![]() ![]() The project I was working on at the time was actually a photo slideshow, and my focus then was in addressing some of the questions I had about that, so I’m actually planning to repeat the workshop with some video footage lined-up so I can make better use of some of the techniques taught. The standard material presented taught me a lot, and the tutor was really helpful in answering individual questions and offering one-to-one assistance during the workshop. I did the one in London’s Regent Street store, and it was absolutely superb. Anyone can come along and take part, without even needing to own the product: the stores offer loan machines with the software installed for anyone who doesn’t have their own. While I was quickly able to get to grips with the basics, I of course wanted to learn how to take advantage of the greater capabilities of FCP, so I signed up for one of the two free workshops available in Apple Stores: Final Cut Pro X for Storytellers.įree workshops are one of Apple’s secret weapons on the marketing front. ![]() My hope is that this will teach me the shortcuts and that I’ll then be able to dispense with the skin – we’ll see how that works out! There are new ones out for the 2016 MacBook Pro, but as I do most of my video editing at my desk, I opted instead for one for my Magic Keyboard. I decided to make life easier for myself by buying a keyboard overlay. Fortunately, as a very basic iMovie user, I wasn’t making much use of these, so could jump straight into learning the FCP ones. Keyboard shortcuts are not identical, though they do have similarities, so if you’re used to these in iMovie, you will need to learn the new ones for FCP. There are a few things in different places – like transitions between clips – but anyone used to iMovie will quickly learn to find their way around the basic features of FCP. I was able to create my first Final Cut Pro X video right away, without delving into user guides or tutorials. So while FCP can do significantly more than iMovie, I was pleased to find that the basic layout is much the same, and the process of creating very simple videos likewise. This isn’t surprising as Apple developed iMovie essentially as a cut-down version of FCP, and it wanted to provide a tempting upgrade path for those who get more seriously into video. ![]() The good news is that, while iMovie is the consumer app and Final Cut Pro X the professional one, their user interfaces are actually remarkably similar. In an era when we’re used to paying as little as a dollar for an app, this is undeniably painful – and I must admit I winced when I pressed the button. The bad news is that it isn’t cheap: you’ll be swapping a free app for one costing $299.99. There’s good news and bad news for anyone making the transition from iMovie. And if you’re an accomplished FCP X user, I’m sure that I and others in my position would love to hear your top tips … If you’re also a basic iMovie user with ambitions of getting to grips with more professional video production, you may enjoy sharing the journey with me. Although iMovie is a remarkably capable piece of software, I reckoned I was inevitably going to want to take the step up to Final Cut Pro at some stage, so I might as well make the transition now, rather than have to learn everything twice. In an age when tech writers are increasingly expected to be videographers too, I decided it was time to take the plunge into the world of moving images. I’ve used bicycle-mounted action cams to put together some basic cycling videos, but these were nothing more sophisticated than taking clips straight from the camera, importing them into iMovie and adding cross-dissolves. I’ve been a photographer since I was 14, but am very much a novice when it comes to video. ![]()
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