MANY Questions To Ask About FINAL CUT PRO...

I retired from being production manager at a TV station when it was sold and shut down a few years ago. I had switched them from PremierPro to FCPX when I first took the job. Saved tons of time, things got so much easier and more efficient. FCPX is great for TV stations. Rule 1; Never try to make FCPX work like any other NLE, especially legacy FCP. You'll never get anywhere like that. Take a course, learn it right, save yourself tons of time. Ripple Training and macProVideo are the two best on the market today.

1) No, but you can use the Position tool (P) to override the magnetic functions while editing. I have taught FCP since 2006 and you can't use FCPX like legacy FCP at all, don't even try. And Apple doesn't watch these, this is a users helping users forum.

2) Topaz Labs has the best app for up-rezing video. But video is video, as long as the codec isn't out of date (easy to convert it all to H.264).

3) Slugs are now called Gap Clips (Opt-W). I retired from TV couple years ago and haven't seen anyone use color bars in over a decade. But you can get them from a variety of sources. Build it into your own custom generator.

3) If they are font formats compatible with macOS, yes, use FontBook to install them.

4) The browser has new names for containers, but works basically the same. It's actually an easier, faster system now. Take a tutorial and learn the app the right way to start with.

5) Use the Position tool (P). Or insert a Gap Clip (Opt-W). Or delete a clip leaving a Gap Clip (Shift-Delete).

6) You can use one of several tools to reset timecode on a clip.

7) If it's a station that doesn't take ProRes or H.264, get the spec sheet from that station. Create a custom preset in Compressor based on that spec sheet. Then set that up as a custom Destination in FCP.

SAMEER-KOATV wrote:

Actually, My Main Focus Of Course Would Be My 3/4", BetaCamSP & Mini DV Tapes, Of Which I Have Many. I've Definitely Been Trying Like Crazy With FCP X and things do get rather frustrating....

If you want to use FCP, you need to understand that it works differently, and not try to force it to work as the legacy version. This can only end in frustration. But if you learn how it works, you may end up loving it, or not.

You could try DaVinci Resolve, as Tom and Ian suggested. It is a more traditional, track based NLE, and is very powerful, even if you just use the free version.

If you want to really know FCP, I recommend that you start by some very good tutorials.

Here are two that are free, but of great quality.

Learn FCP in Under 60 Minutes - YouTube

by Steve Martin, from rippletraining.

A longer format course by Izzy Video (older, but still relevant):

Final Cut Pro Tutorial | Izzy Video

As Tom suggested DaVinci Resolve will probably suit you better.

https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/uk/products/davinciresolve

The free version is probably all you need as it is a fully featured app, the only noticeable limitations being exporting 4K at 60fps and a few missing AI effects.

Importing obsolete camera formats such as VHS can be achieved with USB video converter cards from £10 upwards on Amazon.

Trying to improve VHS to 4K is a ridiculous endeavour . . . all you will get are massive files and poor quality video . . . just like the cheap dash cams that claim to shoot 4K.

If you already have FCP X, I would suggest you spend some time learning how to use it as thousands of professionals with more demanding requirement are using it daily.

There are numerous free tutorials on YouTube.

FCP will not work at all like the legacy application. I would advice you to look at DaVinci Resolve.

Well put, BenB.