Did Apple consult pro editors to find out if their editing software needed reshaping? Not at all. They kept the project under wraps until the sneak peek in April which provoked more questions than answers from a select group of pro users.

So why did Apple embark on such a lunatic exercise? How did FCPX get so far down the line without undergoing rigorous internal scrutiny and market testing? Only Apple knows and they’re not talking apart from issuing an FAQ for FCPX which could almost be taken as a desperate apology.

I am a pro editor and not so much pissed at Apple but astonished at the stark stupidity (or sheer arrogance) of replacing a fully functioning editing tool, accepted throughout the global post-production industry, with a pumped up version of iMovie that lacks so many essential and standard professional features on first release.

Does Apple have problems in senior management? Surely it’s the only possible explanation for such a fiasco. There was no clear strategy to FCPX. Out of control hubris must have been driving the project and as far as the majority of its intended users are concerned FCPX has fallen flat on its face.

I’ll carry on using Final Cut Studio 3 for as long as it takes to get comfortable with Premiere Pro. At least Adobe has a long-term stake in the industry it serves and is a company that respects its user base.

(I am a film producer/director/cinematographer/writer/editor with 40 years experience and an Apple customer since the early 90’s, now an ex-Apple enthusiast.)

Apple totally f* over these people and now look at the backlash. One thing company’s have to forecast in todays world when doing releases is to take in mind how to deal with damage control. Look at Conan O’brien for example… since they did a spoof on FCP X there’s been a flurry of video parodies on FCPX/ APPLE.

There’s the Apple get the “Social Network Treatment” which is Great and sad. The Hitler Parody which is funny as hell and one I even worked on while trying to learn Premiere Pro…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o4OVLoDrPME

Apple should heed the messages in the videos and start understanding that they should be listening to a core group not just turn a blind eye to them.

I don’t even agree with that. Final Cut Express was a great product for students who needed to learn Final Cut Pro, but didn’t have the $1000 to spend on it. As such, they got most of the functionality of the full FCP, and could learn it, and then purchase the real thing when they got their first paid gig.

Now Final Cut X is just a debacle. It’s not for pros or students at all. What good is learning to use a consumer-level tool that will never be used in industry? What I don’t understand is what niche they are trying to fill. Why would a non-editor spend $300 for a tool they don’t need when they have iMovie for free? And why would a pro buy a terrible, debacle of a product that did so much less than what they already have? It makes no sense at all.

I think its important to note that making comparisons about the iMac and the floppy, the iMovie fiasco or some other example.. The big difference is that none of these people had tens of thousands (and some hundreds of thousands) of dollars relating and centering around the purchase of Apples Final Cut Pro products, services and training over the past 12 years… and sadly these people cant just cut their losses their whole livelihood rests on it. Its a little insensitive to view it as “if that’s a side effect of of exacting change, so be it.”

At any rate, I’m just pointing out that it affects a lot of people and in this economy Apple should know better, its not like it was an ailing industry that was bankrupting them. But there is no need to complain about it, i do think its important for my fellow editors to be adults about this and move on. We have 3 options at this time…

1. Convert to Final Cut Pro X
2. Do nothing, at least for a while
3. Switch to a different editing program

– bendrix

Old Final Cut Pro files are incompatible with this new product, this is really the deal killer. When Microsoft introduced the ribbon in Office 2007, many people were upset at the UI changes. But, at least their old word/excel/powerpoint files could still be opened with the new version of Office.

I can’t imagine being a video editor with GB’s worth of old client files that may need to be edited in the future, especially if the product that was used to create the files is completely unsupported.

FCPX is designed as a replacement for iMovie, not for FCP7: not only its interface is similar and the way it manages files the same (which also can cause trouble to professional users), also some features from FCP are lacking and it does not allow to work with professionals of color and audio post-production (everything must be done inside FCPX now). Besides all that, FCPX does NOT open FCP projects but it does open iMovie projects. So, was this software designed for iM users who wanted to upgrade or for FCP users who wanted to upgrade? The answer is obvious.

But the fact of marketing it as the new version of Final Cut Pro and then using some empty rhetoric (maybe not Apple, but some eager fans of it do) like “this is the future, forget about the past” or “don’t be afraid of change” that does not solve the particular problems this software causes… that makes people feel as if Apple was simply forgetting about them, and as someone said, it adds insult to injury when you open FCPX and the first thing you see is “import iMovie projects”.

It’s great for Apple if they decided to conquer the “prosumer” market, but this software should not have been sold as something it is not (the new version of FCP). That is, I think, what made many users feel that Apple doesn’t care about them anymore.

I made the move from iMovie to FCP all because I hated iMovie’s weak interface and weak feature set. So who the heck told Apple that iMovie’s interface (think magnetic timeline) was somehow better? Maybe they should have asked some real professionals about it first, and not their favorite suck ups.

If you want my feeling in a nutshell, here it is: No matter what Apple says or does, there is absolutely no way they can take all the rich capabilities that was provided in DVD Studio Pro, Sound Track Pro, and Color (all programs now discontinued) and add them to an already complex program that deals with video (Final Cut Pro) and expect the results to be anywhere close the same or superior. I mean, who’d want all that stuff in a single program in the first place? I certainly wouldn’t.

The reality is, Apple screwed the pros this time and threw them under the bus. And did so in favor of trying to cater to all the brand new iPhone and iPad users they have. I can only say personally, I love Apple but this is where I get off this train, and I won’t be upgrading to Final Cut Pro X. Nor will I be moving to the iCloud…

It’s an aggressive slap in the face to not even continue selling FCP 7. For all those companies that are in the throws of projects on Final Cut, they will no be able to expand.

In the history of film and video editing — we call our work PROJECTS, not EVENTS. We’re not editing wedding videos. FCP is designed for mid-level users who don’t have the time to learn the craft of video editing.

Please do not say Apple was being considerate. They were being GREEDY. They served up a steaming turd wrapped in pretty bow.

In the professional community, we’re not talking about how to switch to Final Cut Pro X, we’re talking about how to be rid of it altogether after this debacle. How long before Apple discontinues FCP after it flops? My company is planning to go completely Avid if this doesn’t get turned around, meaning bring back FCP 7 or sell the source code to another developer. Others are planning law suits for damages in the hundreds of thousands for software that is not longer viable in the market.

we solve problems our clients need solving-
these problems are often exceptionally complex-
audio and video formats all mixed up –
files out of sync-
files from tape – files from dslr- legacy files – legacy projects

final cut pro solved a large number of our day to day requirements to convert edit from one format into another and edit it effectively – in a way that just about made sense for the workflow required-

the workflow often involves massive numbers of files – thousands – tens of thousands of files – often terrabytes – spread across multiple volumes- in a way in which we need to organise them to make sense of them-
the new ‘events’ based structure makes it almost impossible to organise see or display more than a few tens of files – or create effective logging – or create sub clips – with in and out points –
and to do all this accurately-
video editing requires frame level precision repeatability and accuracy

final cut pro x hinders us from doing our organisational job – to make sense of the material we have –
and hinders us in forming something from that material-

and it hinders us in creating flexible output formats which we need to provide to our clients-
there are only a few output render formats –

apple has taken the software which we used to use to solve these problems – and removed our ability to solve them
final cut pro X – only effectively works with small numbers of files – in limited formats-
the toolset is broken-

professionals- having their toolsets broken – from which they earned money –
not surprising we are angry
heaven help what they do to logic pro-

you can imagine how the musicians feel if logic were replaced by apple telling them ‘garageband’ a new music making paradigm – sure –

the pricing is irrelevant to us – we get paid to solve problems- we need tools to solve problems
solving those problems we get paid many many more times than the cost of the tools

our problems dont go away because apple broke our tools-

we just have to get different ones-

With all due respect, I think you’re at least partially wrong on this.

Apple definitely seems to be abandoning the top tier market for feature film and broadcast TV editors. Too many essential features are missing from FCPX for it to just be a mistake or a PR blunder. (But, you could also argue that FCP never really had a strong foothold in that market to begin with.)

On the other hand, I think FCPX could wind up being great for pro-editors who don’t work in TV or feature films: editors who work on things like industrials, web video, and free lance work.