Professional Video - Editing, Cameras, Tips, Software, and Reviews

Final Cut Pro Studio 2 by Apple is my personal choice, I have been using it ever since Final Cut Pro 1 came out. It has some learning curve initially, but basic editing is fairly easy. I suggest you investigate how to use keyframing, which is a wonderful tool for making smooth dramatic effects to your video. It took me around a year before I took a video editing class at my school Western Washington University and learned from my teacher Mark Miller how to use the keyframe tool in Final Cut Pro. With this tool you can fade effects in and out, and perfectly smooth out your layer properties such as scaling, centering the picture and more.

The new Final Cut Studio Pro 2 package comes with other editing tools which compliment Final Cut Pro, such as Livetype for editing text, Motion for complicated graphics and special effects, Compressor for changing your video to other formats such as dvd, web ready video, MPEG 4 for podcasts, and Soundtrack Pro for adding a Professional Soundtrack.
Often I edit my video in Final Cut Pro, then add a title I created in Livetype and send it to the web after downsizing the video to Broadband (Medium) using compressor so it uploads to the internet faster. Then I use Youtube, Metacafe, and Revver to upload the video to the masses. Or I use the DVD Sudio Pro Application to create a dvd and make copies for my friends or sell it on a large scale.

A downside of Final Cut Pro is its cost: Final Cut Pro 6, Motion 3, Soundtrack Pro 2, Compressor 3, DVD Studio Pro 4, and Color — a brand-new application for professional color grading — are all included in Final Cut Studio for $1299. This is a large chunk of change for the independent Film/Video/Movie producer, so it is a tough call to make. But if you are using HD or the new RED camera, the new Final Cut Pro Studio 2 is a must have for its adaptability to these new formats. If you are a home movie producer you can probably use IMovie to achieve the results you are looking for, but you won't be able to fine tune the movie as much as with Final Cut Pro. The choice is up to you.

Final Cut Studio 2-
Comes with: Final Cut Pro 6, Motion 3, Soundtrack Pro 2, Compressor 3, DVD Studio Pro 4, and Color
Cost: $1299.00 US dollars
Overall Rating for Pro-Video: 4.5 of 5 stars
Ease of Use: Difficult, but basic editing can be mastered within a few days.
Downsides: Only works on Mac Computers, You need a high powered processor to maximize benefit.

I suggest you get the book Final Cut 6: Essential Editing by Larry Jordan for an in depth look at the uses of this program.

You can upgrade much cheaper from previous versions of Final Cut Pro, which is a great way to go if you can get your hands on a previous version off ebay or craigslist.