How Will the Final Cut Pro X Controversy Be Resolved?

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Created on Monday, 11 July 2011 02:49

The Final Cut Pro X controversy continues to rage and I find it difficult to resist commenting, so I won't. But I will keep it short.

Professional Editing houses are going to have to make a move. Whether to Final Cut X or to Adobe's Premiere or to Avid, it will happen because Final Cut will no longer be developed along the lines it has been and the business demands of those who have relied on Final Cut, and have been waiting for an NLE that can take advantage of the new technologies in modern computer architecture, require it. Time is money and we each need to be as fast and limber as the next guy to meet the same kinds of deadlines -- and on similar budgets.

The word over the last few days is that new copies of Final Cut 7 will be made available to professional post houses for the time being. This will help delay a decision as new seats can be added while we wait to see if Apple will address the issues, large and small, that are giving editors and edit houses pause. But production companies won't wait forever and if Apple doesn't address existing concerns, does not appear to be addressing them, or continues to be silent about whether it will address them, many will jump ship. My guess is that this process will begin in a month's time. If medium-sized and large production companies do start to move away from Final Cut, in some cases investing thousands in the process, they won't be back no matter what Apple does to improve Final Cut X, at least not for a long time.

If this happens it would be a rare case of Apple shooting for the moon, coming close and skimming on by. Despite its issues, I am loving Final Cut Pro X. I can feel its power and strengths for editing projects right now -- and its future potential. As I predicted before it came out, Final Cut X was not intended just for the masses. There are many features that non-pros would simply never need. And Apple itself continues to push the idea that FCP X has been created for pros, as can be seen in this page they've recently put up:http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/pro-features/

As we wait to see how it all shakes out, my company will follow both paths. Learn and incorporate Final Cut Pro X into projects where it make sense to do so, and take part with others in exploring alternatives.  Both Avid and Adobe are offering amazing discounts for professional editors. Though most of my work has been in Final Cut, I own and use Avid. At the same time, Adobe's Premiere has become very powerful in its own right over the past two years, and many are considering moving to it for its excellent price point and tight integration with After Effects and Photoshop. As a small company, we have the flexibility to explore all roads until one leads us higher and farther than the others.

In the meantime, the new paradigm of Final Cut Pro X is a wonder, one that I continue to enjoy learning, and continue to enjoy sharing with others.

In the end, Apple's road may still be the one to follow.