Apple Final Cut Pro 4.1 Upgrade [OLD VERSION]

by Apple

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 7.4 pounds
• 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.
• ASIN: B000095SBZ
• Item model number: M9039Z/A
• Date first available at Amazon.com: June 1, 2003
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #20,396 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

Final Cut Pro 4 is the creative, professional, and extensible video editing tool for editing and finishing in SD and HD formats.

Key features include:

• Optimized for Power Mac G5--Final Cut Pro has now been optimized to take advantage of the Power Mac G5's 64-bit architecture, for added performance.
• Creative freedom--Final Cut Pro customers get the sophisticated editing, compositing, effects, and audio tools that allow professional editors to meet demanding post production deadlines while maintaining their creativity.
• Professional output and scalability--Final Cut Pro 4 is a powerful solution for creating high-quality programming in a broad range of formats, frame rates, and resolutions.
• Extensible and flexible--The open, standards-based architecture lets you use Final Cut Pro 4 in virtually any production pipeline.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Upgrade worth it, June 25, 2003

By 

Colin (Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Final Cut Pro 4.1 Upgrade [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I received FCP4 before it was released, and I've just used it enough to feel that I can give a review of it. And I do like the new program. And it is worth the upgrade. But you might want to wait to upgrade until they release a fix for a few bugs. I can't think of a single program that when first released was bug free. Apple will fix the bugs, but they haven't yet.

What do I like about the program? The features are amazing! I was pleased with FCP3, but I thought there was a lot they could do to make it better. And they did, in FCP4. Editing is basically the same as in FCP3, but you have much more control over everything you do. This includes making a custom keyboard (You decide which keys preform which actions).
But... FCP4 alone hasn't changed a great deal since FCP3, and if it were just that program alone, I don't know if it would be worth it.

However, not only do you get FCP4... You get Compressor, LiveType, Soundtrack, Cinema Tools, and Peak Express 3.3

Compressor, I like this feature a lot. It allows you to control what you export. I mean if you want to make a DVD, and want it formatted for a DVD, you have control over that, more so than in any previous version of FCP. Not only that, but it takes any guess work out of the equation. It allows you to preview the setting you're about to export. Which is good, so you hopefully won't end up spending 3 hours exporting something only to find it wasn't what you wanted. There are bugs in Compressor, something with being connected to a network won't allow it to work. I had this problem, but I unplugged my ethernet cord, and it worked like it should. Apple will likely make a fix for this soon.

LiveType. One of the things I didn't like about FCP3 was you didn't really have a great title maker. But that's all changed with LiveType. Now you have the most control I've ever seen out of a title program. If you want one letter to do something different (I can't think of why), well, you can.

Soundtrack. How great is it that they include tons (And I'm not kidding about the tons part) of loops that are royalty free? Unlike other looping programs, the loops in Soundtrack actually sound good. Sure it isn't going to give everyone what they want, but I've already used it for a few effects in this project I'm working on

Cinema Tools. Well I can't review this really, I haven't worked with film before. But what I do like is that it's now included with FCP, where as before, it was it's own program (Which would cost you [a lot more money] alone).

Peak Express 3.3. It isn't the best audio editor I've used, but it's still good. I believe this program costs [money] if you buy it individually, but it comes with FCP4, which is a nice thing. I've used this only a little, it can't really do what I want it to do, but I use it as a backup audio editor.

So in conclusion, FCP4 is packed with features. It does take a lot of space (About 15GB for everything), so if you're low on space, you've been warned. And it requires a DVD drive. Most of you probably have one, but if you don't, you're not going to be able to use this. I was concerned about the ...price tag on the upgrade, and I didn't think it was going to be able to deliver. But it did, and I'm glad I now have this great program.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars released too early, July 21, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Apple Final Cut Pro 4.1 Upgrade [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

All great ideas, but way too many glitches in simple situations. THe new variable speed option is a wonderful concept... but a simple slow motion effect is difficult to achieve now. There are lots of things that do not make sense. I hope there is an upgrade soon.