Apple releases Final Cut Pro X

[Kaido]

Product page:

http://www.apple.com/finalcutpro/

Final Cut Pro X: $299
Motion 5: $49
Compressor 4: $49

User Manuals:

http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4681?viewlocale=en_US

Big thread on the Apple Forums:

https://discussions.apple.com/thread/2814218?start=0&tstart=0

Big thread on RED User:

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?60110-Final-Cut-Pro-X-Released

What I'm reading so far:

-No import/export of EDL/XML/OMF (ProTools export how??)
-Does allow you to still use FCP7 etc. side-by-side
-No import of older FCP project files
-No 3rd-party plugins
-No tape export
-No chapter markers (think DVD export)
-(possibly) No more Final Cut Studio Suite, Express, or Server
-No native RED support (despite 4K compatibility)
-Soundtrack Pro & Color features now integrated (I don't see this as an especially good thing)
-Due to the Sarbanes/Oxley law, Apple can't add new functionality to a product without charging for the update, meaning that we're stuck with this version for a minimum of 2 years (paraphrasing)
-Lots of new terminology (goo!)
-(reported) Cannot use shared media, say on something like a SAN. Must be local to the computer.

Son...I am disappoint :\

 

[Kaido]

This is an interesting post:

http://reduser.net/forum/showthread...Pro-X-Released&p=780161&viewfull=1#post780161

The more I think about the new FCPx, the more i become convinced, that FCPx is a different animal altogether. I believe, that FCPx is a DEVELOPMENT PLATFORM and not simply an NLE. In the good old days of FCP7, Apple had to deal with every aspect of I/O and formats, as well as working on being able to "send" the timeline to Color, Logic audio etc. We all know, that this approach din't work very well in case of Red support. I think now, Apple decided to concentrate on everything edit, color, composite, sound etc, EXEPT I/O. So, if, for example, Red wants the R3D functionality in FCPx, Red will have to provide it. Same thing, if Resolve wants the roundtrip XML-like functionality, BM will have to provide it. And so forth... If that is indeed the case (obviously, I have no information on that), I think it's super smart. This way, for example, Apple doesn't have to deal with Red SDK anymore. Let Red deal with it. BM can provide as much or as little of the functionality for Resolve. Every manufacturer would be able to include features, they deem needed, without relaying on Apple!!!

IF they take that approach, then I can see FCP-X being super awesome. Then 3rd-parties can bake in their own support for their equipment (RED, Canon, daVinci, etc.).

I'm also curious about how they will work with a multi-user workflow. They dumped the Xserver and appear to have discontinued Final Cut Server...if vSphere 5 with OS X support really pans out, then you can have a lot more rendering power for much cheaper at your disposal, so maybe...maybe...good things are in the pipeline.

 

[Ka0t1x]

That's a great route for Apple to go, so that they can essentially not worry about the small pieces of a big software package (and possibly get 30% cut from the App Store).

Also with vSphere 5/OSX, Apple can charge higher $ for virt. license. While at the same time making almost every Mac Server Admin's wet dream come true.

 

[Kaido]

That's a great route for Apple to go, so that they can essentially not worry about the small pieces of a big software package (and possibly get 30% cut from the App Store).

Also with vSphere 5/OSX, Apple can charge higher $ for virt. license. While at the same time making almost every Mac Server Admin's wet dream come true.

If Apple really opens up the backbone of FCP-X, that'd be killer - you can build a custom pipeline for your studio/workflow based on your needs (Nuke, daVinci, etc.). I'm going to hold my breath on this one. Very interested to see how it pans out. Initial reaction is that they shot themselves in the foot, but if they turn it into a developer platform, then that will be pretty wild. I live on plugins in FCP7, so I'd absolutely hate to see them go in the new one.

 

[mmntech]

I'll probably hang on to the last version of Express. I haven't done a lot of video work lately tough.

 

[Kaido]

OK, lots of backlash so far. Apple deleted all of the comments in the App Store for FCP-X, which was an interesting move (if it wasn't a "glitch", lol). You can't import FCP7 (or older) projects into FCP-X, although Adobe Premiere can import both FCP7 AND FCP6 projects, ironically enough. No multi-cam currently, although it's been reported that it's coming once the structure gets worked out.

Apple has a $220-billion-dollar+ market cap. You'd think they'd understand how to roll out a new product, but I feel like they really dropped the ball on this one. I definitely think that it's going to be great - in time. I'm in no rush to adopt, but I do love tinkering so I'll probably pick it up to play with.

I think there's a couple issues at play here. First of all, they were obviously put on a deadline to deliver. Rewriting from the ground up is no easy task, but iOS only took about 2 years from conception to initial delivery, so you'd think they'd have the corner on the software thing at this point. So anyway, they were told to deliver by X date, so they did and now we have a half-baked product. Thus the Microsoft approach of ship it out, fix it later. Ugh.

The second thing, which I'm more scared of, is that Apple is turning into a bureaucracy. It's a large company with a LOT of money. iOS is far higher on the cost/benefit scale, especially give the enormous 200 million+ user base. So why invest in Pro Apps? Look at what Apple did to Shake - one of the most amazing pieces of compositing software on the planet, something STILL used by numerous professionals today despite no updates for ages, and they EOL'd it. Apple could completely own the professional market if they wanted to, given their super tight integration with OSX, but this release seems pretty dang half-baked to take that route.

So...that's what I think happened. I think the engineers were put on a deadline and I think the beancounters at Apple (no offense to the financiers on this board) are trying to push professional apps down. If what I foresee happening actually happens, then I think FCP-X will turn out to be a pretty awesome product - that is, if it's a development platform that provides users & developers with a framework to customize & grow in, then we can just add whatever components we want - lots more flexibility for building custom pipelines.

Customizations will be really neat if that's how things play out. Blackmagic's daVinci is super awesome on Mac, Smoke is out for Mac, then you've got Nuke, Maya, ProTools, etc. If you could tightly weave in round-tripping with advanced metadata, that would be ridiculously great for making it easier to focus on the creative aspects of filmmaking rather than the technical ones. I suspect that's how things are going to play out, and I think that Apple simply dropped the ball by forcing a deadline and not putting enough resources on it. Heck, there's not even an SDK available right now for it.

Stuff like, they support 4K, but they don't support RED - seriously? That's why I'm thinking they're going to leave it to 3rd-parties to develop their own systems to talk to their hardware - that way, the plugins can get updated much quicker without Apple having to push out updates to the entire community and rewrite/test things on their end. That makes a whole lotta sense to me, but I think they really approached it in the wrong manner. But they're a big company now, and that's how things work in big companies.

Personally, I'm holding my breath for a few releases down the road.

 

[Zaap]

No EDL, XML or OMF export would make it virtually useless to most any current studio use. That just can't be right, or there has to be an addon option.

 

[Kmax82]

Apple has a $220-billion-dollar+ market cap. You'd think they'd understand how to roll out a new product, but I feel like they really dropped the ball on this one. I definitely think that it's going to be great - in time. I'm in no rush to adopt, but I do love tinkering so I'll probably pick it up to play with.

I would argue that this is exactly what Apple wanted to do. They knew there would be backlash, but they went ahead with it to push the platform out and get developers on to making plugins. It _could_ have been done differently, but it wasn't. Apple isn't one to release half baked products that they don't believe in. Belief is key there.

You could argue that iOS 5 is stuff that should have been in iOS 3, but it took them years to get those features out. I think this is no different with FCPX. It's a foot in the door into something new. Give it a couple more versions and I bet it'll be rocking.

 

[Eug]

I haven't tried it yet, but I'm thinking it will likely be good for dSLR non-pro types like me. However, I betcha the real big gun pros who have been itchin' to upgrade are probably just going to switch to Avid or something. This is a really big slap in the face to them.

 

[Cattykit]

I agree with Eug. Apple has been losing market share to Premiere Pro mainly due to its lack of native h.264 support. However, people had high hopes for X and it turns out it's iMovie Pro. I guess Premiere Pro will gain even more market share. The only good thing is that Apple is running refund process for X.

On the other hand, it's evident professionals or so-called prosumers are disappointed with X but I wonder how average people will think of it. I think they're fine with iMovie and that they don't feel the need for Final Cut. If so, Final Cut is sitting in a weird market.

 

[Cattykit]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRzLP0FJ82I&feature=mh_lolz&list=LLNRRzLHcV3p0

 

[Eug]

I agree with Eug. Apple has been losing market share to Premiere Pro mainly due to its lack of native h.264 support. However, people had high hopes for X and it turns out it's iMovie Pro. I guess Premiere Pro will gain even more market share. The only good thing is that Apple is running refund process for X.

On the other hand, it's evident professionals or so-called prosumers are disappointed with X but I wonder how average people will think of it. I think they're fine with iMovie and that they don't feel the need for Final Cut. If so, Final Cut is sitting in a weird market.

Actually, I am a complete amateur, but didn't like iMovie. (In fact, I completely despised iMovie '08.) I wanted an iMovie Pro, and this seems to be it.

Final Cut Express wasn't much of a solution because it didn't natively support my dSLR H.264 MOV files. Furthermore, although it was dumbed down, it still was in some ways as complex as Final Cut Pro.

 

[sactoking]

-Due to the Sarbanes/Oxley law, Apple can't add new functionality to a product without charging for the update, meaning that we're stuck with this version for a minimum of 2 years (paraphrasing)

I find it amusing that Apple still holds to this obviously false interpretation of SOX, or allows their customers to believe they do. In either case it's become a wonderfully convenient (yet unethical) excuse for them to wring more $$$ out of their customers.

 

[Kaido]

I find it amusing that Apple still holds to this obviously false interpretation of SOX, or allows their customers to believe they do. In either case it's become a wonderfully convenient (yet unethical) excuse for them to wring more $$$ out of their customers.

Can you elaborate? I paraphrased that statement off another forum. I'm not super familiar with this particular law.

 

[alfa147x]

So i'm really enjoying working on video in FCX it does seem very iMovie Pro like but if they can figure out the kinks and give people the features they want this could be a mean piece of software.

I hate Premier Pro. I asked for a transfer because of inept and clunky it is.

So far I love FCX