Re: So then, is there really an alternative to FCP after FCP X

David,

I made the same transitions from FCP7/X to Premiere Pro CS5/Production Premium a few months ago. I too am very pleased with PP, though I may be more fortunate in not having experienced the frequency of crashes you describe. I'm running the application suite on a MacPro 3.1 with 32GB RAM.

More recently, I also installed the NVIDIA Quadro 4000 card to replace my ATI 4870. It's been a mixed blessing. The Quadro card makes Premiere Pro sing on the MacPro. No ifs and or buts -- until you add After Effects to the mix. When adding AE segments to a PP timeline, the opacity of AE segments gets hanky. Basic opacity transitions and the head and tail of a lower third super created in AE an inserted in PP lose their opacity and take on a white-color background instead. Also, diagonal shapes created in AE manifest jagged edges.

After making these discoveries, I replaced the ATI card and the issues went away. I'm using the latest NVIDA drivers and running Lion. I may reinstall the Quadro in a few months if new drivers provide a cure. In the mean time, the joy of real speed in PP is utterly compromised by problems encountered in AE. I realize the Quadro card doesn't provide a speed edge for AE as it does in PP, but it should at least work properly.

Tom

Tom F.
Raleigh, NC