Pro quality video for amateur money (Apple Final Cut Express HD 3.5 for Mac)

Member Name: davomrmac

Product:	Apple Final Cut Express HD 3.5 for Mac
Date:	02/10/08 (75 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Powerful, loads of features, polished results, good value

Disadvantages: Hard to learn at first

I bought Final Cut Express 3.5 (FCE) a long time ago for £119 but stupidly left it on my shelves for a while. The trouble was, when I loaded it up, the whole thing looked so confusing. I had to produce videos and had got so used to iMovie, that I went back to using the 'easier' application.

When I got a few days spare, I decided it was time to learn Final Cut Express. I spent half a day really understanding how different it was from iMovie. The way in which you capture or import video is much the same. The main difference is that you cue up 'in' and 'out' points before dragging the clip onto your timeline for further enhancement. If you have ever used the older iMovie 6 you will know what the timeline is and how it disappeared in the latest iMovie 08. So, I was back in timeline mode and I soon realised how I had missed it.

Arranging video clips is very easy. You can drag transitions between adjoining clips to make the fade in/out, or cross dissolve. The real power of FCE is that you can overlay video and audio so easily onto different tracks. For example, I can have a main video playing taking up the whole screen, then a second video playing in the bottom right hand corner (or wherever I choose). I can then zoom this up to full screen, so that it becomes the main video.

You also get LiveType with FCE. This allows you to create stunning animated titles. Bouncing text, typewriter text, spinning, the effects are amazing. Once created they seamlessly move over the FCE for adding to the front or end of your production.

I won't try and claim to know everything about FCE, as there is so much for me still to learn. All I can say is that it works like a professional video editing package and gives you so much more control. The results look more polished too.

There is a new version 4 out now which costs £129. I would say this is worth every penny. I went for the £65 upgrade option the other day and when I have got to grips with it, I will bring you a review of that too.

Summary: If you want to create pro-quality videos, FCE delivers the results

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