Let's get ready to RENDER!!!

Final Cut Pro is the new standard for video editing. If you are a journalism or film student, chances are you've come in contact with this program at least once. What seems backwards is that a major news corporations like CNN is just now beginning to upgrade their software to use Final Cut Pro. Previously, editors of CNN Atlanta were using an outdated version of Adobe Premiere. This makes a bit of sense, since the change from Windows' software to Macintosh is a huge jump for an entire international corporation. However, it is funny to know that a public broadcasting station, KAET in Tempe, Arizona, has been using Final Cut Pro exclusively for years. CNN Atlanta (as of 2008) did have a handful of Apple computers with Final Cut Pro software, but less than a handful of proficient users of the new editing systems.

Without getting into PC versus Mac politics, I do have a confession to make regarding my reasons behind ever purchasing a Mac computer. Final Cut Pro is worth all the hype that's put into it (unlike the rest of the Mac OS). Although much about the Mac can be quite frustrating to an avid Windows user--the keyboard, the mouse, the flying windows, the "Apple" key--if you had to put aside your bias for one program, it should be Final Cut Pro. So for anyone who is NOT in the journalism or film field, or any field related, I cannot even begin to comprehend your choice in a Mac. ;P

I've been editing on Final Cut Pro for about two years and I am always discovering new ways to tweak my projects. I must admit, this is not a program you can just sit in front of and learn by osmosis. Concepts like Batch, Capture Scratch, and Sequence were foreign to me before my first confusing editing lessons at that Tempe station I was talking about earlier. I managed to pick up a few terms and got the hang of the the Apple keystrokes enough to make a basic video promo. That then set me up to explore the rest of the software on my own once a more liberal-use computer was available. Once the basics are down, everything else in FCP is more or less self explanatory. Much of it is drag and drop, almost like a puzzle--or like my friend John calls it, Brick Breaker.

Now why is it that Windows cannot have a comparable editing program that gets just as much hype? Unfortunately, not only are PC users satisfied with a simpler Windows Media Player, they are also convinced that anything Adobe is automatically great just because PhotoShop is so incredibly popular. Adobe Premiere is the PC version of Final Cut Pro, but with what I see as a much darker and overly technical feel. Ironically enough, I much prefer the FinalCut interface, despite the fly-away windows and distracting dashboard movement. Apple definitely sold their users a product that is not only pleasing to look at but enjoyable to handle. Adobe's purpose seemed to be to get down to the hard-edge, no-nonsense editing wire with a strict techno-professional interface. Maybe it's the old-style windows look or the straight-edged buttons and icon structures, but just looking at the screen made me feel overwhelmed and frustrated.

I never did get that feeling with PhotoShop or Illustrator, but I can see the Adobe family resemblance in the sheer complexity of executing the simplest of tasks in Premiere. When editing photos I found that resizing an image would require me to select a layer, right-click, select the transformation option, change the size, then confirm that I indeed wanted to make the edit I just performed before being able to perform a new edit. In Premiere, a simple screen shot of my footage seemed to require me to download and upload and transfer between programs to the point where Print Screen and Paintbrush would have taken less time and energy.

Video editing is already a long process that requires a lot of patience, trial, and error. So much work isn't necessary when just learning how to use the program. I was able to pick up the basics of Final Cut Pro after a few hours of playtime. Once I made it past the initial production aspects, learning elements like filters and color correction were the icing on the cake for my video projects. In the same amount of time, I have not been able to become comfortable with Adobe Premiere, despite the fact that it could me much more readily available on my home PC or laptop. After my 30 trial I was finished, making up my mind that Final Cut Pro really is the best option personally and professionally. Not only will my ability to use it prove to most employers that I have editing experience, but also give guarantee them that I am proficient with both Windows and Apple operating systems.

Without sounding too much like a cover letter, I close with this: I'm a PC, but I know when to give credit where it is justly due. I've seen peers--who had never even used a Mac, let alone editing software--put together amazing video pieces after less than a month of basic Final Cut knowledge. Who's to say that they could not have done the same with Windows Movie Maker or Adobe Premiere, but for someone like me who has worked through my share of computers and software my entire life, even I was slightly baffled and disappointed by Windows' versions. I'm so impressed my Final Cut that,yes, I have even thought about buying myself a MacBook to keep my editing (and journalist) skills sharp, no matter where I go. However, if I do, it will be a cheap Mac with nothing but Final Cut Pro, Word, Paint, and the internet. I won't want my little Acer to think I loved the Mac more.