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Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro

Overview

What is Final Cut Pro?

Apple offers Final Cut Pro, a video editing platform featuring optimized for a high performance machines and supporting a wide range of quality effects.

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Final Cut Pro X has been widely used by a diverse range of users for various purposes. Users have found that the software provides a …
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Nice Software to Edit a Podcast

9 out of 10
April 27, 2022
I've run a MMA Podcast for the past 12 years and have been editing the show with Final Cut Pro X and all previous versions. This program …
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Awards

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Pricing

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Final Cut Pro X

$299.99

On Premise
per license

Entry-level set up fee?

  • No setup fee

Offerings

  • Free Trial
  • Free/Freemium Version
  • Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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Product Details

What is Final Cut Pro?

Final Cut Pro Technical Details

Deployment TypesOn-premise
Operating SystemsMac
Mobile ApplicationNo

Frequently Asked Questions

Apple offers Final Cut Pro, a video editing platform featuring optimized for a high performance machines and supporting a wide range of quality effects.

Reviewers rate Support Rating highest, with a score of 8.8.

The most common users of Final Cut Pro are from Small Businesses (1-50 employees).
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(116)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Final Cut Pro X has been widely used by a diverse range of users for various purposes. Users have found that the software provides a powerful platform for creating videos exactly how they want them to look, with built-in tools and the ability to install numerous plugins for expanded functionality. A post-production team has utilized Final Cut Pro X to ensure that everyone in the company, including freelancers, is using software that works well in the Apple ecosystem and allows for easy sharing of project files between editors. Reviewers have praised the program for its efficiency and ease of learning, making video creation a smooth process. Moreover, Final Cut Pro X has been a reliable choice for editing videos in different domains such as media communications, marketing, training content development, and more. Users have found that the software allows them to create professional-quality videos for marketing, fundraising, donor engagement, grant applications, and even feature-length films. The software's intuitive interface and helpful features have made it popular among photographers, production studios, marketing departments, small businesses, creative storytellers, religious organizations, and individuals looking to produce high-quality videos for various purposes. Whether it is editing rough cuts or creating alternate cuts, Final Cut Pro X has proven to be a quick and easy-to-use video editing program that caters to the needs of different users.

State-of-the-Art Transition Feature: Many users have praised Final Cut Pro X - FCPX for its state-of-the-art transition feature, which they found easy to use in their projects. The intuitive nature of this feature has allowed reviewers to seamlessly incorporate transitions into their videos, enhancing the overall visual appeal.

Great Light and Color Correction Toolbar: The software's light and color correction toolbar has received positive feedback from multiple users. They appreciate the extensive options available, allowing them to easily enhance the lighting and colors in their videos. This feature has been described as a valuable tool for achieving professional-looking results.

Non-linear Editor with Intuitive Interface: FCPX's non-linear editor has impressed many users with its intuitive interface. Reviewers find it easy to navigate and work with, enabling efficient editing processes. The simplicity of the interface contributes to a smooth workflow and allows both beginners and experienced editors to quickly adapt to the software.

Lagging Performance: Several users have reported that the software lags when working on extensive projects, especially those with 4K footage. This can significantly slow down the editing process and hinder productivity.

Outdated Layout: Users find the layout of the software to be outdated and difficult to comprehend. The outdated design makes it challenging for users to navigate and understand its features, leading to a frustrating user experience.

Uncomfortable Timeline: Many users have expressed dissatisfaction with the timeline in Final Cut Pro X, particularly when dealing with multiple video and audio sources. The timeline is uncomfortable to work with, making it difficult for users to edit their projects efficiently.

Users commonly recommend the following actions for Final Cut Pro X: consider the self-hosted version, compare with Adobe Premiere, and take classes or online tutorials.

  1. Consider the self-hosted version: Users recommend using the self-hosted version of Final Cut Pro X instead of the cloud version. They find it more cost-effective and user-friendly.

  2. Compare with Adobe Premiere: Users suggest comparing Final Cut Pro X with Adobe Premiere, particularly considering Premiere's integration with other Adobe products. They advise those seeking a deeper and more complex editing experience to consider Adobe Premiere instead.

  3. Take classes or online tutorials: Users recommend learning Final Cut Pro X through classes or online tutorials. They highlight the importance of fully utilizing its features, suggesting exploring the Generators Browser and Titles Browser as well.

Overall, users find Final Cut Pro X worth the investment, particularly for basic to complex projects. They also emphasize the importance of having ample hard drive space, using Compressor for easy exporting, and maintaining a strong labeling and indexing system for efficient project organization.

Attribute Ratings

Reviews

(1-25 of 29)
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Seth Paine | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • The non-linear editor is very intuitive.
  • The live scrubbing helps me go back and forth over edits to help me get a cut right quickly.
  • There are so many third party plugins to install to add whatever effect you want to your video.
  • The ability to connect the export to many services like YouTube makes putting your videos much quicker and easier.
  • I would love to see Apple implement a shared cloud project functionality like Final Cut Pro.
  • it would be good to have the option to use a linear editor if you want to, it would be nice to have both options.
  • The file references should be relative to the project file so if you have all your files under one folder and you move the whole folder to another drive you don't have to relink all the fils.
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
  • video editing
  • sound editing
  • podcast
  • video libraries need to be updated every time the software is updated
  • needs a powerful computer
  • sometimes I've clicked something and don't know how to turn that off
Hilary Hobbs | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • It is extremely fast
  • Works perfectly in line with Apple computers
  • Easy to use and learn interface and layouts
  • The lack of alignment with Adobe software is what made things difficult for us
  • Having to use Apple's Motion for Final Cut is a downgrade
  • There are other softwares that do everything Final Cut does
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Great layout for editing. Easy to access all the tools without switching screens.
  • Has a nice variety of built in transitions.
  • Easy to add audio and video clips.
  • Would be nice to have more built in exporting options for those of use who don't know how to compress videos well.
  • More built in effects would be a plus.
  • I always struggle with adding text but it could just be me.
Brendon Brown | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Adheres to the conceptually easy timeline model, thus making simple onboarding.
  • Feature-rich toolset which allows for incredible product manipulation from the get-go
  • Expandability via a vibrant plugin ecosystem. Final Cut plugins are broadly developed.
  • Rich integration with studio products: Motion, Compressor
  • Version updates exhibit a product team in touch with what the market needs
  • One obvious drawback: Mac hardware device only.
  • Depth of toolset can be overwhelming, and rich features remain undiscovered.
  • Managing catalogs of videos at a Project level can still be conceptually misleading and confusing.
Alex Pegg | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Autosave is a lifesaver!
  • Simple, intuitive user interface makes it easy for even beginners to create beautiful videos
  • Fast technology - optimization helps with rendering and load times to help keep the project moving along
  • Expensive
  • Dated presets (fonts, etc.)
Mike Muller | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Easy to use
  • Performs well in a Mac environment
  • Exports to all necessary video format
  • Integrates well with other mac programs
  • Integrations into the Adobe suite would be helpful
  • Improved editing performance for higher res video files
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Efficiently edit together videos without much trouble.
  • Ability to edit out white/background noise within a video. A college campus is a pretty noisy environment.
  • Sometimes the clipping is not spot on.
  • Audio sometimes can bleed into transitions in an awkward way.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Duplicates footage and assets for the editing process, maintaining one location for all referenced files.
  • The unique factor about Final Cut Pro X is a snappy timeline for editing. This take a little getting used to at first but I've grown to prefer it over the years.
  • Intuitive user interface.
  • While an upgrade a few years ago brought back the 3-way color wheel for color correction (which it had previously removed for Final Cut Pro X), more robust color-grading would be a plus.
  • Sound editing isn't as robust as the competition (think Adobe Audition).
  • Tends to be a little unstable after an upgrade (at least on my late model 2015 Macbook Pro)
Michelle Green Arnson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 5 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • I really like the color correction capabilities within Final Cut Pro X. I think, even if you were new to it, that tool would feel pretty intuitive.
  • Sorting through and filtering different types of clips, photos, etc. is simple and straightforward. I especially love being able to hide things that have already been used in my timeline.
  • For my current purposes, being able to export straight to YouTube is surprisingly helpful. I can set privacy settings from Final Cut Pro X so a video can upload and be available only to the intended viewers, OR to any supporter looking at our YouTube channel.
  • I am NOT a fan of the text tools. I find the options oddly and unnecessarily restrictive, and not every title tool works the same or offers the same setting choices as others. It's sometimes easier to generate titles elsewhere and import them.
  • I don't love the library/project/event structure. It has always felt like a weird mashup of iMovie and prior versions of FCP, and it just feels needlessly complicated. I'd like to have more flexibility in my content management structures.
  • Coming from older Final Cut Pro versions, Final Cut Pro X has a way of making me feel kind of dumb. Keyboard short cuts aren't what my fingers expect them to be, tools aren't where I think they should be, and other similar mismatches. Some of this can be customized, and much of it is just an old dog needing to re-learn tricks.
Andrew Peterson | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • The render speed of Final Cut Pro X is incredible. Everything is rendered while you're working, so the exporting of a file does not take long.
  • The interface has a similar feel to iMovie, which is what I upgraded from, so it was easy to adjust to this new program. The learning curve of software can be a real barrier to entry to newcomers.
  • The color correction system is fantastic. With a recent update, Final Cut Pro X now allows full-blown color correction to your projects. It is much easier to get the same look across all clips than it used to be.
  • Final Cut Pro X does not go as deep in features as some other video editing software.
  • The "snap" feature needs to be turned off by default. It is a very handy feature for lining certain parts of clips up, but it can also become annoying and just in the way instead of being useful.
  • Information in clips can sometimes be slow to load. For example, sometimes the audio levels of my clips can take several moments to register and show up, even on a fairly powerful machine.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Ease of editing and layout.
  • Color Correction is simple.
  • My favorite it editing multicam clips.
  • I wish that the color correction was automatically placed on clips.
  • When I import it automatically adds a LUT that I do not need.
  • I wish it was a little easier to incorporate graphics. Adobe has it good with the suite.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • The magnetic timeline was as controversial as it was ground-breaking. After adapting from other editing platforms, I consider it a major pro as it takes several keystrokes out of nearly every edit - saving you massive amounts of time.
  • Auto-saving. I can't tell you how much progress I lost prior to having this feature - and I was a fastidious "Command-S" user... A simple feature, but incredibly helpful.
  • Background Rendering. I originally thought this was a gimmick - but having to hit "Command-R" is a think of the past. No more waiting for the render - no more manually adjusting playback resolution just to see the edit, it just works -and it works fast.
  • The default file management settings need to be able to be adjusted in preferences. By default, they are set within your library - which is never a setting I would want to use as a pro editor - and annoying to correct after the fact if you forget. It's easy enough to change, but I have to do it for every project.
  • I'd like to see a move towards an easier collaborative file sharing or project file system. It works about as good as it every has - but I think there is room for improvement. On larger projects, my editors are ALWAYS sharing project files... so built-in project versioning and collaboration should be something that becomes a standard in NLEs.
  • Audio editing - though keyframing audio is significantly easier in FCPX, it's a bit difficult to view your audio tracks if you have multiple channels, dual mono, stereo, etc on the timeline. This was a bit of a step backward - the oversimplifying of the audio editing.
Stephen Wittmaak | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Short learning curve
  • Flexible and functional
  • Meshes well with other Apple products
  • Stacked event files become quite large in size
  • Not exact when favoriting clips for export, overlapping occurs
  • No dedicated save function, you have to trust autosave
  • No copy and paste for clips from one project to another outside of the timeline
Daniel Epstein | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • It's more stable than previous versions of Final Cut Pro, which is immensely important. Any video editor knows the pain of working for hours only for the system to crash and you lose all the progress you've made.
  • Its layout is vastly different than previous years, in contrast to previous incremental upgrades that really didn't alter much. The new layout is intuitive and almost closer to iMovie in design.
  • It can handle HD content better than in years past. That might seem like an extension of the "it's more stable" comment, but it's specific to HD content. previous iterations would find workarounds to "fake" being able to handle HD content, but this version truly handles it. Honestly, no one is shooting in non-HD anymore, so it's a necessity to handle what people are shooting with.
  • The preview windows cannot be undocked the way you can with Premiere Pro. I've used both editing software and it's nice to be able to throw a preview window onto another monitor just by dragging and dropping.
  • Because it does function so differently than previous years, there's a steep learning curve. A "legacy" view would be nice to help ease longtime editors into the new version.
  • Video production is sometimes feast or famine. Premiere Pro allows you to rent their software license, and then discontinue when you are done the project. Final Cut Pro X simply asks that you buy it at full price. Having the option to rent would be nice.
March 01, 2019

A cut above the rest

Kyle Trail | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
  • Real-time editing is beyond anything I've used prior. The ability to manipulate and change things while the timeline is still playing is remarkable.
  • The GUI of FCPX is above par in my opinion. Nothing else like it exists.
  • The application is the standard in the industry as it's as simple or as complex as required for a particular task. Don't believe me? Add on mO2 plugin and watch just how powerful it can be.
  • Keyboard shortcuts are pretty solid, but I'd like to map my own. I know there's some room for that, but I'd like to see a little more integration with the touchbar on FCPX. I mean manipulation on the touchbar to personalize.
Dave Becker | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 9 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Final Cut Pro already has many of the extra features you would have to download for other video editing software already installed when you start. There's no need to go searching online for add-ons.
  • It's a really intuitive program to use, you just drag and drop the video where you want it or click and drag where you want to cut. This makes it easy to show new users how to get started.
  • You can layer many different audio channels, which gives you a lot of freedom to get your sound just right.
  • Final Cut has seemingly "crashed" in the middle of working on a few of our projects, and we weren't able to recover our progress. Starting from scratch after hours of work is not fun.
  • Although we haven't had a problem with it yet, it seems as though there are fewer exporting options than we expected. The major options are there, but it seems as though there should be more.
  • Exporting screenshots as jpegs is a disappointment with Final Cut Pro X. They don't export in HD. The workaround is to export as a png or tiff but it's annoying that you can't use jpeg.
Julio Ahumada  MBA | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Composing a timeline to tell a story.
  • Workflow.
  • Ease of use.
  • In some respects, the layout was better in the previous version. Or maybe I got used to that.
  • Sometimes files get moved around and that would break the reference links. It would be great if Final Cut could send out a search party on its own to look for the missing files.
Dan Talvi | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 7 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • User-friendly Interface
  • High-quality built-in resources/templates
  • Advanced Video Editing Features & Functionality
  • One-time purchase (no subscriptions)
  • Mac OS Only (Not available for Windows)
  • Some advanced features / functionality is overly simplified.
Shawngela Pierce | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Easy to use editing features.
  • Very intuitive for the beginner.
  • Quality DVD Authoring.
  • Professional lighting correction.
  • Professional color correction.
  • Great sound editing.
  • Creating custom DVD menus definitely needs improving, although I realize that DVD production is declining.
  • Uses up a lot of resources. This can be a problem if you are working on a laptop, especially an older one.
  • Final Cut Pro X is constantly adding new and improved features. Because of this, the learning curve can be steep for certain aspects. I definitely recommend finding good tutorials to keep you up-to-date on how to use it.
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Editing is quick and easy in FCPX. Many people aren't used to FCPX's different way of handling the timeline, but in reality there's incredible efficiency in the way that Final Cut edits.
  • Everything I need is right in the FCPX interface to help make our videos look the best that they can. And it's all relatively easy to use, even for people with limited experience with complicated editing tools.
  • Final cut also has great integration with Motion to create great title presets. We use several custom themed titles that we created and are easily able to add to each project that we need.
  • I would love for FCPX to increase it's audio capabilities. Currently, when shooting, I record audio live into Logic Pro X, then export and bring into FCPX. I'd love for Apple to build better integration between the two, or to build better tools in FCPX.
  • I'd also love a few more complex compositing tools to be built in. Most items from Motion cross over, but occasionally I have to use Motion for one tiny thing that could be added to FCPX.
Jeff Huisjen | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • I find Final Cut Pro X fairly intuitive and easy to use. When I started using it years ago I was able to step easily into it with minimal instruction.
  • Final Cut Pro X integrates easily with programs like Handbrake or Compressor and also has options for automatic upload to video sites like YouTube or Vimeo.
  • Final Cut Pro X rarely crashed when I was using it, which if you have done any video editing, you know is a huge bonus!
  • The Final Cut Pro X Event/Project system could stand to be updated a bit, possibly the least intuitive part of the program.
  • If you're making the jump from Premiere Pro or another program like that you may find the transition to Final Cut to be a bit frustrating.
  • Some of the color correction options and preset formats seemed unnecessary and needlessly complex for what we used the program for.
Melissa Rivera | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
  • Allow for detailed editing of sound and video separately.
  • ability to use preset filters or create your own
  • Use of a sound and music database
  • Create a PC version
  • Create a version for editing basics (simpler and friendlier for novices) with ability to upgrade
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