As the world adapts to distributed workflows, much of the support has been aimed towards helping students and educators. Apple has announced 90-day free trials on both Final Cut Pro and Logic software.
Final Cut Pro X has always had a 30-day free trial, but Logic, its audio software, previously didn't have trials available. If you wanted to give it a shot, you had to buy it. In terms of licenses, Final Cut and Logic both behave similarly to DaVinci Resolve Studio in that they haven't required upgrade fees in a long time. If you bought FCP X for $299 in 2011, you would still be using it today at that same purchase. That works out to about $2.75/month.
While Apple hasn't committed that that will always be the case, so far, it's a safe assumption that a $299 investment in Final Cut will likely pay off over time. Even if you don't move your entire workflow over to Final Cut, having a copy licensed for when you want to collaborate with someone who is a dedicated Final Cut user, or when you just want to fire up Compressor to compress a .mov file (which Adobe no longer supports) is often worth it.
One important note is that if you are a student, the whole Pro Apps Bundle, which includes Compressor, Final Cut, Logic, Motion, and Main Stage, is $199. So, if you are a student or educator with some extra time at home, it might be the right time to try Final Cut for 90 days to see if it meets your needs.
While Final Cut is a little different from other editing platforms, it has some serious fans out there, so it's worth getting to know. We always say, if your goal is to be a director, you should know how to edit. if you want to be a prepared freelancer working in post, you absolutely should know all of the major editing platforms, and this is a great way to get to know one of them over a few months before deciding if you want to pay for a license.
Grab a free trial here.
Source: Apple
