I recently finished an intensive course in Avid Xpress Pro and found that fellow students mostly had a background with, and preference for, Final Cut Pro. I started off the same way, but by day four I was feeling pretty good in Avid, and wondering if maybe it was the better program.
One difficulty in moving to Avid from FCP is that Avid is a modular system and unless you are in the right mode (segment/trim/effect) you won’t be able to edit.
I watched an interesting video with editor Shane Ross who uses both systems. Below are a few of his main pros/cons.
AVID Xpress interface
Avid: best for media management, sub-clipping, and locator control. This would be the best software for “big environments,” where you have to capture full tapes and break them down.
Final Cut Pro interface
Final Cut Pro: better for high definition and speed. So best choice for a high def project that needs cutting fast – it’s easier to drag clips around in FCP.
Mostly it seems that the two systems are pretty similar except for Avid’s superior media management, and I have to agree with Scott Simmons that its trim tool is intuitive and easy to use.
As Scott points out, the software is just a tool, in the end it’s the editor who is the more important factor.
