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Reader Q&A : Avid vs Final Cut - What do I pick?

 

Hi, I am a high school student who enjoys creating videos and movies.  I have worked with many different editing softwares, but neither FCP nor Avid.  I plan on going to college for this and am wondering which software do you think is better for me?  I can get either one, and I want to create high quality films.

Thanks, Justin

Hey Justin,

Thanks for your e-mail.  This is the age old question that you are asking.  Which should I choose, Avid or Apple, and here is my answer.  Buy Apple, but learn Avid.  Final Cut Studio 2 is a complete package with editing, color correction, motion graphics, sound mixing, file conversion and DVD creation.  Media Composer, on the other hand, is editing only (although they do throw in DVDit from Sonic Solutions for you to create a DVD).  That's why you end up spending a lot more than just the price of Media Composer when you choose to edit on Avid (besides its $2500 US price tag).  The other thing that Final Cut gives you is choice.  If you want to purchase an AJA capture card, or a Huge Systems storage unit, you can.  Apple has made Final Cut Pro very versitile, and able to support hardware from many different companies.  Finally, the one thing that you will really like about Final Cut is that it is a QuickTime based program.  All the files you capture are QuickTime files that can easily be opened in another program in the FCS2 suite, or any other application that supports QT on your system (even an Avid).  With Media Composer, you will ALSO need a motion graphics program (Adobe's After Effects), a sound mixing program (Nuendo) and a file conversion program (Episode Pro).  One thing that I tell people, no matter which editing system they choose, is to get a copy of Adobe's Photoshop, as converting and manipulating still images is definitely something you will do all the time.  One last piece of advise that I can give you is learn Media Composer when you can, if you plan to be a freelancer.  The industry is still an Avid dominated one, with Final Cut making great waves to take business away, but most of the companies you will find yourself working for will have Media Composer, and these days you need to make yourself as marketable as possible.  Hope this helps.

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