Real-time effects options enhance Apple's "prosumer" video editor
Introduction
Final Cut Pro, as noted elsewhere on this site, is Apple's award-winning professional video editing, effects and compositing software for broadcasters, educators, web producers and professional videographers. It's a full-featured program designed -- and priced -- for users with sophisticated needs. Now, Apple is bringing many of these features to a much wider audience with the release of Final Cut Express, a slimmed-down version of the software, attractively priced at less than a third of the price of Final Cut Pro.
Let me start by making it clear: I really like this software. In fact, I think it's probably the most well balanced video editing product released to date for the Mac -- and that collection includes Apple's own iMovie and Final Cut Pro. Why? For starters, it's really, really fast. Final Cut Express imports clips in a flash, and drops them onto the timeline without delay. Contrast this with the pokey iMovie 3, in which the job of importing files typically takes minutes, not seconds. (This is apparently a side-effect of iMovie's iDVD "instant export" feature -- it seems to pre-convert all files internally to an iDVD-compatible, DV-based format.)
On the right hardware, Apple's full-blown Final Cut Pro is fast, too, but it tends to bog down on mid-range systems. As we'll see, some of the more advanced features of Final Cut Pro are going to be important for some types of work, but for quick, reasonably feature rich editing jobs -- pretty much anything beyond the transitions-and-effects level of iMovie -- Final Cut Express is the product I'd use.
Another thing I like about FCE is its editing interface. As infamously noted elsewhere on this site in a guest editorial, iMovie 3, for all its pretensions to user friendliness, isn't all that great as an editing interface, when you get right down to it. FCE lets you scrub audio and video to find the perfect spot for a cut; it also provides support for the DEL key -- an odd omission from iMovie that make editing tasks a little less convenient than they are here in FCE, when you're sifting through clips with your cursor keys to find the perfect moments.
Like its high-end sibling, Final Cut Express ("FCE") displays, by default, two editing windows side-by-side and a "timeline" allowing you to drag and drop clips, transitions and other materials for positioning and editing. The editing windows fit most comfortably on a screen (or two) with at least 1024x768-pixel resolution; however, the windows will automatically resize to fit smaller displays. Unlike Final Cut Pro (referred to as FCP hereafter), FCE runs only under Mac OS X and requires a system running 10.2 or greater.
The editing windows have the same sort of brushed aluminum look as does its sibling -- a look shared by a growing number of Apple's applications, including virtually all of the "iApps." These editing windows feature tabbed dialogs, providing rapid access to various video, audio, filters and motion options. A number of additional options for capturing video, marking segments and modifying sequences are available via drop-down menus.
The program is able to capture video directly from i.LINK/Firewire Digital Video cameras (but not Sony's new MicroMV cameras) and supports device control options for FireWire device control protocols. As with FCP, the interface displays full-motion video in the left-side editing window. From this preview, you can grab shots and add them to the "bin" of clips from which you will assemble your final movie. There is no "log and capture" mode, as there is in FCP.
Missing, as well, are some other Final Cut Pro's advanced features, such as Offline RT, high-definition video modes, Cinema Tools (24-fps) support (integrated into Final Cut Pro 4, and optional for users of v3.0), OMF audio and After Effects plug-in compatibility, as well as support for RT hardware acceleration, timecode (SMPTE) display (it is still captured, however) and some of FCP's support for legacy video transport protocols such as Sony LAN-C, VISCA, RS-232 and RS-422. Some of the bundled extras in FCP are missing, such as the CGM plugins and the PeakDV audio editor. Color correction is simpler in FCE. However, if you find that you need these features, files created in FCE are compatible with FCP. It's also worth noting that movies created in iMovie 2 can't be opened directly -- you'll need to open and resave them with iMovie 3 before they'll open in FCE.
On the plus side, FCE supports NTSC and PAL video captures from DV and claims more than 200 transitions, filters and effects -- Final Cut Pro 3 includes "more than 60" predefined transitions and a mere 75 built-in filters and keying effects -- but includes some capabilities, such as filter keyframing, that FCE does not. FCP4 extends this further, with a fantastic collection of animated titles, objects and textures the company calls LiveType. (Apple's website has samples.) FCE directly supports MPEG-4 output, and, while its 32-level Undo is behind FCP's 99-level Undo function, this is still a handy feature.
Real Time Effects
As is the case with FCP3, many (but not all) effects are previewed almost instantly. These real-time effects include filters and transitions, such as standard cross-dissolve effects, plus some fancy transitions such as iris effects and similar scene-splitters. However, changing the opacity of a mask or applying a blur causes the system to revert to software-based rendering, which is definitely not a real-time affair.
The package includes of Boris Calligraphy, a plug-in that helps you create 3-D titles. It's essentially a "lite" version of Graffiti, a titling plug-in from Boris FX. Rendering to FireWire requires the use of Apple's QuickTime-based DV codec. The audio features are similar to, but a subset of, those in Final Cut Pro -- FCE supports up to eight tracks of audio playback in real time; FCP promises "8 tracks or more." Neither program directly supports 24-bit audio. FCE lacks FCP's logarithmic audio fades, automatic peak detection and, as noted above, does not include an audio editor. Audio scrubbing is probably be the most notable feature. You can simply drag the mouse through the timeline and hear the audio track play as you "scrub" back and forth. It's an almost essential feature if you're trying to sync video action with a dynamic soundtrack.
Slower Processors
If you want to run FCE on a G3, you'll have to forego the program's real-time effects -- these features are available only on Mac systems equipped with G4 processors 550 MHz or faster. It is likely, however, that third-party FXscript hacks can and will be devised, allowing limited support for RT previews on otherwise unsupported machines, albeit with some dropped frames. However, when I tried to patch the FXscript to enable this trick on a Mac with a 450 MHz G4, the program refused to launch, warning me that this was an unsupported configuration. Perhaps not coincidentally, Apple's legal department has also forced the author of the original FXscript hack for FCP to remove his modifications. Clearly, Apple wants to encourage users to upgrade to a "supported" configuration to enjoy its RT features.
How It Compares
Apple has posted a page comparing Final Cut Express to Adobe Premiere. Here is an excerpt:
How Final Cut Express compares to Adobe Premiere:
Conclusion
I've never really understood the accolades heaped upon iMovie. Sure, it's easy, but it's extremely limiting. Adobe Premiere, another "mid-range" program, is -- and, it can be convincingly argued -- always has been a bit of a mess in the interface department. FCE delivers good performance and a reasonably rich feature set, wrapped up in a great interface. Recommended. ::
Pros: Looks and works a lot like Final Cut Pro, but with a less cluttered and faster interface. Files are compatible with FCP.
Cons: Lacks tape logging, keyframing and media management features. Can't open Movies created with iMovie2 or earlier.
Final Cut Express is available online through The Apple Store (www.apple.com) and through authorized Apple resellers for US$299. Upgrades to Final Cut Pro are US$699. Until Sept. 20, 2003. Premiere users can trade in Adobe Premiere for a free copy of Final Cut Express or upgrade to Emmy-award winning Final Cut Pro 4 for half price.
For more information on Final Cut Pro, see www.apple.com/finalcutpro/.
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