Hi I'm I'm due to upgrade my old Apple computer, and was thinking of adding Final Cut Pro, it's a reasonable price, I have used adobe premier in the past but it is expensive, could anyone compare if they have used both and let us know pros and cons, or if your using FCP can you let us know , how easy or difficult it is to use, editing is fairly new to me regarding video, do use photoshop for photography I would say I'm an improving amateur.

Thanks for taking time to read and look forward to your comments.

If you're an amateur enthusiast then FCPX should be fine.  It's easy to use.  There are plenty of videos on youtube that will guide you through the basics and beyond. But then again, it would depend on where you want to go with your hobby.  If you're looking to go with a higher calibre of camera (Raw footage perhaps) or you're looking to do quite a lot of post work with grading and SFX, and perhaps move towards a more professional setup, then the Adobe suite would be the way to go.

If the second is your option, then it opens up the can of worms about your hardware. I my self am a certified Apple fanboy when it comes to computers, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I feel apple  are moving away from the high end pro market.  Adobe is more at home on a windows machine.  What apple computer are you looking at?

geo2211 Posted at 2017-3-25 05:09
If you're an amateur enthusiast then FCPX should be fine.  It's easy to use.  There are plenty of videos on youtube that will guide you through the basics and beyond. But then again, it would depend on where you want to go with your hobby.  If you're looking to go with a higher calibre of camera (Raw footage perhaps) or you're looking to do quite a lot of post work with grading and SFX, and perhaps move towards a more professional setup, then the Adobe suite would be the way to go.

If the second is your option, then it opens up the can of worms about your hardware. I my self am a certified Apple fanboy when it comes to computers, but I would be lying if I didn't say that I feel apple  are moving away from the high end pro market.  Adobe is more at home on a windows machine.  What apple computer are you looking at?

iMac 27" 5k , also not sure what I would need to have a reasonably decent set up if you have any ideas, would be grateful..

Again, it depends on the intensity of your work, and where you want to go with it (future proofing).  In terms of either the iMacs or the MBPs I personally feel that you need to go with the best spec, as on the grander scale of things, even that is somewhat underwhelming.  In the Uk it will set you back around £4000 to £4500.  

Essentially it would be this:
4.0GHz quad-core Intel Core i7, Turbo Boost up to 4.2GHz
32GB 1867MHz DDR3 SDRAM - four 8GB
1TB Flash Storage
AMD Radeon R9 M395X with 4GB video memory

32gb of ram might be more than you need now, but I'd expect that you want it to last for a good few years.  You could probably go with less storage and use a fast external drive or even get an enclosure for a raid setup.  But again, it depends on what you do, and what you want to do in the future.

geo2211 Posted at 2017-3-25 06:06
Again, it depends on the intensity of your work, and where you want to go with it (future proofing).  In terms of either the iMacs or the MBPs I personally feel that you need to go with the best spec, as on the grander scale of things, even that is somewhat underwhelming.  In the Uk it will set you back around £4000 to £4500.  

Essentially it would be this:

Hey geo2211, thanks for your help, much of it I had already been looking at, I'm much clearer now thanks for your help.

Good job..

hallmark007 Posted at 2017-3-25 05:34
iMac 27" 5k , also not sure what I would need to have a reasonably decent set up if you have any ideas, would be grateful..

That setup will work great, just as long as you create proxy media.

Swedrone Posted at 2017-3-25 08:17
That setup will work great, just as long as you create proxy media.

Are they easy set up and is there a cost to them.

Hi i have been using FCPx for few years now and its so easy, if you use photoshop you will find it so easy to understand as it uses layers etc.i also could reccomend MOTION 5, for doing intro work and small vid editing too . YOUTUBE is defo your friend with both of these applications ..happy editing ..

I used Sony Vegas Pro (now owned by Magix) for years but after a friend loaned me a 2+-year-old MacBook Pro with FCPX on it, I bought a new MacBook Pro and FCPX for myself. FCPX is very different from Vegas Pro but within a few hours I was able to create a simple video with titles, transitions and music. I have never used Adobe Premier but from what I've read and heard, I agree that it would be more suited for higher end projects and better on the PC.

FCPX is superior to Premiere in every aspect. Its approach is modern and intuitive, the interface is clean and most important: it's fast. Last but not least, FCPX is so much cheaper than Premiere that it makes you wonder whether you're dealing with a serious app or not. Don't let the price fool you though. But there's another option: Blackmagic Da Vinci Resolve, which is free. It might be too heavy for your computer though.

Da Vinci Resolve is excellent, but the edit side of it is still evolving, while the colour correction is already the best you can get. But Resolve requires your computer to have a high end video card, it won't work unless you have one installed. Fast disks are also necessary, but you can put your operating system on a fast SSD and use another SSD as a work disk, then use a slower conventional disk or array for archival storage.

The best bit about Resolve is that is is free, the paid version only really adds 3D processing and noise reduction to the list of features, so most people will not miss them. And it is multi-platform, so the iOS version is available as well. Mind you, there is a pretty steep learning curve.

stalker Posted at 2017-3-25 11:36
FCPX is superior to Premiere in every aspect. Its approach is modern and intuitive, the interface is clean and most important: it's fast. Last but not least, FCPX is so much cheaper than Premiere that it makes you wonder whether you're dealing with a serious app or not. Don't let the price fool you though. But there's another option: Blackmagic Da Vinci Resolve, which is free. It might be too heavy for your computer though.

Cheers stalker thank you.

Geebax Posted at 2017-3-25 11:48
Da Vinci Resolve is excellent, but the edit side of it is still evolving, while the colour correction is already the best you can get. But Resolve requires your computer to have a high end video card, it won't work unless you have one installed. Fast disks are also necessary, but you can put your operating system on a fast SSD and use another SSD as a work disk, then use a slower conventional disk or array for archival storage.

The best bit about Resolve is that is is free, the paid version only really adds 3D processing and noise reduction to the list of features, so most people will not miss them. And it is multi-platform, so the iOS version is available as well. Mind you, there is a pretty steep learning curve.

Cheers mate, I will have a look into it sounds interesting..

Cobra44Magnum Posted at 2017-3-25 10:41
I used Sony Vegas Pro (now owned by Magix) for years but after a friend loaned me a 2+-year-old MacBook Pro with FCPX on it, I bought a new MacBook Pro and FCPX for myself. FCPX is very different from Vegas Pro but within a few hours I was able to create a simple video with titles, transitions and music. I have never used Adobe Premier but from what I've read and heard, I agree that it would be more suited for higher end projects and better on the PC.

Thanks for your help cobra..