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Apple's Final Cut Pro X uses AI to auto-crop videos for social media
Apple released a major update that includes improvements for remote collaboration.
The best video-editing apps
Whether you're a YouTuber, filmmaker or hobbyist, there's an embarrassment of video apps available nowadays. On top of incredible free products like Blackmagic's DaVinci Resolve, pros can get more power than ever with Adobe Premiere Pro CC or Final Cut Pro X. Choosing the right one, however, is a crucial decision, not least because modern editing apps can take time to master. To wit, this guide can help you find the best app for your needs.
Apple’s MacBook eGPU is a step toward winning back creative pros
Even though Apple makes a lot more money on iPhones and iPads, Macs are still crucial to its bottom line. For years, they were widely loved by creative folks and influencers because they were simpler and more powerful than Windows PCs. Now, content creation pros and designers are falling out of love with Apple. Many see the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar as a consumer gimmick, and worse, Apple's top-end laptops have failed to keep pace technologically with powerful, well-designed PCs from Microsoft, Dell and others.
Apple brings RAW video editing to the masses with new FCP X update
Apple has unveiled a new video recording codec called ProRes RAW, a move that instantly makes the high-quality format more mainstream. The feature arrived with the latest version of Final Cut Pro (10.4.1), and Apple said that creators will be able to use it right away via updates to DJI's filmmaking drones and Atomos recorders. "With ProRes RAW, editors can import, edit and grade pristine footage with RAW data from the camera sensor, providing ultimate flexibility when adjusting highlights and shadows -- ideal for HDR workflows," said Apple.
The iMac Pro is fast, but who is it for?
Today marks the release of the iMac Pro, Apple's first all-in-one desktop aimed at professionals. The question isn't how it looks (like the regular iMac, but in Space Gray) or how it runs (fast), but who it's for. It would be tempting to just say "creative professionals" -- the term we tech writers always fall back on when describing Apple users -- but that doesn't suffice here. For starters, the sort of photographers, videographers and audio engineers we assume would appreciate the iMac Pro might already be well served by the regular 27-inch iMac. And besides, not all of the use cases are even creative. Other professionals likely to tax their machine include scientists, radiologists and developers, to name a few.
Apple Final Cut Pro X is ready to edit VR video
Apple isn't just making the iMac Pro available to order -- it's also updating the creative software you'll likely run on that iMac. A new upgrade to Final Cut Pro X adds support for both newer video technology and some key color editing tools. Most notably, the editing tool now handles VR video -- you can edit 360-degree footage at high resolutions (8K "and beyond"), complete with motion graphics. And if you need to see how your work looks, you can preview it in real-time on an HTC Vive or other compatible headsets.
RED starts selling its 'budget' $15,000 camera with Apple
RED, known for high-end cinema cameras used by James Cameron, Peter Jackson and others, has just formed a very unusual retail partnership. It's now offering the 4.5K, 120 fps RED Raven camera exclusively at Apple.com for a mere $15,000. That makes it far and away Apple's priciest third-party accessory, and the priciest product, period, on Apple.com, as far as I can tell -- and it's not exactly a thrift shop in the first place.
Hollywood's favorite video-editing tools arrive in a free app
If you're serious about video editing and are weighing up your software options, two choices usually pop up: Adobe Premiere Pro CC and Final Cut Pro X (FCPX). But Avid, Hollywood's go-to editing company, just played a wild card by releasing Media Composer First, a limited version of its pro software, for the hard-to-resist price of "free." I'm well-acquainted with Avid and have used Premiere Pro and Final Cut Pro since they launched. I was excited to try out MC First to figure out if I'd recommend it, and the answer is a qualified yes -- I like it, but it's not for everyone.
Apple's $200 education bundle includes apps like Final Cut Pro X
Companies usually give college students, teachers, faculty and staff some solid discounts on both hardware and software. Today, Apple is doing just that with a new audio and video education bundle. The software pack offers Final Cut Pro X, Logic Pro X, Motion 5, Compressor 4 and MainStage 3 for $200. For reference, that's the price you would typically pay for Logic Pro X and Final Cut Pro X will set you back $300.
Final Cut Pro X now handles 4K export to some Apple devices
Final Cut Pro X didn't get the warmest of receptions when it was released in 2011. But Apple's made many changes to its video-editing software since, listening to user feedback and adding features that were missing from Final Cut Pro 7. And it keeps getting better. The latest version (10.2.3) of Final Cut Pro X brings 4K export to compatible Apple devices, such as the iPhone 6s and 6s Plus, as well as the iPad Pro and new Apple TV. You can now share videos to multiple YouTube accounts too, which is useful for individuals who have channels with different purposes.
Big update for Final Cut Pro brings improved support for 4K and the new Mac Pro
As Apple's finally put its redesigned Mac Pro up for sale, the company's also seen fit to update editing software Final Cut Pro. Version 10.1 optimizes rendering and playback for the new Mac, but for users of other "select" Macs, the most significant change will likely be the addition of 4K monitoring over Thunderbolt 2 and HDMI. Since 4K playback requires a lot of bandwidth, it's probable only new Retina MacBook Pros with Thunderbolt 2 (and the new Mac Pro, of course) will be compatible with the feature. Regardless, now that the program fully supports 4K, you can upload straight to YouTube in that resolution, too. The update also revises how clips are organized using libraries, and generally adds a heap of workflow and behind-the-scenes improvements that could finally appease those who weren't impressed by Pro X when it launched. Final Cut companion wares Compressor and Motion have been updated, too, and both are now also able to share content in 4K. Compressor boasts a new look and broader encoding support, while Motion has adapted to the new Mac Pro and its dual AMD GPUs. As the version notes for all three updates are too numerous to squeeze in here, we recommend checking out the individual changelogs at the source links below.
Steve Jobs once considered abandoning the Pro market
When Apple released Final Cut Pro X, a debate raged concerning whether or not Apple was devoting enough resources towards its pro users. While Final Cut Pro X has improved in many ways since it first launched, many video professionals felt that the original offering was a step backwards in functionality. The notion that Apple developed Final Cut Pro X for the mainstream market at the expense of professional video editors underscores a larger question regarding Apple's commitment to the pro market altogether. To that end, long-time Chiat/Day advertising director Ken Segall recently penned a blogpost tackling that very question and addressing Apple's "evolving" view of the pro market. Interestingly, Segall relays that Steve Jobs once considered abandoning the pro market. Would Apple ever even think about saying goodbye to the pro market? I hope you're sitting down for this, but Steve Jobs did in fact once consider that very option. This was back in the days when iMac had established itself as a global bestseller. During one of the agency's regular meetings with Steve, he shared that he was considering killing the pro products. His rationale was as you might expect: consumer products have an unlimited upside, while pro products are aimed at a niche market that eats up major resources. Obviously, the pro market has value for Apple, even if its numbers are relatively small. Pros are opinion leaders, influencers and evangelists. Their love of Apple shows up in the purchase decisions of friends, family and colleagues. So Steve ultimately renewed his commitment to the pros -- but he never said that this commitment wouldn't evolve. Clearly Apple has changed its thinking about the pro market, and how it can best serve its pro users. Speaking of Apple losing interest in the pro market, former Apple employee Ron Brinkman, who joined the company when it acquired Shake, wrote the following in the wake of FCP X. So after Apple acquired us there was a lot of concern that Cupertino wouldn't be willing to continue to cater to that [pro] market and, although it took a few years, that concern did indeed come to pass. The development team was gradually transitioned to working on other tools and Shake as a product was eventually end-of-life'd. And back then the same questions were being asked as now -- "Doesn't Apple care about the high-end professional market?" In a word, no. Not really. Not enough to focus on it as a primary business. Let's talk economics first. There's what, maybe 10,000 'high-end' editors in the world? That's probably being generous. But the number of people who would buy a powerful editing package that's more cost-effective and easier to learn/use than anything else that's out there? More. Lots more. So, a $1,000 high-end product vs. a $300 product for a market that's at least an order of magnitude larger. Clearly makes sense, even though I'd claim that the dollars involved are really just a drop in the bucket either way for Apple. Brinkman continues: And really, from a company perspective high-end customers are a pain in the ass. Before Apple bought Shake, customer feedback drove about 90 percent of the features we'd put into the product. But that's not how Apple rolls -- for them ... high-end customers are high-bandwidth in terms of the attention they require relative to the revenue they return. After the acquisition I remember sitting in a roomful of Hollywood VFX pros where Steve told everybody point-blank that we/Apple were going to focus on giving them powerful tools that were far more cost-effective than what they were accustomed to... but that the relationship between them and Apple wasn't going to be something where they'd be driving product direction anymore. Didn't go over particularly well, incidentally, but I don't think that concerned Steve overmuch... :-) All in all, an interesting discussion. Looking ahead, Apple has a completely revamped Mac Pro slated for release later this year.
Daily Update for March 28, 2013
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Apple launching marketing campaign for Final Cut Pro X
The LA Times is reporting that Apple, stinging from criticism from professional users that the 2011 redesign of Final Cut Pro X (US$299.99) had made it a "cheap product aimed at consumers," is launching an online marketing campaign today to try to win back professional video editors who may have switched to competitive software. The start of the campaign is timed to begin getting the word out prior to the start of the National Association of Broadcasters convention on April 6. Apple's campaign features Final Cut Pro X users like Julian Liurette of the Toronto Globe and Mail newspaper, who was skeptical of the app and waited a year before trying the new version. Liurette liked the new version so much that he's moved the newspaper's video operations from the old version to Final Cut Pro X. According to Liurette, "It's better on all fronts. Its interface is 100 times more interesting. And it's much, much faster." Apple hopes to change the mindset of people like Harry Miller, head of the American Cinema Editors' technology committee, who said "Personally, I'm still suspicious of Apple ... I don't want to invest money in any of their hardware or software when they might drop features in new versions." To do so, three stories will be posted on the website today including that of Liurette. Also expected to tout the features and speed of Final Cut Pro X are Tsui Hark, a big name in Hong Kong cinema circles, and Azteca Telenovela editor Jonathan Contreras. The latter pro says that "For a TV editor, speed is everything. And Final Cut Pro X is faster than any other editing application I've used." The campaign has begun, and the videos are viewable on the Final Cut "In Action" web page.
ProCutX lets you control Final Cut Pro X using your iPad
From the Why Didn't Someone Think of This Sooner Department comes ProCutX for iOS, an iPad app that serves as a touchscreen-based controller for Final Cut Pro X. It's developed by Pixel Film Studios, a California-based video production company that also sells plugins for Final Cut Pro. Selling for US$24.99 in the App Store, ProCutX offers quick access to a variety of common functions, not the least of which is a prominent jog shuttle wheel for scrubbing through footage. The app also lets users utilize their iPad's screen like a trackpad for selecting and cutting footage without the need to switch input devices. Future plans for the app include voice commands and the ability to link up multiple iPads in order to place specific sub-panels such as color grading on them for even easier access. Finally, while ProCutX will run on the iPad mini, we have to imagine that the controls might be rendered just a wee bit small, something to keep in mind if you're using one of Apple's smaller tablets. [Via Engadget]
ProCutX for iPad links with Final Cut Pro X, lets you slice and dice footage from afar
Final Cut Pro X is already a pretty great piece of software all on its own, but there might be some video gurus who wouldn't mind adding a little touch-based action to their current workflow. Here's where ProCutX comes in: the iPad app's claiming to give Mac vid editors a canvas where they can easily have access to many of FCPX's editing tools, including color grading and auto-correct, quick keywording, compound clip editing and import / export / rendering shortcuts. In addition, ProCutX also allows users to do a little precision timeline scrubbing, while the ability to record voiceovers, have access to volume controls and the option to tweak more advanced audio settings are other tasks that can be done straight from the app. Now, ProCutX isn't your run-of-the-mill, less-than-a-buck app, so folks will have to shell out a $25 premium in order to download -- but, given how interested parties would be the ones who already spent the $299 on FCPX, something tells us they likely won't be opposed to investing a few more dollars. If that's you, then give that source link a click to get more acquainted with the handy app.
Apple updates Final Cut Pro X
Though not announced during its big October event, Apple also included Final Cut Pro X in its list of apps that the company updated yesterday. The latest version (10.0.6) of the video editing software now supports native RAW editing of content from RED cameras, lets you expand multichannel audio files so you can edit each audio channel separately and adds a paste attributes window that lets you choose specific effects to copy between clips. These are only a few examples from a long list of new features that were added to the video editing package. The full change log includes: Expand multichannel audio files directly in the timeline for precise editing of individual audio channels Unified import window for transferring media from both file-based cameras and folders of files Redesigned Share interface for exporting projects and range selections to one or more destinations RED camera support with native REDCODE RAW editing and optional background transcode to Apple ProRes MXF plug-in support that allows you to work natively with MXF files from import through delivery using third-party plug-ins Dual viewers, each with a video scope display, let you compare shots to match action and color Option to add chapter markers in the timeline for export to video files, DVD and Blu-ray disc Range selection now preserves start and end points in the Event Browser and allows you to create multiple range selections on a single clip Paste attributes window lets you choose specific effects to copy between clips Flexible Clip Connections allow you to keep Connected Clips in place when slipping, sliding or moving clips in the Primary Storyline Add a freeze frame to your timeline with a single keystroke Drop shadow effect with intuitive onscreen controls to adjust position, edge falloff, angle and more New controls for combining audio from multiple angles within a Multicam Clip Compound Clip creation in the timeline now saves the clip in the Event Browser for re-use in other projects XML 1.2 featuring metadata import and export for richer integration with third-party apps Final Cut Pro X is available for US$299 in the Mac App Store. [Via Engadget]
Apple updates Final Cut Pro X with slew of new features, now available for download
Amidst all the announcements made at the California Theatre earlier today, Apple very quietly pushed out a fresh version of its famed (and at times controversial) video editing software, Final Cut Pro. Inside v10.0.6 users can find an array of new additions and improvements that will most certainly be welcomed with open arms by the FCPX crowd, making this the most notable update since bundling in those multicam and broadcast monitoring features. Among these new traits are RED camera support for native REDCODE RAW editing, the ability to add freeze frames to the timeline with a simple keystroke, novel audio controls for use while tinkering with multicam clips and a revamped "Share" interface for exporting projects. The Final Cut Pro update can be downloaded now from the usual spot, and, of course, it comes at no extra cost for those who've already shelled out the $300. The full and hefty changelog can be found right after the break.
Final Cut Pro X, Motion receive Retina display updates
Following a series of minor updates to iTunes, Aperture, and iPhoto today, Apple has also pushed out minor updates to two of its pro-video apps, Final Cut Pro X and Motion. Besides a few minor bug fixes, each update provides support for the new Retina Display MacBook Pro. It's likely that Apple will continue to seed Retina-enabled updates for most of its apps in the next few hours and days so they are all compatible with the new MacBook Pro.
Final Cut Pro X future features: multichannel audio, RED camera support
Apple has done some chatting with video editor Larry Jordan at the National Association of Broadcasters' big meeting this week in Las Vegas, and the company revealed some of the new features coming to a future version of Final Cut Pro X later on this year. First and foremost, Jordan was told that Final Cut Pro X is what Apple is working on -- these are new features for FCP X, there is no Final Cut Pro 8 on the horizon. In other words, for editors looking to use Final Cut Pro, this what you're getting. That might be the bad news, if you were really hoping for a new version. But here's the good news: By the end of the year, FCPX will support multichannel audio editing, dual viewers (so users could see two clips playing at the same time, perhaps to compare various sources), plug-in support for the MXF file format, and native support for files from RED cameras. Currently, editors have to convert files from the RED camera to Quicktime to use them, but that won't be the case. Jordan didn't get to see any of these features in action, unfortunately, and Apple declined to say exactly when they'd be coming (though from his writeup, it sounds like they have even more on tap for the software update). They did also chat with him about bringing Final Cut Pro X to the Mac App Store, and Apple says that being on digital distribution should bring all of the benefits therein, including faster updates and of course a more secure platform. So it looks like Final Cut Pro X is getting some strong support from Cupertino -- possibly not the support that professional video editors might want, but at least a few things that should make most workflows with it a bit easier. [via AppleInsider]
