Apple announced the immediate availability of Final Cut Pro X on Tuesday. The new version of the professional video editing application includes a redesigned iMovie-like user interface, background rendering, 64-bit support, and is available only through Apple’s Mac App Store.
Final Cut Pro X
The new interface sports a Magnetic Timeline for trackless editing, Clip Connections for linking primary story clips to elements like titles or sound effects so they stay in sync when moved, and Content Auto-Analysis for auto-tagging content during import. FCPX also includes OpenCL support, and can edit content in native formats instead of first transcoding.
The new version takes advantage of Apple’s Grand Central Dispatch to offer better performance since all cores in a Mac can be used to process video and effects. FCP X also supports 4K resolution-independent playback, uses non-destructive ColorSync color management, and allows for timecode keywords in clips.
Along with Final Cut Pro X, Apple also released Motion 5 and Compressor 4. The two apps previously were available as part of the Final Cut Studio editing suite.
Motion 5 lets users add special effects, transitions and titles to videos. Compressor handles media encoding and supports several different formats.
Missing from Apple’s editing lineup are DVD Studio Pro, SoundTrack Pro and Color. While the apps may be gone, Apple claims the features they offered aren’t.
Apple’s Final Cut Pro Web page stated, “Final Cut Pro X includes the key sound editing and color grading features from Final Cut Studio, so now you can use a single application for the entire post-production workflow.”
Final Cut Pro X is available at Apple’s Mac App Store for US$299. Previously, Final Cut Pro cost $999.
Motion 5 and Compressor 4 are priced at $9.99 each, and are available at the Mac App Store.
[This article has been updated with additional FCP details.]