NoFilmSchool » nle

Avid Announces Media Composer 6 with 64-Bit Processing and New User Interface

Koo — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 19:47:49 +0000

No one’s denying the power of Avid’s editing systems, but they haven’t been the most accessible or open programs… until now? Today Avid announced Media Composer 6, bringing a brand new user interface, 64 bit processing power, stereoscopic 3D workflow, and new “Open I/O” architecture that interfaces with existing hardware cards from the likes of AJA and Blackmagic Design. Media Composer 6 will be $2,499, with upgrades from MC 5.5 starting at $299. Similar to how Adobe offered 50% off for Final Cut Pro 7 editors disenfranchised by the new FCPX, Avid is making a similar offer for users of Final Cut Pro 7: you can purchase MC 6, with video training included, for $1,499. Here’s a brief look at Media Composer 6 from Alex Walker: (more…)

Walter Murch on Final Cut Pro X: 'I Can't Use This.' What Should Students Learn?

Koo — Mon, 31 Oct 2011 16:29:11 +0000

I know, I know, Final Cut Pro X has been slammed by many, so what’s the point in posting yet another article about it? Well, one question I’ve been asked a lot since the release of FCP X is, “I’m a student, what NLE should I learn?” Before, the answer was easy: Final Cut Pro. Now, not so much. Should a student commit to FCP X, assuming it will become the future standard despite being woefully incomplete at present, or should they learn Adobe or Avid, assuming Apple’s role in the professional, wage-earning editing world as we know it is over? It’s a tough question, and I’m curious to hear your thoughts in the comments. In the meantime, here’s famed editor Walter Murch (The Conversation, Apocalypse Now, The Godfather II, and The English Patient among many others) talking about the X at the Boston Supermeet: (more…)

How to Import a Final Cut Pro 7 Project into Premiere Pro (Because You Can't Open It in FCP X... )

Koo — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 17:54:39 +0000

Robbie Carman, co-author of the just-published An Editor’s Guide to Adobe Premiere Pro, presents a tutorial perfect for those editors switching from Final Cut Pro to Premiere Pro. While I like a lot of things about Final Cut Pro X (more on that soon), the inability to open old project files is indefensible. The easiest transition path is actually to switch to Premiere Pro (50% off if you own FCP), choose FCP’s keyboard shortcuts within Premiere, and open your FCP 7 project files in Adobe’s NLE thanks to XML interchange. Here’s how to do it: (more…)

Adobe and Apple still getting along in the editing world, at least

Koo — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 12:42:35 +0000

Most of us use both Adobe and Apple products — most commonly Adobe Photoshop and Apple Final Cut, I’m guessing. With the ongoing feud between the two companies reaching a joke T-shirt-spawning level, however, it’s nice to know that their respective NLE programs still talk to each other (thanks to standards-based XML files). Since CS4, Premiere Pro has been able to open and export Final Cut XML files (which is handy for getting FCP sequences into After Effects, an action that used to require a $500 plugin). CS5 tutorial after the jump: (more…)

Why filmmakers might switch from Macs to PCs in 2010

Koo — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:00:17 +0000

This isn’t for anyone who works at a huge corporation or has a lot of money, but for the rest of us, I think the best guerilla solution for filmmaking in 2010 will be a PC. I’ve been a Mac guy for the past four years but I suspect things are about to change; here’s why. (more…)