Apple updates Final Cut Pro, Compressor, Color, and Shake

[AppleInsider]

Apple this week released Pro Applications Update 2008-04, a recommended update for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server, and Logic Studio. The release addresses general performance issues, improves overall stability, and includes new versions of Final Cut Pro, Compressor, Color, and Shake.

Final Cut Pro 6.0.5

Among the enhancements delivered as part of Final Cut Pro 6.0.5 are:
Improved High-Precision Rendering: If you render sequences using the high-precision video processing setting, make sure to update to Final*Cut*Pro*6.0.5 for improved reliability when rendering still images and footage in high-resolution formats.
Extended Metadata Support for the Panasonic AG-HMC150 Camcorder: Final*Cut*Pro*6.0.5 captures the additional metadata for footage recorded with the Panasonic*AG-HMC150 professional AVCHD camcorder.
Improved Support for the Panasonic HDC-SD9 Camcorder: Final*Cut*Pro*6.0.5 provides enhanced precision and reliability when ingesting files from the Panasonic*HDC-SD9 camcorder.
Improved Support for Metadata Imported from P2 Cards: Final*Cut*Pro*6.0.5 provides support for extended metadata that is captured on P2 cards.
Compressor*3.0.5 and Apple*Qmaster*3.0.5

Compressor*3.0.5 and Apple*Qmaster*3.0.5 will see the following fix:
Using QuickClusters and Back to My Mac on the Same Computer: The QuickCluster feature of the Apple*Qmaster distributed processing system is a simple and automated alternative to creating and configuring clusters manually. In previous versions of Compressor, enabling the Back to My Mac feature in Mac*OS*X*v10.5 Leopard would remove any existing QuickClusters. This issue has been resolved. For more information about QuickClusters, see the Distributed*Processing*Setup guide.
Color 1.0.3

Color*1.0.3 requires QuickTime*7.5.5 and either Mac*OS*X*v10.5.5 or Mac*OS*X*v10.4.11. The new version offers:
Improved Format Support: Color*1.0.3 provides support for XDCAM*422 media and for the RED plug-ins for Final*Cut*Studio.
The RED plug-in and accompanying documentation can be downloaded at http://www.red.com. For workflow suggestions and more information about this format, see HD and Broadcast Formats, available from the Final*Cut*Pro Help menu.
Improved Application Reliability: Overall application reliability has been improved, including in the following areas:
Using trackers in the Geometry room
Using the Reconform command
Adjusting the Minimum and Maximum nodes in the Color*FX room
Improved EDL Handling: Accuracy and reliability during EDL import have been improved.
Application of Display LUT Now Indicated Consistently: Color*1.0.3 consistently indicates when a display LUT has been applied to a project in the Project Settings tab of the Setup room.
Improved Handling of DPX Image Sequences: Color*1.0.3 provides improved reliability when reading and outputting the header information of DPX image sequences, including timecode, frame size, aspect ratio, and transfer code.
The Fix Headers Button Now Works Properly: The Fix Headers button, which appears in the clip bin of the Setup room when you select an image sequence, now correctly alters the header information of DPX image sequences.
Improved Handling of Interlaced Media: Interlaced clips with Pan*&*Scan adjustments in the Geometry room correctly render the exact range of clip media.
Tangent Control Surface Mappings Are Improved: The HSL qualifier and reset control surface mappings for the Tangent CP100 control surface have been fixed.
Shake*4.1.1

Shake 4.1.1 addresses compatibility issues for QuickTime codecs greater than 8*bits.
Installing Shake*4.1.1: This version of Shake is an update to Shake*4.1 and must be installed on a computer on which Shake*4.1 has already been installed.
As of press time, the Pro Applications Update 2008-04 update was only available via Software Update.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[minderbinder]

No specific Logic improvements?

[Kasper]

Originally Posted by minderbinder

No specific Logic improvements?

There was nothing in the release notes other than that one-off mention. To my knowledge, the information we published is inclusive in terms of what Apple has published thus far.

Best,

K

[DavidTO]

If only they would simply concentrate on fixing the bugs that are rampant in FCP.

[rfrmac]

Originally Posted by DavidTO

If only they would simply concentrate on fixing the bugs that are rampant in FCP.

I could not agree more. You would think that a company so concerned about quality would allow enough staff to work on FCP and clean it up after all of this time. They have the lists from the user groups around the country so there is no doubt at to what should be worked on and fixed.

[urtho]

Originally Posted by rfrmac

I could not agree more. You would think that a company so concerned about quality would allow enough staff to work on FCP and clean it up after all of this time. They have the lists from the user groups around the country so there is no doubt at to what should be worked on and fixed.

One would have to wonder if they are working fast and furious on a full point update recoded in Cocoa instead of Carbon, and cleaning up a great number of the stated bugs at that time. I would expect that this is what they are doing so that they can make the app full 64bit to release along side Snow Leopard, which would also most likely mean the back end has been rewritten to make use of Quicktime X as well, so no legacy support.

This post is pure speculation, I have no rumor sources.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by urtho

One would have to wonder if they are working fast and furious on a full point update recoded in Cocoa instead of Carbon, and cleaning up a great number of the stated bugs at that time. I would expect that this is what they are doing so that they can make the app full 64bit to release along side Snow Leopard, which would also most likely mean the back end has been rewritten to make use of Quicktime X as well, so no legacy support.

This post is pure speculation, I have no rumor sources.

Yes speculation but formed from common sense.


Apple didn't exhibit at NAB 2008. They had nothing to show. Final Cut Pro must go to 64 bit but there is never going to b Carbon 64 so obvious (to geeks) they have to rewrite in Cocoa and along the way they fix the bugs that need to be addressed in the current program.

I figure we'll see quite a hefty update coming at NAB 2009 in Final Cut Studio III.
Bugs suck but a lot can be done with massive rewrites. I hope Snow Leopard ships before
April so that FC3 can support the new stuff right from jump.

[BenRoethig]

So they did finally remember that the pro apps exist.

[pixelcruncher]

Originally Posted by hmurchison

Yes speculation but formed from common sense.
Apple didn't exhibit at NAB 2008. They had nothing to show. Final Cut Pro must go to 64 bit but there is never going to b Carbon 64 so obvious (to geeks) they have to rewrite in Cocoa and along the way they fix the bugs that need to be addressed in the current program.

I figure we'll see quite a hefty update coming at NAB 2009 in Final Cut Studio III.
Bugs suck but a lot can be done with massive rewrites. I hope Snow Leopard ships before
April so that FC3 can support the new stuff right from jump.

We shall see. I'm going to wager on a weak FCS3 update and no appearance at NAB. There's no way Apple has put together a rewrite of six major apps (and then tie them in to Final Cut Server) to coordinate with the accelerated release of Snow Leopard. No chance. Apple's gift to the pros will be hardware, with Blu-ray support finally thrown into FCS3. There are so many bug fixes needed in every FCS application that an incremental update, with more attention paid to to DVDSP, Color, and Final Cut Server, seems far more likely (and should sell very well).

Motion has made no in-roads into Adobe's After Effects user base. Logic and Soundtrack Pro do not need to co-exist. Many of the features of Motion and all of the features of Color should be available within FC. Apple has to be thinking that they are wasting tons of resources rewriting code for the exact same functions in three different apps. If Apple is serious, I see FCS becoming a single integrated editing/FX/finishing app with a companion audio finishing app. If it's another weak upgrade this year, maybe as soon as next year.

[hmurchison]

Originally Posted by pixelcruncher

We shall see. I'm going to wager on a weak FCS3 update and no appearance at NAB. There's no way Apple has put together a rewrite of six major apps (and then tie them in to Final Cut Server) to coordinate with the accelerated release of Snow Leopard. No chance. Apple's gift to the pros will be hardware, with Blu-ray support finally thrown into FCS3. There are so many bug fixes needed in every FCS application that an incremental update, with more attention paid to to DVDSP, Color, and Final Cut Server, seems far more likely (and should sell very well).

Motion has made no in-roads into Adobe's After Effects user base. Logic and Soundtrack Pro do not need to co-exist. Many of the features of Motion and all of the features of Color should be available within FC. Apple has to be thinking that they are wasting tons of resources rewriting code for the exact same functions in three different apps. If Apple is serious, I see FCS becoming a single integrated editing/FX/finishing app with a companion audio finishing app. If it's another weak upgrade this year, maybe as soon as next year.

Well let's take a look at what Apple's accomplished in the last 4 years.

Final Cut Studio announced in 2005

Final Cut Pro 5 now features

At the heart of Final Cut Studio is Final Cut Pro 5, the top choice of professional editors whether they are working in DV, SD, film, or all major HD formats including HDV, DVCPRO HD and fully uncompressed HD. Native HDV (long GOP MPEG-2) support in Final Cut Pro 5 enables users to edit camera native HDV without generation loss. Powerful new multicam tools let editors cut from up to 128 sources, with simultaneous real-time playback of up to 16 angles at a time, making Final Cut Pro 5 ideal for episodic television, sporting events and concerts. A new IMX codec in Final Cut Pro 5 allows for native editing of broadcast content from Sony’s XDCAM. Direct support for Panasonic’s P2 solid state media gives editors a high-speed solution for tapeless transfer of DVCPRO, DVCPRO50 and DVCPRO HD video. New Dynamic RT, an intelligent system that automatically adjusts image quality and frame-rate during playback, allows editors to see more real-time effects at the highest possible quality. Additionally, the RT Extreme engine in Final Cut Pro 5 has been enhanced to allow uncompressed HD effects to be viewed in real-time. New audio capabilities in Final Cut Pro 5 enable users to capture up to 24 simultaneous audio channels at high-quality 24-bit 96kHz and use audio control surfaces.

Certainly some significant ugrades from ver 4.

Let's compare to Final Cut Pro 6

At the core of Final Cut Studio 2 is Final Cut Pro 6, the latest version of Apple’s Emmy award-winning editing software which includes a new Open Format Timeline that lets editors mix and match virtually any video format and frame-rate in a single Timeline without transcoding. ProRes 422, a new full raster, 10-bit 4:2:2 post production format produces stunning HD quality at SD file sizes, making it ideal for working efficiently across a SAN or on a MacBook® Pro in the field. Companies including Panasonic, Sony and RED are embracing ProRes 422 as they continue to innovate on the next generation of cameras. Final Cut Pro 6 also includes optical flow based SmoothCam technology to remove unwanted or jarring camera movement with simple, easy-to-use tools. Deep integration with Motion includes the ability to edit Motion templates with video drop zones and editable text fields directly in Final Cut Pro.

Now ProRes 422 is nice and the Open Format Timeline was a much requested feature, notable in its absence in previous version of Final Cut Pro because it was so available in other apps like Vegas. Optical Flow based Smoothcam was taken straight from Shake. The question really becomes "in FC6 what exactly did Apple spend two years on? Open Format Timeline shouldn't take that long nor should ProRes 422 or slightly improved integration with Motion.

The highlight of Final Cut Studio 2 was the addition of Color. It made up for the fact that there were precious few major jumps in features in Motion, Soundtrack Pro 2 and absolutely no update to DVD Studio Pro 4.

Color and Final Cut Server were bolt on products from recent acquisitions. Apple didn't do the heavy lifting to create them but rather worked on integrating them "roughly" into the FCS workflow.

So in essence we haven't seen a large update to the suite other than additions in 4 years since Final Cut Studio hit the maket. My hypothesis is that Apple has taken many of the Final Cut Studio team and put them on the task of rewriting the app in Cocoa while concurrently targetting many missing features and improving many poorly implemented features. I expect large feature updates in Final Cut, Motion and DVD Studio Pro and lesser feature update but better integration in Color and FC Server.

Will they be ready to ship at NAB? Probably not, but I think they'll be ready soon enough afterwards. I'll be stunned if the update to FCS3 doesn't drop a few jaws. It's coming at the right time to leverage some fantastic technology.

[embee]

Originally Posted by hmurchison

The highlight of Final Cut Studio 2 was the addition of Color. It made up for the fact that there were precious few major jumps in features in Motion, Soundtrack Pro 2 and absolutely no update to DVD Studio Pro 4.

Color and Final Cut Server were bolt on products from recent acquisitions. Apple didn't do the heavy lifting to create them but rather worked on integrating them "roughly" into the FCS workflow.

You got that right. "Roughly" being the key word, here. Both of those additions are so poorly integrated that they're practically unusable. I'll admit I've only dabbled with FCS, but in Color, try getting Geometry Room pan and scans to re-import into FCP, for instance. Why didn't they just delete the feature from Color if it wasn't going to work?

I would be completely happy if they do a Snow Leopard-style cleanup that based on performance and stability, as opposed to adding new features. And I, for one, would pay for it. I'm probably in the minority, but the way I look at it, less crashes per day would pay for itself.