Apple has updated iMovie for iOS, iPadOS and macOS today. But the professional application Final Cut Pro X has also received a major update and offers a whole range of notable new features.
Apple today announced a major update to Final Cut Pro X that offers new editing features and workflow improvements. According to Apple, Final Cut Pro X version 10.4.9 is available to download for free to all buyers. Inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated changes to working from home, today's update to Final Cut Pro X brings a variety of improvements to proxy workflows. Apple explained in a press release that these changes make libraries more mobile and help streamline remote work with large and high-resolution files. The notice:
For the first time within Final Cut Pro, video editors can create proxies in either ProRes Proxy or H.264 at a size as small as 12.5 percent of the original. They can also consolidate proxy media, images, and audio to an external or network-attached drive. A Final Cut Pro Library can even link to proxies you've already created for added flexibility. Editors can now link to proxy media generated by third-party applications via XML. Examples include Frame.io, a cloud-based creative collaboration platform for review and approval, and asset management tools like Keyflow Pro and PostLab. If proxy media isn't available for some clips, users can customize workflows to display either the original file or an optimized version.
Final Cut Pro X takes social media into account
Final Cut Pro X 10.4.9 also offers some changes specifically aimed at social media content. Machine learning supports Smart Conform for intelligently cropping videos to square, vertical, or other sizes. Apple says the new features are perfect for content shared to Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat:
Using machine learning, clips in a project can now be automatically analyzed for dominant motion and intelligently cropped with Smart Conform to transform them into square, vertical, or any sized video—perfect for popular platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. Transform Overscan displays media outside the crop boundary when adjusting scale, rotation, and position, allowing narrators to easily reposition the crop. Video editors can also add a custom overlay to guide them in placing text and graphics within a non-landscape frame.
Apple is also touting a number of improvements to the editorial workflow. ProRes RAW camera settings such as ISO, color temperature and exposure offset are exposed in the Inspector for the first time. Editors can now apply audio transitions to adjacent clips in one step.
Motion and Compressor also receive updates
There are also performance improvements with new Metal-enabled plug-ins for RED RAW and Canon Cinema RAW Light. Apple stated that transcoding 8K RED RAW video to ProRes 422 is up to two times faster on the Mac Pro and up to three times faster on the MacBook Pro. There is also support for 8K Canon Cinema RAW Light playback and editing. In addition to Final Cut Pro X, Motion and Compressor have also been updated:
Motion now offers professionals a whole new range of ways to create stunning effects and graphics. Creators can import third-party 3D models or choose from a built-in library of 3D models in USDZ format for use in titles, generators, effects, and transitions. You can even use behaviors or keyframes to manipulate a model's position, rotation, and scale, and leverage existing replicators, emitters, lights, and cameras for further creativity.
Also included in today's Motion update is the new Stroke filter, a tool that automatically outlines an object or text element using its alpha channel. Editors can customize the outlines by animating their offset, applying multiple stroke filters to the same object, or using the gradient tools to create multiple strokes with different colors. This allows motion graphics artists to create dazzling animations and effects while avoiding the time-consuming work of manually outlining elements.
Compressor has also been updated to include support for custom LUT effects, the ability to use camera LUTs to convert log-encoded footage to SDR or HDR output, and other workflow improvements.
The new updates are now available in the Mac App Store Disposal. (Image: Apple)
