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Usually ships in 1 business days | | | | | | Discover powerful video editing for DV, HDV, and AVCHD*. Final Cut Express 4 delivers a single, open format Timeline where you can edit all three, mixing formats and frame rates using the same pro-level editing tools available in Final Cut Pro. Import video projects directly from iMovie ¿08. Take advantage of LiveType to create dynamic, animated titles. Built-in audio controls let you mix up to 99 audio tracks¿even add a narrative voiceover. Perfect your movie with professional transitions and effects, including optional third-party FxPlug plug-ins. *AVCHD video requires a Mac with an Intel processor. | | | |
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| $199.00 | |
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| $172.34
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| | Product Details | | Product Length: | 0.0 inches | | Product Width: | 0.0 inches | | Product Height: | 0.0 inches | | Product Weight: | 0.2 pounds | | Package Length: | 5.28 inches | | Package Width: | 5.12 inches | | Package Height: | 0.79 inches | | Package Weight: | 0.13 pounds | | Average Customer Rating: |  based on 63 reviews |
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| | System Requirements | | Platform: | Mac / PowerMac / Mac OS X | | Media: | CD-ROM | | Item Quantity: | 1 |
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| | Features | Edit quickly and precisely with professional, flexible editing tools; achieve the look you want with a robust suite of color correction and image adjustment toolsMix and edit DV, HDV, and AVCHD video in a single Timeline; mix up to 99 audio tracks with built-in audio editing toolsWork with built-in filter effects and third-party FxPlug plug-ins; watch effects in real time thanks to RT Extreme with Dynamic RTEasily create sophisticated, animated titles with LiveType 2.1; precisely adjust the animation of any effect or transition using keyframesImport iMovie '08 video projects with cuts and cross dissolves
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| | Customer Reviews | Average Customer Review:
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4 of 6 found the following review helpful:
 The most I've sweared at my computer in years Jul 20, 2010
I have been a long time Apple customer, and have always supported their products and software. That being said, Final Cut Express is the most frustrating software I have ever encountered on any machine.
I recently filmed a music performance with two different cameras and separately recorded audio, and wanted to create a YouTube video that switched between camera angles while synched to the audio track I mixed. One camera (Canon Vixia HF R11) was AVCHD and had a sticker that said "YouTube Ready!", the other was a simple DV camcorder (Sony Handycam). FCE did not recognize EITHER camera when trying to use the Log and Transfer function. I had to buy this annoying converter software (Voltaic) which took 2 hours and 47 minutes to convert a 10 minute video clip. ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. YouTube ready my ass.
After spending 5 hours getting the footage off of the AVCHD camera, I plugged in the Sony and followed the instructions in the Log and Transfer window. I waited for the camera to show up. And waited. And waited. I ended up using iMovie to import the 10 minutes of footage. I have now spent almost 6 hours and $200 on FCE, and have yet to use any part of its software. I have had to use two separate software programs to just get the footage on my computer alone. I don't know about you, but when I plug in a microwave, I don't want to have to spend 6 hours making EasyMac.
I am trying to be extremely patient at this point. I'm just happy to have the video files on the computer at all. I have watched them in QuickTime. I have watched them in Quick Look. I have even dragged them into iMovie without a hitch to check how they look. I'm ready to import them into Final Cut.
I chose "Import Files" from the menu bar. So far so good, both video files show up in the browser. I double click the AVCHD one. It pops into the viewer, and looks pretty good. I drag it into the timeline. Seems to be fine, except for the red line/bar above the entire thing. I hit spacebar to play the project, and get that frustrating blue "Unrendered" screen. Sigh.
I render the clip, which only takes EIGHTEEN MINUTES. I hit play. Thank god, it seems to be fine. I drag it out a little bit to make room for the other video file. Annnnd we're back to the red bar and the "Unrendered" screen. Swearing ensues.
I try the other video file. I double click it, and it shows up in the viewer all squished and out of proportion. I check my settings... it looked fine in iMovie, QuickTime, Quick Look, etc. Spent about 15 minutes googling it and trolling forums to figure out that I was supposed to magically know to check a non existent check box next to "Anamorphic" in the detailed video clip info. Of course, how could I be so stupid?
Drag it into the timeline. Red line/blue "unrendered" screen. More swearing. 18 minutes later, it's rendered. Now to sync the audio, which as you can imagine, is just a trial-and-error drag-stuff-around-and-check-it situation. OH WAIT... As soon as you click ANYTHING, all of that time you spent rendering your video files becomes OBSOLETE and the video clips become UNRENDERED AGAIN making it IMPOSSIBLE to try to edit the timing of your video!
More googling. More swearing. Contemplating the waste of money for this unusable software. It's now 2:30 AM and I'm RE-watching the tutorial videos on Apple's website, writhing in agony every time it mentions "Built In AVCHD," (only takes a quick 3 weeks to convert 4 minutes of video!) "Open Format Timeline," (now that you've wasted your time converting your "YouTube Ready" video file using 3rd party software, watch how easy it is to drag it into FCE's Open Format Timeline to make it completely unusable!) and "easy and affordable." It would be easier and more affordable to build a flying car that runs on rainbows to drive me to Steve Jobs' house so I could smack him in the head with my worthless Final Cut Express box and get my $200 back.
If you're looking for a surefire way to pull out all your hair, waste all your time, claw out your eyeballs, and frighten your pets and neighbors with loud and excessive swearing, look no further than Final Cut Express! And remember, it "seamlessly integrates ANY video format!" "No need to worry about frame rates, formats, conversions!" "YouTube Ready!" " The easiest and most affordable way to join the Final Cut Revolution!" "Be a movie star!!" "Make MOVIES!! GAHHHH!!!!!"
I'm sure the effects and filters are equally top notch. Too bad I never had working video to be able to even take advantage of them. Stay tuned for Apple's next groundbreaking video editing software... Windows Movie Maker 95 for Mac!
As good as premiere Jun 24, 2010
I was using adobe premiere for years, which was a little buggy but did the job. This program was a pleasant surprise. It is a multi-track NLE program giving unlimited tracks in both audio and video, presenting a shortcut for a default transition between clips. The capture works much more smoothly than premiere, but that is characteristic of the mac video programs. The range of color filters and audio filters is so extensive that it is difficult for a professional who is not in the motion picture industry to have to use a more expensive program. (Could use a few more audio filters, though.)
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
 powerful but unwieldy Jun 04, 2010
I have FCE at work, and I go home to Adobe Premiere CS4. I realize that isn't exactly a fair comparison, but every time I switch on Premiere, I am glad I'm NOT using FCE.
I use FCE on a macbook Pro with 2.4 Ghz Core 2 duo and 2 GB RAM- not great but definitely within the specs required for this software. Its a beast getting this thing to crunch video. Even after I import video, I almost invariably have to render the video in the timeline if I want to see anything. Major time sink right there. On top of that, there are rather silly codec issues that are never a problem in Premiere (and, I would imagine FCP.) Render time is basically the biggest complaint, that and the utilization of Livetype to do titling.
You can do titles within FCE itself, but if you want the "cool" factor of animated fonts and whatnot, you have to go into LiveType. Livetype is a pain to work and it seems incredibly awkward to have to jump in and out of FCE and not even have the files render properly in FCE... again, Adobe CS wins out, the files are almost seamlessly transfered. i've never had an issue dragging and droppin projects, and Premiere is a little more happy to fix your 'broken' file associations for projects- and it liveupdates so if you make a change in a file, its immediately changed in your Premiere project.
Almost every transition requires further render time, rather than rendering as it is placed... as if there is any point in un-rendered, unplayable video....
That being said, I can't help but respect the power behind the software. You can make the video dance and shake and clean it up and do all the stuff the big boys do (almost). You get a very fine degree of control and, without too much trouble, its a relatively easy system to learn if you are moving from practically any NLE. The thing is just so unwieldy that I find myself stepping into imovie for short, and simple projects. i shouldn't have to want to go back to the "fisher price" editor...
 Darn Good! Mar 28, 2010
Most people don't need all the functionality (or the cost) of the pro version of final cut. This is a step up from Imovie and provides you a learning opportunity into the world of more professional video editors, without the cost!
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
FCE4 rocks for the home user Mar 20, 2010
Final Cut Express 4 is the consumer version of Final Cut Pro version 9. Apple stopped supporting this software package a couple of years ago. You will be able to download one service pack for it after you install and that's it. It hasn't been upgraded for Snow Leopard, but that's what I'm using and it has been rock solid for stability. No crashes, no corrupt project files.
As far as usability goes, I was completely lost. I was using iMovie to put together short animation clips. iMovie just wasn't cutting it, though, because I needed to work with a lot of scenes and audio tracks. I bought FCE4 since it's the next step up Apple's video editing chain. I installed it, patched and and fired it up without any hassles. When I tried using it, though, I thought that I'd made a big mistake. I could drag and drop clips but I couldn't get anything to display.
A quick search of the web led me to a web site that helped get me going (Izzy Videos, if you're interested). Once I understood the basics, I found it pretty easy to work with. I headed to the library (sorry, Amazon) and picked up a couple of books on FCE4. The best was Visual Quick Start. I also got Wolsky's book (which I like but it's not as easy to look stuff up in) and Weynard's (again, good but terrible index). FYI, I did purchase both Wolsky and Weynard. They're good for process questions.
Caveat you really need a two button mouse to use this program effectively. I'm using the Mighty Mouse with the fake left button and hate it. It's tough for me sometimes to get that left-click to operate. And sometimes when I am dragging the mouse the scroll-pearl jiggles and makes FCE4 pan the timeline. Not a show-stopper but dang inconvenient. I'm going to plug my Microsoft trackball in and start using that.
My only gripe with FCE4 is a general gripe with the Macintosh in general. I'm too lazy to move the dock to the sidebar or make it disappear, so it gets in the way of FCE4 sometimes. That's because the program window extends close to the icon area of the dock. When my mouse is near the bottom of my FCE4 window, the dock pops up titles of icons and such. Makes it difficult sometimes. Other than that, I give this four stars for usability and reliability.
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