Final Cut Express 4.0
Now you can edit like a pro with Final Cut Express 4. Start by capturing DV, HDV and AVCHD footage or import your movie from iMovie ’08 — and discover the advanced moviemaking power at your disposal in the new, Open Format Timeline. Ready for still more? Add dynamic titles and graphics using LiveType. Final Cut Express 4 delivers all the tools you need to make great movies.
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Overview
Advance your moviemaking.
Work with DV, HDV, or AVCHD footage — or all three — in a single Timeline, sculpting your video quickly and precisely using pro-level editing and trimming tools. Final Cut Express 4 supports a virtually unlimited number of video tracks, lets you add amazing real-time special effects and transitions, and provides powerful color correction and matting tools.
Take the next creative step.
Send your iMovie '08 projects to Final Cut Express 4. Then take advantage of its additional creative options — professional editing tools; the new, Open Format Timeline; over a hundred real-time effects and transitions; animated titles; and multiple video and audio tracks — to create more sophisticated projects.
Add dazzling titles.
Quickly and easily create dynamic, animated titles for your next video project using LiveType 2.1 and its revolutionary LiveFont animated font technology. Tight integration means that when you make a change, LiveType projects automatically update in Final Cut Express 4.
Mix sound effects and voiceovers.
Mix up to 99 audio tracks in your movie, and further enhance your audio with real-time volume and audio filter adjustments. For documentary-style projects, use the voiceover tool to record narration in an audio track while your video plays.
Share your movies.
Author a DVD using iDVD, export your movie in QuickTime for your website, or send it back to your camcorder or deck for a fast connection to your HDTV home theater system.
What's New in Final Cut Express 4
- • Ability to import iMovie '08 projects
- • Editing of AVCHD, HDV and DV — NTSC and PAL — in a single Timeline
- • AVCHD support (Intel-based Mac computers only)
- • Support for FxPlug third-party plug-ins
What Comes with LiveType 2.1
- • More than 200 customizable text effects
- • 500MB of royalty-free animated content
- • Sophisticated project templates
- • FontMaker utility for creating custom LiveFonts
What's in the box
- • DVD containing Final Cut Express 4, LiveType 2, and LiveType content
- • Electronic documentation
System Requirements
- • A Mac computer with a 1.25GHz or faster PowerPC G4, PowerPC G5, Intel Core Duo, Intel Core Duo 2, or Intel Xeon processor
- - For AVCHD: A Mac computer with an Intel processor
- • 1GB of RAM or more
- • An AGP or PCI Express graphics card compatible with Quartz Extreme; or an Intel GMA integrated graphics processor in a MacBook or Mac mini computer
- - Some FxPlug filters are not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors.
- • A display with 1024-by-768 resolution or higher
- • A DVD drive for installation
- • Mac OS X v10.4.10 or later
- • QuickTime 7.2 or later
- • 500MB of disk space to install Final Cut Express and LiveType
- • Additional 500MB to install LiveType content
* Upgrade information: Requires a previous commercial version of Final Cut Express (version 1, 2, 3, or HD 3.5) for installation. Academic and not-for-resale versions are not eligible for this upgrade.
Most Recent Reviews
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Pretty good, hard to use
Written by LH from Arvika
20-Feb-2009
This program is the little brother of Final Cut Pro.
If you cant afford FCP, then go for FCE. Downpoint of all of the FC products…Read more are that they are EXTREMELY hard to handle if your new to it. Making videos takes a long time, but the outcome is usually exceptional, and thats what counts!
(10 of 12 people found this review useful)
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Final Cut Express 4.0
WOW! Big Bang for the Buck!
Written by GW from Federal Way
13-Feb-2009
Unless you are a professional digital video production studio, FCE is all you will need to produce first class, broadcast ready mo…Read morevies. If you can't, it isn't the software's problem. This $200 scaled down version of the full FC Pro is missing some soundtrack and more powerful filters that you would need in a studio setting. But you can green screen and just about any transition you can think of are all included for a stupid low price. If you need help there are tonnes of tutorials. I have produced three documentaries so far with FCE. And the Live Type that comes with it is really fun to play with. You can create some amazing credits for the beginning and end of the project.
(28 of 31 people found this review useful)
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Not for amateurs
Written by SB from Orlando
12-Feb-2009
I normally don't take time to write reviews, but after reading all of the negative reviews I felt I had to defend Final Cut.
Fi…Read morerst of all, this software is not for amateurs. It is professional software. If you want something simple and easy to use, use iMovie. If you want complete control over your video and audio, an incredible amount of effects and filters, and a huge list of features that will help you create quality, professional looking video, and you have the patience and intelligence to learn something new, then get Final Cut.
At first it is overwhelming, but stick with it. Once you get used to it, it all makes sense. Just because it's made by Apple doesn't mean any idiot can use it. I had to resist the urge to go back to iMovie, and forced myself to do all my projects in Final Cut. After awhile I was so glad I stuck with it, because I have so much more control over my video. It makes manages video clips and scenes so much easier, and though it's certainly more time consuming, your final product is much better looking than in iMovie.
So please don't listen to these fools who don't have the competence to learn something new and tried it for a few hours then gave up. Give it a chance, and you'll be glad you did.(51 of 56 people found this review useful)
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Most Useful Reviews
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Say goodbye to extras
Written by JR from Nashville
3-Dec-2007
For those who are looking to purchase FCE 4 because they have "outgrown" iMovie, think twice before you jump. I was drawn to FCE …Read morebecause I have been able to use friends' prior version of FCE -- which contained a music application called Soundtrack and contained loads of music and loops -- well beyond that contained in Garageband. The prior version of FCE also provided a plethora of extra content for LiveType, which is a fun application for animating text.
What Apple does not say on their web page is that the FCE 4 "upgrade" is actually a downgrade. Soundtrack is gone, and so are almost all the LiveType extras. So for a $100 price cut, Apple has taken out $200 worth of extras.(2889 of 3649 people found this review useful)
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Final Cut Express 4.0
I'm Not Sure About This...
Written by AS from Centennial
15-Nov-2007
I love Final Cut Express HD, but I am not sure if there are large benefits to upgrading to FCE 4. The changes seem very small, un…Read morelike the upgrade to the HD version. I will be very interested to hear what others think, especially those that upgrade from HD. **I will say that if you are thinking about learning FCE and don't own it already, it is an amazing program and well worth your time to learn. It is an exceptional value at $199 for a new user.
(1579 of 2352 people found this review useful)
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Final Cut Express 4.0
Amazing!!!
Written by MS from Escondido
15-Nov-2007
What a fantastic upgrade for Final Cut Express. Support for AVC HD and multiple formats in the timeline along with the new video e…Read moreffects are great new additions to Final Cut Express, and at only $199! I will say, its a shame that not all the effects are compatible with Intel graphics chips; but that doesn't mean Final Cut is bad, just that you have a poor graphics card. I still wish I could have had and NVidia GPU in my MacBook. At any rate, this looks like a great buy. Anyone who does any editing on a Mac whatsoever should get Final Cut Express 4!
(1463 of 2135 people found this review useful)
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