I received FCP4 before it was released, and I've just used it enough to feel that I can give a review of it. And I do like the new program. And it is worth the upgrade. But you might want to wait to upgrade until they release a fix for a few bugs. I can't think of a single program that when first released was bug free. Apple will fix the bugs, but they haven't yet.What do I like about the program? The features are amazing! I was pleased with FCP3, but I thought there was a lot they could do to make it better. And they did, in FCP4. Editing is basically the same as in FCP3, but you have much more control over everything you do. This includes making a custom keyboard (You decide which keys preform which actions).
But... FCP4 alone hasn't changed a great deal since FCP3, and if it were just that program alone, I don't know if it would be worth it.
However, not only do you get FCP4... You get Compressor, LiveType, Soundtrack, Cinema Tools, and Peak Express 3.3
Compressor, I like this feature a lot. It allows you to control what you export. I mean if you want to make a DVD, and want it formatted for a DVD, you have control over that, more so than in any previous version of FCP. Not only that, but it takes any guess work out of the equation. It allows you to preview the setting you're about to export. Which is good, so you hopefully won't end up spending 3 hours exporting something only to find it wasn't what you wanted. There are bugs in Compressor, something with being connected to a network won't allow it to work. I had this problem, but I unplugged my ethernet cord, and it worked like it should. Apple will likely make a fix for this soon.
LiveType. One of the things I didn't like about FCP3 was you didn't really have a great title maker. But that's all changed with LiveType. Now you have the most control I've ever seen out of a title program. If you want one letter to do something different (I can't think of why), well, you can.
Soundtrack. How great is it that they include tons (And I'm not kidding about the tons part) of loops that are royalty free? Unlike other looping programs, the loops in Soundtrack actually sound good. Sure it isn't going to give everyone what they want, but I've already used it for a few effects in this project I'm working on
Cinema Tools. Well I can't review this really, I haven't worked with film before. But what I do like is that it's now included with FCP, where as before, it was it's own program (Which would cost you [a lot more money] alone).
Peak Express 3.3. It isn't the best audio editor I've used, but it's still good. I believe this program costs [money] if you buy it individually, but it comes with FCP4, which is a nice thing. I've used this only a little, it can't really do what I want it to do, but I use it as a backup audio editor.
So in conclusion, FCP4 is packed with features. It does take a lot of space (About 15GB for everything), so if you're low on space, you've been warned. And it requires a DVD drive. Most of you probably have one, but if you don't, you're not going to be able to use this. I was concerned about the ...price tag on the upgrade, and I didn't think it was going to be able to deliver. But it did, and I'm glad I now have this great program.
