The Highly Unprofessional Case of "Final Cut Pro X"
Final Cut Pro X isn't. That sentence, along with its structure, accurately sum up everything that you need to know about Final Cut Pro X, (FCPX) Apple's new so-called "professional" video editing program. The problems with FCPX are numerous, but they all boil down to one simple fact: a so-called "professional" program, which has become a widely accepted industry standard, is no longer professional by any stretch of the imagination. There's really no way to sugarcoat this; Apple blew it with FCPX, plain and simple. Before I get into what's wrong with FCPX, and why Apple will blow Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion" for similar reasons, I should probably tell you how you can help FCP users such as myself.
First, sign the petition to revive Final Cut Studio 3, (and subsequently Final Cut Pro 7,) and then pass it along to others who are interested as well. Whether or not online petitions "work" is irrelevant; what's relevant is visibility, and CNET plugged this particular petition earlier today. If this petition gets more press, it will indirectly help put pressure on Apple to fix the mess that they've made with FCPX. Second, if you know a disgruntled FCPX user, have them politely e-mail sjobs@apple.com. If his Steveness gets enough polite e-mails from disgruntled FCPX users, he or she may directly intervene in this disaster, and your disgruntled friend just may even receive a reply from his Steveness himself. (No guarantees, but it's been known to happen.) Third if you're selling a copy of Final Cut Studio 3, let your friends in the editing community know-many will be scalped on eBay attempting to find copies of the old program for a reasonable price. Okay, back on-topic, below are just some of the things that are wrong with FCPX.
1. No multi-camera support. Okay, to be fair, Apple has said that this is coming in the next release, except the "next release" isn't right around the corner, and this feature is something that editors need yesterday. A professional editing tool without multi-camera support is like a car without wheels; in other words, it's totally useless. How Apple could overlook something this simple is mind-boggling; this should have been one of the first things programmed into FCPX. The lack of multi-camera support in FCPX makes it nothing more then "iMovie Pro," and that's probably giving it more credit then it deserves.
2. No "preview" monitor. In professional editing software, (and in TV studios,) there are two monitors (screens) that are labeled "preview" and "program." In editing software, the purpose of the "preview" monitor is to see what you plan to edit before you stick it on the timeline. Once you've chosen your shot and added it to the timeline, the footage on the timeline plays in the "program" monitor. Again, this is a relatively important professional feature; editing on the timeline makes sense when you only have a little bit of footage, but when you're working with hours and hours worth of video, the preview monitor becomes incredibly important.
3. No support for Final Cut Pro 7 (FCP7) files. This one is almost worthy of its own post, because I honestly didn't think anyone, let alone Apple, could do something this stupid. Picture Adobe releasing Photoshop CS6 and then telling its users "oh by the way, it doesn't open the *.PSD files that you've been using since the '80s." Professionals need to get at their old files frequently, and that means FCPX needs to be able to open FCP7 files. Even Microsoft understands this; yes, they released their stupid *.docx format for Word, but they still supported reading (and writing) *.doc files! To call the lack of support for FCP7 files "stupid" is an understatement.
4. We've seen this iMovie before. And yes, we know how it ends. Remember when Apple released iMovie '08? If not, here's a quick history lesson: iMovie '08 was panned for lacking features that its predecessor, iMovie 6/iMovie HD included. After a massive public outcry, Apple released iMovie HD for free to anyone who purchased the iLife '08 suite which contained iMovie '08. In iMovie '10, Apple restored features that were removed from iMovie '08, and discontinued iMovie HD once again. Now remember, this was iMovie, a program aimed at consumers. If consumers weren't willing to accept a half-baked editing tool, why did Apple possibly think that professionals would be willing to accept such a tool? I'd honestly have thought that Apple would have learned from the iMovie debacle, but apparently the FCPX team was holding the idiot ball.
5. Mac App Store Exclusivity. Okay, the Mac App store hasn't done nearly as well as Apple had hoped it would, but that isn't an excuse to ram it down our throats. A Mac App Store option would have been fine, but most professionals like their professional software on physical media, namely DVD. Forcing a 4GB download and an iTunes account on professionals is simply inexcusable. Bulk licensees are required to purchase "redemption codes" for FCPX, but that still requires them to download the program onto each computer in the lab. The Mac App Store is a joke, and FCPX isn't helping its image. FCPX has a 2.5 (out of 5.0) star rating from those who've purchased it, and the software is so bad that Apple has been issuing refunds to peeved customers, even though the official Mac App Store policy is "no refunds, all sales final." What we have here is an unprofessional distribution channel for an unprofessional program.
I could go on, but you get the point; FCPX is essentially "iMovie Pro," and is honestly more akin to the now-defunct "Final Cut Express," or FCE. Having said that, there are several things Apple could and should have done differently. First, Apple should have finished the program before releasing it. Second, Apple should have called this "Final Cut Express X," or FCEX, rather then FCPX. Spending a few more months on the code, and then positioning FCPX as FCEX, and a replacement for FCE would have likely worked quite well. The "iMovie Pro" stigma would be seen as a strength, rather then a stigma, and it would have bought Apple time to write the rest of the code needed to turn FCPX into a real professional program. Third, Apple should have offered FCPX on DVD, as part of a "Final Cut Studio X" box.
What Apple should do now though, is learn from this experience; they should have done that with iMovie '08, but that ship has sailed. Specifically, Apple should take what they're learning from FCPX's disastrous launch and use it to fix the flaws in Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion." Specifically, Apple should:
1. Delay Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion." Yes, I know this isn't what they want to do, but it's clearly not ready for prime-time, just like FCPX wasn't ready for prime-time. I'd rather have a release delayed and done correctly, then rushed and half-baked.
2. Offer "Lion" on DVD. FCPX is one program aimed at professionals; "Lion" is an entire OS; Apple should be offering a DVD option, even if they jack up the price to do so-I'll pay good money for physical media. Dropping the Mac App Store Exclusivity will only help sales, not hurt them.
3. Quit dumbing down software and declaring it a paradigm-shift. We get it: iOS is cool, and if we wanted to use it, we'd buy an iOS device. Slapping an iOS shell over Mac OS X isn't a paradigm-shift; it's a cop out, and Apple should know this by now.
It's too late to save FCPX, barring yet another major rewrite to fix all of its mistakes, but it's not too late for OS X 10.7 "Lion." I just hope Apple realizes this and attempt to soften the impact from the second iceberg that they're steaming into, if not, they're going to be in for a bag of hurt that'll make Blu-Ray licensing seem pleasant.
First, sign the petition to revive Final Cut Studio 3, (and subsequently Final Cut Pro 7,) and then pass it along to others who are interested as well. Whether or not online petitions "work" is irrelevant; what's relevant is visibility, and CNET plugged this particular petition earlier today. If this petition gets more press, it will indirectly help put pressure on Apple to fix the mess that they've made with FCPX. Second, if you know a disgruntled FCPX user, have them politely e-mail sjobs@apple.com. If his Steveness gets enough polite e-mails from disgruntled FCPX users, he or she may directly intervene in this disaster, and your disgruntled friend just may even receive a reply from his Steveness himself. (No guarantees, but it's been known to happen.) Third if you're selling a copy of Final Cut Studio 3, let your friends in the editing community know-many will be scalped on eBay attempting to find copies of the old program for a reasonable price. Okay, back on-topic, below are just some of the things that are wrong with FCPX.
1. No multi-camera support. Okay, to be fair, Apple has said that this is coming in the next release, except the "next release" isn't right around the corner, and this feature is something that editors need yesterday. A professional editing tool without multi-camera support is like a car without wheels; in other words, it's totally useless. How Apple could overlook something this simple is mind-boggling; this should have been one of the first things programmed into FCPX. The lack of multi-camera support in FCPX makes it nothing more then "iMovie Pro," and that's probably giving it more credit then it deserves.
2. No "preview" monitor. In professional editing software, (and in TV studios,) there are two monitors (screens) that are labeled "preview" and "program." In editing software, the purpose of the "preview" monitor is to see what you plan to edit before you stick it on the timeline. Once you've chosen your shot and added it to the timeline, the footage on the timeline plays in the "program" monitor. Again, this is a relatively important professional feature; editing on the timeline makes sense when you only have a little bit of footage, but when you're working with hours and hours worth of video, the preview monitor becomes incredibly important.
3. No support for Final Cut Pro 7 (FCP7) files. This one is almost worthy of its own post, because I honestly didn't think anyone, let alone Apple, could do something this stupid. Picture Adobe releasing Photoshop CS6 and then telling its users "oh by the way, it doesn't open the *.PSD files that you've been using since the '80s." Professionals need to get at their old files frequently, and that means FCPX needs to be able to open FCP7 files. Even Microsoft understands this; yes, they released their stupid *.docx format for Word, but they still supported reading (and writing) *.doc files! To call the lack of support for FCP7 files "stupid" is an understatement.
4. We've seen this iMovie before. And yes, we know how it ends. Remember when Apple released iMovie '08? If not, here's a quick history lesson: iMovie '08 was panned for lacking features that its predecessor, iMovie 6/iMovie HD included. After a massive public outcry, Apple released iMovie HD for free to anyone who purchased the iLife '08 suite which contained iMovie '08. In iMovie '10, Apple restored features that were removed from iMovie '08, and discontinued iMovie HD once again. Now remember, this was iMovie, a program aimed at consumers. If consumers weren't willing to accept a half-baked editing tool, why did Apple possibly think that professionals would be willing to accept such a tool? I'd honestly have thought that Apple would have learned from the iMovie debacle, but apparently the FCPX team was holding the idiot ball.
5. Mac App Store Exclusivity. Okay, the Mac App store hasn't done nearly as well as Apple had hoped it would, but that isn't an excuse to ram it down our throats. A Mac App Store option would have been fine, but most professionals like their professional software on physical media, namely DVD. Forcing a 4GB download and an iTunes account on professionals is simply inexcusable. Bulk licensees are required to purchase "redemption codes" for FCPX, but that still requires them to download the program onto each computer in the lab. The Mac App Store is a joke, and FCPX isn't helping its image. FCPX has a 2.5 (out of 5.0) star rating from those who've purchased it, and the software is so bad that Apple has been issuing refunds to peeved customers, even though the official Mac App Store policy is "no refunds, all sales final." What we have here is an unprofessional distribution channel for an unprofessional program.
I could go on, but you get the point; FCPX is essentially "iMovie Pro," and is honestly more akin to the now-defunct "Final Cut Express," or FCE. Having said that, there are several things Apple could and should have done differently. First, Apple should have finished the program before releasing it. Second, Apple should have called this "Final Cut Express X," or FCEX, rather then FCPX. Spending a few more months on the code, and then positioning FCPX as FCEX, and a replacement for FCE would have likely worked quite well. The "iMovie Pro" stigma would be seen as a strength, rather then a stigma, and it would have bought Apple time to write the rest of the code needed to turn FCPX into a real professional program. Third, Apple should have offered FCPX on DVD, as part of a "Final Cut Studio X" box.
What Apple should do now though, is learn from this experience; they should have done that with iMovie '08, but that ship has sailed. Specifically, Apple should take what they're learning from FCPX's disastrous launch and use it to fix the flaws in Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion." Specifically, Apple should:
1. Delay Mac OS X 10.7 "Lion." Yes, I know this isn't what they want to do, but it's clearly not ready for prime-time, just like FCPX wasn't ready for prime-time. I'd rather have a release delayed and done correctly, then rushed and half-baked.
2. Offer "Lion" on DVD. FCPX is one program aimed at professionals; "Lion" is an entire OS; Apple should be offering a DVD option, even if they jack up the price to do so-I'll pay good money for physical media. Dropping the Mac App Store Exclusivity will only help sales, not hurt them.
3. Quit dumbing down software and declaring it a paradigm-shift. We get it: iOS is cool, and if we wanted to use it, we'd buy an iOS device. Slapping an iOS shell over Mac OS X isn't a paradigm-shift; it's a cop out, and Apple should know this by now.
It's too late to save FCPX, barring yet another major rewrite to fix all of its mistakes, but it's not too late for OS X 10.7 "Lion." I just hope Apple realizes this and attempt to soften the impact from the second iceberg that they're steaming into, if not, they're going to be in for a bag of hurt that'll make Blu-Ray licensing seem pleasant.