Customer Reviews

Apple Final Cut Studio 2 Upgrade from Final Cut Studio [OLD VERSION]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Final Cut Studio is a fantastic suite of products, and the package just got sweeter with the release of FCP Studio 2.

Motion 3 and Color are the standouts, in my opinion, providing unprecedented power for their respective capabilities in anything remotely approaching this price range. In addition, the whole suite provides a level of interoperability that's unparalleled, and blows away any competition in the industry today.

Given the suite's fantastic breadth and depth of functionality, however, the newest iteration of the core application of the bunch, FCP6, does come off as a bit disappointing by comparison.

While the Open Timeline and ProRes 422 are notable and worthy enhancements to the FCP canon, the app nevertheless continues to be hampered by some long-standing Achilles' heels, including various media management and UI issues. While everyone has their individual list of pet concerns, few knowledgeable users would argue that notable limitations don't exist.

Especially considering the two-year "hiatus" from FCP's last major release, this is an unexpected bit of a letdown. Clearly, the hard-working Apple team focused the bulk of their efforts on the other apps, and the results do show there (as noted above). [It's also worth noting that seasoned editors who've had experience on other platforms besides FCP, and who are accustomed to more demanding workflow situations as a matter of course, tend to be more mindful of shortcomings than the majority of users who may have used nothing but FCP, simply by virtue of a greater spectrum of experience.]

However, none of this is to take away from the FCP Studio apps' overall high level of quality, tremendous synergy, and unbeatable price point. For the money, it is hard to imagine a better value in the world of post-production today.

Simply put - this is an excellent program...I am not a professional, and I had to get a video just to begin to learn how to use it (35 hrs of lessons). But, WoW, it can do everything.

I love this product and wish I could use it all this time. Perhaps then I'd master more. As it is, it has overshadowed Photoshop as the finest software I don't know enough about. The manuals are great though. If I devote the time, I can do anything I want. I'm still struggling with the chasm between Adobe Flash and Final Cut. I wish I could meld them together. Photoshop CS3 has helped with its movie and 3D features.

I've been using FCP since version 1, and it just keeps getting better and better. I started out doing linear editing on 3/4", 1" and then Betacam. Moving to non-linear was the best thing in the world ('cause everyone wants to make changes!). What's frustrating for me is that FCP allows me to do anything I see on TV, and I'm only limited by own creativity (which is the problem!).
The only drawback I see is the loops and clips for motion and soundtrack take up like 40gigs of my 100gig Macbook Pro! If you can find a big flashdrive, I'd recommend storing the loops/material on something external.

Great product and easy to update for old version 5.5
Very good set of books that has detailed information on very part of the program.

I've been an Apple user for many years. This package is the best editing package available for the money.

Because this is an upgrade, most users will be familiar with the product.
My complaint is that, while it comes with 90 days of support, by the time it is delivered and installed, you only get about 60 days of support. Learning this software is like trying to get a PhD in Astro Physics and the training is outrageously expensive. The difference between 90 days support and 60 days is probably worth 6 or 7 hundred dollars. It's like the old ad for Listerine. I hate it but I use it.
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