Apple is making a special offer to Adobe Premiere users. From 1 August 2003, customers can return their Premiere version and switch to Final Cut Express or Final Cut Pro at a substantially reduced cost. Customers receive the current version of Final Cut Express, a straightforward DV editing application aimed at home users, pupils and students, free of charge. Those switching to Final Cut Pro 4, the new version of Apple’s professional editing software for film, HD, SD and DV, receive a €500 discount. The German-language version of Final Cut Pro 4 can be ordered immediately and is expected to become available in mid-August.
Final Cut Express is designed for digital-video editing. Transitions, filters and effects can be applied in real time. Users can create titles, layers, graphics and animations and perform colour correction. Final Cut Express projects can be imported into iDVD or DVD Studio Pro, recorded to tape, or exported in any QuickTime format including MPEG-4.
Final Cut Pro 4 offers a straightforward transition not only for Adobe Premiere users but also for Final Cut Express customers moving into professional video editing. The current version has more than 300 new features, including RT Extreme for real-time effects processing, a customisable interface, new high-quality uncompressed 8-bit and 10-bit formats, and full 32-bit-per-channel video processing, which Apple says is a first for an editing system costing less than €100,000. Alongside Cinema Tools for 24-frame EDL support, three new applications are integrated directly into Final Cut Pro 4: LiveType for professional titling, Compressor for batch encoding and Soundtrack for music production. Soundtrack is also available separately for €346.84 including VAT.
The worldwide promotion starts in Germany on 1 August and ends on 20 September 2003. Adobe Premiere users switching to Final Cut Express need to complete the coupon available from http://www.apple.com/de/finalcut/offer from 1 August, send their Mac or Windows installation CDs to Apple, and will then receive Final Cut Express. Premiere users moving to Final Cut Pro 4 buy the current full version from an Apple dealer or the Apple Store at http://www.apple.com/germanstore for €1,158.84 including VAT. They then complete the online coupon and send their Premiere installation CDs together with proof of purchase for Final Cut Pro 4 to Apple. The €500 rebate is issued by cheque.
Buyers of new Macintosh hardware also receive a special offer. During the same promotional period, the current version of Final Cut Express costs €99 including VAT from Apple dealers or the Apple Store, rather than €381.64 including VAT.
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