PVC Reviews Plural Eyes 3
Marco Solorio is the Blackmagic Cinema Camera the DSLR Killer
Maximum PC on NVIDIA Tease
Swedish overclocking site SweClockers.com (as translated and explained by VideoCardz.com) says that "independent sources" claim that "it" is the GeForce GTX 690, the long-rumored video card that theoretically sports two, count 'em, two of the GK104 Kepler GPUs found in the GTX 680, 4GB of GDDR5 memory, 3072 CUDA cores and a pair of 8-pin connectors. That, kiddies, would be one heck of a polygon-pumping beast.
Now this may be a gaming card, but 3072 CUDA cores would be a beast for Premiere Pro! Makes me want a PC for editing!
Tim Siglin reviews Adobe Prelude
Engadget has a hands on with the EOS-1D C 4K
Engadget hands on with the Canon C500
Flame/Smoke 2013 Feature Videos
PVC Review of After Effects CS6
•Ray-Traced 3D Rendering Engine sounds great, but very also limited at this point. And it only works with CUDA cards not the few AMD Laptop cards approved for Premiere Pro.
•3D Camera Tracker is covered. It sounds pretty automated, but I am very excited to have Shadow Catcher layers, a white solid which only receives shadows. It basically sounds very good, but not as good as the Foundry’s excellent CameraTracker which has more options.
•Track in Mocha is a new feature that allows you to send files to Mocha instead of having to import files yourself. A feature that will make Mocha a more integrated tracker.
•Rolling Shutter Repair that removes Jello Cam from CMOS DSLR.
•Variable Mask Feathering is a feature I have been missing since Shake, and I am glad as hell to see it in After Effects. To do it you just Option drag on a mask point.
•Global Performance Cache where RAM Previews are retained in memory to save re-renders.
•Persistent Disk Cache all RAM Cache’s are saved to disk with projects, and you can Cache work area in background.
•Faster Graphics Pipeline is an update to how OpenGL is handled (which is how some AMD cards are supported). And NVIDIA cards are 150-250% faster and possibly 16 times faster, but mostly under windows.
Also
•Automatic Duck Pro Import After Effects is included
•CycloreFX HD is now bundled
•Drop Shadow, Spill Supressor, Timewarp, Transform, Set Matte, Photo Filter, Fill and Linear, Iris, Radial Wipe Transitions have been updated for 32 Bit.
•Apply Color LUT supports CineSpace,, Irrisad and Speedgrade files.
•Arriraw can be imported
•MXF OPIa video codecs can be exported
•Render only machines don’t need serial numbers
•Many Scripting additions have been added.
Things that were removed.
•Photoshop Live 3D layers are no longer supported.
•FreeForm AE is no longer bundled.
•Custom Pixel Bender effects are no longer supported
•CS6 can only save to CS5.5 no but CS5
More changes can be seen at Todd Kopriva’s blog.
Top 5 Premiere Pro CS6 Features from PVC
1) Better Broadcast Monitoring
2) Hover Scrub over clips
3) Trimming
4) Cleaner Interface
5) Effects Improvements: Adjustment Layers and Warp Stabilzer
I so can’t wait to get my hands on this!
Canon C500 with 4K
Electronista actually has the info on this, but Canon has announced a higher end big daddy to the C300, the C500 and C500PL. They both output 10 bit uncompressed RAW footage and simultaneously records 50Mbps HD proxy video to CF cards for easy offline editing (a brilliant idea). It has a super 35MM equivalent CMOS sensor which is 8.85 megapixels.
It has cinema 4L 4096x2160 as well as 3840x2160 for 4k TV, though only records 1080 to the dual CF cards. It does 0-60FPS in 12 bit RGB 4:4:$ or at 10bit YCrRb 4:22 it can go up to 120 FPS.
No pricing has been announced, but this makes Canon a serious contender, as well as having the EOS facility in Los Angeles for support.
Adobe shows off Production Premium CS6 and it looks Amazing!
Premier Pro CS6 is getting unlimited dynamic Multi-cam, built in Image Stabilization with Warp Stabilizer from AE CS5.5 and an enhanced Mercury Playback engine that will even work with some AMD video cards instead of just NVIDIA CUDA cards. It ha s anew Default Workspace, and is more customizable. It has more Audio Mixing controls. Trimming controls have been added and more customizing. A rolling Shutter repair. And of course the addition of Automatic Duck for interoperability between Final Cut Pro 7 and AVID and Premiere Pro. And it will edit 5K for RED compatibility.
Yes! Adobe has been listening and it looks like Premiere Pro CS6 is going to be a power house editing tool!
After Effects CS6 has enhancements to it’s render cache, were renders can be saved with projects, a full 3D camera Tracker, a Ray Trace 3D rendering engine (that looks to give Zaxwerks a run for it’s money), variable mask feathering, and built in Automatic Duck, so it will work with Avid Media Composer and Final Cut 7 files! Nice! Mocha will also be better integrated so you can launch Mocha from within AE (and Mocha is set to get updates at NAB as well).
A new edition to the suite is Prelude CS6 for ingest, logging and organization as well as transcoding of files.
Audition CS6 also gets updated and has smooth project exchange between Premiere Pro and third party nonlinear editors. Has real time clip stretching, automatic speech alignment and pitch correction. Better control surface control with automation.
And an exciting new addition is this suits version of Color, the recently purchases SpeedGrade. A 64 Bit GPU accelerated Color Correction tool. This is really necessary especially with DaVinci software basically being made free from Black Magic.
It really sounds like Adobe has been listening, and is making their editing suite a powerhouse that can really replace Final Cut Pro 7 and easily go head to head with AVID with even more powerful tools. I can’t wait to try this suite out!
Motionworks has a review of the soon to be released Project Sync for After Effects
Project Sync will be released in less than 2 days! This is an exciting idea!
Little Frog in High Def, 10 things will miss about FCP
Working with Adobe Story
Sounds like collaboration support is the coolest feature, and then it goes right into Adobe Premiere Pro.
It is included as part of Production Premium from Adobe.
HighPoint RocketU Quadd USB 3.0 for Mac
PVC on Smoke
Part 1 is here.
Part 2 is here.
Hopefully there will be more. I would love to run and learn smoke, but just don’t have the money.
Philip Hodgets getting FCP 7 to FCP x
Canon has released the EOS 5D Mark III
Check out a video review over at DPReview. And of course why Stu at Prolost just pre-ordered one, which is a great read for all people interested in DSLR video. And Photorumors has a great article on the insides of the camera.
I would love one, but can’t afford it, or the move to full frame from APC-C as I have too many lenses currently invested (though some are full sized lenses already).
Are Intel Xeon E5 Chips in the Wild
I really do hope this is true, as we need a new MacPro tower, and Apple needs to not give up in the Pro market, but make a new MacPro that also has a kick ass NVIDIA card with CUDA as it’s option and really stop the speculation about Apple leaving the pro market all together.
PVC On Green Screen
Basic Green Screen Lighting Setups.
Green Screen lighting for Cheap.
and
Choosing the Right Green Screen Materials.
How to Avoid dealing with Police when shooting in Public in places without Permit Offices
A good idea, especially post 9/11.
Review of Sony NEX-FS100
Lensbaby releases Edge 80 Optic for Swing and Tilt
This $300 lens attaches to your old Lens baby attachment and has f2.8-f22 12 blade aperture. Lensbaby has a video on the new higher quality lens, and a very cool Swing and Tilt Simulator to show off what it can do!
This really puts Swing and Tilt in the hands of a lot more people at a much more reasonable price. Very cool.
Aja Updates Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini
• Data Transfer via FireWire 800 - Ki Pro can now be configured for data transfer to FireWire 800-equipped Apple computers, for situations where the unit is not easily accessible for physical data removal.
• Data Transfer via LAN connection – Allows transfer of files through standard Ethernet networking for Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Super Out – Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini can now burn timecode and transport state into the video signal, providing at-a-glance status to users monitoring output, without having to check the device itself. It is also convenient for times when video is dubbed from Ki Pro/Ki Pro Mini to another source to track timecode throughout post. A user selectable Super Out (window burn) option for SDI has also been added to both Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Playlist creation – A new feature for the web UI adds flexibility in selecting clip playback order for both Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• FireWire 400 (1394a) port enabled—Provides Ki Pro support for camera start/stop commands as well as timecode values; particularly useful for HDV cameras that may lack LTC to SDI timecode outputs.
• HDMI timecode support in Ki Pro Mini for Sony NEX-FS100 and other Sony NXCAM cameras.
• ExpressCard/34 Support – Ki Pro now supports ExpressCard/34 (34mm wide) memory cards (not ExpressCard/54). Check the AJA Ki Pro support page for recommended cards.
• Additional RS-422 Functionality for Ki Pro to support use in post-production applications.
• LANC Support – Ki Pro now supports LANC, enabling camera operators to control shooting via LANC-based controllers and LANC enabled cameras.
• 1080 Variable Frame Rate Support for certain Canon camcorders, for Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Presets can now be created, saved and recalled for easier interaction with device settings in Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini.
• Continued Recording Option – v3.0 adds an option for continued recording upon video input loss. Ki Pro and Ki Pro Mini will generate a status change video frame, then pick up recording automatically when a valid video signal is returned.
AVID releases AVID Studio for the iPad
Big-screen moviemaking comes to the touchscreen with Avid® Studio for iPad.We’ve distilled the world’s leading film-editing technology into an easy-to-use app that enables you to edit video, audio, and photos at the speed of your creativity.'
'Swiftly arrange your clips in the Storyboard, make precision edits using the Timeline, and add high-quality transitions, effects, and a soundtrack.Then share your movie directly to YouTube, Facebook, and more—or export your project to Avid Studio for the PC and continue editing with even more advanced tools.'
Easily Access Your Media
Work with any media on your device—video, audio, and photos
Access media from external devices via an iPad Camera Connection Kit (sold separately)
Capture video and photos from within the app
See your media organized by Albums, Events, Faces, and more
Edit
Get started quickly with how-to materials
Easily navigate your project with intuitive gestures
Swiftly arrange clips in the Storyboard
Make precise edits and trim individual frames in the Precision Trimmer
Use the Razor Blade tool to cut on the fly and delete or replace the second half of the clip
Easily replace one clip with another
Enhance
Quickly create multi-layer 3D animations, transitions, and titles with included Montage templates
Easily composite video tracks to create layered looks
Add high-quality fades and dissolves to help your story flow
Generate professional-looking motion titles and graphics with full control over text, font, color, size, position, and rotation
Create amazing Picture-in-Picture effects with full control over position, size, and rotation
Pan and zoom on your photos to create high-impact slideshows
Enjoy full-screen playback
Create Soundtracks
Use your own audio or choose from the included sound effects
Trim audio to any length, set levels, and fade audio in or out
Share
Easily share movies via YouTube, Facebook, email, and much more
Export projects to Avid Studio for the PC
Pro Technology, Pro Results
Created by Avid, the maker of the world’s leading film and music editing technology
Easy enough for the hobbyist, powerful enough for the pro
Apple Has Updated FCP X added Multicam, 3rd Party FCP 7 Project Import
APPLE’S RELEASE NOTES
According to the Release Notes from Apple, Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.3 adds the following features:
- Multicam editing with automatic sync and support for mixed formats, mixed frame rates, and up to 64 camera angles
- Media relink for manual reconnect of projects and Events to new media
- Ability to import and edit layered Photoshop graphics
- Advanced chroma keying with controls for color sampling, edge quality, and light wrap
- XML 1.1 with support for exporting basic primary color grades and both importing and exporting effect parameters and audio keyframes
- Multiple improvements to the Color Board, including new key commands, editable numeric fields, and adjustable parameters that act like infinite sliders when dragged
- Ability to reorder color corrections in the Inspector
- Reveal in Event Browser shows clip range in the filmstrip while in List View
- Batch offset for clip date and time
- Ability to search text added to Favorite and Reject ranges
- Automatic restore of projects and Events in case of file corruption
- Beta version of broadcast monitoring with third-party PCIe and Thunderbolt I/O devices
- Improves performance when editing text in titles
- Improves performance when applying an effect from the Effect Browser
- Improves key-framing behavior in the Inspector, with keyframes automatically added when moving to a new point in time and adjusting a parameter
- Modifies transition behavior so that all newly added transitions use available media and maintain project length
- Fixes an issue which affected audio solo while skimming
- Resolves issues related to using Synchronize Clips with media containing a silent audio channel
- Fixes an issue in which constant speed retiming was not properly applied when using the Paste Effects command
The 3rd Party FCP XML transfer apps are created by Intelligent Assistance and include 7toX and Xto7. 7toX is available for $9.99 and Xto7 is $49.99 in the App Store, and both with XML much like Premiere Pro ability to open XML files from FCP 7.
Looks like Apple is listening and has added back many of the features that are necessary for a Pro to Use this software, even Beta support for broadcast monitors, and multicam, and especially the ability to relink media to different clips. The biggest are the utilities from Intelligent Assistance, which should be free and integrated, but it is great that they are available at all.
Compressor and Motion have also been updated.
Now FCP X does become a viable editing app and successor to FCP 7, though we still don’t know for how much longer FCP 7 will run on the latest OS’s, so it is time to freeze a system to keep FCP 7 viable and be able to even export XML to be able to import into FCP X (Since it does not work with project files).
And no matter what I still think that that the basic editing techniques of FCP X is broken. The inability to have numbered tracks just would not work with the DR workflows that I cut with and make Media Composer and Premiere the real solutions available for editing with. And honestly FCP X will make more people think they are professional editors and leave the high end jobs to people who can use the other software. Sure you will still be able to make good stuff with FCP X and it does have a powerful engine with impressive features, but it’s fundamental changes to editing are not going to revolutionize the industry, but instead continue to drive people to Adobe and AVID.
I still say Apple should have released this as a new App and made a 64 bit version of FCP 7, and slowly added the new features they wanted to implement instead of this scorched Earth policy which has and will continue to alienate the high end post people.
I think the fact that the Final Cut Pro User Group is now the Creative Pro User Group says a lot. Still the updates to FCP X will mean that more people can and will use it, and I am glad Apple is actually listening to some of the complaints, but mostly I hope it means that AVID and Adobe continue to upgrade their software. After all Premiere Pro really needs to be able to do more than 4 angle multi-cam and the automatic syncing, and being able to re-sync at a later time are very cool features that it could use.
PVC Reviews the GoPro Hero2
JVC Unveils Pro HD Portable Monitor Series
PVC takes a look at the Sony F65
| The Provideo Coalition has a first look at number 15 of the Sony F65. It is an interesting read. I hadn’t realized just how beta the camera is right now, seems much like working with a RED with many features not implemented, but on there way. Looking forward to seeing the quality of this though as it is supposed to be spectacular. |
Get a 3D motion tracker for 40% off on Tuesday the 24th
| StrongMocha has announced |
Hurlblog has 7 Tips for HD & DSLR Color Correction
| The Hurlblog from Hurlbut Visuals has an excellent article on 7 Tips for Color Correction with HD and DSLR |
PVC on Green Screen Lighting on the Cheap!
Fresh DV on how to make your own Light Leaks
| FreshDV has a cool article on how to make your own Light Leaks |
PVC on Lytro being the new RAW
| The Pro Video Coalition has an excellent article on Lytro being the new RAW |
DSLRPro has 4 Pros talk about the Canon C300
| DSLR News has 4 Pros talk about their experienced using the new Canon C300 with video |
Arstechnia on why Pros are moving away from Apple
I mean my first Apple was a IIC, and then a Mac Classic and I have never looked at a Windows PC, but have been pricing them out of late, and even talked to adobe to find out the process for moving my Creative Suite license to Windows, as it is likely that Mac just won’t be around for me as a professional editor and graphics artist.
JVC Introduces 4K Camcorder
HDVIDEOPRO has an article on JVC introducing a new 4K Camcorder at the Consumer Electronics Show. Check it out at JVC’s own site! It comes in at just under $5000 with a fixed lens and can record something like 2 hours of footage on one SD card at variable 144 compression. Here are the features of this new 4K camera.
- 1/2.3" Back-illuminated CMOS Sensor (8.3 million active pixels)
- Ultra high resolution F2.8 10X Zoom Lens
(F2.8 to 4,5 — f=6.7-67 mm) (35 mm conversion: 42.5 to 425 mm) - Built-in optical image stabilizer
- 4K Recording: 3,840 x 2,160
MPEG-4 AVC/H.264(.MP4) 4 Stream Separate Recording 60fps/50fps/24fps Progressive at 144Mbps - 4K recording for up to 2 hours (32GB SDHC, x4)
- JVC file utility included for combining separate streams into single editable file
- Also functions as fully featured full-HD camcorder
AVCHD progressive (.mts) 60i/60p or 50p/50i - Interval (time lapse) recording in both 4K and HD modes
- JVC's patented "FOCUS ASSIST" function
- Full HD (1920x1080) trimming function
- 3 assignable user buttons
- 2 audio channels
4K mode: AAC, 2ch, 48kHz,16bit
HD mode: AC3, 2ch, 48kHz, 16bit - Manual audio level controls with audio meter
- XLR inputs with 48V phantom power
- Large 3.5-inch 920,000 pixel LCD display with touch panel
- 0.24" Lcos 260,000 pixel viewfinder
- Records to inexpensive SDHC/SDXC memory cards
4 used in the 4K mode
1 used in the HD mode - Wired remote control capability
Personally I am excited by 4K cameras as an editor of HD material as it will allow editors to zoom in without losing quality and to stabilize shaky footage without losing resolution (past 1080 HD). This camera may not do it, but a future one will, and it will change documentary, behind the scenes and direct response shooting. Exciting.
Students and Smoke
Bunim/Murray drops Final Cut Pro for AVID
Due to the large volume of media generated by our reality shows, we needed to re-evaluate our editing and storage solutions. At the same time, we were looking for a partner who would understand our long-term needs,
Basically FCP X is not good enough, and FCP 7 is old and gettiing long in the tooth, and with AVID now being 64 bit, they felt the need to make the move.
Black Magic buys Teranex!
Wow first Davinci, now Teranex. It will be amazing to see Teranex products at a more affordable price. They always made the best conversion utilities. Wow! This is certainly good news!
Jon Yi's Canon C300 test video
I still think that the Camera is overpriced though, and should have been more around the price of a 5D body, or maybe even twice that, but $20,000 is just too much for a camera that takes EOS lenses.
Did Apple have a completed 64 Bit Final Cut Pro 8 that they scrapped?
Harrington said in the video:
"There was a Final Cut 8 and it was 64bit and it was done and they looked at it and said 'This is not what we want to do, this is evolutionary, this is not revolutionary' and they killed it."
If this is true I am totally disgusted. If it is true, Apple should have released the 64 Bit Final Cut Pro 8, and also released Final Cut Pro X as something else, probably iMovie Pro and then done what they could to implement some of the new technology as add ons to Final Cut Pro 8. They would have had a huge hit on their hands, and could have revolutionized editing, but instead they have killed Final Cut Pro as a professional editing program and made FCP X a completely consumer program. Sure it has some great technology, but it will never become a standard even if it does have some good new ideas, because it does not work as well or efficiently as Final Cut Pro 7.
I still can’t figure out why they did this to begin with. A new program that is a revolution is fine, but you should not throw out an industry standard program because you have a new idea.
Will Apple return to NVIDIA for Laptops?
If this happens, maybe you will even be able to get an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 590 for the MacPro (if they release one more MacPro system at least), it won’t top an SLI system for CUDA, but would be a pretty serious CUDA system.
One can only hope!
Gear Live on how to access your iDisk after moving to iCloud
• Open Finder and press ⌘K (Command + K) • Enter 'https://idisk.me.com/yourMobileMeName' as the Server Address (without the quotes) • Click the Connect button
Very useful since those of us who payed for Mobile Me still have our iDisk for another year!
Biscardi Creative on how to Fix DNxHD Quicktime Stutter in Premiere Pro CS 5..5.2
Stu at Prolost on Pimping your After Effects
On the scripts, BG Renderer is a must, at $29.99 it allows you to not only render in the background, but also to e-mail you when a render is done, so you can walk way, and know right when it is ready continue.
And of course Stu’s own DV Rebel Tools are also another must have.
Scott Simmons on Media Composer 6
While it can fast import ProRES footage like it can with DNxHD footage, it cannot then Consolidate ProRES footage, which means copying without recompressing, it can still only do that with Avid compressed footage. You have to Transcode ProRES footage, so it adds another layer of compression into the mix.
Scott Simons at the EditBlog on PVC comparing Premiere Pro and FCP 7's Timelines
This is really a must read for all switchers from Final Cut Pro 7 to Adobe Premiere Pro CS5.5, as it gives a full rundown of the similarities and differences in the 2 different timelines!
Walter Biscardi on AVID Media Composer 6 at Creative Cow
It is most interesting because he was a die hard Final Cut Pro user, who only used AVID when it first came out, but now seems totally sold on AVID. And says it is more rock solid with an AJA Kona 3 than Final Cut Pro ever was, and way better with it than Adobe Premiere is.
Way to go AVID! I just think they should permanently make the upgrade from FCP $1000 instead o $1500, but any which way they are going to slaughter the market, I just hope Adobe is up to making enough competition to keep the innovative, just like Apple did for them.
Canon EOS 300D Website
Thanks to Cinema 5D for pointing out that Canon has put up a website for Cinema EOS and the EOS 300D Camera.
Stu at Prolost on EOS C300
As Stu says this will be interesting to see which turns out to be the better camera, the EOS or the less expensive Scarlet.
Mike Curtis from HD for Indies on Red Scarlet
It does seem that the Scarlet is the better deal here, though the process is harder to shoot with, but the results should be better.
The Canon lenses issue is the same with both Cameras, and could actually be solved with the new Canon EF Cine lenses they are releasing with the EOS C3800.
I still think both cameras are a bit too expensive, and the Scarlet will have beta issues as it is s RED.
Mike Curtis from HD for Indies on EOS C300
It has some better features, but some not as good.
As I said elsewhere, why can the less expensive scarlet autofocus with Canon EF lenses, but the Canon cannot. It also cannot do 444 out, like the Sony can (with an expensive upgrade) which would bypass the Long GOP MPEG 2 compression, making the Sony seem the better choice, especially with it’s higher frame rate (1080p60 vs 24) and 444 capabilities (even if both are after a firmware upgrade to the F3.
Personally I think Canon screwed the pooch a bit, as they missed the price point. At under $10,000 this would be huge, but at $16-20,000 it is too expensive, without enough high end features. And for film it seems that the Scarlet would be better, though of course it does have a much harder workflow.
Canon EOS C300 Announced
- 8.3mp 2160×3840 Super-35 CMOS sensor (4K resolution)
- DIGIC DVIII Processor
- Canon XF Codec
- Dual Compact Flash Slots
- Exposure and focus are both manual only
- Uses existing BP-955 and BP-975 batteries
- Sold as a system, including LCD monitor / XLR audio unit, side grip, and top handle.
- Availability: Jan. 2012; Price: appx. $16,000 USD
And there is a PL mount version and an EF version, and a slew of new EF cinema quality lenses.
They are also opening a Canon center in Hollywood to deal with the cameras and really push into Cinema.
A bit more expensive than I had hoped, and I want to know more about compression and codec.
Is Apple Killing the MacPro
AppleInsider is reporting that Apple is considering killing the MacPro as it is no longer profitable.
What I don’t think you get is how many graphics houses and editing houses will be leaving the Mac completely if this happens.
Without NVIDIA cards you can barely edit with Premiere Pro or even use programs like SMOKE, and if the artists are going to move to PC, there whole facilities will go PC, and Apple will lose a lot of it’s coolness, and a lot more business than they think they will.
AVID already gives you PC and Mac Versions on one disc, and without a MacPro, and it's PCI cards you lose a lot of functionality, like AJA or Blackmagic cards (and no the thunderbolt cards are not as good, and there is no SAS storage solutions for thunderbolt).
Still an Alienware is looking better and better. Kick ass NVIDIA graphics make it the only choice for an editing laptop (since Premiere Pro needs an NVIDIA card), and if the MacPro goes, then it is time to move PC.
I already feel betrayed by you for what you did to Final Cut Pro X, as I have been an avid Final Cut Pro supporter since version 3, and Final Cut Pro X is not it's replacement, but a program that has some of it's functionality and is not superior to AVID or Premiere Pro, and if you get rid of the MacPro that will be the last straw.
I am not a windows fan, and think the fact that the main programming language for Windows 8 being HTML 5 is just shooting themselves in the foot, but at least I can use high end graphics and will still have PCI slots!
Please Apple I love you, and have since my Apple IIC, but more and more it looks like you are leaving me the graphic pro and video editor behind, and it makes me sad, but you are making a PC and windows look more and more attractive.
Please keep making MacPro's and keep updating them (quicker than you have been) and make them compatible with more graphics cards, because we will keep buying them, but if you stop making them we will be leaving the Mac in Droves.
Jonah Lee Walker
Video Editor and Graphics Artist
TUAW on Disabling Autoupload for iCloud Photo Steam
This is what to uncheck in iPhoto, otherwise you will upload all your new photos from iPhoto, which is fine from you iPhone, but if you are shooting camera raw, is going to quickly fill your iCloud (which only comes with 5GB of space) and you iOS device.
I mean luckily I have 25 GB of iCloud space as I was a mobile me subscriber, and I have a lot of documents and comics on my iPad, but it only has 10GB free of the 25GB of iCloud space, so putting up full size RAW images would be disastrous. And you can still add images to your photostream by dragging and dropping, though you can’t remove images (which is plain stupid in my opinion).
Singular Annouces they will have FCP X Support
FCP.CO on Roles in FCP X
It is worth checking out, and makes it seem pretty useless as the exports using ROLES for audio tracks, only gives you complete mixdowns of each track that has been assigned Roles, but they are mixdowns, and not at all OMF tracks with individual audio tracks. So not all that useful. Sure you could make versions with audio on different tracks like this (if you have another program to make tapes).
My question do Roles export with Automatic Duck Pro Export 5.0 so that the clips show up in tracks? If that works, then it makes Pro Export more useful, but if not, Roles are pretty useless.
MacStories shows off RestoreMeNot Preference Pane
Personally I think this should have been built into OS X as I have had some issues with Restore and certain apps (Rapidweaver will open two instances of my site, and crash if I try and save, and the Core OS X service keeps trying to open the last installer that was opened instead of the one I am trying to open) so this is a very useful little tool.
Great article at Biscardi Creative on FCP X 10.0.1
And the fact that FCP X now has XML, but it is still not, and will never be compatible with FXP 7 is a joke. If Premiere Pro can do, Apple could do it, but they won’t.
I like this part:
At one point in the article Townhill notes that Apple is responding to feedback and changing the application quickly to meet the demands of the Post community. The strange thing to me is that Apple was given much of the same feedback during the beta testing and it was roundly ignored. Pages upon pages of information was fed to Apple with pretty much everything that has been said publicly since the application was released. In all cases, Apple ignored the suggestions moving ahead with the product as they developed it. NOW that there’s a tremendous outcry, NOW Apple is “responding to the Post Production community.” Maybe if they had responded to the people who were testing the product, they could have avoided this entire fiasco.
So it looks to me like Apple’s original plan was to just release FCP X as a prosumer product that really didn’t need the full fledged Post Production community blessing because there are millions of consumers out there and only a couple hundred thousand Post Pros. If it was truly aimed at the pros, then Apple would have listened to the pros during beta testing about all the things that were badly missing from the app.
But with all the subsequent negative press on the product, Apple is desperately trying to backtrack and figure out how to add the extremely basic functions that it left out by “skating where the puck is going.” (read the article to understand)
If Apple was truly dedicated to the professional editing community they would have taken the two to three years to deliver something that built upon their 11 year legacy. I just see what they’re doing now as creating a whole box of band-aids to make the product cobble along and sort of kind of do what the product has done for the past 4 years at least. Apple is admittedly leaning heavily on third party vendors to fill in what they call gaps, what I call chasms in the software.
So true so true. Apple made FCP X on purpose, they knew they were giving up on the pro community completely and all the businesses that make a living making plug-ins and hardware for final cut pro, but they figured they would make more money by making a consumer application and banking on the name of Final Cut Pro which has come to mean something in the industry. Now they realize they may have screwed up, but it is too late. These new features could have been add ons to a true 64 bit Final Cut Pro and it would have been awesome, but this weird prosumer app they have made with some pro features and the rest decidedly consumer will never be used by Pros, and shouldn’t even have Pro in the name.
iMovie is not called a pro app because it is not, and adding some pro features to it, when it forces you to work in it’s limited way does not make it pro, and never will. And nothing Apple does will ever make this app right for professionals, Apple has ceded this market, and Adobe and AVID are going to be really happy to fill the gap.
Tax Credits for Hollywood
People are arguing that the measly $500 million tax breaks are too much, when in fact California is losing work to other states with tax incentives. Without a tax credit this state is going to keep losing work, and more people like me are going to be out of work.
Right now I can only be thankful for infomercials, as they are keeping my wife and I alive.
FCP X Color Isolation tutorial
FCP.co has an article leading to some interesting tutorials from Paulus the Woodgnone.
Pretty cool if you are using FCP X.
PVC After Effects Script of Week, Change Render Locations
PVC on the CycLight for Greenscreen
It can light an even 2 meter by 3 meter greenscreen with 3 40 watt LED lights and it goes just 120mm from the wall!
Check out FloLight’s web site. No word on price yet, but this is very cool, and will make Green Screen so much easier to do. What a great idea!
FCP.co on Matox's Thunderbolt Adapter
Of course that means only one Thunderbolt port, so this has to go at the end of your chain, but still pretty cool to get your old product with Thunderbolt, now if only someone releases a PCI thunderbolt card!
Adobe has a 45% gain after Apple releases FCPX!
And if you cared, you would have released an update to FCP X by now, but obviously you have not, so your claims to caring are shown to be hollow!
PVC on BLackmagic $299 Thunderbolt Intensity Extreme
Pro Video Coalition has an article on the new $299 Thunderbolt IO device the Intensity Extreme, which has only HDMI in and out and RCA in and out but is Bus Powered and inexpensive and perfect for laptops.
FCP.co on Customizing colors in Miotion 4's Templates for FCPX
FCP.Co on the AJA Io XT thunderbolt
FCP.CO shows off DVcreators new FCP 7 Plug ins
Check out the filter FilmStyles at DVcreators.
Inexpensive enough that people may still get them for FCP 7, but they had better add Premiere Pro support soon!
Colored Sidebar in Lion Finder
OS X Daily has this article on a free Japanese SIMBL Plug-In to Make you Lion Finder Sidebar color once again! Yipee! This should be a feature you can activate in Lion automatically, not something that you have to hack the system to do, but I have hacked mine, as this is a far superior configuration!
Instantly my old finder is back and looking much better. It is so much easier to find what you are looking for with Color icons! Nice!
FCP X to After Effects Applescript
Digital Rebelion on 18 Features Premiere needs to borrow from FCP 7
Though I doubt you will ever be able to open multiple projects as you can’t in After Effects either (only import projects into each other). Still it would be nice!
Biscardi Creative on Premiere and AVID with Davinci Resolve
It looks like there is no easy solution right now, as Resolve reads Premiere’s XML, but not all of it’s media is compatible, and you need a $500 plug in to make it work with AVID. Otherwise you basically need to export a quicktime and use scene detection to make a grade (so no dissolves).
Not an ideal solution for sure.
EF Mount Canon Video Camera?
FCP Studio 3 Back for Sale
MacRumors is reporting that Apple has quietly put Final Cut Pro Studio 3 back for sale, though they are not making it easy.
You have to call 800-MY-APPLE and ask for part number MB642Z/A for $999, not through the physical stores or the internet, but at least, if true you no longer have to pay outrageous prices on E-Bay for a copy.
Took them long enough. And it should never have stopped being for sale, but this is arrogant apple so…
The Pico Dolly
This is so cool, I totally want one for my 60D.
PVC on some usefull AVID tools
John DeMaio at Production Apprentice back to Avid
I feel about the same, I still like certain things about FCP 7 better, but now that it is EOL, it is time to really to get back into Media Composer, though I am also really enjoy Premiere Pro quite a bit.
Scott Simons at Studio Daily on FCP Road Blocks
Of course I agree with all, though maybe not in the same order.
It does really blow me away that there is no live timeline scrolling in FCP X. This was a feature that FCP 7 really did need, and AVID has had for a long time.
And the fact that you can set an in and out in a clip, then click on another clip, and when you go back the points are gone had better be a bug, because that is so not a usuful feature.
Biscardi Creative switches to Premiere Pro
There’s been so much talk about a “new paradigm” and “a new beginning” lately courtesy of Apple. Defenders of the “new paradigm” are quick to point out that this is an entirely new application, nothing like it has ever been done, therefore, Apple had to break with all convention to create Final Cut Pro X. It’s stripped down now, like Final Cut Pro 1, but give it time and the things we “need” will be added back over time. It has so much “potential for the future.”
The more I work with Adobe Premiere Pro the more I just don’t understand that mentality. Why wait? Premiere Pro already includes the “missing elements” of FCP X and so much more it can’t do.
He goes on to say that despite all the protesting in forums he transferred over a large project to Premiere Pro final Cut Pro 7 and it all worked perfectly, he loves all the realtime effects, and also how Adobe Media Encoder can look into Premiere Pro and After Effects projects and render individual sequences without having to open the host apps, which for him, and for me is huge! You don’t have to export a quicktime movie and you don’t have to give up the host app to to the compression. THAT IS SO COOL, AND SO USEFUL! TALK ABOUT A TIME SAVER!
MacFixit at CNET has a good article on Managing Lions Resume Features
Macgasm article on FCP X
From Eugene Ho:
By releasing a program that ought to have been a step forward from the existing app, but instead was missing many features that used to be there, Apple made it so that FCP X doesn’t “just work” for many professionals. By changing the video editing paradigm, FCP X now “gets in the way” of many pros, who will now have to spend the time to learn the “new way” of video editing.
From Paul Skidmore:
People keep asking me what I think of the new Final Cut Pro. My answer has been consistent: “It’s hands down the best editing program I’ve ever used, and when it comes time to edit my short film this fall, I won’t be using it.”
Though Paul seems to think FCP X will get there, which I don’t. I think it has some very basic flaws that will preclude it from ever being a viable pro editing program, and that is why I will be getting Media Composer for $999 before the deal runs out, and I already have Premier Pro CS5.5 and have been spending a lot of time learning it.
Premiere Pro with Client in the Room Article
It is a must read for an Final Cut Pro 7 switcher. And has some great stuff on using it with an external monitor with either a Kona or a Matrox (seems Kona works better, but still has issues, especially with a long sequence).
Check it out if you get a chance. I am already making the switch to Premiere Pro CS5.5, though I am having issues with Lion, and this points out some issues I had not realized that you have to think about.
I hadn’t realized Premier Pro doesn’t have any sort of Auto Media Relinking, that each clip must be manually found. Of course with how slow Final Cut Pro 7’s could be, this might actually be faster.
No timecode window, which is a must, though was not added all that long ago to FInal Cut Pro.
Reveal in Project from Source Window! A no brainer since you can do it from the sequence!
Check out the whole article. It is worth checking out.
Studio Daily has an article in Defence of FCP X
- The article talks to people who are using FCP X and seem to think it is great, and at the very least the future of editing, but I completely don’t agree, and have to say these people are pretty insetting.
Schechtman is a little more blunt, especially when it comes to editors who have already declared their intention to abandon FCP for the competition. "If you're making a rash decision based on a product that isn't complete, you're an idiot," he says. "We all live a technical life. We all can look back at the not-so-distant past and see that we've been through this before. Don't jump ship, permanently, while someone else is rethinking the NLE for your benefit."
Insulting and ignoring much of the big picture. Like me having a 5 month job starting where we need a new Final Cut Pro editing bay because our client is a Final Cut Pro house. Well we need to buy a new system and duplicate our Black Magic setup, which is useless for AVID (at least for now) and at this point we have to buy another copy of Final Cut Studio 3 on Ebay for more than $1000, because it currently isn’t available anywhere.
And it is idiotic to say that FCP X is going to be all this and that, if it is as you say an unfinished program! What if when Adobe moved to 64 bit they made their entire suite incompatible with the previous version, and cut out most of the features people needed. People would be up in arms, as they are about Final Cut Pro X! They did not need to release an unfinished product, they had years, and could have waited to release their supposedly finished product. They released it, so it is finished, sure they may add some more features, but it is a finished product.
I spent a week learning FCP X and did not find it any faster than FCP 7 for my editing, in fact I found many features backwards, and felt I had to spend more time organizing because of the lack of ability to use tabs for folders, and organize quickly that way for easy access.
If you want to make the old paradigm better, then add to it, add the new features on top of the old, and if people like it, it will take over, but just to make their way that only way, and to require more steps to do many of the essentials features of the previous version is unacceptable!
Rob TInworth's 10 years with FCP
Rob Tinworth’s 10 years with FCP a retrospective at Filmmaker.com.
Oliver Peters at DigitalFilms has an article on FCPX
Unfortunately by releasing FCP X in the way it was done, Apple has destroyed the existing ecosystem built around FCP and all developers start at square one again. Some are happy for the new opportunities and others express concern. By ignoring legacy support and releasing a product with many gaps, Apple has alienated many high-end professionals. You can argue all you want that these users constitute an insignificant niche, but for developers, it’s these users who will pay thousands of dollars for capture cards, accessories and plug-in packages.
The danger of re-inventing the wheel
I have nearly four decades of experience in broadcast operations, production and post, with most of it in editing. I’ve gone through numerous transitions and along the way operated, reviewed or been associated with well over two dozen different edit platforms. One of the things I’ve seen in that time is that non-standard workflows and interfaces eventually return to accepted concepts. After all, editing tools are built on over 100 years of post production practices.
For me, FCP X simply is NOT faster nor easier, just DIFFERENT – precisely because Apple has radically changed the way an editor organizes the information and works in the timeline. I will freely admit that my nonlinear days started with Avid and I first disliked moving to FCP. Now, after eight years of mostly non-stop experience with Final Cut Pro/Final Cut Studio, FCP 7 has grown to be my preferred editing tool – warts and all. It’s incredibly versatile, but that level of user control was dropped from FCP X.
I use the timeline as much as a scratch pad as the location for a final assembly. Place multiple clips onto top tracks and preview them as one option versus another. Or build little sub-sequences at the back of the timeline and then copy & paste these into the place I want. Work rough and then clean things up. FCP 7 and Media Composer give me that freedom and precision. FCP X does not. Of course, some of this is handled through Audition clips in FCP X, but that requires that you know and select the possible options first and then combine them into an Audition clip, which can be cut onto the timeline for previewing. To me, this requires more work than I go through in all other NLEs.
My ideal NLE would likely be a mash-up between Final Cut Pro 7 and Avid Media Composer, augmented by the performance features of FCP X and Premiere Pro. It’s difficult to predict the future where Apple is concerned, so I don’t want to discount the possibility of FCP X picking up steam with my customers. If that’s true, then I’ll be there ahead of them; however, today, FCP X is the wrong tool for my projects and those of my clients.
Take the Precision Editor, as an example. This highly-promoted feature is little more than a toy in my view. Trimming in FCP X is much weaker than in FCP 7 and that version wasn’t anywhere close to having the trimming control of Media Composer. Asymmetrical trimming in FCP X is virtually non-existent. The basics, like trimming L-cuts, haven’t been properly implemented. For instance, split edits (L-cuts, J-cuts) are only based on trimming audio track in-points in FCP X, instead of either audio or video as in most other NLEs.
It’s these and many other little things throughout FCP X that will hinder its adoption by the upper tier of users. That has a cascading effect. In a film school, why adopt FCP X for your students, when they’ll encounter Avid Media Composer as the tool of choice out in the “real world”? If you teach a digital media curriculum, whose graduates are destined to work in the corporate and web arena, then isn’t Adobe Create Suite better suited? What Apple has in effect done – by rebooting Final Cut as FCP X – is to pull the rug out from under its own advances earned over twelve years of FCP development. They’ve handed an extraordinary gift to competitors who can better service these smaller, but still important, market segments.
Sorry, i Know that was a lot to quote, but all of that I find right on target.
The Edit Blog at PVC has 100 Questions answered about FCPX
In its current state I would not use FCPX in a professional, client heavy environment. At this time I don’t consider it an FCP7 replacement as it lacks so many features that I’ve come to rely on. It’s a brand new piece of software so it will take years to mature into the full featured application that FCP7 is ... that is if Apple chooses to add back a lot of the features missing from FCP7. At this point in time I don’t know when / if it could replace FCP7 (or Avid Media Composer or Adobe Premiere Pro).
and
23) Do you think Apple is moving away from the Pro Video market towards the wider prosumer market with FCPX.
Most definitely.
and
51) Does your knowledge of FC7 help or get in the way of learning FC10?
That’s a great question. I’d almost say it gets in the way as FCP7 uses long established editing paradigms that work very well. In some aspects FCPX is trying to reinvent the wheel. Where there are some great things in FCPX there’s other instances where, IMHO, the wheel doesn’t really need to be reinvented because it works so well.
and
63) how does the magnetic timeline handle a music video where the main audio should be locked permanently?
My music video testing has found that I would create a synchronized clip with the master audio to place in the primary storyline and then connect all my angles to it via Connect to Primary Storyline. In theory that should keep them all in sync. Truth be told the inability to really lock a clip in place and lack of multiclips / group clips would make me look elsewhere for music video editing.
and
77) Worthwhile building new edit suite around FCPX or still shrink-wrapped FCPStudio 7… etc?
Personally I would never build an edit suite around a single NLE so I certainly don’t feel the current release of FCPX is enough to build an entire edit suite around. As one tool in that suite yes but the only tool? Not in its current form and probably not for a long while. Plus, if Apple is going to rely on 3rd parties to supply many of the pro-workflow tools that we need for FCPX then the final cost is going to end up well above $299 to run FCPX in a professional / broadcast environment.
and
83) What’s your favorite new feature, and new disappointment?
Favorite new features are the many different background processes from rendering to transcoding to media management. Auditions is another strong new feature. Disappointment is the Magnetic Timeline and single Viewer that changes between source clips and the timeline.
The rest has some interesting points, and tells how to do may good things, but these are things that really stand out to me about what is wrong with the software.
Dylan Reeve says Apple has Abanonded Pros
This is how he ends the article:
Businesses in the film and TV industry, that have to deliver a product to a strict standard within a strict deadline, can’t pin their hopes on a future upgrades or the next version while relying on an increasingly ageing product that has been EOL’ed. They need certainty and at the moment the only certainty that exists with FCP is that the current version has no future hopes and the current version isn’t suitable for their work. They have no choice but to look elsewhere.
It simply makes no financial sense for Apple – selling a $300 product that appeals, as is, to millions of people – to pursue a small market with very specific and complicated demands.
In the end Final Cut Pro X will be a success, it is a powerful and innovative application. But it will no longer be a big part of the film and TV post-production industry.
FCP X will work for a lot of the smaller people, and will eventually, with a slew of plugs in (driving it’s price right back up to what it used to be) will do even more, but it will never be the the pro app that it once was. Apple has nixed that market, and it is just too bad they don’t have the decency to rename FCP X into iMovie Pro to show that they really are going a completely new direction and instantly saying to all pros that they need to find another home, instead of doing it in such a backhanded way.
Dylan Reeve and the FCP X Disconnect
He has some excellent graphs that show what he thinks is the potential market for FCP and how Apple just doesn’t see it as an important segment of it’s market, because it is so incredibly small, and I completely agree.
Apple is going lowest common denominator, and it can even be seen in Lion. Making everything more iOS like, instead of making iOS more mac like, because iOS is great for portable devices, but too simple, but they want to make the mac more like iOS and that personally scares me.
Avid Event gives some tantalizing clues
There is some pretty amazing stuff here. LiveToEdit tweets:
3D, 7.1, new U.I., Kona, Decklink, Matrox, Bluefish support coming soon
and
3rd party I/O: no announcements, other than ‘we’re working with them for the future’
and
80% of pro systems are Avid, 50% of #Avid employees used to be in production
And even cooler
future is 64bit, new interface, WILL NOT lose known features, keyboard short cuts, etc.
And @comebackshane has this interesting tidbit.
Third party hardware support (Matrox, AJA, BMD, MOTU)...Plugin support from more vendors (Red Giant)...external control surfaces… #avid
And thanks to Pietari Creative for this awesome pic of the possible AVID Media Composer 64 Bit Interface.
•••••••••••
Pretty amazing news, though no timeline given. Still I love the look of the new interface, especially if is fully 64 bit, and does not lose all the features of previous AVID (see it can be done Apple).
And Black Magic and AJA support is huge, as is Red Giant Support, does that mean we may be getting Collorista 2 for AVID soon? Awesome.
It can’t come soon enough!
Mathew Levie comments on the Magnetic Timeline
Which brings me back to where I was on day two: the "magnetic timeline" is cute, but it keeps me from making the sequence I want and therefore it really has to go.
It reminds me a little bit of when Apple was introducing FCP 1.0 and Steve Jobs showed us how we could take a clip from the Viewer and drop it on this beautiful transparent overlay in the Canvas to choose insert/overwrite/replace/etc. and the crowd went, "oooooooh." But who edits that way?
Maybe you'll say I didn't give it enough of a chance. That might be fair. I just played around with it for a few days. But the truth is that we have an editing paradigm that works for us in FCP 7. It's not enough to show us that if we completely rethink our workflow then we can do the same things in FCP X as we can in FCP 7 with a couple of extra steps. What can we do that's more efficient, faster, better? Yes, the infrastructure is improved; yes, the 64-bit implementation and background rendering mean things will be much faster... if we can still figure out a way to tell the stories we want to tell.
In conclusion, I think if Apple's FCP X team really is serious about wanting professionals to use this program -- and maybe they're not, and that's okay -- we will need to see it go back to a track-based editing metaphor, at least as an option. If that happens, I can't see why I wouldn't use it eventually. I don't really care about the feature set: they can always add multicam and OMF export and whatever else, and I'm sure they will. But if they add those features while retaining the current editing paradigm, it will still be very difficult to use professionally.
My biggest complaint about FXP X is that I think the basic editing paradigm is broken and much too simplistic for a professional editing program. The magnetic timeline is what the program is built around and for me it makes things harder and not easier, as Matthew points out, it actually makes many things take more steps than they did in Final Cut Pro 7.
Sure there are some cool new features, but we would have been better off having those added to a 64 bit upgrade to Final Cut Pro 7 and not this monstrosity that is Final Cut Pro X.
Apple has obviously given up on the professional editing market and done it in the most insulting way possible, and I don’t think they realized the bad press and loss of sales they will get for not taking their professional market seriously.
Larry Jordan is sticking with FCP
I personally disagree. Apple had a mature and powerful editing program that could have been updated and have had some of the great new features added to it, but instead they decided to make a new less powerful program geared at making editing ‘easier’. The thing is they are engineers and have no idea what editing is really about, and have instead made a program that I don’t think will ever be right for a professional editor. The magnetic timeline alone proves this to me, because they no longer think that organization is important, and it is one of the most important things!
Larry Jordan has a nice post on Accountability
And it really is true. No is accountable, and Apple would hold everyone accountable if things were revered. Nvidia made one mistake and look they have not been in a mac since, and we the users are punished by Apple for it (having to put our ATI cards back in for major upgrades and then re-install the NVIDIA drivers).
I am knee deep into learning Premier Pro (after trying, but giving up on FCP X) and am pretty impressed by many features (especially the XML export being able to do the whole project with all sequences), but can’t see why this was even necessary! I can see that Apple might have wanted to cement their lead in the future, but not at the expense of their entire installed user base who are going to bad mouth the hell out of their new product until they make something useful.
And why buy Color, just to kill it a few years later? Or why kill Shake? Why did they not spin off their entire pro-division like they did with FileMaker Pro? Make a business unit that is answerable to it’s base. and needs to make a product that it’s customers want!
I am left shaking my head.
Alex 4D posted a new FXP X Effect
If you are using FCP X, download it for sure.
ProVideoCoalition has a good article on FXP X
Sooo ... IF Apple loses 10% of the 200,000 high-end editors (and I think this is generous … the real number is probably near 50,000) but gains these markets, will it be an even trade? No, not at all—each of these markets is 10 times the size of the current high-end editing market. If only a small percentage buy FCPX, Apple’s installed base will double, and quickly. Almost every person I’ve talked to in these areas are excited about the new release. They don’t want or need EDLs or multicam edits, they just want to cut their story together quickly.
In the long term, the future is more fuzzy. Apple stands to gain and hold the bottom 90% of the pyramid—if they are able to develop the application effectively. This 90% will begin to put pressure on the top 10%. We’ll just have to see how committed Apple is to the future. For the many that will be entering the market with Final Cut Pro X… getting in now means that they can learn a simple application and grow with it… like many of us did with Photoshop over 20 years. It was simple when in started, really.
And I think they will lose a lot more of 10% of the provideo market, more like 90%, but yes I admit it is a small portion of the market that Apple probably could care less about. They are shooting for the other 90% and FCP X does have some great features for them, but at the cost of making a program that will not work fro the pro-editors.
And honestly they have lost our trust completely! I mean just killing Color, an Amazing HIgh End color correction program is so arrogant it is ridiculous. And sure we could move to DaVinci from Black Magic, but that is $1000 with another $1600 for the control board, and Color was included in the FCP Studio Suite!
Studio Daily has an excellent review of Final Cut Pro X
iMovie on Steroids? MaybeAfter using FCPX for a few weeks I still believe what many initially thought upon first seeing FCPX back in April: This is just the first version of a new application and in this form is essentially iMovie on steroids. There are just too many things that Final Cut Pro 7 users will be missing when they really dig into FCPX. It's not that we won't be able to make cool effects and pretty video, it's just that we'll do it in a much different way without some tools that we now take for granted. Word from people who are smarter than I am say that FCPX isn't built off of current iMovie code. I still find that hard to believe, as the similarities are striking. If they aren't based on the same code then Apple made a very conscious, very clear and very targeted decision to copy an awful lot of what's in iMovie now. Some of it is actually for the better but a lot of it is for the worse.
And
•No More Dual-Monitors: Also gone is the more traditional FCP7-like Viewer/Canvas two-monitor layout. The viewing window changes to the timeline or the clip events depending on what you’re doing. In my time with the new software, I have come to really, really miss that two window layout.
And
There is the option of importing from tape, but that's only from a tape-based camera and only via FireWire. Why Apple included only FireWire camera support is perplexing. It seems downright silly to rewrite FireWire tape support for FCPX and not include something like multi-clipping, especially when it feels like you approach something close to multi-clips when you use the new Synchronize Clips feature and have it sync multiple camera angles. Sure, the resources for FireWire support might be vastly different than support for third-party I/O hardware (which isn’t supported out of the box) but FireWire support for DV and HDV? Really? When Apple, and an entire industry, is moving away from FireWire?
And
When media comes into FCPX it must be associated with an Event or dropped into a new Event created upon import. Forget about project-based media; everything here is based on Events. In fact, all the media you’ve ever imported is available all the time. This feature alone can be totally amazing and/or insanely frustrating; I experienced both feelings when using FCPX. There are definitely times I don't want media from other projects available, especially in a professional environment, where you can have hundreds of hours of media from different clients on your media drive. Conceptually, it’s an interesting idea for the right environment but in practice FCPX desperately needs some type of "Event Media Mounting Manager" to keep unrelated media from intruding on an unrelated project. You can physically move the media in the Mac Finder to hide it from FCPX but isn’t this an application for the future? That seems really antiquated.
And
This type of project setup, and the more structured way FCPX stores and tracks media, reminds me very much of Avid Media Composer. Media Composer has always been great at both media management and mixing formats. Avid's often been chastised by FCP users for it's structured, less free-flowing way of working, but Apple is doing something very similar now in FCPX.
And
The timeline has done away with video and audio tracks as we know them and therefore, it’s a very free form way of working. The magnetic timeline means clips move out of the way where clip collisions might have happened in FCP7. This new, freer way of editing will suit some; others it will not. I like quite a lot of what Apple is trying to do to make editing faster and better, but there are other things in FCPX that really don’t make the overall editing experience any faster or better. You really have to try it yourself, which makes it rather frustrating that there isn’t a free demo available.
and
My fear is this free-form timeline will lead to some real sloppy jobs coming in the door if FCPX catches on.
And summing up
The new Media management in FCPX may seem to offer more options to editors, but it actually uses a very rigid, specific way to store clips, renders and projects. If you were a sloppy editor in FCP7, then you’ll be fine in FCPX, at first. But if you don’t really understand how FCPX organizes your media you might be in for some trouble if files get moved and drives get shuffled.
I hate how there’s no real dedicated Viewer window when I skim those source clips.I hate how imprecise much of the actual editing process has become in the magnetic timeline.
And finally
How much real-world editor feedback did Apple really get before this came to market? Even though some very high profile editors got a chance to evaluate it before the release, I'm more inclined to think it was designed by a bunch of engineers who don’t actually edit for a living. Either way, it just feels unfinished. I won’t be implementing it with my paying clients as of this version, and probably not for a few versions to come. But I’ll happily bang out home movies with it.
And yes he also does have good stuff to say, but it is the negative to me that is the most telling. This is not a pro app, and the way it is built I don’t think it will ever be. Sure kids who have never edited might love it, but forcing editors to work in one way that is not proven to be better is not necessarily a better way, just different, and for this different, I am not sure I agree.
Alex4D writes about a secret FCP X meeting in London
Personally Apple needs to come out and just say this stuff if it is true, and tell people what will be paid and what is coming, and give a timeline.
And anyway I think it may be too little too late. Apple has screwed this release completely. Any program that cannot open it’s previous versions files should not be called the same thing. If it is not iMovie code (which I don’t believe) then call it iEdit Pro,
Here are some point from the meeting:
1. FCP XML in/out is coming via 3rd party soon…no FCP 6/7 support project support coming ever it seems…
2. Ability to buy FCP7 licenses for enterprise deployments coming in the next few weeks…
3. FCPX EDL import/export coming soon…
4. FCPX AJA plugins coming soon for tape capture and layback…capture straight into FCPX bins.
5. XSAN support for FCPX coming in the next few weeks…
6. FCPX Broadcast video output via #Blackmagic & @AJAVideo coming soon…
7. Additional codec support for FCPX via 3rd Parties coming soon…
8. Customizable sequence TC in FCPX for master exports coming soon…
9. Some FCPX updates will be free some will cost…
And
conigs Do they have any kind of timeframe for “soon”? Am I safe in guessing in 2011?aPostEngineer within a few weeks for some updates i.e. XSAN up to a few months for 3rd party developers to get their heads around the API.gigarafa what about the rest of the suite? Color, dvd studio etc?aPostEngineer they have unfortunately reached their EOL and will not be developed any more..
So Color and DVD Studio are officially dead as well.
Helmut Kobler has an excellent article on being a Final Cuttter moving to Premiere Pro
Yes, well before all of Apple's recent shenanigans, I started to sense that Final Cut, along with all of Apple's professional apps and gear, was slowly being strangled to death. Here are a few of the harbingers of doom that caught my eye over recent years:
• Apple took nearly 2.5 years to upgrade Final Cut Studio from version 2 to 3 (and v.3 was only a moderate upgrade at that). Until then, updates had come at a much more aggressive pace.
Apple cancelled the popular Shake, promising to replace it with a new tool that never came.
• Apple got lazy with its Logic Pro app as well, letting development creep along with an upgrade about every two years.
• Apple stopped updating the Pro page on its web site long ago. There hasn't been a new item posted in almost two years: http://www.apple.com/pro/
Apple took more than a year to fix a glaring Final Cut 7 bug that made its Close Gap command unreliable. To break a core Timeline feature like Close Gap and not fix it for 14 months was offensive and inexcusable.
• Apple cancelled its Xserve RAID then its Xserve hardware.
• Apple started taking longer and longer to release Mac Pro workstations, and absolutely phoned in the latest upgrade last July. 511 days in the making, the newest Mac Pro was one of the most un-inspired hardware upgrades I've ever seen from Apple.
• Apple pulled out of industry trade events like NAB.
• Multiple rumors (and confirmation of rumors) of significant layoffs in the Pro Apps division.
• Multiple rumors that Apple was trying to sell off its Pro Apps division.
Take just a few of these and maybe they don't add up to anything. But take all of them together, and it's a real sign of Apple's low-to-non-existent priority for professional media. Yes, the writing has been on the wall for quite a while, and by 2010, I reluctantly began to read it. Late last year, I started to look at the two clear alternatives to Final Cut....
The rest of the article has some excellent reasons why he moved to Premiere, and documents the differences and similarities, and really gives a good idea of why to try out Premiere Pro, it really is a must read!
Techvessel has an interview with a former Avid Employee on FCP X
It’s hard to say exactly what Apple’s strategy was with their release of FCPX. Its announcement at the NAB convention seems to suggest that they were trying to get professional editors excited about FCPX, yet the lack of support and backwards compatibility with FCP7 shows either a disconnect, or outright disregard for the realities of being a professional editor.
This release feels similar to their previous iMovie reboot. In that case, I think Apple could afford to be more aggressive with abandoning the previous version of iMovie and starting from scratch. Many iMovie users probably don’t use it on a daily basis, so throwing out their previous experience with an older version and starting over really wasn’t that big of a deal.
For *professional* editors, this is an entirely different scenario. Pro editors use their software of choice all day, every day. They become masters at shortcuts and UI tricks to make them effective. If you’ve never seen a *good* professional editor at work, I can tell you it’s amazing. The speed and precision in which they work is staggering. They can do this because they’ve spent countless hours training on and mastering their tools. That’s why it’s unreasonable to expect that Pros would jump on board with FCPX on day one.
and
What happens if you’re currently on a project using FCP7, and you need to bring some new people on board to help finish the project? You’d better hope they already have a copy of the software, since now you can’t buy FCP7 any longer. I’m not sure what you do in that scenario. I think it’s these kinds of issues that show a lack of respect for the Pro editor that has gotten the community so riled up.
and
The bigger concern I would have if I were at Avid would be that it appears Apple is again trying to leapfrog their competition with a new paradigm for video editing. Avid’s interface was already showing its age, and now it’s only going to appear more antiquated in the eyes of young editors growing up on FCPX. Maybe Avid doesn’t necessarily see that as a big deal – they have their loyal users who aren’t going to switch and they know it. Remember also that Avid doesn’t make their money from the editor software alone – they also have big enterprise server systems that manage large amounts of media and also do things like big newsroom automation systems. These are things that Apple are not likely to compete with. However, in all those kinds of systems, the lynchpin is the Editor, and if none of the younger editors know how to use, or don’t care to learn Avid, that’s a big long-term problem.
As I said I don’t fully agree, as I don’t see FCP X really taking off in the condition it is in, and I believe some of it’s basic paradigms are so flawed (the magnetic timeline being one) that I don’t see this being the choice for young editors if they actually expect to work in a professional environment.
Final Cut Pro X Audio Crossfades when you put on a Dissolve
Neptune Salad has a great article on switching to Premiere Pro
But the real question anyone who edits is this: What are we going to do right now? I mean what are we actually going to do? As professionals, we don’t have the time to play around with multiple new programs until this dust settles as it could be months, and it might take Apple over a year to put FCP back on track.
And
Honestly, I’m not excited about moving to a new platform. This will be my third (Media 100, Final Cut Pro, now this – go ahead and laugh, Avid users). But the integration of AfterEffects (which is becoming a must-have item for filmmakers, see www.videocopilot.net to understand my zeal) and Photoshop make it an attractive one-two knockout punch.
Kind of how I feel, though he did not get a refund on Final Cut Pro X, and I did, but we both are making the move to Premiere Pro.
Two Articles on FCPX mirroring my thoughts
The release of Final Cut Pro X was the defining moment for many. In my line of work, I get to interface with a lot of video editors and other video professionals. I have spoken at numerous user groups and conferences. As a forum leader and podcaster for Creative COW, I have been hearing complaints for years. I also get to sit in edit suites with clients. The waiting for transcode on import as well as the 32-bit nature of Final Cut Pro 7 has caused a lot of impatient waiting in edit suites around the globe.Final Cut Pro X was supposed to fix this. At least that was the belief most held. It would be “awesome” we were told. I guess that can mean different things.People are not breaking up with Apple because of what Final Cut Pro X is. They are ending their relationship because their fears have been confirmed. I present to you a summary of the issues that have people freaked out. Please pass this list on to anyone who asks you what the big deal is. These are my 10 reasons that people are switching. These are just opinions. Opinions formed by my interactions with many and my professional experiences and connections.
This is a must read article, and all his reasons are spot on.
Richard also links to the second article from OneRiver Media on Is the Trust for Apple Gone for Good, and I would have to say that it is.
In the blink of an eye, the release of Final Cut Pro X has caused a ripple in the Matrix so huge, I’m not sure Neo could even fix this catastrophe. But it’s much more than good software gone astray, it’s deeper than infrastructure changes; it’s about the loss of trust, faith and even livelihoods.
and
But switching non-linear editing applications is only part of the problem, and in some cases, only a small problem by comparison. There are many people that have devoted the last ten years in direct relation to Final Cut Pro, and as a result of Final Cut Pro X, are going through a major life/career change. These include certified Final Cut Pro trainers, value added resellers, user group organizations, third party software/plugin developers, and many more. There are many people that are questioning their livelihood because of this radical shift that Final Cut Pro X has taken. I wonder if Apple knew they were going to directly cause such an issue, or if all they were looking at was nothing but their bottom-line. To me, it shows an enormous amount of arrogance, ignorance, and selfishness from Apple, which is not the Apple I once knew.
and finally
So all of this begs the big question, “Can Apple be trusted from here on out?” For me, I will no longer buy any kind of pro app from Apple for my facility, knowing their EOL history is very strong—even if an updated Final Cut Studio 3 (based on FCP7) was released. It amazes me that all of my favorite pro apps from Apple are all EOL’ed. Literally. For me personally, I no longer care about FCPX or even FCP7 updates. I’ve already started passing up articles on FCPX how-to’s or work-arounds, as I will not be using FCPX in my facility, and since FCP7 is EOL’ed.Because I’m switching to Avid Media Composer, all I care about at this juncture is integrating my current hardware and software with it, and what else I need to change or buy in order to make that happen. It’s a domino effect really, and all because of a 2.5-star, $299 downloadable app from the App Store. Seriously, that $299 app is costing me thousands of dollars, but luckily, none of it is going to the App Store. Just keep making powerful desktops, Apple, so I don’t cut my ties from you completely.
This is another must read article and really is much of what I have to say on the subject, though in the future i will talking more about individual features and what I do and don’t like about them.
The title of the article says it all!
And I completely agree! This app is just not for pros in any way shape or form!
Apple has put back the FCP Studio 3 Downloads
The updates are available at Apple. So you can download and archive the updates or FCP Studio 3, which is a good idea, since the program has been end of lifed!
FCP Producer is pushing a web petition
Apple recently introduced a completely new version of Final Cut Pro that immediately replaced the previous one. Although modern and revolutionary in many ways, this new version X lacks at least 10 main features required by any professional who uses Final Cut on TV studios, Feature Film editing, Production and Post-Production houses. In order to keep expanding the numbers of Final Cut Pro editing suites on these places we request that the Final Cut Pro 7 application should be temporally available for free as a download to all of those who bought Final Cut Pro X, while these 10 features are not addressed in the X release. They are: Add ability to import and export XML files natively;Add ability to import previous Final Cut Pro projects natively;Add ability to export OMF files natively;Add ability to change a project’s frame rate after it’s been created; Add ability to read and write projects stored on an network or SAN volumes; Add ability to switch the Final Cut Pro X layout to a more traditional 2-monitor setup; Add ability to preview true video signal, independent from the 2-monitor setup; Add support for Multicam editing; Add support from capturing and recording to tape, not only via capture now but also via batch capture and print to tape natively; Add support for importing image sequence files such as DPX and OpenEXR;
Some very true facts.
Planet 5D rings in on FCP X
Apple/Steve Jobs also realize that there will be a group of editors who leave and go to Adobe Premiere Pro or over to Avid – but they believe that the video editing market is going to be huge in the future and they have positioned iMovie to be the basic editor – and FCPX is the pro editor (which by the way imports iMovie assets – get the hint?).They will sell tons of copies of FCPX in the next 10 years and are not afraid to lose a few old fans along the way. They would have sold even more if they were to have gotten ownership from the editing community instead of taking it away. They’re going to have to go into major recovery mode or they’re going to lose a big hunk of the community – bigger than they were willing to lose in the first place.But I still believe that in the long run, in a year or so, FCPX will rock. I’m certainly using it now and will continue to explore and learn from those who have tutorials ready (more on that shortly too).
I still just don’t believe it can ever get as good as people think it will, too many fundamental problems!
It was to be a companion to FCP
From that experience, First Cut was born which would let you import your raw footage and quickly skip through, organizing and building a rough edit. The intention originally was to then export to Final Cut Pro. At some point, Apple officially latched onto the project and turned it into the new iMovie '08.
I just wish it had stayed that way!
High Definition has an article on FCP X
Which brings us on to the timeline – another massive bone-of-contention in the FCP community. The notion of tracks has completely disappeared, principally because of the new ‘magnetic timeline’. Instead of FCP 7’s old ‘Clip Collision...’ message that either drove you mad, or was a useful warning (depending on your point-of-view) clips now move themselves out of the way – essentially creating new tracks as they go. There is no track routing so, for instance, you can’t control where your audio goes when you insert a clip. This is pretty horrible – for example, if you want to mute your sound effects you need to hunt through the timeline and disable each one individually, rather than just muting the track you put them all on – you can’t even rely on them being where you last saw them, as editing in the magnetic timeline may have moved them somewhere else. I’m not sure that the benefits of losing the Clip Collision dialog outweigh the problems the magnetic timeline causes though Apple says it’s working on a solution – I suspect this may just be a way of assigning audio to output tracks which won’t solve the layout problem I’ve just described. They also claim that Automatic Duck Pro Export will allow you to create and assign output tracks as a workaround, but I’m not sure that’s true…Editing is a little weird too, if you are used to the standard 3 point edit paradigm. It sort of still exists, but only as the illegitimate offspring of iMovie and FCP.
and
It feels, somehow, like Apple have taken the iMovie code and grafted three point editing onto it. I can see the point of the magnetic timeline, and it’s arguably better than a tracked timeline, but there was no need to replace the FCP 7 three (and four) point paradigm. FCP X’s implementation isn’t better – it seems to be a bit of a mess.
and
At the moment, you can’t set the start timecode of the timeline, so the usual broadcast requirement of programme material starting at 10:00:00:00 isn’t possible. Similarly, audio track assignment is a real problem until Apple releases an update that solves the issue. You can’t use a broadcast monitor or audio PPMs until there is a professional I/O unit supported and you’ll need the Automatic Duck software to interface to ProTools/SADiE for audio work and, potentially, your finishing solution (if you don’t finish picture in FCP X)
And the final thoughts.
The funny thing is, if Apple had released this as a replacement for Final Cut Express (which has also been discontinued) then the reviews would be glowing. They could have continued to sell FCP 7, and then release a ‘Pro’ version, with all these problems solved, in a year or so. I would certainly be surprised if any of next year’s Oscar nominees will be cut on FCP X.
Personally I think I like the program less, but I do agree with most points, and the should have saved some of this tech for a true pro Final Cut Pro instead of making it completely prosumer.
Richard Harrington's Response to Dave Pogue
He really hits almost everything, so this article is a must read.
More on Final Cut Pro X
In FCP X, Apple got some things amazingly right. But they also got key features amazingly wrong. And if they don’t change course, this software, which has significant potential, is going to spin further and further out of control. At which point, its feature set is irrelevant, its reputation will be set. We’ll be looking at another Mac Cube.
And what they need to do immediately
1. Immediately return Final Cut Studio (3) to the market. If it is not compatible with Lion (and I don’t know whether it is or not) label it so. But put it back on store shelves so consumers have the ability to work with the existing version until FCP X is ready for prime time.2. Fund the development of a conversion utility – either at Apple or thru a 3rd-party – and announce the development with a tentative release date.3. Publicly announce a road-map for FCP X that just covers the next 3-4 months. Apple needs to be in damage control mode and the best way to defuse the situation is to communicate. Answering the question: “What features will Apple add to FCP X, and when?” will go a long way to calming people down.
And his conclusion:
This launch has been compared to Coca-Cola launching New Coke – resulting in a humiliating loss of market share.With Final Cut Pro X, however, the situation is worse — with New Coke, only our ability to sip soda was affected. With Final Cut Pro X, we are talking losing livelihoods.
Thanks for getting this out there Larry, I really appreciate you saying what needs to be said.