Free Avid!!

Also nice to see ILF so busy today...

Blegh. I mean, nice and all, but quite obviously a desperate cry from a company getting its ass kicked rather hard by rather cheaper and just as effective alternatives. It's essentially a neutered version of Avid - what's the point? I found it hard enough to justify learning its quirks and whatnot with a full pro version - why should I bother with that without any of the fringe benefits?

Well, it's comparable to Final Cut Express, I guess-an application I sometimes use when I want to cut something nice and quick. I agree that Avid has lost some of its sheen, but it was the first editing software I used, and I retain something of an affection for it. When I first used FCP, I found it completely counter-intuitive, but now I am comfortable with both. Media 100, despite it's many flaws, is still probably the most accessible "pro" software for my money, though its interface is pretty similar to Avid. If learning Avid at home for free means a few more people can put themselves out there and get editing jobs/chops, more power to them.

btw, am I right in thinking that Apple have bought Avid? Or was that a rumor?

Yeah, when I read about this about a year ago or so it seemed to be "like Final Cut Express, but freeer!"

For something that's supposed to familiarize you with the interface and editing rhythms of an Avid, Avid Free is absolutely shite. You can't even do basic editing commands like overwrite, splice, trimming, three-point editing, and whatnot. How the hell is this supposed to be a) useful, b) able to make someone want to lay down the big bucks for a full version? I mean, I could understand disabling some key features, but this thing is neutered worse than iMovie 1.0!

Again with the FCP - it costs less than Xpress DV and can handle itself almost as well as Xpress Pro. Plus, it doesn't demand proprietary hardware for higher level functions.

You got no argument from me there, I love FCP, it's the greatest (software) thing that's ever happened to me.