Final Cut Studio 2 Regular vs Academic?????

[The Next Generation...]

Hello everyone,

I was wondering if anyone knew the difference between Final Cut Studio 2 (the regular retail version) and the FCS2 Academic version???? I've heard you can not upgrade the academic version but is there anything else, like watermarks on material or applications that do not come with it?

As always....thank you!

 

[Chugach3DGuy]

I haven't dealt with the academic versions of FCS, but I have used academic versions of tons of other titles, from Photoshop to 3ds Max to Premiere Pro to After Effects. The only difference I've seen when compared to the pro versions is that when you click on the "About (this software title)..." it will say whether or not it's an academic version. Other than that, there are no watermarks or limitations built in.

I'm not sure about the part where you can't upgrade, but since most academic titles sell for far less than their professional counterparts, it wouldn't surprise me.

 

[bluffton]

The Next

You are right, you are not going to be able to upgrade, however, you can get the free upgrades, (like from 5.1 ot 5.1.4) but when they change and offer a small fee to upgrade you're are stuck. (like going from 5.1.4 to 6.0)

Cheers

 

[Photoboy]

I have the academic version of Final Cut Studio. When I upgraded to Final Cut Studio 2 I paid the real-world upgrade of $499. But it's not an upgrade, it's the full version and I still have the fully licensed Final Cut Studio that I'm installing on a laptop for editing on the road. $499 is the institutional price, $200 less than the standard academic price. The academic version is not crippled in any way. It's just like the $1,299 version you get at the Apple store.


That's a long way of saying there is no "upgrade" pricing for academic software. You are buying a deeply discounted full version.

 

[The Next Generation...]

Ok great, thanks for the information! I will go with the Academic version since I can't really afford to drop $1200 for the software.

 

[JacobA]

The one thing not mentioned yet is that technically the academic version is not allowed to be used for commercial purposes. I doubt it would be a problem though unless you are running a huge business heavily utilizing the software.

 

[The Next Generation...]

No, it won't be and i wish i had a huge biz...maybe in a few years.

 

[k2director]

I don't think you're allowed to upgrade the Academic version to later versions of Final Cut, once they're released. Just in case that matters...