Apple Final Cut Studio 2 Upgrade from Final Cut Studio Review

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(More customer reviews)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.


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Venture beyond mere editing with Final Cut Studio 2. Discover the intuitive power of new tools designed expressly for Final Cut Pro editors. Editing, motion graphics animation, audio editing and mixing, color grading, and DVD authoring are all part of the flow. Final Cut Pro 6 is at the core of a powerful and fully integrated post-production process that also includes Motion 3, Soundtrack Pro 2, Compressor 3, and DVD Studio Pro 4--and introduces Color, an advanced color grading application.

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Apple Final Cut Server 10 Client Review

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(More customer reviews)Anyone who has shopped around for a Digital Asset Management (DAM) System will attest they are often costly to buy, complex to use and require a lot of work getting everything setup. In my opinion Apple has hit a (near) home run with Final Cut Server and the price simply can't be touched by any other vendor .
My company needed a DAM to manage a lot of graphic files for things such as Letterheads, Websites, product brochures, etc. but we also wanted to create a lot of tutorial videos for our customers. The challenge is that we are not all in the same physical location, and this made keeping things organized in folders or trading files by E-mail too difficult and a problem.
We didn't simply need a system to manage Final Cut Pro files, but one to manage all of our digital assets centrally. The name of this product makes you believe that it is only for Final Cut, but it actually handles alot of other file types quite well. We used a lot of web graphics, project plans, etc. and so far everything is working quite well.
The nomenclature can be confusing, since it uses video production terms like "Production" to refer to what we deem as Projects. Other terms like Articles, Commercials and Package refer to standard video production house terms, but you can create your own using the powerful built-in metadata set editor tools.
The best features of the software:
1.) Extendable Metadata Sets - this is a huge plus. You can define your metadata fields, groups and sets to make organization easy and to fit the terms and language used to your environment (especially if you are not strictly video like us). For example, we created one called "Training" based on the Commercial metadata set and it contains only the fields we need and regularly use.
2.) The Java client works well across both OSX and Windows and looks identical. It is like no other Java app I've seen. it is clean, and almost beautiful to look at. If you are used to the rather ugly look and feel of Java, this will be a breath of fresh air and the consistency of look, feel and interface across platforms is terrific.
3.) Setup is quick and easy. The install is much better than expected and only takes 15 - 20 minutes. The instructions are well laid out and easy to understand. It took us a while to understand some of the terms, but one you have things organized, it's painless.
4.) Updates are handled through the Apple's OSX Update services so there is no additional maintenance for another app on your server.
5.) Despite the documentation, for a 10-user system the server requirements aren't bad at all (so far anyway). You do need plenty of disk space (based on your own needs) but the CPU requirements have so far been really low. We have it on a 2.0 Ghz Quad-core Intel-based server along with quite a few other web applications and find no problems at all.
We had a few minor issues at first, but recent updates (delivered through the OSX update feature) took care of most all of them. Today, everything works quite well and we are very happy with the system.
Whether you use Final Cut Pro for video or simply want a good DAM, Final Cut Server is worth a close look. Even if you have to purchase a server in order to use it (reconditioned ones are fairly priced), you simply can't beat the price, usability and extendability of this software. It rivals packages that sell for much, much more.

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Media asset management. Workflow automation. Meet Final Cut Server, Apple's new media asset management and workflow automation software. Whether you work in a production boutique or a global news network, Final Cut Server can help you share production assets seamlessly, send status updates instantly, and automate any part of your workflow. It can even track reviews and approvals while you spend time on creative work.

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Apple Shake 4.1 Visual Effects (Mac) Review

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(More customer reviews)If your do film editing with FCP Studio 5 on a Power PC G5, or are averse to going to Leopard or Snow Leopard, this is your last chance to accumulate the wherewithal to attain the editing horsepower of FCP Studio 5 with Motion and After Effects without paying through the nose for a new Intel Mac and After Effects (which now runs only on Intel Macs using Leoplard). Shake was discontinued by Apple in 09, but runs flawlessly with FCP5 and it's bundled Motion 2. Some say Apple will release Shake again as Phenomenon, some disagree...either way Shake is still available through others who've bought up the disks. Beware, I bought mine through an outfit sending only the disk and not docs, and the disk is sold as NFR, not for resale. Buying it this way you'd have to print up the docs (1000+ pages) and wonder what NFR really iplies. I'm still learning this ap, Apples training manuals are still available and I refuse to buy another Mac to edit on because my old workhorse is just a G5 Power PC, still works great and since I bought it for editing in the first place (in Dec 2004) I now have every incentive to keep going and learn this ap and it's integration with FCP and Motion (for which it was intended). I don't agree that it's cool for Apple to change platforms to Intel based and leave the Power PC owners high and dry for aps and support. Thank God Shake is still available and this version is Universal, works on both the old chips and Intel, today After Effects runs only on Leopard and Intel. I'm in the middle of shooting a low/no budget feature fully out of my own pocket and need all the horsepower I can get from existing equipment and aps. I own a Macbook pro and Shake 4.1 (and FCP 5/Motion 2) runs fine on it too, but my G5 is where I can really get work done and now, with assets like Video Copilot's Action Essentials 2 and Shake/Motion I don't have to go broke (use credit) to finish my film and get it out there. For what it's worth, hope this helps...Carey

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Used to create the world's most celebrated visual effects, Shake now runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel-based Macs, at a price that fits almost any production budget. Extend Final Cut Studio with Shake and take advantage of an integrated workflow that puts sophisticated 3D compositing, keying, image tracking, smooth stabilization and more at your fingertips. For a powerful graphics and effects combination, Motion 2 projects can be dropped directly into Shake without rendering or rendered using the shared OpenEXR format for film quality reproduction. Now every Final Cut Studio editor can have the power to create worlds beyond imagination.

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Apple Final Cut Studio 2 - Old Version Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I like Final Cut Pro, I like Motion, and I like LiveType. But it is as if they were written by 3 different companies who didn't expect them to work together. And sadly, this version is no different. Still if you are doing editing on Apple hardware Final Cut Studio 2 is your best choice.
This program is for the every-day editor/user, not for casual users as the learning curve is way out there. Add to that the inconsistencies between the "Studio" products and you have more learning curve issues. Sadly, the video editor which bares the studio name Final Cut Pro, is the one tool that could have used a contemporary face lift and yet it had only what I would call "point release" quality updates. Whereas Motion (which was the most user-friend and modern interface) got huge new features that are outstanding.

It seems to ne that Final Cut may be at the end of what software engineers can do with the Final Cut Pro editor itself without a complete rewrite from the grown up. But then they stand the chance of alienating their current legacy users; and as we've seen with iMovie 2008, Apple isn't too smart when it comes to cleverly updating video editing workflows.
Unfortunately, I still have to resort to using iMovie from time to time to capture video since it always captures anything from any camera, and then import it into Final Cut Pro. Whereas Final Cut Pro often imports without a problem 60 to 80 percent of the time. The other times you can spend an entire day trying to select the right "Easy Setup" to capture video. Why or why Apple does it not capture as easily as iMovie ('06)?
Is it worth an upgrade fee? Well sure if you're in the business it isn't that much of an expense. If you're counting your pennies, however (if you only do wedding videos for example and don't need the latest and greatest) you are really not missing anything by staying with the previous version. If you are considering this vs Adobe, well I'd go with Final Cut Studio and get a copy of Adobe After Effects (the CS3 version is very cool) and you'll have the best tools available for the Apple platform.


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Final Cut Studio 2 helps take you beyond mere editing. With the intuitive power of new creative tools you can rapidly move through editing to motion graphics, audio editing and mixing, color grading, and deliveryall as a natural extension of the work you already do.

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Final Cut Studio Upgrade - Old Version Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I had been using Final Cut Express and decided that I would try Final Cut Studio (I had a much older version of Final Cut Pro that I was unable to use on my new iMac). This suite contains tremendous tools for video editing. You are basically getting 5 advanced editing software programs in one. The transition from Final Cut Express to Final Cut Pro 7 is very smooth. It is the same interface with expanded capabilities. I am really looking forward to learning more about Motion 4 and DVD Studio Pro 4, both of which are included in this software. I would also recommend getting the Apple Pro Training Series in order to really take advantage of all of the tools in this suite.Apple Pro Training Series: Final Cut Pro 7

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Edit, animate, mix, grade, and deliver on a Mac with Final Cut Studio. It includes more than 100 powerful new features. Use new versions of the ProRes codec to edit at high quality with reduced file sizes in a wide variety of workflows. Work with clients or colleagues in real time from anywhere in the world using iChat Theater. Add dramatic 3D graphics, repair common audio problems, and automate delivery in just a few clicks. The leading post-production suite now includes significant upgrades to Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Soundtrack Pro and updated versions of Color and Compressor. It also includes DVD Studio Pro, the industry standard for DVD authoring.

Upgrade Version
Upgrade from previous versions of Final Cut Studio.

The leading post-production suite is even better. The new Final Cut Studio.

Top Features
Expanded ProRes family.
Edit even faster at higher quality across workflows ranging from offline editing to broadcast events to high-fidelity compositing.

Easy export.
Use the new Share window in Final Cut Pro 7 or Motion 4 for single-click delivery to your Apple devices, the web, a Blu-ray disc, or a DVD.

iChat Theater support.
Work with clients or colleagues in real time from anywhere in the world. Just send your Final Cut Pro video to iChat Theater.
Soundtrack Pro makes it easy to edit and mix sound for picture, with point-and-click tools and seamless round-tripping with Final Cut Pro.

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