Re: Quick Poll. So what's your decision?

I used EDIUS for about five years up until going with FCP in 2007. I loved it. Rendering was so rare, it was as if I thought there was a problem with my Windows computer every time it was required. Unfortunately, EDIUS didn't have motion graphics and other software packaged as a suite. I needed something better, and bought Final Cut Studio.

I've liked FCP for the last four years. My only complaints were the frequent, slow rendering, and Motion crashing far too often. I had hoped FCP 8 would help solve some of those problems.

After seeing FCPX, I went with Premiere Pro and After Effects. I didn't want to switch, but FCPX wasn't going to cut it for me. (I'm glad to hear that I'm not the only one who wants a source monitor.) I took the risky step a few weeks ago of undertaking a significant project in PPro / AE without having spent too much time at all learning how to use them. It was a very pleasant surprise, to say the least. Yes, I missed a few things about FCP and Motion, but things went very well and the project was completed quite satisfactorily. Of course, it took longer to complete due to my lack of experience with it, but there's a learning curve to everything. (I'll bet the FCPX learning curve would have been significantly longer.) I absolutely love the integration between PPro and AE. (I hated having to work in Motion with FCP closed, or risk another irritating crash.) I also love not needing to render very often.

So, I've happily moved on to PPro and AE. I'm planning to spend lots more time learning them, and I think I'll end up liking them even more.

On a side note, I've been waiting Apple to update the Mac Pro to the Sandy Bridge processor. (I've been using a MacBook Pro these last four years.) I sure hope they don't EOL the Mac Pro like they did FCP.