I basically accept a period of feeling like an idiot when I start working with any high-end software. I also usually buy one or two books besides the manual. And if you have a (patient) friend who knows the software and can sit down with you for an afternoon and show you the basics, that's probably the best way to get over the initial hump. Good luck!

I did some cool stuff with iMovie, but loaded up FCP and felt like a 'tard. Methinks I need to spend some time with manual, but from what you're saying, it sounds like it'd be time well spent. Thanks!

I've been using Final Cut Pro for a few years now, after specifically buying it and a Mac and a camera to get rolling on making shorts. I had to use iMovie for a project I did for a friend on their machine and after using FCP I found it counter-intuitive so I've never really bothered with it again. The FCP interface looks a lot more daunting, and for simpler projects you don't need a lot of the bells and whistles, but it's nice to be able to color correct and use After Effects plug-ins.

I'd also say that because of the price, and based on job postings in L.A., FCP is pushing out other editing software like Autodesk and Adobe Premiere as the poor man's AVID, so if editing is something you're interested in, it's not a bad thing to learn.