→ The New York Times’ Final Cut Pro X Q&A

The New York Times’ Final Cut Pro X Q&A

Following the much discussed backlash over the launch of the “revolutionary” Final Cut Pro X for Mac, The New York Times’ tech columnist David Pogue has compiled an interesting Q&A on the available/missing features of the application, with direct input from Apple.

The “missing features” generally fall into three categories: features that are actually there and have just been moved around, features that Apple intends to restore and features that require a third-party (non-Apple) add-on or plug-in.

Among the covered topics, Pogue reports Apple says re-enabling support for the multi-cam functionality is a “top priority” for the company.

Complaint: There’s no multicamera editing. In the old FCP, you could import the footage from various cameras that covered an event (say, a concert) from different angles simultaneously, and then easily cut back and forth between them while editing. It was a star feature of Final Cut, and it’s gone from FCP X.

Answer: Apple intends to restore this feature in an update, calling it “a top priority.” Until it does, here’s a stopgap facsimile of multicam editing: If you drag two clips into parallel timeline tracks, you can choose Clip->Synchronize Clips. By comparing their audio tracks, the program aligns the clips exactly. Now, each time you select a piece of the upper video track and press the V key (“disable”), you are effectively cutting to what’s on the lower video track.

Another feature that generated much disappointment in several Final Cut Pro X reviews on the Mac App Store is the impossibility of opening old FCP projects. Pogue confirms this:

Complaint: Can’t import old FCP files.

Answer: As I noted in my column, this is true; your old projects are stranded forever in the older FCP program. You’ll have to keep both programs on your hard drive, and edit the old projects in the old program. When you install the new FCP, your old copy is safely preserved.

Read the full, technical Q&A here. In the weeks leading to the release of Final Cut Pro many professional video editors suggested it would be difficult for Apple to ship a completely rewritten version usable since day one by large studios and production houses. As Final Cut Pro X has been re-imagined from the ground up, clearly Apple needed to cut some features out of the first release, but they’ve already confirmed they’re aiming at making the update cycle for FCP faster with releases every 6 months or so.

Posted by Federico Viticci on – ∞
Jun
21
2011

Apple Releases Final Cut Pro X On The Mac App Store For $299

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UPDATE: Final Cut Pro X is now available in the Mac App Store, as well as Motion 5 and Compressor 4.

Apple has just issued a press release noting that Final Cut Pro X will launch sometime today on the Mac App Store for a price of $299.99 with Motion 5 and Compressor 4 also out today for $49.99 each.

Apple® today announced Final Cut Pro® X, a revolutionary new version of the world’s most popular Pro video editing software which completely reinvents video editing with a Magnetic Timeline that lets you edit on a flexible, trackless canvas; Content Auto-Analysis that categorizes your content upon import by shot type, media and people; and background rendering that allows you to work without interruption. Built on a modern 64-bit architecture, Final Cut Pro X is available from the Mac® App Store™ for $299.99.

Some of the new features of Final Cut Pro X include a vastly improved video editing experience, completely rebuilt to feature a “dynamic editing interface” including what Apple dubs a ‘Magnetic Timeline’ which lets editors assemble shots simply and quickly with no unwanted black gaps in the timeline. In a similar vein clips can now be connected so that as you move one clip to a new place on the timeline, all the other connected clips (such as music or audio effects) stay synchronized with the clip. Compound Clips is another new feature that lets editors combine a group of elements (clips, audio etc) into just one clip that can easily be moved around on the timeline.

Another cornerstone feature of FCP X is vastly improved media organization, starting with support for many more formats of video. Content is now automatically analyzed with FCP X organising your footage into preset kinds of footage including whether or not there are people in the shot (and whether it is just one person or a group), whether it is a wide or closeup shot, whether the footage is stable or shaky and so on. There is also support for keywords which can be applied quickly to any piece of footage, combine this feature with the content auto-analysis and you can find the shot you need nearly instantly. Other key points of interest include ‘Smart Collections’ allowing users to organize clips without having to physically move the file and direct access to content libraries such as Aperture and iPhoto.

As had been expected, performance is also a huge area of improvement for FCP X, off the bat there is support for the 64-bit architecture and then there is resolution independence (4K footage is now supported), improved GPU utilization, background processing and a shared render engine between Final Cut Pro, Motion and Compressor. Some final points of note are that FCP X comes with a large variety of video effects, including the standard ‘Film Grain’ and ‘Cartoon’ to many others. There are also title sequences and bundled audio effects that are royalty free.

Motion 5 which is also available from today from the Mac App Store for $49.99 which is Apple’s motion graphics tool that has been redesigned, adds new templates, simplified chroma-keying and similarly takes advantage of 64-bit architectures. Compressor 4 is also available for $49.99 in the Mac App Store and has seen some modest improvements and feature additions, most notably is again support for 64-bit architectures and GPU utilization. Curiously both Motion 5 and Compressor 4 mention Blu-Ray recording – perhaps a Mac accessory could soon allow direct Blu-Ray recording, or perhaps new Mac Pros.

You can purchase Final Cut Pro X in the Mac App Store for $299.99, also available in the Mac App Store is Motion 5 for $49.99 and Compressor 4 for $49.99. FCP X requires at least 2GB of RAM (4GB is recommended), an OpenCL-capable graphics card or an Intel HD Graphics 3000 or later, 256MB of VRAM and at least 2.4GB of disk space. For a full run down of new features be sure to check out the Final Cut Pro X page on the Apple Website.

Jump the break for Apple’s full press release.

(more…)

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Apr
11
2011

New Thunderbolt Products Are Coming: Announcements from NAB

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Since the introduction of the new MacBook Pros in February, many have wondered how long it would take for third-party manufacturers to ship the first Thunderbolt-compatible products. Developed by Intel and brought to the market by Apple, Thunderbolt is a brand new I/O technology that allows for multiple data transfers at 10 Gbps connection over a cable, with an additional 10 Watt feed to power external devices with the addition of “daisy-chaining” one peripheral to another. You can read more about Thunderbolt in our initial roundup.

At the NAB trade show that’s currently ongoing in Las Vegas, several companies have unveiled their first Thunderbolt products that will ship later this year starting in July. As reported by MacRumors these products are aimed at video editing / movie professionals, but they show the industry is clearly interested in supporting the new technology that’s rumored to be implemented in upcoming refreshes of the iMac and Mac mini lines as well. AJA, Blackmagic, and Promise have all announced Thunderbolt-enabled peripherals for audio capture and playback device (Blackmagic’s UltraStudio 3D) or “high-framerate 2K 3D, 4K and 5K workflows, and portable HD connectivity” (AJA). Promise had already announced its Pegasus storage line with Thunderbolt back in February.

Early reports coming from the NAB show floor indicate the Thunderbolt enclosures from Promise “scream” with the updated CS 5.5 suite, and hopefully we’ll have the chance to check out demo videos and benchmarks in the next few hours.

Meanwhile, we’re all waiting for the Final Cut announcement rumored to be scheduled for tomorrow at the tenth annual SuperMeet at the Bally’s Event Center. According to people familiar with the matter, the new Final Cut will take advantage of Thunderbolt and feature iPad integration, as well as file based workflows.

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Jan
3
2011

Final Cut Update Coming in April, Beta Version for Lion In Testing Stage?

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French rumor site Hardmac is reporting that, according to their sources, Apple is testing beta versions of Final Cut for Snow Leopard and the upcoming Lion OS, with an update to the pro suite coming in March or “early April”. In November, Steve Jobs told a customer to “stay tuned and buckle up” for a Final Cut update, while previous rumors suggested a huge update was set to come out in the first months of 2011.

Hardmac reports that the Final Cut beta for Lion sports some exclusive features due to changes Apple is making in QuickTime for 10.7. Spring is usually a great time for new Apple product launches (iPad, MacBooks) and we wouldn’t be surprised to see the Final Cut suite finally being updated and promoted together with some new computers. (more…)

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