Whoop, looks like Apple couldn’t squeeze Final Cut Express 4 out the door with the rest of its barrage yesterday. Just as well; I don’t mind them spacing it out a bit. Why overload one day, after all?
Version 4 of Apple’s prosumer video-editing application borrows some features from Final Cut Pro 6, released earlier this year at NAB. The Open Format Timeline, which lets users mix video clips of different codecs, like DV, HDV, and AVCHD in real time, is probably the single largest improvement, but there’s also the ability to import iMovie ‘08 projects, and over 50 new FxPlug filters.
Express has also taken a significant price drop, from $299 to $199, making it easier than ever to take the leap from iMovie to the next level of video production. I wish I had something else exciting to say about Final Cut Express, but the best I can come up with is that the URL for the page on Apple’s site makes me think the product is actually called Final Cute Xpress. Adorable.
The most obvious reason for trimming the price down is the fact that FCE4 no longer includes Soundtrack as part of the bundle. Plus, they've trimmed the LiveType content down to 500MB.