I have been using Ulead VideoStudio 8 which honestly isn't that good. It's not saying much but im skilled in the program and can do everything in it there is to offer. I want to get new equipment and start using Final Cut Pro. Now my question is...Is it real hard to get the hang of? Ulead was pretty easy to but Ulead doesn't cost a thousand dollars.

Thank you.

It's easy to use the basic features.
I would suggest actually reading the manuals if you get it. They help.
Once you get started, you will pick up more as you go.

I'm a complete newbie to video editing (having just edited a few simple things in iMovie), and I was amazed at how much I was able to figure out with Final Cut Express (which has a pretty much identical interface to the Pro version). Of course, I probably had lowered expectations (having been told that it has a high learning curve), but I've been having a GREAT time with it!

I recommend a book (or two) though. It made things run a lot more smoothly for me to be able to consult a book.

The next software you may want to try is Edius Pro 3 that is free for one month. To me this software is much better than Ulead and what I found shocking is that on their site they offer video tutorials that you can download for free. It pretty much explains the whole software.

As for Final Cut Pro, the editing is about the same as Ulead and Edius but the major difference is that its a lot more stable for HD editing because of the OS.

It also has a lot of expandability. Movies like Cold Mountain and Jarhead have been cut on it, which I think says a lot for its workflow and quality.

Are you a student? We got the Final Cut Studio for 649 canadian through the university, and that makes it really cost effective.

If you can afford the Pro Studio, I would totally recommend that over Express HD, because oyu get DVD Studio Pro 3 and Motion 2 as well.

I found the Peach Pit Press "Learning Final Cut Pro 5" book an awesome resource, and as soon as I am done the last of my paperws, I am totally going to jump into learning FCPO, Motion, and DVD Studio.

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I know how you feel..I used to be running Ulead Media Studio 2.5 on Windows 98 only 4 years ago... Then I switched to Premiere 6.5 and a crappy PC 2 years ago. 6 months later I switched to Premiere Pro 1.5. Then...1 year later I switched to a dual-processor Powermac G5 and Final Cut Pro and of course After Effects 6.5 Pro (which I recommend you pick up if you plan on doing any sophisticated compositing or motion grpahics). Now, I advise that you skip all of those intermediate steps that I had to go through, and just bite the bullet and buy a nice Powermac. After switching I just kept using my G5 for months. It worked! I don't know how but it just keeps going smoothly, no slow downs, very little crashing (though on certain occassions it has crashed 1 or 2 times in Panther which is the old OS, so the bug is probably fixed in Tiger). My windows machine used to crash every hour when editing in Premiere Pro! Make the switch, you won't regret it...on second though...you might, if you buy an Intel Mac at the moment and expect to use Adobe Applications that require significant processing power. However, Final Cut Studio runs perfectly on the Intel Macs now so as long as you don't need AE you should be good.

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I just purchased Final Cut Studio to use with my new Panasonic PV GS400 and am feeling extremely overwhelmed what with the 8 thick BOOKS of documentation (organized badly and illogically) and the $799 price tag for the kind of support I would need to slog through this mountain of stuff in less than a year. Or I could take some of the Final Cut Pro courses that Apple offers for about $895 a pop.

For now, I am concentrating on learning the subtleties of my wonderful camera and the art of film making, and putting together short documentaries with the sublimely simple and adequate (and free) imovie. I will probably sell the Final Cut Pro because of its 1,800,000 features, I will probably only use about 42 on a regular basis, and there is no manual to tell you how to do simply that. A film is a film, after all. It ain't, shouldn't be, rocket science.
Hope this helps,
Lila

Im just afraid I will get it...Then not know what to do, and have wasted all that money.

I have been making short films for kicks with friends, on a crummy little setup. I don't want to get in over my head, but I hear Final Cut Pro is the best on the market.

Maybe you should start with Final Cut Express. It's only $300.
If you are a student, you could get it for $150.
You can't buy FCP by itself any more.
You have to buy the whol studio.
Do you really need DVD Studio Pro?? What about Motion??

I would need DVD studio pro, because I want to make my own dvds. What is motion?

You could use IDVD for your dvds. You don't have as much control as DVD Studio Pro, but it is a very capable program.
Motion is for motion graphics. It is included with Final Cut Studio.

Using Final Cut Pro is very easy and the learning curve is very quick. Be sure to learn the basic mechanics and keyboard shortcuts and you should love the program.

so i have a bunch of quicktime files on my PC and I need to transfer them to my mac. I was wondering what the easiest way to do that would be...

Final Cut Express/Pro can be really tricky for new users. When I first started using it, I had to learn it somehow. I use lynda.com, bought a subscription and watched all the training videos. The learning process is much faster when you can watch a video. I recommend it.

Maybe burn them on a DVD or transfer them using a high capacity USB stick.