Final Cut Pro was developed for Apple computers and does not work on a personal computer (PC). It was developed for independent filmmakers on a less expensive budget. Editors now use it for high-budget productions, including television shows and major features. Purchasing Final Cut Studio gives you access to equipment you might need, including Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Color, Compressor, and DVD Studio. The cost is $999; you can upgrade your old Final Cut software for $299 in 2010. Using Final Cut Pro offers you simple-to-use editing tools to trim and edit your film. For instance, you can insert a clip and trim it by using Ripple. A major advantage is that it is perhaps more simple for beginning filmmakers to navigate than some other movie editing software packages.
Avid Media Composer is the industry standard for digital, non-linear movie editing. It is one of the most expensive software packages for editing and is available for around $2,295 to $2,495 in 2010. The price depends on whether you can download it—if you need the software shipped to you, the cost is $2,495. Although it was developed for industry professionals using Macs, it is now available to home consumers who work on PCs. Avid offers superior technology to edit your footage. For instance, you can edit with direct access from the RED camera, one of the latest, most technologically advanced cameras in 2010, without converting formats (transcoding).
Adobe Premiere is the least expensive of the three software packages listed here, which makes it ideal for beginning filmmakers. It offers linear editing tools and is available for around $799 to $1,699 in 2010. The upper end of the price range is for Creative Suite Production Premium, which comes bundled with Photoshop Extended and After Effects. It is a good alternate for people with PCs who cannot use Final Cut Pro because they do not have Macs. It also works on Macs, although they must be Intel-based. The Adobe production giant makes Premiere; the company also developed Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Soundbooth, Adobe Story, Adobe Flash Catalyst and Adobe After Effects. It is compatible with 64-bit computers, which makes it unique.