Edius and FCP

[col lamb]

I have just been working on a MAC with FCP (I think it was 9), what a pain to get files transcoded, trimming the clips and generally the workflow seems to be painfully slow compared to Edius.

Worst of all I wanted to output to a .MP4 file (I do not like producing MOV files), eventually I figured it out but had to change just about every parameter to get full HD of good quality. Tried to another file of another timeline and I had to go through the whole process again as I could not find a way to save the preset I had created.

Don't think I will ever be buying a MAC

Once again Edius wins by a country mile (or 1.4 kilometers if you are so inclined)

[Geoff]

Was it FCP 7 or FCP X (10)? There is no FCP9 or FCP8 for that matter.

Contrary to my earlier opinion of FCP7, the latest version FCP X does have a much improved real time performance and a number of interesting features. Using the associated Compressor program does allow you to export in most major formats. Like switching to any new program, it takes time to learn the ways of doing things.

Even so, Edius is still my favourite, even compared to PP CS5.

[alanlacey]

Me too Geoff. I always though 'legacy' FCP was a much over rated app. I've not bothered with FCPX

[dpalomaki]

A friend is using FCP 6, and really struggling with media exhccange. If it is in the camcorder or on a camcorder card, he is OK importing it, but any other way is nearly hopeless. (He moved to FCP6/Mac from a Win/Matrox/Premiere environment a few years ago as I was moving from Fast/Premiere through Liquid to Edius.)

I suspect the appeal of Mac is the aura of the early days of graphics processing, plus the closed system that requires less configuration and forces the user into making fewer decisions/chioices. Plus of course the bragging rights that come with having paid more - important to some people.

[David Harry]

Hi Col.

If you would prefer to get your final edit off the Mac and into your PC or Edius for further processing, or encoding with your usual software. You may want to try this. Install the free Sony plugin into the FCP system. This then then gives it the ability to read XD, EX etc. all be it through a re-wrapping thingy into some QT something, although it does not touch the picture. It will also allow you to export in the same various Sony formats. You can then do an export to 35Mb EX and I think 50Mb 4:2:2 You can then just drag the video file out the folder structure straight to Edius, without any thingys or somethings. This of course requires a transcode, although there is a technical quality loss, visually it will look great.

If your project was using AVC or 8Bit codecs, there's a good chance that you wont see any difference. If you where working with 10Bit source files and 10Bit project settings in FCP, then the 50Mb 4:2:2 option will still look great even though it's only 8Bit.

Don't worry about all the Apple and FCP QT somethings and thingys in this whole process. Other than QT being an internal handler for FCP, it has no part in the codec as this is down to the Sony plugin. So you will have none of the potential QT gamma thingy.

If you have been doing some of that nice 50P stuff you do, then you may have to just completely ignore the above, as I don't think the plug will allow for 50/60 above 720.