FCP on OSX Lion

I know GWW still isn't as busy as GD, despite the change in ownership PR buzz, but I'm still overwhelmed by the ton of misinformation over there.

There's a lengthy discussion about how Final Cut Pro doesn't run on OSX Lion, and an almost Windows-mentality to do list about work arounds.

I find it a disturbing read, especially since I've edited 12 videos in FCP and authored 12 DVDs in DVD Studio Pro, on OSX Lion since I bought my new MacMini a month ago - in March 2012!

The same FCP 7.0.3 and DSP 4.2.2 I've used to create dozens of videos and DVDs on the Lion upgrade 2011 and Snow Leopard 2010, and Leopard, and Tiger... whenever I upgraded from FCP 6... I'm not getting into FCP X until they return the important features from FCP Studio that were radically left out.

Maybe there was something in between 7.0.3 and FCP X that I didn't install. But nonetheless, people should archive older versions when considering doing any "upgrade", that turns out to be a "downgrade".

Being more of a "studio", as well as a "webmaster", I just don't have all day to sit on multiple forums.

Even though GWW isn't as busy, I think it still is a clear source.

Thanks for the excellent info Nick.

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people should archive older versions when considering doing any "upgrade", that turns out to be a "downgrade".

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I also liked the reminder to hang onto some "older" versions of ANYTHING we use, for just the reason you stated.

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Originally Posted by nickbaer

I know GWW still isn't as busy as GD, despite the change in ownership PR buzz, but I'm still overwhelmed by the ton of misinformation over there.

There's a lengthy discussion about how Final Cut Pro doesn't run on OSX Lion, and an almost Windows-mentality to do list about work arounds.

I find it a disturbing read, especially since I've edited 12 videos in FCP and authored 12 DVDs in DVD Studio Pro, on OSX Lion since I bought my new MacMini a month ago - in March 2012!

The same FCP 7.0.3 and DSP 4.2.2 I've used to create dozens of videos and DVDs on the Lion upgrade 2011 and Snow Leopard 2010, and Leopard, and Tiger... whenever I upgraded from FCP 6... I'm not getting into FCP X until they return the important features from FCP Studio that were radically left out.

Maybe there was something in between 7.0.3 and FCP X that I didn't install. But nonetheless, people should archive older versions when considering doing any "upgrade", that turns out to be a "downgrade".

Being more of a "studio", as well as a "webmaster", I just don't have all day to sit on multiple forums.

Even though GWW isn't as busy, I think it still is a clear source.

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That's great to know that you're having good luck running FCP and DVDSP on your Mac Mini. Those of us having to use the work-arounds are running earlier versions of FCP and DVDSP that could not be updated because the updates were no longer being offered by Apple. Thus, it was necessary to do a workaround. There was no misinformation; our situations were just different from yours.

Because of the public outcry over the deficiencies in FCX, Apple has been offering access to older versions. You need to call Apple.

You can find the details in Search Engine (Google, BING, Yahoo) inquiries.

e.g. http://mashable.com/2011/09/02/final...legacy-resale/

September is awhile ago, but it is worth the try to see if it is still honored.

The Apple homepage this morning is promoting more fixes to FCX. $299 after 30-day trial is not bad. I've paid that much for a previous upgrade. The thing that still troubles me about FCX is it not exporting chapter markers. Setting them in DSP is tedious. The editing work I do is very simple, but I do set chapters.

That and DSP is 3 years old.

I find the Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group to be an excellent source of information and discussion. When I lived in Hollywood, I used to attend the monthly meetings (300 people in a large theater auditorium, 3-4 hour sessions).

http://www.lafcpug.org/phorum/list.php?1 for Final Cut ...

http://www.lafcpug.org/phorum/list.php?5 for DSP.

Thanks for the additional info. Back in December when my dual-core Mac fried, I bought a new quad-core Mac with Lion installed. It was not possible to install the old FCP and DVDSP applications because Lion doesn't support Rosetta, which as I'm sure you know is the utility that allows PowerPC apps to run on Intel. Anyway, I was excited to try out FCPX so I downloaded the full version as a free 30 day trial, and that's when my excitement turned to disappointment.

FCPX doesn't support exported chapter markers, as you noticed, because it has no support whatsoever for DVD authoring. The most it can do is export your files to a data DVD. There is no replacement for DVD Studio Pro. Nothing.

On top of that, it has no support for machine control and importing from tape. So working with a collection of 14 years worth of DVCAM and MiniDV was impossible, unless you want to import all your clips by hand. Ouch.

I did access the user group threads on this, as well as the results of many Google searches, and they all pointed to a Snow Leopard solution, which is what I ended up doing.

Personally, I think that FCPX is a beautiful, elegant application. But it's useless to me at the moment because of my specific requirements. Maybe someday...

I was doing non-linear editing with an ImMix VideoCube (does anyone remember that?) long before Apple introduced FCP. When they did, they took their dog & pony show on the road and I went to see it in Indianapolis. I don't remember what year that was, maybe '98 or '99. I jumped on it right away and have been using it since version 1.0, along with other Apple pro applications, and it's really disappointing to me how they dropped support for many older FCP features while users are still using them.

But thank you for your advice and input... and I hope in a year or two from now we can both say we're using FCPX and discussing how much we love it :-)

I went tapeless in 2008. Old tape had either been digitized thru my previous G5, or via tape camera connected to a DVD recorder, and stored on DVD and/or HDD.

Even traveling as I do, carrying 10 portable USB HDDs, 500GB-1T, is doable. If you truly need to continue working with tape, I'd look to CraigsList for editors selling off old workhorses with Tiger or Leopard. There's noting I do in FCS on Snow Leopard that I didn't do with FCP on Tiger.

When I was at the Apple Store FTL in Feb, updating my iPad and Mini, I did try to engage the Geniuses about the deficiencies of FCX.

Of course, they only tote the company line of denial and delusion.

The info on the apple.com page today perhaps is a bit more forward progress, but an intensive read of the LAFCPUG forums in February pretty much left me with the thought: "I'm going to continue using FCP until Apple OSX eventually breaks it".

If was a fixed location studio, I'd keep a 2005 G5 (or 2) handy, powered on only when needed.

Many are migrating to Premiere, which is not so much forward thinking, as deja vu all over again, back to the pre-Final Cut 1990s.

"There's noting I do in FCS on Snow Leopard that I didn't do with FCP on Tiger."

There's noting I do in FCS on Lion that I didn't do with FCP on Tiger!

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Originally Posted by nickbaer

Maybe there was something in between 7.0.3 and FCP X that I didn't install. But nonetheless, people should archive older versions when considering doing any "upgrade", that turns out to be a "downgrade".

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The issue with installing FC7 on a fresh Lion install is that the installer to install FC7 is a Rosetta app and doesn't run under Lion so you can't even install the program.

If you have Leopard and FC7 then you can upgrade to Lion and have FC7 work with no issues as long as you have version 7.0.3.

I had the same situation as Citiboyz. I bought a new MacBookPro with Lion. I couldn't get FC7 to install. When I went to the Apple store the "genius" said what "I am doing" is recommending a Leopard partition. "What I am doing" most likely means not Apple approved. I actually bought a hd in the store and he setup Leopard on it for me. My situation was a little more unique in that I also had a $500 mathematical modeling program that I needed to run as well that only worked w/ Rosetta. (The company that made it went out of business years ago, so no updates.)

I don't think it's fair to say that the way he recommended had a "windows mentality" when the gurus at Apple are recommending that way as a solution.

Some plugins for FC7 also act very quirky when running under Lion as well.

What is the dividing line between Final Cut versions that will run on Lion vs. versions that will not? While I have 7.0.3, something nags at me that there was one upgrade in-between FCX that I did not do. But version 6 was lightyears ago - and I'm rarely the first kid on the block to buy something "new".

Since at least September 2011, Apple has offered sales of older versions of FCP/FCS than FCX. I recall that was reported here on GWW last Fall, plus its in the blog post I quoted above, and is readily searchable.

Why wouldn't you meet the upgrades half-way, buy an older version that does work on Lion, than do the Leopard partition for an even older Final Cut? - even though you did need to do that for your financial software.

There comes a point where we all do need to keep up with the versions. True, Lion did break my old Adobe CS software, but since I only use tiny slivers of the capabilities of any one of those, I chose to pay $20 for Apple Pages, and switch from InDesign to Pages, and $80 for PhotoShop Elements 10.

Apple pages is a breeze compared to InDesign. It exports PDFs that open in PhotoShop Elements or Acrobat much more accurately in terms of actual size (think DVD full wraps 11x7.5").

I probably will buy the stand alone Acrobat Pro, but nonetheless, buying those 3 pieces is nothing compared to the price for the Adobe CS upgrade package. And I've never done Illustrator, and I'm not ready to pack up and move to Premier. I think I'd do iMovie first.

Also, I did not "install" FCS 7.0.3 on Lion, I either copied, or used Migration Assistant, from the old HDD, on which I had done a Snow Leopard to Lion upgrade last summer 2011, and then edited and authored a dozen or two video DVDs on FCS/Lion, before buying my new Mini fresh - and then doing another dozen.

There's three unique experiences in this thread, but I would buy a working upgrade before dedicating a HDD, or even a partition, to an older OSX.

The version of FC7 that works on Lion is 7.0.3. It's the only one.

My situation is that I bought FCS2. Upgraded it. So I have another disk with FCP7. I need to install FCS2 then the upgrade disk. But, the install program to install it requires Rosetta that Lion can't run. So, in my case I couldn't even install the program.

FCP7 runs fine on my Lion OS machine that I upgraded from Leopard. It wouldn't even install on my new Lion laptop as the installer requires Rosetta. I needed Leopard to run another program as well, so a Leopard partition was the way to go.

Those with earlier versions of FCP need a Leopard install as the only version of FCP that runs on Lion is 7.0.3. No other versions work. There is also an issue with certain FCP plugins not working correctly w/ Lion.

Having a Leopard partition is no big deal really. Lion still has some quirks with certain programs. Plus Leopard is a great OS. There are certain aspects of Lion that drive me bananas.