User Reviews for Final Cut Pro

0 out of 5

0 Ratings

7 years ago, KBeat

Don’t beleive all the negativity, a remarkable NLE

When the revamped Final Cut Pro X first dropped, it upset many longtime users. There were legitimate issues at the time, with many features missing and an entirely new program to learn for editors that knew FCP like the back of their hands. Add to this the fact that Apple handled the update inelegantly, and it was quite the firestorm. However, that’s not Final Cut Pro X today. Today Final Cut Pro X is an outstanding NLE. I think it’s the best in the business. When it comes to Final Cut, and Apple in general, there is a lot of schadenfreude out there. It can be hard to filter out the legitimate complaints. Try FCPX and see for yourself that it is far, far from “iMovie for prosumers”. It’s a great program for prosumers who want more than iMovie can offer, no doubt, but it’s also a superb tool for pros. Just ask the many that rely on it daily to edit television and film projects. BTW: When you see a review that says “basically iMovie”, “very limited functionality”, or “not for professionals”, you can trust the reivewer either doesn’t know how to use the product (likely) or has an agenda in favor of Adobe (also likely). Given the number of commercials, documentaries, and feature films that have been edited using FCPX in just the last few months, it’s safe to say it’s neither iMovie or very limited. Just check with some of Hollywood’s best filmmakers to see if it’s “not for pros”.

2 years ago, F-Stop Fitzgerald

Fastest NLE on the market, without sacrificing any quality

The less you know about editing, the easier to learn this software is. Those who have edited in track-based software for years and years will find this jarring. Some will outright dislike it at first. But they really need to power through the paradigm shift to reach the point where the speed is really felt. One month after switching from a track-based workflow to FCPX, I was shocked to find myself going home on-time for a change. I quickly noticed a 40% speed increase over track-based editors where everything you want to do is a deep dive down a rabbithole of sliders and checkboxes and dials. Most don't really matter to what you're doing. FCPX is intuitive. It does so much for you in the background, and, typical Apple, they've removed unnecessary options by doing them for you automatically, and exclusing ones that are irrelevant. In the early days, editors scorned FCPX because it wasn't fully-featured. Then they added all the features pros wanted over the next 2 years, and not only did they add them, they RE-IMAGINED them to work better and faster. Other NLEs have since copied many of them. If control is your ultimate goal, choose something else, like Premiere. If speed without any sacrifice in quality means anything to you, though, FCPX is your best bet. I don't mean to make it sound perfect. It isn't. But using it is like driving a sports car — way faster and more fun.

6 years ago, Remscape

A New Powerhouse

Seven years ago I left Final Cut Pro as my preferred editing suite, as many editors did at the time, for Adobe Premiere. I recently revisited Final Cut Pro X when I heard great things about their 10.4 update and….wow! I am honestly speechless at the vast amount of improvements made to this software. The developers really have done a fantastic job with this latest version of FCPX and I am blown away at how much more efficient and optimized the editing process has become, especially when compared to Premiere. I went ahead and jumped into this software after a few short tutorials and found myself saving about an hour of time when compared to a similar video I recently edited in Premiere and this was after just getting started! Further, the export time was a little more than twice as fast as Premiere! I could go on and on here (I may make a video about this) but I am intrigued and exited for the future of my editing process. I’m not ready to jump ship from Premiere just yet but I am definitely making both Premiere and Final Cut Pro a part of my workflow now. HUGE thanks to the developers for making Final Cut Pro X 10.4 easy to navigate, fresh and exciting, streamlined, professional and making the combined performance of FCP and Macs a powerhouse of a editing workstation!

6 years ago, N 82 50 24

Better than Davinci and Premiere for me

I’ve used Davinci and Premiere. FCP is just flat out better than the other two for my use case. I can see why someone would want to use the other two as there are aspects of both of those programs that have more options than FCP. However, one thing which is tough to deny is that FCP is WAY faster than either Davinci or Premiere. Yes I tried the latest version of Resolve and no the supposed speed increases and GPU optimization didn’t make it anywhere close to as fast as FCP. I suppose if you put together a $10,000+ workstation you may be able to reach some of the speed levels of the $3000 non-Pro iMac but I doubt it. Not to mention the monthly fee being really expensive for Premiere. Overall FCP is the best bang for your buck when it comes to speed. And the functionality has been getting better and better. Yes FCP X was weak when it launched replacing FCP 7 but it’s been improving and it’s caught up in most capacities. 10.3 was great for aesthetics of the program but 10.4 and bringing back color wheels (among other color grading options) to FCP was a great step to bringing it in line with the pro level NLEs. Highly recommended.

3 years ago, Chapachapa

Editor Since 1998 - Freaking Friggidy love it.

I've been editing since the late 90's and have used everything from Media100, to Vegas, to beta Final Cut, Premiere, and Avid. I hated Final Cut X when they first introduced it and my company was burned pretty badly when they stopped servicing Final Cut Server, so I stopped using it for a while. Then an editor friend told me to try Final Cut X again. So I did. I decided to learn the stupid program from the ground up as though I was a new editor and I have to say, it's amazing. It really is the best, most intuitive editing software on the market. It's very very fast, robust, and exports without any problems. It handles everything I throw at it and in just about any format. I'd really like to see it play a bit better with Blackmagic Raw. It's real limitation is when it comes to audio. It does not play nicely with any audio editing software besides Logic and most of my audio guys don't use Logic. If they fixed this "MAJOR" flaw and you could bounce OMF stright from the program it would be a real win. Overall, nothing bad to say about this app and I've been happy with it for years.

7 years ago, ShawnFCP

Take the time to REALLY understand it and you will love it!

I have been an editor/graphic designer for nearly 20 years and work in FCPX eight or more hours a day 5 days a week and, while not perfect in the sense that there are some features and functions I would really like to see added(the reason for only 4 stars), it is by far my favorite (and fastest to use) editing app. And I have used MANY over the years. In my opinion it has the cleanest and most efficient media browser that really allows you to organize and see all of your media at a glance. You have to really take the time to understand and embrace (rather than fight) how to use the Magnetic timeline but once you do it will allow you to edit must faster and facilitate your creativity more than any other editing program. I recently had to use Premiere Pro for a couple of projects and I can tell you that it is only when you use and really understand FCPX and then have to return to the traditional editing paradigm that you realize how much more flexible the magnetic timeline is. Not to mention I don’t HAVE to render as much in FCPX. I also love the ability to build templates/effects in motion that are so powerful and flexible to use in FCPX.

6 months ago, Mwalker108

Why Final Cut Pro

After using P.C.s for years, I was introduced to Imovie on a macbook pro. First thing I noticed was that it worked with no crashing, My school bought me the best P.C. there was and still it would crash 50% of the time when rendering or burning to CD/DVD. So I finally got a macbook pro and was using imovie. Once i realized i wanted to do more than what imovie offered I got Final Cut Pro. I was blown away with how simple it was, but with so many tools. I have used Premiere too and it has some advantages over Final Cut Pro, but most of those things i don't use or need, and the cost is too high to pay for it monthly or yearly. Final Cut was a one time purchase and they update it all the time. I run a Broadcasting and Film class at my school and have 20 imacs and a macbook pro. No crashing, Final Cut does everything we need and more to produce vidoes for the school and for the Film Festivals that my students have taken first place in many times. I have a firend that does video production for the University, and he uses both Final Cut and Premiere. He likes both. He swears by macs only, and so do I.

3 years ago, Lorenzo876

King of Speed and Far more Powerful than you Think

Like many I jumped ship for Premiere when X came out, however, after jumping back since the 10.2 release I have been nothing but pleased, for 5 main reasons. 1. It is incredibly stable, and with autosave I have never lost any work in the years I've used it. 2. Once you understand how the magnetic timeline works, it is incredibly fast and flexible; it gets out of your way, allowing you to work at the speed of thought. Also the timeline index allows you to make batch changes to your timeline incredibly quickly. A number of other features like Snapshots take a lot of work out of version management. 3. The ecosystem of plug-ins is impressive. Just about anything you can think of is available for FCP as a third party plug-in. 4. The file browser. Once again, different paradigm, but once you get the hang of it, there's really no going back to normal. It's like having a MAM integrated into your NLE. 5. SPEED, out of all the NLEs, nothing beats FCP (integrated with Apple hardware) when it comes to speed. It rarely ever chokes, and I've thrown a lot at it, and it exports super quickly. FCP is a killer app. I've been using it professionally for about 8 years at this point, and it's never let me down. I can easily work 2 to 3x as fast (not joking) and the amount of time it has saved me over the years has been invaluable. Also check out Motion, it's no slouch for motion graphics or visual effects work either.

1 year ago, Icecreamguy2

Truly horrendous

I WISH this program worked as well as it could, because concepually it's brilliant, and the things it can do, when it works, are incredible. I'm a full time, professional photographer and videographer, I make 100% of my living in this field. This program is the main reason why I've scaled back my video clients. Still, to this day, it is SO BUGGY that it makes me dread editing even the smalles project. All I use it for is simple multicam edits. But everything from keywords not showing in the tag index, audio popping even after export on video-only multicam transitions, ludicrous render artifacts when combining groups and fades, the inability to use adjustment layers natively, the list just goes on and on. EVERY project seems to be a nightmare. I've been using this program professionally for 6 years now and it never seems to improve. I've read every coner of the online manuals and the issue isn't not knowing the program. I have called in bugs which get fixed on subsequent updates, but I just want the program to GET OUT OF MY WAY AND LET ME EDIT. I don't know why it's so hard for it to do simple things without encountering bugs. I wish I'd learned on another NLE to start with. This program makes my job harder and more frustrating.

3 years ago, E Nation

POWERFUL! but not Convenient (**AS OF NOW**)

I love this program and have been using it for at least four years in my professional experience as an independent film creator. My usual work consist of marketing videos that require numerous cuts punchy text and fun transitions, color correcting, tracking, and audio adjusting as any editor would need. They have the tools and I love the third party plug-ins that would help my workflow before upgrading to the M1 (apples new silicon). Now understandable not eveyone is caught up with the M1 but its blassing fast!!! but its apple only fast. So now, I'm struggling to find compatible plugins and will most likely have to default to doing everything manually or with the aid of Motions which I'm admittedly not the best at yet. Currently my only native issue with Final cut is their Basic crossfade transition. This has been the sourse to some serious playback issues in my videos... i'm figuring out ways around it but I'm still looking forward to the next few updates from them, my understanding of Motions and these other companies promised optomization of there FCP products. Again, Highly recommened!!

3 weeks ago, Caramelpropeller

Bugs

There are bugs now and then, the current one is hurting my work a lot. Audio skimming works, but there is no audio when pressing left and right buttons. Spoke to one apple advisor that had no idea what I was talking about, even with screensharing. He kept talking about different things and I kept showing and explaining. Then he said no, it's not supposed to have audio when pressing left and right buttons, that I just had to zoom in and audio skim. (I have edited about 40k interviews over the last 11 years using this feature.) I called and spoke to another advisor, who thank goodness knew what I was talking about, and he told me that it will be fixed, that this was a bug in the current version. I wish however, that the developers (or whoever is responsible for fixing this promptly) knew how important this feature is to some of us. For others, maybe they never use it, for me, I use it 9 hours every single day, and for weeks now my work is suffering because of this bug, and I have no idea when it will be fixed.

3 years ago, BA3

Better than I realized

I've been using FCPX for years but I've never tried another software to make a comparison. Recently, my kids needed to make videos, and because they have Adobe CS, I got them to use Premier Pro - I remember someone telling me how good it was so I started learning it with my kids and helping them make videos. After about two weeks of I came to the conclusion that FCPX might be better for them but I wondered if that was just because I knew FCPX so well? After about 1 hour of showing them the ropes, my kids loved using FCPX! It is so much more versatile, intuitive, easy to use, lots of free transitions, affects, & sounds, etc., and of course, it works seemlessly with their Mac. The best thing is though, their creativity has inceased exponentially and I don't need any encouragement them to get stuck into a project. Now, they really enjoy making videos! I've always liked using FCPX but this has given me a new apprciation for it.

7 years ago, Chad The Producer

For quick projects only it seems!

I hate this app with a passion. I am accustomed to Final Cut Pro 7 and looked forward to the Final Cut Pro X update, being that it is so affordable. So I took the leap and updated my OSX (where I lost the ability to use Final Cut Pro 7) and got FCX. How sad for me to discover that I am at a creative standstill, with unnecessary limitations for the simplest tasks. For Starters, why can I not control my video tracks, meaning, if I want to split a video track and duplicate it, put it above or below the current video track, I am unable to do so. Even with this magnetic timeline crap deactivated, my photos and videos are unable to operate as individual tracks or streams. This is a cookie cutter program, for quick projects, vlogs, and ultimately for fun it seems. I would surely not recommend this product for someone wanting to actually create a professional commercial, film, short film, or documentary. Anything that involves multiple video clips, and photos, (FORGET ABOUT IT)!!! I honestly like IMovie better than I like Final Cut Pro X! Apple go back to the drawing board and create something that actually works. P.S. This freaking app seems to freeze and crash. I have maxed out my ram and I have an i5 processor in both my iMac and MacBookPro. Needless to say It’s not my system it’s the app.

4 years ago, Coach264

The NLE we used to do our 2 hour TV documentary.

Please do not listen to any of the people coming from FCP-7. This app may take getting used to if you're coming from another editing platform. We used FCPX on our two hour documentary, with mostly one editor. I don't know if we could have used anyother NLE to organize the 70 reels of film, over 5,000 pictures, plus over 80 interviews about Vietnam. When you really get into this application it is fast, maybe the fastest NLE I've ever used. It's quick to find things and once you get it down you can do so much with FCPX. If you're a beginner this is definetly the NLE you want to use, its how editing was meant to be, fast, easy to find things so you could concentrate on art and imagination of your project. I also used it to edit all my sports action films and I could turn the project around in half the time. I hope it gets an upgrade soon, all the other platforms have upgraded and FCPX is due. Hopefully its worth the wait.

4 years ago, scootermg117

FCP is excellent. App store reviews are near useless.

FCP is excellent. Been loving it for years. With that said, due to some recent app store reviews, I'm still hanging on to 10.4.6 rather than upgrade to 10.4.8 for fear of instability. Have had no issues with 10.4.6 and prefer stability over whatever new feature tweaks. Here's the real problem: the ratings & review feature on the App Store is so utterly useless its beyond baffling. The fact that the "Most Helpful" reviews that show up by default are 2 years old is ridiculous. The fact that people are complaining about bugs and crashes but you can't see what version they are running is ridiculous. The list goes on. The app store reviews may have some value for $.99 games, but somebody somewhere (not Apple) needs to make a review/feedback system for professional-grade software that actually informs rather than distracts with pure noise. Thx for listening. Enjoy FCP... or yer alternative movie-making software of choice.

3 years ago, zacisbac06

Stabilty/speed, compatibility, interface, organization, features!

I started cinematography with no experience or knowledge of it in 2017 at age 11 with VEGAS Movie Studio 12. When I have switched from PC to Mac, I've switched to Final Cut Pro X and my projects have had a noticable change for the better. The stability/speed is truly astonishing. The features are easy to use and powerful. I have yet to find a file it can't read (mp4, vob, mov, mts, mp3, caf, m4a, wav, jpg, jpeg, png, aiff, and more work so far). Replacing tracks with metadata was genius. The library is basically a .zip file in my Movies folder that can hold all my media without it being in any other place. I then back up the .zip file with Time Machine. While I feel like there could be a few more Video effects added, I can't complain because there are already so many (along with a library of stock sound effects and music). Overall, if you're going to really use it, it is worth the $$$!

7 years ago, deldots

love it!

dont believe the people who pan fcpx because it looks similar to iMovie! This is a powerful and versatile editing software. It will probably be confusing to you at first if you are using FCP 7 or adobe but once you get the hang of it you cant go back. its worth the time investment to learn the software. I have been a professional editor for 20 years in a top 10 market and I highly reccomend fcpx. as far as the reviews of it being slow or crashing..my guess is the people who are saying that have a crap computer or the dont know how to set up the project correctly in the first place. I can play a project and edit it while its playing back and it renders before it reaches that point. again, people give fcpx bad reviews because apple changed the game with this software and people cant or dont want to change what they are comfortable with. If you take the time to learn the software you will understand the power of fcpx.

6 years ago, Rpalla100

Getting Better All The Time

This software continually gets better. I think there should be a very easy-to-access button for the shortcuts window. These shortcuts are crucial for using the software efficiently - so to me it makes sense that it should be easily accessible at all times. The subtitles feature isn’t clear-cut. I know it’s complicated, but again, it’s not as easy as “text box” “type” “two translations”. As a Logic Pro User I often have trouble syncing up the frame-rate of songs (which can change drastically depending on the BPM) with the framerate on the FCP videos. Haveing these two pieces of software work in harmony with one another would pave the future for a new kind of art form. Ohhhh…Lastly! actually, a couple more things. One, there should be a standard button for showing a translucent grid on the video to line things up. Other outside plugin software have this grid feature available, but it should be standard. Very surprised it isn’t - easy fix to, no? Also, an update to some of the standard tools like “Lower Thirds” would be nice. Not updated for like five years or something. You may have a deal with outside plugin developers not allowing you to do so, I don’t know - there’s aren’t much better either though. BUT, this software is great. A grid, easy translations, LogicPro-flexibility, and some standard tool updates, AND the shortcut button, that would be swell.

4 years ago, imgaryshap74

missing some basics

I'm new to Final Cut Pro X. The gateway to entry is low which is great. You can start editing right away. There are also a lot of push-button effects, and transitions to make that process simple. However, the only reason I'm not giving it 5 stars, is that it would apprear they have forgotten about some of the simpliest foundations or abilities. For example - There's no way to add a simple text box. just a plain ol' text box where you are in control of typing, changing the font, adding a file color, etc. Also, framing clips. Yes, you can add a simple border around a clip, but that border will not adjust if you crop your image or video, nor can you put a border around a mask. Pretty basic stuff. I haven't fully explored the entire app, but i'm sure there are some other - what feels like very fundamental elements - that were overlooked.

6 years ago, Mhvc2018

FCPX is great but 10.4 is very broken

I’ve been using FCPX for four years now and it’s gotten better and better over time. Multicam, syncing is fantastic. Before that I used Premiere Pro and Final Cut back and forth since 2000. FCPX is really my go to editing app now for the type of work I do. Excited for betting coloring tools, white balance color picker (finally!) in 10.4 . But if you use any of the Canon Cinema lines the importing of these camera footage is completely broken. Yes it brough C200 RAW native support, but it broke C300, C100MKII, C100 importing. It breaks the importing of the footage into 5 to 7 minute sections, and it adds digital artifacts to imported footage. So one single 30 minute interview is broken into a lot of dfiferent files. You then have to compound clip, or put all on timeline, export and re-import. We can’t upgrate our main editing station because of this serious error. I’ve submitted bug reports, etc. I’ve also read online that a lot of people are having this problem. Please fix asap- it’s been two months now that 10.4 has been out and still no word from Apple or Canon.

7 years ago, jandrews8

The best video production tool I’ve ever used - very intuitive!

Final Cut Pro X is by far the best video production tool I’ve ever used. I’ve been editing video for nearly 30 years (started back in the days of linear tape to tape while in college at UGA and produced a cable TV show). I won’t mention all of the packages I’ve used over the years (PC, Mac, Amiga platforms). While FCPX took me about a day to understand it’s differences from many other editors, I now see why the FCPX team at Apple made them. It’s so intuitive and simple. But it’s so powerful at the same time. I can produce a final product so much faster now than I could previously. Editing and audio controls are great. Features, transitions and generators are plentiful. Layering is so easy. Chroma-keys are a breeze. Third party generators and plug-ins are readily available. You can’t go wrong no matter what you’re producing.

10 months ago, David_Moi

It's falling behind

I understand Apple likes to wait on new age stuff before they release it, I.e. iPhone yearly. But i feel FCPX something i've used for 8 years rarely is competative with Adobe on new software and ideas. To the point i've had to buy Adobe for the AI tech and sub title generators Adobe uses in their AI which is just part of the package no extra charge. Its almost 2024, and FCPX is still manual labor while the world is going automated. It's falling behind heavly and for my life being fast past, i've started to use this MUCH less simply because of the lack of AI and staying current. I give it 4 star because past that its AMAZING software that does the job for youtubers, DS'ers, or advert creators. Anything AI though, its a hard 0. We going to see similar ideas to AI soon, Adobe is crushing it for the last 8 months and just released an update that is heavy in sub title creating, and image adjustments

10 months ago, jim_b

A well integrated and maintained pro app

I've used final cut for well over a decade starting on 7 and once it was stabile moving to FCPX. The application is faster than ever to do basic edits in and there is a wide range of plugins and templates available by both apple and third parties. I love how its been optimized to run on silicon so well that more basic machines can practically use it. I used to only use macbook pro 15's with the latest builds. For the last year or so, I've been perfectly happy using an M1 iMac and when it does choke on multiple 4k streams, it immediately goes back to awesome by switching to the automatically generated proxy media. I can't wait to see how apple integrates AI into this application. I'd love to see something like the generative fill in photoshop/firefly or the ability to remove objects applied to video.

3 years ago, SS-MM-00

Apple started froms sratch, it’s finally paying off

I’m in the industry. I edit and assistant edit for feature films, tv shows, and commercials. Yes there are a few missing pieces to the puzzle, namely collaboration, however FCP is the clear and superior choice among NLEs to me. It’s stable, efficient, and forward thinking. It’s saved me so much time, it’s difficult to exaggerate. It takes a day to wrap your head around the Magnetic Timeline and then a few weeks to get used to it. Soon after you understand the convenience of it. Other than that one change to the traditional editing paradigm I think most new users can easily navigate the interface on their first few tries and understand the benefits of all the modern features - especially Keywords Roles, and the use of Metadata. Multicam is amazing.

1 month ago, Hilton3607

Outstanding Tool for Content Creators, But Needs More Updates

I've been using Final Cut Pro X (FCPX) for a while now, and I have to say, it's an incredibly easy and user-friendly program for both new and professional content creators. The intuitive interface makes video editing a breeze, and the performance is top-notch. One of the standout features of FCPX is the excellent support from third-party vendors. There are so many plugins and additional tools available that can enhance your editing experience, making it versatile and adaptable to a wide range of projects. However, despite its many strengths, Apple seems to be falling short when it comes to consistently updating FCPX with new and useful features. Competitors like DaVinci Resolve and CapCut are pushing out updates more frequently, often introducing innovative features that FCPX lacks. In conclusion, while FCPX is a powerful and reliable editing tool, I hope Apple will step up its game and provide more frequent updates to keep pace with the competition. It has so much potential, and with a bit more attention from Apple, it could easily remain the top choice for content creators everywhere.

7 years ago, Chad Coleman

final cut vs. Premiere Pro

I have been using Final Cut and permiere interchangeably and I choose final cut. First the cost it will pay it’s self off in a year and you get unlimited updates to the software. Final Cut has a lot of hidden features in it at first it might look like a glorified i movie but dig deeper there is alot of things you can do in final cut that you can’t do in premier. Permiere is good but you have to switch from permiere to after effects to do certain things when in final cut you can do alot right in the software. If you have the sister program Motion I highly recommend it is I think easier to use than after effects and cheaper to. Bottom line final cut I think is better because you can stay organized and make a great project in less time and less steps.

2 years ago, Rusty chain

11 years in

Been with FCPX for 11 years. It's been an amazing progam but one that needs feature updates if it is to continue. Our editing team produces feature length programs for PBS and dozens of marketing videos each year. Final Cut is still the fastest, most reliable NLE we have ever used on a Mac. However, the features we have been requesting for years (audio mixing in the app - ability to work with DAWs directly - collaboration tools) are still not coming and it feels like the team at Apple are at a stand still. I miss the days when Final cut was on the front page of Apple talking about the latest film that was cut using thier program, I miss seeing them at NAB, I want to know they will be with for the long haul. I'm excited by the competition and hope Apple will rise to the occasion.

6 years ago, Charm City Shaman

Feels Lke Home

I have had Final Cut Pro since Apple debuted it at NAB in Los Vegas running on a G3 tower and Quicktime 4 beta. Don’t let others sway you, FCP is the best video editing package on the market bar-none. I’ve spent the last four years using Adobe Premiere Pro, and I have missed FCP like a homesick child. FCP architecture and design is just so much more elegant than the Adobe bundle. I found Premiere to be its equal in capability but frankly it’s rather clunky and expensive with its “pay to play” monthly billing. Recently I broke down and purchased FCP & Motion after not being satified with Premiere's text graphics capability, so I dumped my monthly subscription to Adobe CC Suite and downloaded my old friend from the App Store. I see that much has changed since my last version of FCP but it feels like coming home.

3 years ago, unadulteratedtruth

Worth the money!

Normally I am pretty critical of software. Mostly when it doesn't do what it is supposed to do. I have been using this software for about a year and I have nothing but good things to say. First, the software gets out of the way and lets you work. Everything has functioned very well for me. the preloaded transitions and filters are enough to get even the most novice users started. There is a great library of sounds that comes with this program as well. There are so many great, online resources from which you can learn to master this program. That means when you have a problem there is probably a solution readily available somewhere on the web. In combination with the other video editing software offered by apple it can do almost anything you can dream of. Big shout out to Apple for making and keeping this software one-time-pay. This software, It's companions, and logic pro make it worth owning a mac if only to run this fantastic suite of programs! The creative potential is nearly endless! Not sure why this program isn't used in more professional workflows. Capable, stable and reliable!

9 months ago, 추인님

Great BUT...

I use FCP for editing videos for my online courses and overall, I enjoy using it a lot. However, one MAJOR complaint is that from time-to-time, Apple releases updates that have deliterious effects on my existing libraries (what other people would call "projects"). Not too long ago, they made a release that essentially broke the audio of every single video of my nearly 90 hour course comprised of hundreds of videos. I contacted support and worked with a super nice lady who attempted to escalate after trying to assist me for quite some time but never got a further assistance and the audio is still screwed up. I am able to manually and PAINSTAKINGLY go through each and every video and mess with the audio settings to approximate how it was before but that's TERRIBLE!

4 years ago, SFX DIRECTOR

Hollywood Animation Studios uses Final Cut X

Final Cut X is the next great installment from Apple. We have been using Final Cut for decades and now that we have Feature Films to produce we need a production pipeline and workflow that can be stremlined to meet productivity timelines. Final Cut also has tremndous options for plug-ins and sister software solution like Compresor, and most importantly Motion. These tools in the hands of any user can produced Hollywood Qaulity Content at a minumal price. The third praty resources are pretty amazing from free Luts to Filters. We tried Devinci but it just could'nt measure up to Final Cut X and we use Black Magic Cameras and products which we love. For a Professional Solution use Final Cut X you won't be dissapointed and I did not recieve any compensation or benefits writing this. - Michael Spartan/CEO Hollywood Animation Studios - Los Angeles CA.

10 months ago, Goofymatt

Getting better all the time

I have used FCP since the days of Studio 2 or 3. As a fan, I was in Vegas at the event where they first announced FCPX and I bought it on release day. That being said, it wasn't smooth sailing from the start... For the first 2 years I used both FCP7 & X, until finally cutting 7 out for good and moving my little company into a 100% FCPX workflow. Im very thankful that I did, because the experience keeps getting better! It's faster and more intuitive than my experience with other NLEs. The 3rd party plugins work so well, almost as if they were stock. I use it every day and Its been really solid for about 10 years now! I really look forward to great things in the future!

2 months ago, SonOfAdam71

Should I let go of this rope of hope?

As a 53 year-old video editor who started cutting on film, Final Cut Pro was game-changing Godsend! With the proliferation of Macs and especially iPhones and iPads in so many young hands, and the intellectual and financilal power of Apple, I truly believe that FCPX and it's little brother iMovie should be the leading video editing apps of this generation. Sadly that title seems to be held by feature-rich and remarkably intuitive app called Cap Cut -as well as what I consider it's big brother, Devinci Resolve. Though I still appreciate and rely on FCPX on a daily basis for the work I do, it seems it's becoming the "app for old guys". I keep telling myself that Apple has been taking it's time, and secretly working on a mind-blowing update titled "Final Cut Infinity" which will literally make users weep tears of joy and amazement. Perhaps hope is a rope I cling to naievly.

4 months ago, jlightle

Near Perfect

I was a Final Cut Pro 7 user for a long time and eventually jumped ship to Premier Pro before the release of Final Cut Pro X. However, an editing gig brought me back to FCP a few years ago. Since then, I’ve warmed up to it. I appreciate the interface in a way I didn’t initially, and some automatic tools are handy. Likewise, I’m impressed with its speed (especially on the M1 chip), and you can beat the non-subscription price. However, I say it’s near perfect because some features exist in Premiere Pro that I wish Final Cut would adopt. For example, intelligently stretching music tracks, auto transcriptions, and track effects. Lastly, the Final Cut file sizes can get pretty big. It’s not ideal, but I make it work. Ultimately, I’m glad I came back to Final Cut Pro, and I’m happy I can add it to my resume.

7 years ago, Jay_in_Mass

Intuitive and powerful

I can get so much done in FCPX quicker than any of the many other video editors I’ve used. Yes, the interface takes some adjustement if you’re used to conventional non-linear editors. But there is so much freedom in the FCPX workspace that I can’t see myself going back to the old way. When I want to whip together a quick project, I can do that. When I need a more involved workflow, I can do that. And everything I need to do is easy to access. My only gripe is the size of the interface elements; on a 4k screen, they’re really really tiny and there currently doesn’t appear to be a way to adjust that. But outside of that, this app is a pleasure to use. FCPX is an amazing value for a video editor of this quality.

2 years ago, TurtleNipp

Fantastic until upgrade to Monterey

Severe workflow issues after updating to Monterey. I've encountered the following issues multiple times since updating, but never experienced them prior to updating. This is a highlighted list, but certainly not exhaustive. - Hangs or completely crashes when replacing clips and playing back. (intermittent) - Entire storylines seem to get corrupted when editing one of the clips within it. Have to delete all clips within the storyline and recreate. (constant) Can't just drag them outside or the storyline literally disappears, followed by a complete crash. - When cutting clip with attached audio, audio sometimes cuts in a different place from your blade, but doesn't reflect in the timeline. This results in phantom audio that you can't track down because it is literally not displayed at all in the software. Requires detaching the audio to find it and trimming it manually. Can reocur despite this, and you'll have to do it again. I used to absolutely love FCPX. Now I have added, at minimum, at least 10 hours to my weekly workflow recently in navigating glitches and crashes alone, and have had to limit my editing style to evade them. These issues are affecting my livelihood and I am forced to moonlight learning a new software to ensure I can keep up with work in the future. Very disheartening.

7 years ago, IlyaIsak

Moving to Premiere. sorry

This was my first pro NLE and I think the clean interface really helped me, and for that I am grateful. Let me mention why I dont think you should spend your money here, its functionality is basically very similar iMovie, once you get the full hang of editing video on a minimal layout which Apple excels at, there is no reason to be on final cut. why? 1. it gets stuck very very often for multiple reasons. I have had to reinstall this program sseveral times, after I already exhausted other methods to get my project to work or to export without freezing or failing. 2. its functionality is very limited. 3. aboslutely no color grading features other than a color board which is like throwing users a piece of bone for them to chew on while they think of reinvesting in an additional costly plug in. 4. it simply isnt worth my frustrations any longer.

7 years ago, Big LYRIK Ent

Crash after Crash

I hardly ever write reviews but my current version of 10.3.4 has crashed repeatedly ever since I downloaded it. I have had all the versions since 2012 and maybe every great while did I get a crash here and there but nothing a quick re boot couldnt fix but now I have had to uninstall and reinstall repeatedly and it still crashes on load up it even gets as far as I can see the main screen for a few seconds then it crashes. I know the typical questions lets see I had my library on my hard drive then moved the library to an external. I have plenty of available memory. I have all updates current. Bottom line I was using this for my video business and I havent been able to edit for 2 days which is killing me and that is unacceptable for a pro editor system I guess I will have to learn Premiere now . Maybe I will come back after the bugs are fixed.

10 months ago, ultra maze

This app makes my entire living

Been using FCP since the first version in 2011. Though it sometimes seems a bit behind compared to Resolve and Premiere with some features, it remains the fastest timeline editor and I love the magnetic timeline. It also has a rich plugin ecosystem. Once you get into the weeds of plugins, templates, etc, it's really endless. This tool is good enough for Hollywood and most YouTubers out there, and I love it. I just fear that Apple will not care about it long term and it will go away... but so far that hasn't been the case. They keep updating it (though I wish more frequently) and it seems to be around for the long haul. I love it and hope it never goes away. THANK YOU APPLE!

3 years ago, BD LB

FCP 10.6 has major, major flaws - do not update

I used to use Premiere Pro for nearly a decade, and about a year ago we produced a campaign that required HEVC footage, and no matter what I did, my brand new 2020 iMac to would hard crash every time I tried to open that footage in Premiere. October 2020, I switched to FCPX, and wow, what a difference it made! For the entire past year, FCPX has been nearly flawless, and has only crashed or frozen maybe 5 times grand total. That is - until I updated to 10.6. In the past week, FCP 10.6 has had more crashes, hangs, and issues than I've had in the entire past year. Today its issues casused me to loose nearly half the day just trying to open projects, open backups, reinstall FCP - just trying to troubleshoot - and I'm still dealling with the issue. Whatever you do, do NOT update to 10.6 until Apple releases an update - hopefully in the next few days.

4 years ago, USiff.com

I tried to switch back

I have FCP version 5.1.4 on one of my old iMacs and love it. But, when Apple switched FCP to the iMove format a few years back, I jumped on the Adobe Premiere train. I recently had the opportunity to try the new resigned FCP X program and I honestly can not stand the lack of flexibility in the program. 1. You can not move the workspace “tools” windows around. You have to stick to the default options that Apple setup. It drives me nuts!  2. When you want to create a timeline, you press new project, not new timeline. Then when you right click on a clip in that project, which is on the timeline, it will say, “left from storyline”. Storyline, timeline or project, why did apple do this?   3. Then the project “timeline” or is it the storyline?? Either way it is not that friendly at all. I’ve been trying to move a few clips around, but the project automatically snaps the rest of my clips in place. I do not like the fact that you can not just click a clip and move it anywhere on the timeline (storyline / project). You have to left click to either add a storyline, or lift the storyline. 2 Stars - The reason for the 2 starts, the program does take a advantage of my eGPU. If you are using Premiere or have the old FCP X version 5, I would not recommend switching back to FCP X (2020).

7 years ago, Bearkat4160

Enjoy the Latest Update 10.4

Finally Apple has upgraded the color correction section on FCPX! I was playing with it last night on some already completed videos and it is definitely improved, with wheels! Also I happend to spot the LUT Loader function. I say, well this sounds like a built in LUT Loader? Heck yes, it is! Have any Luts from whoever? Load it. Canon Luts, Sony Luts, Black Magic Luts, whoever made it Luts…load em up! So cool, no more 3rd party Lut loader that are useless on the next OSX or FCPX update. I have not tried the latest FCPX with the new Motion yet as I have it also, but they always talk to each other very well. I really don’t need BM Davinci Resolve for color correction any more, keep it all in one software finally. Get FCPX, try it, use it, love it.

2 years ago, Promiceus

Anti-human time-thief

Just made another terrible discovery: cmd Z works for project operations as well. So after an hour of painstaking cuts (synced with beats in music) I've realized I've lost a layer or may be two. And it probably happened some quite some time ago, so many edits away. There is no 'Save As' command, right? There is 'duplicate' and 'duplicate as' - and I thought I'd just do a new copy, cmd Z back to where I was and... I came back where I needed only to realize that cmd Z ALSO KILLED THE DUPLICATED PROJECT. And because I did occasional 'mute' while checking of I got back to the right place, a full history of 'Redo' was also gone. What moron could come up with 'undo' working for project duplication?! Seriously, in which universe it's better to undo it rahter than delete the new or old copy. And in which universe lack of 'save as' not helps but steals time in huge amounts and makes life harder? IS that innovation? Is that even apple? Is it 21-***g century?

7 years ago, AgeC3

Needs Fix for Non-Controllable Firewire Devices

It worked fine on my Mac Pro 2008 running El Capitan. Just bought a fully loaded iMac 27” ($$$$) and an OWC ThunderBolt 3 Dock. Connected my Edirol VMC-1 firewire capture device. When I go to import from it, timecode starts running and ‘Play’ shows on the screen. I hit play button on VCR and I get stuck jittery frame in the preview window. I do get sound. I clicked import and let it run. It captured video and audio. Problem is, I can’t use the adjustment knobs on the VMC-1 without a working preview to monitor. I looked eveywhere in the very limited preferences to see if I could set the device to non-controllable. Nope, not there. Funny thing is, the free included QuickTime X Player produces a preview just fine. So Apple is able to make this work for a free app but not a $300 “Pro” app. Oh how I long for the full functionality of FCP 7.

6 years ago, GarthDWiebe

Caution: Good new features, but loses compatibility with older projects

Caution: Version 10.4.x has well-worthwhile new features, such as the color tools. I upgraded from 10.2.3. Be warned that 10.4.x is not compatible with projects created under 10.2.x. New projects will have to be started completely from scratch. It claims to convert older libraries but does so with substantial corruption to them. If you have to continue work on, or revise your older projects, you will need to keep a separate system boot disk of El Capitan with Final Cut Pro X 10.2.x on it (10.4.x will not run on El Capitan and 10.2.x will not run on High Sierra) to access these projects again. The user interface has been rearranged, but this will just require an hour or two of re-learning to become accustomed to it.

6 months ago, zlo1bubr

Disapointed

I was using Luma Fusion for years on iPad and iPhone. Quick and easy. Tried DaVinchi Resolve, but it was poorly supporting iPhone videos. Finally decided to buy super expensive Final Cut Pro. this program is super slow. It does way to many things in the background even if I did not requested them, and that eating all CPU power. UI is messy. Pretty easy and frequently used controls are way deep in the menus. Big expensive mistake. The only Plus - now I can edit on a big screen. But it not far from iMovie, same slow photos library parsing. why to load all 100k items at once? And last thing which is killed me. Loaded HDR files and got SDR video, because by default it converts! And if you need opposite - welcome to search thru the menus. I wish designers take a look on Luma Fusion - probably the most friendly interface today.

9 months ago, Ghettofrog

Ghetto Fabulous!

Final Cut Pro X has completely revolutionized my video editing game! As a Realtor in the Arlington, Mansfield, Kennedale, Texas area, I often find myself creating captivating property tours, and Final Cut Pro X has become my go-to tool. The user-friendly interface makes it a breeze to navigate, even for someone like me who isn't a tech wizard. The extensive range of features allows for seamless editing, from enhancing property shots to adding that extra flair to walkthroughs. The speed and efficiency of the software have saved me valuable time, enabling me to focus more on my clients and less on editing headaches. The real-time collaboration feature has been a game-changer for team projects, ensuring smooth communication and a more streamlined workflow. The app's stability is impressive, providing a reliable platform for all my editing needs. In conclusion, Final Cut Pro X is a must-have for any real estate professional looking to elevate their video content. It's intuitive, powerful, and has become an indispensable tool in my real estate journey. Five stars all the way!

5 years ago, celloshredder

The Step up from iMovie

If you’re a beginning filmmaker that started on iMovie and are finding yourself limited by locked-down templates and needing more functionality than iMovie gives you, you won’t look back. You’ve got most of the same templates (the only thing I’m missing is the trailer templates and the globes), a ton of other transitions/templates not appearing in iMovie, and nearly full customization on everything. The workflow is definitely more complex—I was helped by "The Focal Easy Guide to Final Cut Pro X" by Rick Young—but once you get the hang of it, it all becomes second nature. If you’re looking to up your editing workflow, this is well worth your $299—pay it once, and don’t look back.

3 years ago, Axilrod1

Edit - Had issues with 10.6 but after reinstalling seems to be working fine

I updated my system to Big Sur recently (I usually wait a while for kinks to get worked out) and installed FCP 10.6. Edited a huge project and when I went to export it would crash instantly, no spinning wheels, just would instantly close. Even just clicking on destinations under preferences would make it crash. Tried resetting preferences, creating new libraries, hard drive first aid, removing plugins, same issue. Finally just uninstalled with appcleaner and reinstalled and it worked right away. So if you're having issues give that a try.

2 years ago, belastar

With All Great Things...

I've been using and traing others to us FCP since it's concepton. The updates are usuallu pretty meaniless, like someone changes the graphocs or layout (which I find irritating) but other than that, I don't know what others expect from an editing sofware. Thos is more than suffcient? Do people want the software to be like lame Abelton? Like an editor shouldnt have to think or work at producong a. good product? If you want a slick finished product, take your time to learn FCP, it haws all you need to edit anything well. I love it and always have. even when EVERYONE did'nt. Remember that updfate??? That was like Britney 2007. A mess, and I still loved it.

Description

Final Cut Pro combines revolutionary video editing with powerful media organization and incredible performance to let you create at the speed of thought. Revolutionary Video Editing • The Magnetic Timeline uses advanced metadata and Clip Connections for faster, easier editing • Enhanced Timeline Index lets you drag and drop audio roles to rearrange the layout of your timeline • Powerful drag-and-drop Object Tracker automatically matches titles and effects to the movement of faces or objects • Change focus points or the depth effect for video shot in Cinematic mode on iPhone (requires macOS Monterey or later) • Edit multicamera projects with automatic syncing and support for up to 64 camera angles • Automatically transform projects for square or vertical delivery with Smart Conform • Import and edit 360° equirectangular video in a wide range of formats and frame sizes • Create, edit, and deliver closed captions from within Final Cut Pro • Extend the capabilities of Final Cut Pro with third-party workflow extensions Powerful Media Organization • Organize your work within libraries for efficient media management and collaboration • Create proxy copies of your media for portability and performance • Apply custom keywords or favorites on the fly as you select clip ranges • Smart Collections dynamically organize content for you to quickly find any shot in a few clicks • Locate duplicate media in the timeline using highlighted clip ranges or the Timeline Index Incredible Performance • Improved speed and efficiency on Mac computers with Apple silicon • Unrivaled performance with optimizations for the M2 Pro, M2 Max and M2 Ultra chips • Work with a broad range of formats including ProRes, RED, XAVC, AVCHD, Avid DNxHR®, Avid DNxHD®, H.264, HEVC, and more Compelling, Customizable Effects • Beautifully animated, easily customizable 2D and 3D titles • Change the look of titles, transitions, and effects using intuitive controls • Choose from an ecosystem of third-party FxPlug plug-ins with custom interfaces Integrated Audio Editing • Assign roles during import to easily track and organize your project • Expand and edit multichannel audio files directly in the timeline • Apply intuitive Logic-based effects and reduce background noise to isolate voices • Sync video with separate audio in a single step with instant audio waveform matching Intuitive Color Grading • Import, edit, and deliver video in standard color spaces, or in Rec. 2020 and HLG color spaces • Powerful color wheels and curves for precise adjustments with keying and masks • Accurately view HDR on the MacBook Pro and Pro Display XDR One-Step, Optimized Output • Incredibly fast export for playback on Apple devices and upload to websites such as Vimeo and YouTube • Export audio stems and multiple versions of a finished video using roles metadata • Import and export XML for third-party workflows like color grading and sound mixing System Requirements: macOS 13.5 or later, 8GB of RAM (16GB recommended for third-party effects and plug-ins), Metal-capable graphics card (Intel-based Mac computers only), 5.8GB of available disk space. Some features require a Mac with Apple silicon. Some features require internet access; fees may apply. Blu-ray recorder required for burning Blu-ray discs. 705