On Tuesday, Apple released Final Cut Pro X, a significant update and complete reworking of its professional video editing software. The application, available exclusively in the Mac App Store, is priced at $299.99 and combines a total UI overhaul with an amazing assortment of time saving new features.
A landmark release in the pro video community, Final Cut Pro X marks the software’s first full 64-bit version—enabling it to take full advantage of the graphics and processing power of modern high end Macs. Speaking on the scope of the software’s release, Phil Schiller offered the following:
“Final Cut Pro X is the biggest advance in Pro video editing since the original Final Cut Pro; we have shown it to many of the world’s best Pro editors, and their jaws have dropped.”
Among the more revolutionary changes in FCPX is the Magnetic Timeline. In a shift away from restrictive traditional timeline-based editing systems, the new Magnetic Timeline enables users to fluidly assemble clips to avoid gaps and keep audio and video tracks in sync. Existing clips automatically move out of the way as new ones are dropped in, and users can group a selection of clips or tracks to re-arrange with ease.
Working in conjunction with the new Magnetic Timeline, Clip Connections and Compound Clips ditch cluttered and unlinked media making it easier to re-organize your project without accidentally leaving important elements behind. Compound Clips visually merge complex multi-layered elements in the timeline to a compact block—making them easy to duplicate or apply to other shots. Compound Clips are easy to expand at anytime should they need to be reworked or individual elements added or removed.
The Inline Precision Editor and Auditions round out the new features making Final Cut Pro X’s timeline the most innovative and usable yet. With the Precision Editor, users can make fine edits to clips in the timeline and skim through entire clips for easy adjustments. The Audition feature allows users to experiment with different versions of clips while automatically keeping the rest of the timeline in sync.
Supplementing the groundbreaking timeline advancements, Final Cut Pro X includes several powerful new media organization tools. Content Auto-Analysis analyzes footage in the background and automatically groups it based on people, type of shot and level of stabilization. Users can take advantage of Range-Based Keywords to fine tune searches by tagging clips with keywords. The aforementioned two features work in unison to deliver quick and accurate search results.
Similar to the ‘Smart’ playlists and albums found in other Apple apps, FCPX introduces Smart Collections—an easy way to organize clips without moving or copying files. Although Content Auto-Analysis predetermines several Smart Collections based on previously mentioned auto-detect categories, users can fine tune their own as well.
Clearly inspired by Apple’s entry level apps—and more recently Aperture 3—FCPX includes a built-in content browser allowing users to browse and import a greater variety of file types than ever before. With improved iTunes support, FCPX is compatible with MP3 and AAC files. Users can also browse and pull visual content from their Aperture and iPhoto libraries with the new Content Libraries system.
Tying all of Final Cut Pro X’s advanced features together is a complete re-write of the software’s back end. With full 64-bit architecture support, Cocoa foundation and Grand Central Dispatch, FCPX is designed specifically for new multi-core Macs. Perhaps the most revolutionary feature—especially for longtime users—is background processing. This inclusion means the infamous render bar is a thing of the past. With Final Cut Pro X, users can edit uninterrupted while their media renders or transcodes in the background.
Final Cut Pro X is a huge advancement for Apple’s premier editing platform. Streamlining performance across the board, the software stands to save existing users considerable amounts of time while introducing many new features accessible to pros and novices alike. As the software is available exclusively in the Mac App Store, users must be running Mac OS X 10.6.7 to download.
System Requirements:
- Mac OS X v10.6.7
- 2GB RAM (4GB recommended)
- OpenCL-capable graphics card or Intel Graphics 3000 or later
- 256MB of VRAM
- Display with 1280-by-768 resolution or higher
- 2.4GB of disk space
To learn more, or to purchase Final Cut Pro X in the Mac App Store, click here.
For information on the just-released Motion 5 and Compressor 4 updates, check out our blog, Barkings!