Considering alternative NLE's to Final Cut

Hello there,

If I may, I'd like to share just a couple thoughts from my perspective.

Ultimately, I think which NLE you choose is mainly personal preference.

I cut on Avid for years before using anything else, and I have to say I was amazed at the ease of use with the other systems in comparison over all. This, however, greatly depends upon what you are trying to accomplish. I find basic edits are easier in Premiere and Sony Vegas, but things like video boxes are easier in Avid and Premiere, but difficult in Vegas.

Another example is audio where you can easily adjust levels as the track is playing in Premiere and Vegas, but not in Avid.

However, there are many positives to Avid, such as it's color correction. To me, it has the easiest to use and most effective. The "deeper effects" (lights, speeding, painting out video, color isolation, etc.) seem to be easier in Avid to me, but it may be just because I'm the most familiar with this program. I do find many things that can be done in After Effects can be done just as easy, if not easier (IMO) on an Avid.

Personally, I think it's a lot of the marketing with Avid. It certainly is the most pricey, yet the end result of just about any pro NLE will be basically the same, so I think it's a matter of ease of use, familiarity, and costs.

I'm not too versed on FCP (yet), but what I do know about it amazes me how incredibly similar it seems to be as Premiere. During many of the first FCP tutorials I watched I couldn't help but exclaim "This is Premiere!". Maybe Premiere is basically a PC version of FCP. I don't know FCP enough yet to say, but I would think if you know one it would be a real easy transition to the other.

Anyway, this is all just personal opinion from an editor on NLEs since '99. It really does all come down to personal preference, but hope this helps!

-Mark

Hello again.

I'm mostly thinking out loud in that blog post. I'm not really demanding the answer right now. :)

Avid and Premiere would do the job as well as FCP for my modest needs (currently cutting HDV as Prores mostly, small effects and color correction). So I think my next step is pricing up alternative hardware and software combinations. The Mac Pro + FCP route or the generic + Avid or Premiere.

I don't even understand the new processors and what that means for video.. so some reading is on the cards.

Thanks for the input, 'though!

I agree, for me I use FCP for big projects only becuase I'm comfortable with it and I can get around alot of opsticals with ease on the fcp... And with Motion on the side make my life easier, for bigger effect projects I use After Effects.. When do I use premier? For quick easy jobs...with Premier I don't have to work with an external HD like I do with FCP. Meaning I can just grab my MacBook to work in a cafe or such, This is my work flow but I'm sure many others has a different work flows.. So I'll take advices as well.
Sal

Sala