Final Cut Pro 4+

The less you know about editing, the easier to learn this software is. Those who have edited in track-based software for years and years will find this jarring. Some will outright dislike it at first. But they really need to power through the paradigm shift to reach the point where the speed is really felt. One month after switching from a track-based workflow to FCPX, I was shocked to find myself going home on-time for a change. I quickly noticed a 40% speed increase over track-based editors where everything you want to do is a deep dive down a rabbithole of sliders and checkboxes and dials. Most don't really matter to what you're doing. FCPX is intuitive. It does so much for you in the background, and, typical Apple, they've removed unnecessary options by doing them for you automatically, and exclusing ones that are irrelevant.

In the early days, editors scorned FCPX because it wasn't fully-featured. Then they added all the features pros wanted over the next 2 years, and not only did they add them, they RE-IMAGINED them to work better and faster. Other NLEs have since copied many of them. If control is your ultimate goal, choose something else, like Premiere. If speed without any sacrifice in quality means anything to you, though, FCPX is your best bet. I don't mean to make it sound perfect. It isn't. But using it is like driving a sports car — way faster and more fun.

I have been an editor/graphic designer for nearly 20 years and work in FCPX eight or more hours a day 5 days a week and, while not perfect in the sense that there are some features and functions I would really like to see added(the reason for only 4 stars), it is by far my favorite (and fastest to use) editing app. And I have used MANY over the years.

In my opinion it has the cleanest and most efficient media browser that really allows you to organize and see all of your media at a glance. You have to really take the time to understand and embrace (rather than fight) how to use the Magnetic timeline but once you do it will allow you to edit must faster and facilitate your creativity more than any other editing program. I recently had to use Premiere Pro for a couple of projects and I can tell you that it is only when you use and really understand FCPX and then have to return to the traditional editing paradigm that you realize how much more flexible the magnetic timeline is. Not to mention I don’t HAVE to render as much in FCPX.

I also love the ability to build templates/effects in motion that are so powerful and flexible to use in FCPX.

When the revamped Final Cut Pro X first dropped, it upset many longtime users. There were legitimate issues at the time, with many features missing and an entirely new program to learn for editors that knew FCP like the back of their hands. Add to this the fact that Apple handled the update inelegantly, and it was quite the firestorm. However, that’s not Final Cut Pro X today.

Today Final Cut Pro X is an outstanding NLE. I think it’s the best in the business. When it comes to Final Cut, and Apple in general, there is a lot of schadenfreude out there. It can be hard to filter out the legitimate complaints. Try FCPX and see for yourself that it is far, far from “iMovie for prosumers”. It’s a great program for prosumers who want more than iMovie can offer, no doubt, but it’s also a superb tool for pros. Just ask the many that rely on it daily to edit television and film projects.

BTW: When you see a review that says “basically iMovie”, “very limited functionality”, or “not for professionals”, you can trust the reivewer either doesn’t know how to use the product (likely) or has an agenda in favor of Adobe (also likely). Given the number of commercials, documentaries, and feature films that have been edited using FCPX in just the last few months, it’s safe to say it’s neither iMovie or very limited. Just check with some of Hollywood’s best filmmakers to see if it’s “not for pros”.