Apple Final Cut Pro X arrives in Mac App Store

Stephen Withers
Wednesday, 22 June 2011 12:30

Business IT - Technology

Apple has slashed the price of its pro video editing software with the introduction of Final Cut Pro X. It costs just $349.99

Final Cut Pro X brings a new user interface to Apple's pro video editing application. It features the 'Magnetic Timeline' that allows clips to be added or removed without overlapping or gaps, and clips can be linked so they move as one, or even collapsed into a compound clip.

There's also the Auditions feature to simplify the comparison of different versions of a shot, effect, or colour grading.

The new program can automatically analyse content during the import process and uses that information to automatically organise the content into smart collections containing for example single or multiple people, or close-up/medium/wide shots.

Auto-analysis also identifies content that may need video stabilisation, rolling shutter correction, or audio enhancement. Frame-by-frame colour analysis can be performed at the same time to assist automatic colour balancing.

Some of the functions previously delivered by separate programs in the old  Final Cut Studio are now incorporated in the main program. This includes audio editing, colour grading, and DVD/Blu-ray creation. That last feature is template-driven and it seems users will miss out on the design flexibility provided by the previous DVD Studio Pro application.

iTWire sought clarification from Apple Australia, and the reply was "Final Cut Pro X is built for today's digital file based workflows. Third-party developers may take the initiative to create products that support legacy workflows." We'll see what materialises.

Certain components of Final Cut Suite are still available separately - please read on.