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Apple releases updated Final Cut Pro X, brings multicam support, broadcast monitoring love
The X version of Final Cut Pro was supposed to be all things to all people -- easier and more power for the serious amateurs and yet refreshing and comprehensive for the pros. In reality it seemed that neither camp quite saw it that way, but Apple has at least been listening. Today the company has announced version 10.0.3, which finally adds the one feature everyone's been clamoring for: multicam support. But that's not all. Join us after the break for a deeper look.
Final Cut Studio on sale again via Apple telesales, video editors worldwide breathe sighs of relief
If you're one of the many Final Cut Pro users unhappy with Apple's latest version -- and you haven't been lured into Adobe's open arms -- today brings good news. According to MacRumors, Cupertino will continue to offer the previous, discontinued version via telephone sales. Calling 800-MY-APPLE and asking for Final Cut Studio (part number MB642Z/A) will net you Final Cut Pro 7, Motion 4, Soundtrack Pro 3, DVD Studio Pro 4, Color 1.5 and Compressor 3.5 for $999, or $899 for qualified educational customers. That's a far cry from the $299.99 for Final Cut Pro X, but if you're interested in, say, opening legacy projects or outputting to tape, you might grudgingly pony up the extra dough.
Adobe's new "switcher" campaign targets frustrated Final Cut Pro users with 50% off
Adobe didn't waste anytime trying to capitalize on customer dissatisfaction with Apple's new Final Cut Pro X. Professional users are unhappy with the lack of Pro features like multiple camera support in the latest version of Apple's video editing software. In response, Adobe has kicked off a new "switcher" campaign that highlights ten reasons why the professional video editor should switch to Adobe Premiere Pro CS. It's also offering a whopping 50% off on Adobe Creative Suite CS5.5 Production Premium or Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 for those who own Final Cut Pro or Avid Media Composer. The media software giant is throwing down the gauntlet and aiming straight for those unhappy Apple customers. Anyone out there going to give in and switch to Adobe?
Apple product managers respond to Final Cut Pro X criticism
During our call to discuss Final Cut Pro X earlier this week, an Apple product manager boasted about the product's low price, media management, and ground-up redesign. Unfortunately, when starting from scratch, developers seem to have overlooked a few features that professional users have come to depend on, prompting widespread backlash -- both on internet forums and even on Apple's own App Store, where the $300 download-only app currently has a rating of just 2.5 stars (out of five), including nearly 500 one-star ratings. (Note: you must purchase the app before submitting a rating or review.) The New York Times spoke to product managers about these issues, which include an inability to import old FCP files, no multicamera editing, no support for RED cameras, and no ability to specify QuickTime export settings, among many others. Apple says there are (pricey) workarounds available, or fixes on the way for all but the first issue, but head over to the source link for the full rundown at NYT.
Conan's editors really love Final Cut Pro X... or maybe they don't (video)
The web is abuzz with talk of Apple's new slimmed-down, low-cost Final Cut Pro X, but Cupertino's beloved video editing platform has also caused quite a stir among professionals, who note its lack of features and glaring absence of backwards compatibility. Conan O'Brien's editors have already downloaded the new app, and threw together a segment for last night's show highlighting some of its new features. Jump past the break for a clip of Final Cut Pro's 90 seconds of fame, or warm up that credit card and head over to the Mac App Store to give it a spin for yourself. Just don't dump Final Cut Pro 7 yet -- you'll need to have it around to open legacy projects, output to tape, utilize multiple editing sequences, and access Photoshop layers, along with one or two other tiny omissions.
Apple discontinues Final Cut Express, reportedly ends Server too
Now that some Tuesday's Final Cut Pro X is available, additional details about Apple's pro video edition solution are available. Engadget has confirmed with Apple that there won't be a boxed (studio suite) version of Final Cut Pro X. Instead, it will only be available for download through the Mac App Store, alongside separate purchases of Motion (US$49.99) and Compressor ($49.99). Also, there will be no special upgrade price for owners of previous versions of Final Cut Pro, but with the new price point, it's hard to really complain about that. Finally, Engadget confirms that the days of Final Cut Express are over -- it's either iMovie or Final Cut Pro X from Apple. AppleInsider corroborates these claims, but adds Final Cut Server to the list. According to "a person familiar with Apple's retail operations," AppleInsider reports that Final Cut Server has been discontinued as of June 21.
Final Cut Pro X launches, $299 in the Mac App Store
Apple's professional video editing/production flagship app has been rebuilt from the ground up and repriced for the Mac App Store. Final Cut Pro X is now available for $299.99 via the store, and the accompanying Motion and Compressor apps are $49.99 each. This pricing represents a dramatic drop versus the previous edition of the suite. FCP X is a completely new version of the editing app, with the new Magnetic Timeline (trackless editing) and clip connections to link effects/title elements to primary footage. Your raw videos can be tagged with keywords, collected, analyzed and organized easily with the new content management library tools. The app's internal plumbing has been overhauled to make it 64-bit, entirely Cocoa, fully parallel and all-around faster (it now leverages the GPU for effects and can render in the background). The full feature list will take days or weeks for video pros to digest, and there's going to be a substantial learning, workflow and implementation curve for anyone planning to move edit operations -- so FCP X isn't going to change the world overnight. We're checking in with leading Xsan integrators for their reactions to the news. Still, with a $300 buy-in, the opportunity for would-be editors to level up to professional tools is cheaper than ever. Apple's press release below. Show full PR text CUPERTINO, California-June 21, 2011-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. "Final Cut Pro X is the biggest advance in Pro video editing since the original Final Cut Pro," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. "We have shown it to many of the world's best Pro editors, and their jaws have dropped." "I'm blown away by what Apple has done with Final Cut Pro," said Angus Wall, Academy Award-winning film editor. "Final Cut Pro X is incredibly modern and fast, but most importantly it lets you focus on telling your story in the most creative way, while it actively manages all of the technical details." At the heart of Final Cut Pro X is the Magnetic Timeline, a trackless approach to editing your footage that lets you add and arrange clips wherever you want them, while other clips instantly slide out of the way. You can use Clip Connections to link primary story clips to other elements like titles and sound effects, so they stay in perfect sync when you move them. You can even combine related story elements into a Compound Clip that can be edited as a single clip. The groundbreaking new Auditions feature lets you swap between a collection of clips to instantly compare alternate takes. Content Auto-Analysis scans your media on import and tags your content with useful information. Final Cut Pro X then uses that information to dynamically organize your clips into Smart Collections, so you can easily find the clips you want by close up, medium and wide shots as well as media type and the number of people in the shot. You can also tag parts of clips with Range-based keywords to add custom search criteria to your media. Completely rebuilt from the ground up, Final Cut Pro X is a 64-bit app that takes full advantage of the latest Mac hardware and software so you never have to wait for the next edit, even if you're working with 4K video. Final Cut Pro X uses multi-threaded processing and the GPU on your graphics card for blazing fast background rendering and superb real-time playback performance. Additionally, a ColorSync-managed color pipeline ensures color consistency from import to output. Final Cut Pro X also includes powerful tools for audio editing and color correction, and is complemented by two companion apps, Motion 5 for professional motion graphics and Compressor 4 for advanced media encoding, available from the Mac App Store for $49.99 each. Pricing & Availability Final Cut Pro X is available today for $299.99 from the Mac App Store. Motion 5 and Compressor 4 are available today for $49.99 each from the Mac App Store. Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Pro X can be found at www.apple.com/finalcutpro. Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.
Apple Final Cut Pro X now available on Mac App Store
At last! Just as promised, Apple's long-awaited Final Cut Pro X is now available on the Mac App Store for just $299.99, meaning keen editors can immediately grab hold of this suite to crack on with some real-time 4K video editing. Of course, this is assuming that you have a 64-bit Mac rig with beastly specs in the first place -- check with Apple to make sure that you're all set to go. Accompanying this major software release are Motion 5 and Compressor 4 kits, both of which will cost you an extra $49.99 each, so make that roughly around $400 for the full monty. Press release after the break, but we guess you folks are already busy trimming clips on that magical Magnetic Timeline, so good luck in next year's Oscars. Update: We spoke to Apple and confirmed that there won't be a boxed version, upgrade pricing, or "Express" version available. Individual users can purchase a single license to use on multiple machines that they own, while business users will need to purchase one license per machine. Volume education pricing is available for purchase by institutions only.
Apple says "stay tuned" for other Final Cut Studio apps, shows The Loop screenshots
At the FCPUG SuperMeet at NAB yesterday, Apple unveiled Final Cut Pro X, the latest iteration of its non-linear video editing application. The new version includes such features as color management, background rendering, improved keyword and metadata support and a magnetic timeline that lets you move clips around without trim collisions with other clips. Apple confirmed the application would launch in June for a rock bottom price of US$299. Talking to The Loop, Apple also confirmed that this NAB presentation was just a sneak peek of Final Cut Pro. The Cupertino company promised there was more to come for the other applications in the Final Cut Pro Studio Suite, which include Motion, Soundtrack Pro, Color, Compressor and DVD Studio Pro. Speaking of sneak peek, The Loop was able to get its hands on some official screenshots of the application in action. We embedded one above, and you can point your browser to The Loop's website to get a closer look at the UI of this upcoming version of Final Cut Pro. Anyone looking forward to June so that they can get their hands on FCP X?
Final Cut Pro X announced at NAB SuperMeet
As widely rumored, Apple's Peter Steinauer took the stage at the SuperMeet during NAB in Las Vegas to introduce the latest version of Final Cut, Final Cut Pro X. The new video editing app (last revised in July of 2009) adds full 64-bit compatibility with a full rewrite of the platform. Final Cut Pro X will be shipping in June. You can download it via the Mac App Store! And the price? US$299 -- that's truly astonishing. (We don't yet know if that's just the editor itself, or also includes the capabilities of Motion and Color... but we're inclined to believe the former.) The new version includes improved media management and improved image quality built on "modern foundations," with top-to-bottom color management and a new look. FCP X features resolution-independent playback all the way from SD up to 2K and 4K formats. It now leverages Grand Central Dispatch to take advantage of all cores on the Mac plus the GPU. The crowd goes wild, especially as Steinauer suggests that the ever-popular render bar will now be a thing of the past. Other new features (via @fcpsupermeet and Photography Bay)...
Dear Apple, here's our Final Cut Studio wishlist
Today the NAB exhibit hall opened, and just about everyone in the video world is showing off the hot new stuff they've been waiting to announce to video professionals from around the world. Apple, however, is notably absent again this year, choosing instead to make an announcement tomorrow evening at the Final Cut Pro Users Group SuperMeet. As rumors of a long awaited update to Final Cut Studio started circulating, we asked you how the new version needed to change. While some commentators defended Final Cut Studio enthusiastically, most of us feel that an update is long overdue despite our affection for Apple's professional video suite. Some users have already jumped ship because their needs are better filled by alternative editing applications, while other users plan to give Apple a chance to meet all their needs with a new update before deciding to explore other options.
Wasteland Diaries: Glad to be back
It's been a couple of weeks since I was able to visit the Fallen Earth wastelands. My absence wasn't by choice. But now that I'm connected to the internet once again, I can stop wasting my time away playing Minecraft (actually I enjoyed every minute of that!). I also played a little Mount & Blade in between huge construction projects. Still, it's good to be back in my favorite (though not quite so sandboxy) world. And what a glorious time to come back. I came back to Fallen Earth to find a good deal of new content. Unfortunately, the level cap was not raised to ago along with that new content, but it's still new stuff, and that's what matters. To be honest, I had already seen some of it on the PTS, but not everything. One thing I enjoyed about the new stuff is that it's fairly difficult. I died more times than I'm willing to admit. There's enough content to keep a casual player busy for a while, but just like any other PvE content, it will be chewed up and spit out by the PvE crowd and leave everyone asking for more. Hopefully, it will be enough to keep us all interested until the unveiling of Sector 4. After the cut, I'll tell you a little about what I've seen in Terminal Woods.
CCP acquires new FCP hardware to fight EVE Online lag
Insomnia can be dealt with in different ways. Some people count sheep. Others pop pills. For those of us whose eyes are prone to glazing over upon hearing computer-related techno-babble, reading a dev blog such as the new network performance-related piece from CCP might be just the thing we need to start nodding off. All kidding aside, though, EVE Online is continually waging a war against lag, and unlike multi-shard MMOs with servers spread across different physical locations, CCP's sci-fi sandbox is beset with numerous technical challenges stemming from its one-server setup. Making matters worse for the IT nerds at the Icelandic development studio is the fact that tons of people like EVE, and those people are constantly setting new concurrent user records and pounding the heck out of Tranquility. CCP Mort's blog entry details the company's newly purchased Flow Control Platform (FCP), which "ties in closely with our Edge routers; it monitors all traffic to and from the game cluster, has a BGP peering relationship with the Edge routers, and monitors the pipes to our providers for bandwidth and errors." The short version is that FCP is CCP's latest offensive in the ongoing lag wars saga, and the company remains committed to perfecting the EVE Online experience going forward.
Wasteland Diaries: Patch day mayhem
In Fallen Earth, patch day is always a happy day (for me, at least). But this most recent patch (1.7.4) brings in some sweeping changes. The changes that came with this patch were far-reaching enough to get us another full respec. I don't forsee myself using one yet, but they are nice to have. I actually still have my injectors that we got with the 1.4 patch. In fact, this patch changes so much that I spent the past couple of days preparing (in-game) for it. I haven't had time to even grab all of the new skills that all of my clones will now have available to them. An Enforcer rifleman with Fitness? Yes, among other things. Everyone in Fallen Earth now has more health, but it gets taken away much faster. Combat seems more intuitive with reliable damage from weapons. Without glances and extreme damage variance, combat feels crisper and less clunky. It's going to take some getting used to. The PvE combat has changed the most. There is actually an element of danger involved when fighting mobs, especially large groups. I find myself actually using contingencies and heals during combat with NPCs. I never really had to before, but now the mobs rarely miss (rather than rarely hit). While I didn't get to see everything we got with this patch, I did get some hands-on PvP action (and broke a tradition that had lasted some 292 days in-game) under the new system. I'll give up more about that after the cut.
Wasteland Diaries: Tester-day
I spent an entire day on the Fallen Earth Public Test Server (PTS). I have to admit, I was pretty impressed with what I saw. The development team over at Fallen Earth, LLC is making some sweeping changes to the game. I wasn't just impressed by the new artwork and the smoother game mechanics; I was also impressed with the amount of communication the Fallen Earth dev team is giving to its testers. And why not? We pay the devs to test their product. While there is a lot of new stuff to check out, I spent the majority of a day trying to digest as much of this new content as I possibly could, and I didn't really even scratch the surface. I spent a good eight hours on the server, though about four of those hours were devoted to testing the combat system. I did a few bug reports, but aside from grenades being totally broken, most everything seemed to be in order. After the break I'll give you some first-hand accounts of what I've discovered. You could just read the patch notes, but it just isn't the same.
Wasteland Diaries: Faction control points
Faction control points are the newest PvP draw in Fallen Earth. They're still in their infancy, but I have already seen an increase in faction control point PvP. Factional warfare has always taken a backseat to clan warfare in Fallen Earth. At least for as long as I can remember. Right now, clan warfare vs. factional warfare is dividing the FE community. A rift between omni-clans and single-faction clans has resulted in more clan warfare, with factions completely disregarded. Faction control points were an effort to add some meaningful faction-based PvP to the game. In some ways it succeeds and in some ways it fails. I was able to get in there and test these faction control points this week. I died plenty, but I also slew more this week than I had in a long time. I was able to test them exhaustively alone and with a group. I was able to witness the dynamic of six different warring factions in one small town. If that wasn't confusing enough, there was also a layer of clan politics muddling things up even more. After the cut, I'll give you the low-down on faction control points (FCPs for short), detailing my personal experiences with them, and how they have changed the face of FE so far.
Final Cut Studio updated to 5.1.4
Final Cut Studio just got bumped to version 5.1.4. The 38MB download offers bug fixes for issues with plugins and is recommended for everyone. It also strengthens bones and teeth.Visit Apple Support downloads for the installer or just hit Software Update.
Video editing: Mac or PC?
Our pals over at DV Guru (a sister blog) have posed one of the endearing questions in the video editing industry to their readers, which I thought might be fitting for TUAW as well: video editing - Mac or PC? For the longest time, video editing on a PC with Avid software has been the reigning king, but Apple's Final Cut Pro seems to be making its own fair share of waves in the industry. I also know there are plenty of other packages out there, as I used to have an editing job in which I sold my soul worked on Sony's Vegas software - not a shining moment in my career, let me tell you.But what do you, TUAW readers, think about the state of video editing? Are you working on premium Avid setups, Final Cut Pro and a G5 or Microsoft's good ol' fashioned Windows Movie Maker? Let's hear it.
