How Do You Make Final Cut Pro X Better? Add Some Sugar FX To Your Mac

Let me mix a few metaphors. Putting all your eggs in Apple’s basket is the way to ride a roller coaster from hell. Take Final Cut Pro. Please.

I’ve been an FCP user for over 10 years (since version 1.1). Apple redefined non-linear video editing with a suite of tools for color, compression, audio, and motion effects that quickly became the price performance leader in the industry. Then along came Final Cut Pro X and the world changed. Again.

Here’s a way to make FCPX worth your time and effort. It’s all about add ons and expectations.

Customize FCPX Titles And Transitions

When Apple launched Final Cut Pro X last year, the world of FCP fell apart for many long time users. The new version was totally incomplete (if that’s possible) and missing many basic features.

The outcry continued for months. Meanwhile, Apple continued to develop new features for FCPX, and the noise began to abate.

Today, FCPX is fast and furious. And easier to edit projects than previous versions.

What FCPX lacks is being provided by the add-on community. One of my latest finds is the Sugar FX packages. For example, I love custom transitions and titles, and FCPX is thin on both.

Sugar FX Punchline delivers broadcast design titles and transitions to FCPX with a click. The package is affordable and easily installed via FxFactory (which brings other product options to FCPX).

These include nearly three doze high definition elements– 11 titles and 21 transitions– that fit inside FCPX.

These titles and transition effects are drag and drop from within FCPX. But each element has granular controls over color, fonts, size, and much more.

Simply click on transitions or titles, select from the Punchline options, and double-click to install on the timeline.

These are add ons that are made specifically for FCPX’s new workflow.

Choose from the editing timeline, grab the content of the panels that match the element, then drag the numbers in the timeline that displays the exact frame in the transition.

There are text effects, mattes, color modes and dynamic animation for each element. You control placement, timing, and more on a frame-by-frame basis.

There is a limit to the number of effects in the Punchline package, of course, but modifying background, colors, line colors and width, and fonts, gives you substantial differences and variety from project to project.

These titles and effects are nicely done, affordable, and give a professional look to your video with little effort beyond point and click (and changing options). Here’s what it looks like in action.

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