by Chris Ullrich, Feb 1 2012 // 10:30 AM
For those of you who were disappointed when Apple completely revamped its flagship video editing software Final Cut Pro and released the somewhat controversial and feature-poor Final Cut Pro X, it seems the company has listened to your complaints. Well, at least some of them.
This week Apple released an update to Final Cut Pro X, bringing the app to version 10.0.3. The latest update adds several features that will most likely please editors including new advanced chroma keying, support for XML 1.1 and beta broadcast monitoring for Thunderbolt devices and PCIe cards.
However, the most significant addition seems to be the software’s new multicam editing feature. This feature enables editors to sync up to 64 angles of video and photos in one timeline “automagically.” Or, if you want to get technical, the software uses time of day, timecode, markers, or audio waveforms to sync. Although, we think “automagically” sounds cooler.
The Final Cut Pro v10.0.3 update is available now and is free for all existing Final Cut Pro X users. New users can purchase the software from Apple’s Mac App Store for $299.99 after a 30-day free trial.
Check out the full press release from Apple after the jump.
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Posted in: Apple · News · Software · Tech
Tagged: Apple, Editing, Editors, Film, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Pro X, Mac OS X, Multicam Editing, Software Updates, TV
by Chris Ullrich, Jun 22 2011 // 10:00 AM
Even if you’re not a professional fim or television editor, you’ve probably heard of Apple’s pro editing software Final Cut Pro. It’s become quite popular with editors over the years and has been used on projects ranging from Cold Mountain to True Grit and The Social Network.
Now, as of yesterday, Apple has released a brand new version of the software, dubbed Final Cut Pro X, to a mixed and often hostile reaction from some users. It is currently available in the company’s Mac App Store and priced at $299.99. The companion Motion and Compressor apps are $49.99 each.
Even though FCP X is a completely new version of the editing app with many improvements, it has still drawn criticism from users for the features and capabilities Apple has seemingly removed including XML support and the lack of backward compatibility with previous versions of the software.
Some of the new features include the Magnetic Timeline, clip connections to link effects/title elements to primary footage, raw video keyword tagging and improved content management tools. In addition, the app is now 64-bit, entirely Cocoa, fully parallel and all-around faster (it now leverages the GPU for effects and can render in the background).
An update to the software offering more of the “pro” features users were hoping for is expected from Apple in the coming months. In the meantime, it might be advisable to wait before upgrading or buying the new software — especially if you’re used to FCP 7 and its features.
Click through for the full press release from Apple. Final Cut Pro X is available now in Apple’s Mac App Store.
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Posted in: Apple · News · Software · Tech
Tagged: Apple, Cold Mountain, Editing, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Pro X, Mac OS X Lion, OS X, Software, The Social Network
by Chris Ullrich, Apr 13 2011 // 12:00 PM
During the NAB show in Las Vegas yesterday Apple revealed the next generation of its Final Cut Pro editing software to the masses and while some may always fear change, in this case it looks like change is something to be embraced and celebrated.
According to Apple, the new FCP is “as revolutionary as the original Final Cut released back in ’99.” Sounds good, Take a look at some of the specs:
• Now 64-bit (about time)
• New UI
• Resolution independent playback system
• Handles up to 4K (good for you HD fans)
• Uses Grand Central Dispatch to utilize up to 8 cores (makes for fast workflow)
• Fully color-managed (ColorSync)
• Media ready for editing immediately (stabilization, audio and shutter correction, shot detection and preliminary color balancing automatically applied during ingest)
• Timecode-based keywording within clips
• iMovie-esque “smart collections” of clips, audio based on metadata, people in shot, etc.
Apple says Final Cut Pro X will be available in June for $299. That’s a really good price and we can’t wait to get our hands on it.
Posted in: Apple · News · Software · Tech
Tagged: Apple, Editing, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Pro X, Mac OS X, Movies, Software, TV
by Sebastian Suchecki, Dec 4 2009 // 3:15 PM
As Apple often does, everyone’s favorite fruit-flavored computer company quietly give their flagship line of professional computers, the Mac Pro, a bump in speed. They also included new storage options such as 2 TB 7200 RPM drives for the towers as well in this bit of enhancement magic. For the quad-core Mac Pro (but not the eight-core model), you can now order a 3.33 GHz Quad-Core Intel Xeon “Nehalem” processor which, if you don’t know, is pretty darn fast.
This baby has 8 MB of fully shared L3 cache, Hyper-Threading technology, an integrated memory controller, Turbo Boost for short bursts of speed up to 3.6 GHz and can really blow the doors off any kind of intense rendering tasks like you find in Photoshop, After Effects, Final Cut Pro or similar. In short, if you’re a high-end graphics or video professional, your job, and making those tight deadlines, just got easier.
We were wondering what had happend with Apple’s top of the line Mac since the introduction the new 27″ Intel Core i7 iMac in October. Traditionally, the Mac Pro is the performance king and it was a bit odd that the line had not had an update. Fortunately, Apple has remedied that situation now. The new Mac Pro options are available today at Apple’s online store.
Posted in: Apple · Gear · Geek · News
Tagged: After Effects, Apple, Final Cut Pro, Gear, Geek, Hardware, iMac, Mac, Mac Pro, Macintosh, Nahlem, Photoshop, Quad Core, Tech, Xeon