Final Cut Express 4 Upgrade from Final Cut Express 1, 2, 3, or 3.5

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Product Features

• Upgrade from previous versions of Final Cut Express
• Edit quickly and precisely with professional, flexible editing tools
• Mix and edit DV, HDV, and AVCHD video in a single Timeline*
• Watch effects in real time thanks to RT Extreme with Dynamic RT
• Import iMovie ¿08 video projects with cuts and cross dissolves

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000Z3GSXK
• Item model number: MB339Z/A
• Date first available at Amazon.com: November 15, 2007
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,411 in Software (See Bestsellers in Software)

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Product Description

Product Description

Discover powerful video editing for DV, HDV, and AVCHD*. Final Cut Express 4 delivers a single, open format Timeline where you can edit all three, mixing formats and frame rates using the same pro-level editing tools available in Final Cut Pro. Import video projects directly from iMovie ’08. Take advantage of LiveType to create dynamic, animated titles. Built-in audio controls let you mix up to 99 audio tracks—even add a narrative voiceover. Perfect your movie with professional transitions and effects, including optional third-party FxPlug plug-ins. *AVCHD video requires a Mac with an Intel processor.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome for the price!, January 9, 2008

By	skunktrain (So. California, USA) - See all my reviews

I also own Final Cut Pro 5.1, but since I had Final Cut Express 3.0, I thought I'd spring for an upgrade.

I'm most pleased with this--so far it's very stable, I love its new filters, and the features it has are almost equal to Final Cut Pro in all the important features that prosumers are most likely to use. For most prosumers, it has everything we need. I am continually amazed with how much you get with Final Cut Express.

Because I had Final Cut Express 3.0, I was able to load up the media from that version of LiveType and make it work with the version of LiveType that shipped with FCE 4. I never used Soundtrack that much, so I can't say I miss it, but if I needed it, I could always use the version that came with version 3.

Like many other Mac users, I was a little surprised when I saw that LiveType shipped with less media, and Soundtrack was no longer included (apparently the audio capabilities are now available in Final Cut Express 4, as well as Garageband). But, in all fairness, I had to consider that the cost was $100 less than the previous version which had Soundtrack and the extra LiveType media. After thinking about it a while, I think I am glad that Apple took this route--a $200 pricetag makes Final Cut Express very tempting for many more Mac users than before, as well as making many Windows users envious! (Where is their $200 prosumer video application with equivalent features and reliability?)

I've done a lot of research, and so far I'm not finding anything on the Windows side that offers as much as Final Cut Express, for a similar price. I'm not knocking the many affordable $100 programs that Windows users have, because for many people that's more than enough and there are many wonderful choices available. But from what I've seen, each one of them lack some capability that I have come to enjoy or rely on in Final Cut Express. (But of course they are less expensive, so this is to be expected.) There seems to be no "middle ground" for video enthusiasts on the Windows side (either it's an affordable $100 program with crippled features, or a pro-level app with a pricetag to match).

A big thumbs up for this upgrade to Final Cut Express! I am happier than ever to have switched to Macintosh!

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Upgrader beware, January 8, 2008

By	David Marsch - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Well this pgrade is really great if you have upgraded to FCE 3.5 already. However if you are upgrading from an older version watch out. FCE 4 comes with only 500mb of live type content. FCE 3.5 came with 10GB. If livetype isn't a priority for your video production then go for it. But if you are looking for an upgrade for your FCE from 3 or lower and your live type 1 and want all the latest live type content this upgrade is not for you. Buy the livetype 3.5 or buy both 4 & 3.5 while you can.

5.0 out of 5 stars Best solution for non-professional AVCHD editing on Macs, June 16, 2009

By	Nathan Andersen "film lover, philosophy profe... (Florida) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This is easily the best solution for non-professional video editing on a Mac. It's much more flexible (and in my experience, much quicker to work with once you've gotten used to it) than iMovie, and not nearly as expensive as Final Cut Studio. In my opinion Apple has created a very nice balance between versatility and cost with this exceptional piece of software. I'm very happy with it and it has everything I need (at least for now).

I upgraded from FCE 2.0 (I also have FCP 5) and so I don't really miss the Livetype and Soundtrack content that others are complaining is missing in this set. As far as I can tell, FCE 4 has all I'll ever need until I make the leap to Final Cut Studio. I am very impressed by the ease with which FCE 4 will capture AVCHD video content and by the fact that Final Cut Express allows me to take all of the footage I've captured in other formats (DV, HDV, H.264) with various camcorders and place it all on the same timeline. I had Final Cut Pro 5 and it wouldn't allow me to do that - I would have had to upgrade to Final Cut Studio 2. What I've realized in playing around with FCE 4 is that it has all the functions that I ever did in fact use from Final Cut Pro 5, so I've been very happy with it and it will allow me to finish work on a small documentary project that I'd put off because it was such a pain to manage the different file formats in FCP 5.