What are the differences between Final Cut Express and Final Cut Pro?

Express is an editing system with a professional interface and the essential features, filters, and effects, a step up from Apple’s iMovie or Windows Movie Maker. The software interface is nearly identical to Final Cut Pro, so practically everything you learn using Express translates seamlessly to using Pro when the time comes.

Final Cut Pro is a feature-complete editing system designed for professional editors that cab work with practically any video format (while Express only works with DV, HDV, and AVCHD) and comes as part of the Final Cut Studio bundle with a complete suite of applications that do pretty much everything a pro editor would need: Motion, Color (color grading), DVD Studio Pro, Compressor, and SoundTrack Pro.

Here are some of the most important differences:

Express only supports 32 Levels of Undo
Express does not support third-party capture cards
Express can only capture AVCHD, HDV, and DV video
Express does not have the Audio Mix Tool
Express does not have Video Scopes
Express does not have the three way color corrector, it only provides the secondary (two-way) color corrector
Final Cut Express does not support time code
Final Cut Express comes bundled only with LiveType

One main draw of Final Cut Pro is its ability to work with Adobe After Effects Plug-Ins, Final Cut Express HD does not support After Effects plug-ins.

With Final Cut Express you can not custom map your keyboard

For basic editing, Final Cut Express is perfectly fine. If you need more features, there’s a smooth upgrade path given the interfaces are very, very similar between Pro and Express.

There are big differences in pricing: Final Cut Express costs $199  and Final Cust Studio costs $999