Best Free Final Cut Pro Resources & Tutorials

Many professionals are eager to learn Final Cut Pro but hesitate because of the perceived up-front costs. While Final Cut Pro does have a free trial version available, users will need to eventually acquire a license to the program, which can cost a few hundred dollars. However, many free resources are available to help beginners get the hang of this exciting program. 

Read on to learn more about the free resources and tutorials available to help you learn Final Cut Pro. 

What is Final Cut Pro?

Final Cut Pro is Apple’s first-party, non-linear video editing software. Final Cut Pro is a tool professional and amateur filmmakers use to edit video clips, cut and combine video files, and otherwise add or remove elements from film. Final Cut Pro is a versatile video editing tool, useful for both elaborate editing projects and personal video productions. New features of Final Cut Pro allow users to import and edit videos taken on iPhone 13s in stunning cinematic detail, making Final Cut Pro an ideal program to learn for amateur artists looking to break into the world of video editing. However, the program retains all of the essential features that make Final Cut Pro comparable to other professional video editing software, such as Adobe Premiere Pro.

Final Cut Pro users can automatically synchronize shots from multiple cameras, chroma key out green screen effects, add animated 3D titles to their work, and insert or import closed captioning directly into a file. These features have contributed to the rise in popularity of Final Cut Pro, making it an ideal program for new video editors, particularly those interested in working on elaborate personal projects to learn. While it has not reached the market saturation of Adobe Premiere Pro, partly due to its macOS exclusivity, students won’t be making a mistake if they opt to learn Final Cut Pro for their video editing needs.

Read more about what Final Cut Pro is and why you should learn it. 

What Can You Do with Final Cut Pro?

Final Cut Pro lets users edit, compile, manipulate, and otherwise cut video files from virtually any macOS device. With Final Cut Pro, users can quickly and efficiently make minor edits to video files, making the program ideal for anyone who wants to shoot their own footage (including on devices like an iPhone 13) and immediately begin working on their edits. Final Cut Pro has advanced editing capabilities for users who want to create more professional video productions, such as multi-camera editing functionality, chroma-key removal tools, and built-in 3D animation modeling capabilities.

Final Cut Pro is also an excellent skill to learn for creatives who want to work on editing their own content. Since it is such an accessible tool, you’ll be able to quickly pick up the basics of Final Cut Pro, letting creatives work on basic editing tasks without needing months of video editing training. As the landscape of digital content creation becomes more and more crowded, creatives looking to have their voices heard know that their output needs to look as professional as possible. No matter what kind of video project you aspire to create, learning how to quickly and effectively edit those projects will be invaluable for online content creators.

Free Training Resources

Some students may want to learn how to use a program like Final Cut Pro, but they are still hesitant about paying to enroll in a lengthy video editing training course. For these students, free online training seminars are a great way to explore the possibilities Final Cut Pro training offers without immediately committing to an expensive training program. These free training resources will give students the freedom to experiment with Final Cut Pro and give them a valuable background in the basics of the program should they choose to continue with their Final Cut Pro training.

Noble Desktop understands that students may hesitate to jump head-first into professional skills training courses. To help ease them into online skills training, they offer a wide range of free video tutorials and seminars to help students begin to understand the kinds of lessons and projects they will work on in a professional learning environment. Students interested in learning the basics of Final Cut Pro should visit Noble’s free seminars page to view their Getting Started in Video Editing seminar. This free course will give students a detailed overview of video editing projects' basic techniques and tools. Once they’ve taken advantage of these seminars, students can visit the Video Editing and Motion Graphics playlist on Noble’s official YouTube page to view more videos covering these tools and techniques.

Students can find additional free tutorials on the websites of service providers such as Udemy and Coursera. Apple also offers free resources, templates, and training videos for new Final Cut Pro users.

Free Trial Version

Users who are worried about the cost of Final Cut Pro will want to consider taking advantage of Apple’s free trial version of the program. Unlike many free software trials, Apple offers a long enough trial period for new users to spend a great deal of time with the program. During this trial period, users can easily enroll in and attend an entire skills training camp, considerably cutting the program's cost. After they have their skills training covered, prospective professional editors will likely be able to acquire a group-rated or institutional copy of Final Cut Pro for a fraction of the cost (or nothing).

Learn Final Cut Pro with Hands-on Training at Noble Desktop

Students looking to learn how to edit videos using Final Cut Pro have many options available through Noble Desktop. These courses, offered at Noble’s Manhattan campus or through live online instruction, offer students the opportunity to learn the skills they need to start a career in video editing. Students will receive hands-on experience working with Final Cut Pro in classes taught by experienced professionals with years of video editing experience. Even online, class sizes are kept small, ensuring that students won’t be competing with each other to get the attention of their instructor, who can provide them with real-time feedback and assistance. Plus, all of Noble’s courses come with the option to retake the class within a year of a student’s initial enrollment, giving students even more time to work closely with their instructors and receive direct Final Cut Pro instruction. 

For students looking to learn the ins and outs of Final Cut Pro, Noble offers a Final Cut Pro Bootcamp. This course will teach students how to use the basic and advanced features of Final Cut Pro, ensuring that students leave with a complete understanding of what the program is capable of. Students will learn the fundamental principles of film editing, such as how to clip video files, combine those clips, and how to insert transitions between clips. Then, they will work with Final Cut Pro’s more advanced video editing features and learn skills such as chroma-key replacement, multi-camera editing, color correction, and altering footage speed. These lessons will train students to begin editing their videos or compiling a demo reel for a professional editing portfolio. Students taking this course online must ensure they have access to a copy of Final Cut Pro and a macOS device that can run Final Cut Pro.

Students looking for a more career-focused training program to help them break into the world of video editing should consider Noble’s Video Editing Certificate program. This course is built with student professionalization in mind. Rather than learning basic video editing skills, students will learn all major film editing software applications, including Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and After Effects. These training courses will ensure that students are comfortable with every aspect of video editing and ready to work on nearly any project. In addition, since these are career-focused courses, students will receive professionalization training, including one-on-one career mentorship sessions, professional demo reel development seminars, and hands-on training with real-world editing projects. This course is an immersive experience designed to take students from amateur to professional video editors.

Key Insights

• Students worried about the cost of learning Final Cut Pro will want to look at the various free tutorial options available.
• Students can take advantage of free training tutorials to learn the basics of Final Cut Pro without investing a lot of time and money into their training.
• Apple offers a generous free trial period during which students are encouraged to take advantage of free and paid training resources before committing to a license.
• Whether a student is looking for free tutorials or wants to enroll in a paid seminar once they are comfortable with their training, Noble Desktop offers in-person or live online course offerings.