

In addition to standard capture methods, Xpress DV offers the Record tool, an option that lets you log your clips as you digitize them–a nifty little time-saver. (One editing feature the Avid faithful will surely miss is the JKL Trim mode, found in higher-end Avid systems, for changing edit points on-the-fly.)

It also runs remarkably well in OS X, something that took Apple two updates to achieve with its OS X version of Final Cut Pro. Editing with Xpress DVĮditing with Xpress DV is less tactile than with Final Cut Pro (for example, although you can grab clips and slide them around, you won’t tend to work that way), but it’s still effective and efficient. But once you get past this unfamiliarity, Xpress DV shows its true colors: it’s a program for serious video editors.

Its interface is radically different from Final Cut Pro’s, as is its workflow (for example, you may wonder how to apply an effect). But for loyal Final Cut Pro users, Xpress DV may be daunting at first.
