Apple updates Final Cut Pro, fixing location bug, controversial Blade icon

AppleInsider

An otherwise minor update bringing Final Cut Pro to version 10.5.4 has addressed the unpopular new Blade tool icon, plus appears to have resolved region and location bugs.

Final Cut Pro

After the major Final Cut Pro 10.5.3 update in June 2021, Apple has released a smaller revision to its Mac video editing app, but with much-wanted changes. Behind the scenes, Final Cut Pro 10.5.4 seems to have fixed a bug that meant users were having to change their Mac's region or language setting to use certain regular functions.

Apple's release notes states that the update "improves stability when exporting with certain macOS Language & Region preferences." There are also improvements for users playing back H.264 or HEVC media.

It's not known how many users were affected by the problems that this update fixes. A more visible issue, however, was how Final Cut Pro 10.5.4 replaced the icon for the cutting or Blade tool.

From the start of Final Cut Pro, that icon has been of a razor blade -- the tool that was used by filmmakers before digital or non-linear editors existed. In 10.5.3, Apple changed it to an icon of scissors.

Left: Final Cut Pro 10.5.3. Right: Left: Final Cut Pro 10.5.4

As well as objecting to losing the familiar razor blade tool, a vocal minority of users objected to how confusing the new icon was. The cutting part of the scissor icon did not relate to where the tool itself would cut on Final Cut Pro's video timeline.

Now while Final Cut Pro 10.5.4 is sticking to the scissor icon, it has been altered and rotated so that the cutting position is clearer.

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rcfa

Is it me, or was that update like four days ago?

maltz

I call BS that the blade icon was "controversial".  I have no doubt that Apple caved to a handful of vocal minority who didn't like it because... (why?  I honestly can't even think of a reason?  Because it wasn't child-safe or something?)  But I'd wager 99+% of users never gave it a second thought until they heard someone else didn't like it, and then maybe another 5% decided they didn't like it either.  And now it's less useful - even the new icon isn't quite lined up right either, judging by the sample images.

beowulfschmidt

I wonder why they changed it away from what appears to be an industry standard.  Mind, I don't use Final Cut, or any other video editing app, so I don't have any knowledge of whether or not it actually is a standard, but the article implies that it is.

ventujim

After updating to 10.5.3, certain 24P footage shot on Sony PMW700 is no longer in audio sync. Basically rate conform isn’t working.  10.5.4 didn’t fix it. 

Please let me know if you’ve seen the same issue. 

dysamoria

Uh, what was wrong with the razor blade? That’s been in every nonlinear video editing tool I’ve used over the years (admittedly only a few).

bloggerblog

The scissors icon is universal and its function is clear. The classic blade, not so much.

6ryph3n

Hate the new scissor icon. It’s a silly minor change but it bugs me more now than anything else in FCP. 

fastasleep

LOL wtf — It's literally still called the "Blade" tool with a "B" key shortcut, yet looks like scissors. What would you think if you asked someone for a blade and they handed you scissors?

Lazlo_T

FCP Pro was designed by some folk who had almost zero experience of editing. Half the terms used in FCP such as library and project have never been used in editing. While Bin and assembly are somewhat arcane, that's what they're called.

And as for blade…or scissors… not in 70 years! I did hear of some people (early Ken Russel in the 60s) without any budget at all who cut film with scissors, scraped the emulsion off the film with a razor blade and glued the pieces together, they were few. People used a glue splicer which neatly trimmed the film at the frame line and scraped the emulsion.

One of the great inventions in the film industry was the tape spicer which used Mylar tape to glue takes together because unlike a glue splice, no frames were lost and you could unpick the spline and try again. This meant that editors could refine a cut to an extent which was previously impossible without reprinting work prints.

I doubt that any of this is important other than it goes to show how far off the plot FCP interface has become from industry practice. I hated Avid but it was less awful.