio 2.
You can't create a ProRes sequence in FCE, but if you've installed the +Apple ProRes QuickTime Decoder 1.0 for Mac+ you will be able to import ProRes footage, but rendering or conversion will be needed.
http://support.apple.com/downloads/AppleProRes_QuickTime_Decoder_1_0_forMac
Michel Boissonneault

TS3528 What to do if Final Cut Express was installed after Aperture, on a new MaBook Pro Retina running OS X 10.7.4?

What to do if Final Cut Express was installed after Aperture, on a new MaBook Pro Retina running OS X 10.7.4?

Bear in mind 10.7 and FCE are not supported working together.
FCP X is the supported application for Lion.
Users find FCE can mostly work to not working at all with Lion.
You can dowmlaod a trial of FCP X from the App Store.
Al

Does Final Cut Studio require Adminstrative rights to work

Does Final cut Studio require Admin rights or will it run as a standard user
I know that it has to be in Admin to install

If properly installed it will run on any type of account.

Does final cut express hd 3.5 have bluesceen capabilities

does final cut express hd 3.5 have bluesceen capabilities??

Yes, it does. It has a number of filters to help do this.

Does Final Cut Express Support Other Formats (Avi, MPEG, flv, etc)?

I'm relatively new to Final Cut and I'm pretty excited to give this baby a try. Anyway, I've got some videos to edit and I know this software supports Quicktime videos but what about other formats such as Avi, MPEG, FLV, etc.? Do I need to get a third party software to convert these videos or can Final Cut Express handle them automatically?
Also, when I want to edit a video and viewing it on the viewer (The screen next to the Canvas), the screen is all white when it's being paused or when I want to scroll it with the dial thingy. Why is that?

Hi,
Final Cut Express 4 supports only DV, HDV and AVCHD (last one only on Intel CPUs) using the Apple Intermediate Codec.
On other than these formats, you can use Mpegstreamclip (www.squared5.com) to convert your files into one of those supported formats, DV or Apple Intermediate Codec (when using HD material).
Regards,
Armando.

Does Final Cut Express 4 work with mac mini and other questions...?

I have a few questions I need help in answering... I would appreciate opinions on the following:
I am about to make a purchase of a new mac. I already have a mac mini PPC, but it is too slow...
Here is what I am thinking.
Mac mini, 2GB mem, 160GB hard drive. Will this new mac mini work with Final Cut Express 4?
Or should I go with the more powerful iMac?
I like to make movies on my mac but I hate iMovie 08 so I constantly use iMovie HD 06. Should I go to Final Cut Express 4 or just stick with iMovie HD 06?

There is no doubt that FCE 4 will run on an Intel mini - the GMA graphics processor is compatible. There is also no doubt that an iMac would give you somewhat better overall performance, though it's important perhaps to note that as complex as FCE is, it is actually a little less demanding on hardware than iMovie has traditionally been, so the difference between a mini with 2Gb RAM and a similarly equipped iMac will not be all that great in FCE, though it will become a little more noticeable if you continue to use iMovie 6.
The main reason for the performance difference between iMovie and FCE is that in order to provide a reasonably sophisticated video editing package that will run on very basic hardware, Apple relied heavily on caching techniques, meaning that while FCE basically spools from video and relies on CPU power, iMovie constantly moves data to and from the hard drive. The mini's hard drive is a (relatively) slow device in comparison to the iMac's - thus the iMac runs iMovie rather more seamlessly. In FCE, the difference is, as said, rather less clear unless you were to go for the top-end model.
If your budget can stretch to an iMac it makes sense to go that route simply because the extra power and overall performance (and the better graphics processor) will give you greater flexibility down the road. On the other hand, if funds are tight and you need to spend as little as reasonably possible, a mini will do fine, and is sufficient;y inexpensive that in a couple of years could be sold off and replaced without severe financial implications.
In terms of the choice between FCE or iMovie, beware that if you haven't used FCE before, the transition is not easy, and the learning curve for it is pretty steep. That said, it has far greater power and flexibility in terms of what you can achieve with it than has ever been possible with iMovie.
That said, for casual and home use, iMovie (version 6 at least) has plenty of power and tools for the majority of projects. iMovie 8 is, in many ways, deeply flawed for those who want that sort of power and workflow tools, being that it is designed for quick and easy creation of movies, not creative and considered productions. It has it's uses, but if you have experience with iMovie already, v8 is really not intended for you at all.
All that said, I've used iMovie 6 on systems will a lot less power than the current Intel minis, and have found it stable and workable, so I have no doubt it would work well on any current Mac.

Why does Final Cut Express 4 quit automatically when I open Log and Transfer window?

I'm using a Sony NXCAM and I am editing on a Mac OS X. The clips I have recorded are in MTS format so I understand I must use the Log and Transfer setting to import my clips. I plug the camera into my computer, go into Final Cut Express 4, turn the camera on, and then go into the Log and Transfer window. Once I open that, Final Cut quits and an error message pops up that reads, "Final Cut Express quit unexpectedly." Final Cut quits too fast for me to even click on anything in the Log and Transfer window. I really don't understand why it does this. The only thing I can think of why Final Cut is quitting is because I have over 100 clips on the camera, so maybe that is too much for Final Cut Express 4 to handle. However, I wouldn't think that would be the case. If anyone knows of anything I could do to fix this problem, then please send me a reply. I've looked around the internet to see if anyone else has had this problem, but I haven't found anything. Thank you, any responses will be greatly appreciated!
-Snowconedxx39

Shooted videos directly saved to the SD memory card is no problem, the log and transfer window immediately recognizes the sd card and I was able to convert the videos. I will check later today if this were 25p, 50i or 50p footages.
Strangely enough is that transferring the .mts files from the internal memory to the sd card (using the Mac finder, I don't know if it is possible within the camera itself) won’t help, the log and transfer window doesn't the recognizes the transferred files, strange!
I hope that this problem will not occur using Final Cut Pro X, which I will start using soon.
I'm curious what the exact problem will be.

Does final cut express support avchd lite?

Will final cut express resolve this issue, being that most of Panasonic's point and shoot cameras use avchd lite?
Reasons I bought this program:
One its good for editing.
Two it says its avchd compatible on the box.
However this does not seem to be the case.
definition of avchd lite: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AVCHD

You make a good point about the audio. I have a Canon SD870 and recently shot some stills and video with it at a birthday party. It takes great shots, but I was actually impressed with the video and audio, probably because I did not know what to expect. In fact, it gave me enough material to edit a little movie for the birthday boy,(he was 50!) in imovie9. The speeches came out clear and the video was very acceptable.
But things can always be better, and that is why I want to upgrade to FCE, and buy a still camera that can shoot HD on the fly and can be used in FCE. I have been a Broadcast Sports TV cameraman for over 25 years, and I am very tired of lugging around bulky TV camera equipment. It seems a novelty to be able to shoot and edit HD on a pocket size camera.
Thanks for you input Al, I appreciate it. I still have two outstanding questions and I apologize if you have already answered them. First, How good/bad is the video quality with HD video captured on AVCHD Lite and then converted to use in FCE? Second, where does MPEG 4 rate in all this. Thank you.
Bill

Problems with Boris Title 3D (Imbedded Software in Final Cut Express 2.0)

Thanks for all your help on my previous problem...I have run into another though.
As I mentioned before, I recently upgrade to OS X Tiger. I am running FInal Cut Express 2.0, as my editing software. (The following problem was not an issue before I upgraded.) Whenever I try to edit or creat on Title 3D graphic, which used the Boris Title 3D software, the software opens, but the editor does not, and therefore I cannot edit or create any graphics using this software.
If you have any ideas on a solution, please let me know!

No longer have FCE 2.0

Does Final Cut Express work on the iMac G5?

I just tried to put Final Cut Pro on a G5 iMac, but the error came up that it is missing a AGP card. Apparently the new iMac have an upgraded card that doesnt work wih the older software.
Does anyone know if the Final Cut Express HD work on a G5 iMac?

For a permanent solution to stop the error message ever appearing again you can use this hack:-
1. Right click (Control-click) on the FCE application icon (NOT the one in the dock) and select "Show Package Contents".
2. Open the "Contents" folder and double click the "info .plist". It should open automatically in TextEdit - if it doesn't, choose TextEdit manually.
3. Around 15 or so lines down you will see AGP. Delete it and put in PCI.
4. Close the window and when asked if you want to save the changes, say yes.
Ian.

Does final cut express 4.0 work in new macbook bought in Oct 2013

I bought Final Cut Express 4.0 in 2008 and recently I bought a new MacBook Pro 15" around Oct 2013 and updated to Mavericks 10.9. I copied all the contents and apps from the old macbook to the new one and when using the Final Cut Express, it asked me for the serial number and when I tried to add it, it says serial not valid. What can I do to be able to use my Final Cut Express? Please any suggetions?

Three thoughts,
1. It is usually better to re-install pro apps (like FCE) from scratch instead of migrating them from an older Mac. If you migrated FCE from your old Mac, this could be the reason for the hiccup with the serial number.
2. The serial number is very long, and it's very easy to mistype a character. Try entering it again, being very careful typing and check the serial nubmer visually before you hit the enter key.
3. Keep in mind that FCE was discontinued in June 2011, even before Lion was released. It is no longer supported and there is no guarantee it will run, or run properly, on later versions of OS X including Mavericks. Users have had spotty success with it on Lion, Mt. Lion & Mavericks. YMMV.
Final Cut Pro X is the currently released & suported video editing app from Apple. You can download, install & try it out free for 30 days.

What other software does Final Cut Express require?

Similar Messages

Maybe you are looking for