Although Soundtrack, Apple's mid-level audio editing tool is gone from the bunch, LiveType 2 is around and kicking. We picked out some moving text, called Live Fonts, which can dance or blow up or scroll. There are a myriad of different backdrops too, all user adjustable and able to be tweaked from the stock look (quite edgy) into more organic-looking images. We can choose HD 1080, HD 720 or DV LiveType 2 projects for direct import into Final Cut Express 4.

Overall, Final Cut Express 4 serves as a solid editing tool and a great stepping stone from iMovie to FCP. Although Soundtrack is no longer a part of this sleek bundle, Final Cut Express 4's price drop helps make-up the difference. With its support for AVCHD and other popular high-definition video formats, including many top features found in Final Cut Pro 6, Final Cut Express 4 is a perfect editing application for most semi-pro editors.

OS: Mac OS X v10.4.1 or later
Minimum CPU: 1.25 GHz PowerPC G4 or higher(Intel processor for AVCHD)
Min. RAM: 1GB
Min. Hard Drive: Space for Installation 500MB for applications, 500MB for additional LiveType content
Minimum Display: 1024 x 768 resolution
Import/ Capture Formats: DVCAM, NTSC DV, PAL DV, AVCHD (720p and 1080i), HDV (720p and 1080i), PSD, BMP, JPEG, PICT, PNG, SGI, TARGA, TIFF
Batch Capture: No
User Interface: Project Browser, Viewer Window, Canvas Window, Timeline Window, Audio VU meters, Tool bar, Customizable button bars.
Number of Video Tracks: 99
Number of Audio Tracks: 99
Nesting Support: Yes
Audio/Video Level Envelopes: Yes
Audio Scrub: Yes
Keyframe Animation: Yes
Number of Video Transitions and Filters: 200+
Real-time Software Previews: Yes
Third party Plug-in Support: Yes
Encoding Formats: DV, Apple Intermediate Codec, Any QuickTime file format, including MPEG-4

• User Interface.
• Color Correction.
• Broad HD video support.

• Intel Mac required for AVCHD

Apple continues adding top features to their Mid-level video editing application; Final Cut Express 4.

Andrew Burke has worked in all areas of video production on three continents.

Apple, Inc.
1 Infinite Loop
Cupertino, CA 95014
www.apple.com

$199 ($99 Upgrade from any previous version of Final Cut Express)