Trimmed down

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.

Conclusion

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.

TECH SPECS

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

Strengths
  • User Interface.
  • Color Correction.
  • Broad HD video support.
Weaknesses
  • Intel Mac required for AVCHD
SUMMARY

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)

Rate This Article

Rating: 1 (Poor) - 5 (Excellent)

1 2 3 4 5
How would you rate the author of this article?
How Would you rate the overall value of this article?
How would you rate the graphics?
How would you rate this article's method (i.e interview, tutorial, narrative) for explaining this topic?
How would you rate the depth and length of the article

Related Content

Sponsors