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First-Person Final Cut Pro X, Day One: Completely at Sea
Professional film & video editor Matthew Levie is based in San Francisco, produced and edited the documentary Honest Man and writes Blog and Capture. First-Person Final Cut Pro X is the unvarnished story of his week-long introduction to the new Final Cut. [Note that all opinions and assessments of FCP X expressed here are Matt's own, not TUAW's, and that any misconceptions or misunderstandings of FCP X features represent Matt's hands-on first reactions. –Ed.] So I really, really did not believe that FCP X would be "iMovie Pro." But I have to say, my friends, I was far too optimistic. Apple has thrown us squarely under the bus. Somebody at Apple decided that making professional editors happy was just too damn much trouble, and that a much simpler program would allow them to fire 80% of the engineers and lose only 10% of the customers. If you thought no multicam was the problem, you're thinking way too far ahead for this program. How about no split edits? No roll? No subclip? There is, in fact, a way to mark a perfectly good in and out point, contrary to rumor. But what if I told you that you could change the speed of a clip to 50% or 25%, but not anything in between? Heck, I can't even find a way to do an overwrite edit. [As noted by commenters and by ScreenCastsOnline producer Don McAllister, both overwrite edits and intermediate speed adjustments are in fact included in FCP X -- as Matt acknowledges below, citing the challenge of working through FCP X's documentation. Keep in mind that this series is documenting Matt's opinions and reactions over the course of several days, and that first impressions can be incorrect and revised over time. –Ed.] I should confess at this point that I've never used iMovie. I've been editing for twenty years, on linear systems, and then Avid, and then Final Cut. But I'm guessing that if I were a regular iMovie user, I wouldn't feel so awfully lost in this program. It turns out, of course, that all of these basic features are in the program, but the documentation isn't very well written. You'd think that if they were going to radically change the way we edit, they'd throw us a lifeline and walk us through it. In fact, when I looked up split edit, it proposed a really Byzantine five-step process involving a ripple trim. It only takes three with a rolling trim. Of course, in FCP 7 it only took one step. That's not promising. My intention was to take this project I have coming up that has very little deadline pressure, it's only two minutes long, it's not that complicated. I thought I'd do that in FCP X and that way I'd learn where the gotchas were and where this program's limitations were. Now I doubt we're going to get that far. I don't think that I could cut the simplest project I've done in the last ten years on this program. Not because it would take too long, as bad as that would be, but because it is simply not possible. There's definitely going to be a revolution in post-production, dudes. It's the one where the masses pull Apple off the throne and cut its throat. I'll keep reading the docs and playing around. Maybe I'll wake up tomorrow and realize this was all a really bad dream, and actually it's as brilliant as an iPod. But don't hold your breath! Part II coming up... Learning the Ropes.
Adobe lures unhappy Final Cut Pro X users with half-price video editing tools
To say the latest version of Final Cut Pro wasn't well received, would be a major understatement. Well, Adobe hasn't wasted any time taking advantage of consumer discontent, and is now offering dissatisfied users of Apple's video editing software a 50 percent discount to make the switch to its alternatives, Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5 and CS5.5 Production Premium. If you're not feeling the latest iteration (or any version) of Final Cut Pro or Avid's Media Composer, the offer stands through September 30th. And here we thought Apple and Adobe had buried the hatchet. Full PR after the break.
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 posts Final Cut Pro X FAQ following backlash, promises multicamera support and other updates
Though Apple took to the pages of The New York Times last week to respond to a chorus of criticism about Final Cut Pro X, it's clear the company is going to have to go a little further in assuaging videographers who were alarmed to learn that the built-from-the-ground-up software omits certain key features found in Final Cut Pro 7. The outfit has posted an FAQ page on its site, which answers oft-repeated questions, yes, but also reassures users that some -- but not all -- of these features are on the way. Specifically, Apple promised that multicamera editing is coming as part of the "next major release" and that XML exporting is on the agenda, too. Additionally, volume licensing for orders of 20 or more will be available "soon," while an update this summer will allow you to use metadata tags to categorize audio tracks by type and then export them from Final Cut Pro X. Still, you're going to have to get used to the fact that you can't import old FCP files without data loss-- and don't expect updates for tape-based editing, either. As always, hit that source link for the full spill.
Apple posts Final Cut Pro X FAQ
In what seems to be an attempt to address the widespread controversy over the recent release of Final Cut Pro X, Apple has posted a FAQ on its site to address some of the concerns that have been raised thus far. Designed to answer the biggest questions that professional editors have raised over Final Cut Pro X, Apple has given very few straightforward "no" answers to questions regarding the video production suite's "missing" features. One of the few "no" answers regards importing projects from Final Cut Pro 7 to Final Cut Pro X. Apple claims the change in product architecture prevents "translating" projects from the old format into the new one. Many other answers either explain how to accomplish tasks that may have confused users accustomed to the old interface. A fair number of the FAQ's points address questions by saying, "Not yet." As an example, professional editors have been up in arms over Final Cut Pro X's inability to support multicam editing, but Apple says support for this feature is coming "in the next major release." XML exporting will also be offered soon; Apple will release APIs "in the next few weeks" that will allow third-party developers access to the new XML in Final Cut Pro X. Final Cut Pro X has been one of the most controversial Apple software products in recent memory. It's unclear at this early stage if this FAQ goes far enough in addressing the concerns of the "pro" community to which the suite is supposedly targeted, but it's at least obvious that Apple is aware of users' concerns and working toward addressing some of them in future updates.
Evidence of XML importer found within Final Cut Pro X
There's been a lot of hemming and hawing about Final Cut Pro X since its release. But now here's at least a little good news: a reference to XML importing has been spotted inside the software by Brazilian site MacMagazine. MacMagazine found the code reference as seen above, and they were able to run the function and get a bare-bones bit of placeholder code for an XML importer. It looks like Apple either planned to include an XML importer at some point or will be including one in the future. Apple's already promised an update to the XML workflow, so maybe this was implemented but then reserved for a future revamp. This shows that someone at Apple is thinking about these issues, both during the development of Final Cut Pro X and today. That's probably not a lot of solace to editors who still have issues with the new software, but hopefully Apple will justify all of the changes soon, either with updates to the app that restore functionality, or by introducing replacements for any workflow problems editors are having. [via MacRumors]
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.
Final Cut Pro X complaints fly between editors and developers (Updated)
So, hey guys, Final Cut Pro X, eh? Conan's editors aren't the only ones arguing about this update. The NYT's David Pogue, who admits that he is not a professional video editor, also jumped in on the discussion and tried valiantly to convince the complainers that it's OK, all of the features you really need are in there, and the ones you want weren't needed anyway. That, of course, is like throwing gasoline on a fire, and what he got was multiple corrections and updates, due to lots of multicolored, blockquoting rebuttals like this one from pro editor Richard Harrington. To make a long (and if, like me, you're also not a professional video editor, somewhat unexciting) story short, many pro editors dislike the new version of Final Cut Pro. Passionately. Which complaints get the most airtime? One frequent issue seems to be that you can't open up projects created with the older version of FCP in the new one, and that because of this, a lot of editors are having issues with both applications installed on the same Mac. There's an official support article on just this issue, strongly recommending that users who want to maintain access to both FCP 7 and FCP X actually partition their hard drives, install a separate instance of Mac OS X, and reboot every time they want to switch from one to the other. I said, reboot every time they want to switch from one to the other. It's true -- Apple likes to burn its bridges in terms of upgrades, and in a professional environment, that kind of incompatibility is just not going to fly. Other issues revolve around a lack of support for various formats the pros use, though a lot of these are supposed to get filled in by third-party add-ons (some of which can be pricey, even for big-time editors) or by Apple's own updates, including those coming with Lion. The inability to interoperate with edit-standard files like OMF and EDLs is a problem, along with limited control over the locations of scratch files and a complete absence of multi-camera editing tools that were present in FCP 7. Pogue's conversation with Apple's FCP product managers hints that many of these will be addressed in future updates. But there are definitely some legitimate concerns -- the previous version of Final Cut Pro was a well-traveled app, with plenty of updates and workflows that had lots of time to polish and settle in. This new version doesn't fit as well in those same cracks, and FCP 7 has been abruptly removed from Apple's product list, meaning that editors can't even buy new licenses of the product they use to earn a living. We'll have to see what Apple does to smooth things over with editors forced to re-learn one of their most important tools -- or depart the platform for the fairer shores of Avid or Premiere Pro. Update: Pogue follows up with another article today admitting that he feels "Apple blew it." We'll see how Apple continues to refine Final Cut Pro for professionals and keep you posted.
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.
Conan O'Brien blasts Final Cut Pro X
Apple released Final Cut Pro X this week. Despite the price drop, many users were disappointed with this version, and others were downright upset. Heck, even host Conan O'Brien blasted the software on his late-night TV show. Conan notes that this update is "so different," that editors are having trouble adjusting. He then shows a parody video that his team assembled using the new version of Final Cut. Hilarity ensues (depending on your perspective). When a late-night talk show parodies high-end video editing software that most of its audience does not use, said software is either really, really good or ... well, you know. [Via 9to5]
Final Cut Pro X video tutorials available
The reviews of Final Cut Pro X (US$299.99) are mixed, but the latest incarnation of Apple's Pro video editing app is here for better or worse. For those video wonks who would like to get up to speed quickly on the new product, MacProVideo.com now has a complete set of Final Cut Pro X tutorials available for sale. The tutorials are the brainchild of Michael Wohl, noted as one of the original designers of Final Cut Pro. Each of the tutorials, with the exception of the free Final Cut Pro X: Overview and Quick Start Guide, cost $19.50 each. Alternatively, potential trainees can subscribe to the complete library of tutorials for $25 per month. There are eight titles in the MacProVideo tutorial series, ranging from the initial overview through ingestion and organization of video, editing, titles, effects, compositing and exporting and sharing videos.
TUAW TV Live at 5 PM: The Mac Observer's Jeff Gamet checks in
Today on TUAW TV Live I've got a real treat for you: Jeff Gamet. Jeff's the managing editor over at The Mac Observer and co-hosts a variety of podcasts, and he's well-known for his humorous guest appearances on many more shows. Jeff and I have a long list of topics to discuss today, although there's little or no chance that we'll make it all the way through in the one-hour time allotted for the show. Some of the possible topics for today's show include Final Cut Pro X (or what is being called "iMovie +" by disappointed users), iCloud, Apple's patent application for an infrared camera "kill switch" to prevent video capture at concerts, and much, much more. As usual, I'll be starting the show at 5 PM EDT (2 PM PDT / 10 PM BST) sharp. To join in on the chat and watch the live streaming video, drop by TUAW about five minutes before the start time to get your instructions on how to participate. If you're unable to join us for the show, remember that you can always subscribe to the video podcast and watch the show at your leisure in iTunes or any other favorite podcatching app. The past shows are also available on the TUAW YouTube channel.
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 hands-on video (Updated)
Final Cut Pro X (US$299) has only been available in the Mac App Store for a few hours, but that's not keeping FCP fans from making amazing videos that showcase its features and capabilities. As you'll see in this 10-minute video from Matt Pearce, the new app borrows heavily from the UI of iMovie, but retains the power that Final Cut Pro is known for. In the video, Matt discusses some downloads that are available to add music clips and other features to FCPX. For your downloading pleasure, we present them to you: Final Cut Pro X Content - over 1300 rights-free sound effects and audio effect presets Motion 5 Content - including Motion templates, Library content, and sample media ProApps QuickTime Codecs - recommended for all FCPX users, providing 8 different codecs Update: One of our commenters pointed out the following information listed on the Mac App Store page for Final Cut Pro X -- it can burn Blu-ray discs. [via MacStories]
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.
Unofficial videos of Final Cut Pro X arrive online
A couple of videos from the announcement of Final Cut Pro X last night have leaked out online, and you can watch them on the next page for as long as they stick around, though I'm not sure who would have the claim on these. As you would expect, the announcement shows off all the new features of the software, including the spiffy Content Analysis features, the audio track analysis and just how fast and smooth this thing is. It really is very impressive. Part one is mostly a presentation, while part two gets more into a demo of the (very iMovie-like, actually) software. If you've been intrigued by what you've heard of Final Cut Pro X so far, these two videos are definitely a must-watch.
Apple announces Final Cut Pro X, rebuilt from ground up with 64-bit support (update: $299 in June)
Apple's just announced Final Cut Pro X at NAB, and Chief Architect of Video Applications Randy Ubillos is demonstrating a beta release as we speak. The "rebuilt from ground up" video editing suite -- which now shares a similar look and feel with iMovie -- will be shipped with 64-bit support to finally make use of more than 4GB of RAM, as well as handling 4K clips on 8-core editing rigs (by way of the Grand Central Dispatch feature on OS X Snow Leopard). Most notably, though, is that this new FCP will always be rendering instantly in the background, meaning you can edit on the fly much like you do on iMovie! There's also a whole stash of other new features: editing before media ingest, magnetic timeline, people detection, instant color matching between clips, smart collection of media based on custom keywords and people, auto image stabilization on import, and many more. Itching to get your hands dirty with Cupertino's new video tool? You'll be able to download it from the Mac App Store in June for just $299. Update: @robimbs has just posted a video of Randy Ubillos' wrap-up at the show. We've got it after the break.
