24 Oct Final Cut X vs. Adobe Premier: What is the future?
Here at Word Wizards, some of us are passionately involved in a silent love affair with Apple products and software. The mac users among us have grown to rely on the unparalleled speed and incorruptibility of Apple based desktops and cinematic size monitors. I personally prefer to do my work on my MacBook Pro, which is synced and linked to all of my professional agendas, activities, contacts and projects. For streamlined, cross-platform integration, Apple is clearly the champ for pros and average Joes alike.
Apple has a unique way of providing software products that are easy to use for the novice and yet loaded with powerful tools for the professional user. Here at Word Wizards, we have been utilizing the advanced features of the Final Cut Pro video editing software for a long time. Using the previous version, Final Cut Pro 7, we even pioneered a completely new service for our customers called Video Logging Interactive (VLI). Using our proprietary VLI method, we log b-roll, add metadata, and sync our transcripts to the video; then we create a compressed QuickTime file of the media, which can be easily shared between members of the production team for instant access, anywhere, anytime. We once relied on Final Cut Pro 7 for this and other professional services, but then came Final Cut Pro X…
The software engineers at Apple made a game changing decision when they developed the new version of Final Cut Pro that was released earlier this year. We here hold no criticism of the choice they made. However, it has impacted a significant number of small and large video production firms who were looking to FCP X as the future. The choice was to aim the new version of FCP to be more consumer oriented, abandoning some key features like Final Cut Server, and failing to upgrade the supported file types to reflect formats professionals are using (like P2 and proxy files). The bottom line is that the future of Final Cut looks to be more focused on consumers, as reflected by a recent TIVA meeting Word Wizards attended, at which the topic of FCP X for professional use was discussed at length. Our old copy of Final Cut Pro 7 still works like a dream, but soon it will no longer be “supported” by Apple as they gear up FCP X.
So what is a small transcription, logging, design, and 508 compliance company to do in the face of such ground-shaking industry changes?
Enter Adobe Premier! Already, our design team relies heavily on Adobe CS products for creative design projects. We have over 20 years of experience working with Adobe products, from Acrobat to Dreamweaver and beyond. The latest version of Adobe’s masterpiece of software tools, Creative Suite 5.5, does not disappoint. The Software engineers at Adobe are fully aware of the shortcomings of FCP X, so much so that they are offering a 50% discount for a limited time on Adobe Premier for those who switch from FCP. They even have a page dedicated to highlighting the benefits of choosing the newly upgraded Adobe Premier over the downgraded FCP X (Click here to visit that page).
Word Wizards, Inc will continue to provide our industry leading services using our tried and true methods. However, as the world grows and changes to reflect new innovation and technology, so must the business that want to stay relevant look towards the future. The future looks bright with Adobe Premier, and at half the normal price, it doesn’t hurt to gain a whole new set of tools to do our trade.
So who wins the FCP X vs. Adobe Premier 5.5 battle? I guess it depends on your point of view. Here at Word Wizards, Inc. we’re staying ahead of the curve and not taking any chances!