Apple releases Final Cut Express HD 3.5
Apple on Thursday released Final Cut Express HD 3.5, a significant upgrade to its software solution for video enthusiasts, schools and small businesses that runs natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macs.
New in Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is Dynamic RT for real-time playback of multi-stream effects, Soundtrack 1.5 with a complete suite of professional level audio production tools and LiveType 2.1 with more exciting animated text and titles.
The software offers a complete set of advanced editing tools for DV and HDV video formats with support for multiple video layers, real-time special effects and transitions, and powerful color correction and matting filters for professional-looking results.
"Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is the total movie making package with many of the same tools the pros use at a price designed to appeal to aspiring pros," said Rob Schoeben, Apple?s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. "Whether it?s multiple streams of video, professional audio tools or animated text and titles, Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is ideal for anyone who is passionate about the movies they make and delivers incredible performance on Apple?s new Intel-based Macs."
Final Cut Express HD's new Dynamic RT enables users to view even multi-layered HDV video in real-time, which dramatically speeds up the editing process by eliminating the need to render and re-render clips, Apple said. In addition, the company said all effects, transitions and motion parameters can now be keyframed, providing complete creative control over special effects that can be saved as favorites for use in other projects.
Meanwhile, the new version Soundtrack includes over 4,000 professional-quality, royalty-free instrument loops and sound effects that can be mixed and matched to create a custom score precisely timed to each project. It also offers improved multitrack audio editing and recording tools with tracks, busses, outputs and real-time effects processing just like a professional recording studio.
Also included in Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is a new version of LiveType that lets users add high-impact excitement to movies with dynamic animated text and hundreds of royalty-free backgrounds and animated textures -- all customizable to match the look and feel of projects. Some new features include a host of exciting new animated graphics, including 70 new animated objects, 15 new textures and 60 new customizable preset effects for animated text and titles. With new vector-based LiveFont technology, animated text styles like Tremor, Script, Ribbon, Cool and Blueprint can be scaled to any resolution including HD with blazing rendering performance, especially on the new generation of Intel-based Macs, Apple said.
Pricing & Availability
Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is available now through the Apple Store, Apple?s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $299 (US). Owners of previous versions of Final Cut Express can upgrade to Final Cut Express HD 3.5 for just $99 (US).
New in Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is Dynamic RT for real-time playback of multi-stream effects, Soundtrack 1.5 with a complete suite of professional level audio production tools and LiveType 2.1 with more exciting animated text and titles.
The software offers a complete set of advanced editing tools for DV and HDV video formats with support for multiple video layers, real-time special effects and transitions, and powerful color correction and matting filters for professional-looking results.
"Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is the total movie making package with many of the same tools the pros use at a price designed to appeal to aspiring pros," said Rob Schoeben, Apple?s vice president of Applications Product Marketing. "Whether it?s multiple streams of video, professional audio tools or animated text and titles, Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is ideal for anyone who is passionate about the movies they make and delivers incredible performance on Apple?s new Intel-based Macs."
Final Cut Express HD's new Dynamic RT enables users to view even multi-layered HDV video in real-time, which dramatically speeds up the editing process by eliminating the need to render and re-render clips, Apple said. In addition, the company said all effects, transitions and motion parameters can now be keyframed, providing complete creative control over special effects that can be saved as favorites for use in other projects.
Meanwhile, the new version Soundtrack includes over 4,000 professional-quality, royalty-free instrument loops and sound effects that can be mixed and matched to create a custom score precisely timed to each project. It also offers improved multitrack audio editing and recording tools with tracks, busses, outputs and real-time effects processing just like a professional recording studio.
Also included in Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is a new version of LiveType that lets users add high-impact excitement to movies with dynamic animated text and hundreds of royalty-free backgrounds and animated textures -- all customizable to match the look and feel of projects. Some new features include a host of exciting new animated graphics, including 70 new animated objects, 15 new textures and 60 new customizable preset effects for animated text and titles. With new vector-based LiveFont technology, animated text styles like Tremor, Script, Ribbon, Cool and Blueprint can be scaled to any resolution including HD with blazing rendering performance, especially on the new generation of Intel-based Macs, Apple said.
Pricing & Availability
Final Cut Express HD 3.5 is available now through the Apple Store, Apple?s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of $299 (US). Owners of previous versions of Final Cut Express can upgrade to Final Cut Express HD 3.5 for just $99 (US).
Comments
I thought they discontinued Soundtrack when they released Soundtrack Pro?
Where they hell are they going with their line of audio apps? Makes no sense at all.
Originally posted by minderbinder
Soundtrack 1.5???
I thought they discontinued Soundtrack when they released Soundtrack Pro?
Where they hell are they going with their line of audio apps? Makes no sense at all.
It was bundled with Final Cut Express HD.
I don't know the nuances or intentions of their varieties of audio software, they have Logic, Logic Express, then there's Soundtrack Pro that is now only in Final Cut Studio.
I have FCE HD. I haven't used it much at all, the audio timing of the video FCE imported from my camera was off and I didn't know how to fix it without trashing the project.
Another thing I hated is that when playing a clip, if you remove the focus from that or click anywhere else, playback totally halts. Given that I am listening for the best video take, I don't need to watch all my footage, I can keep track by listening. I'd like to multitask a bit and check email and such, FCE didn't allow that. I'm told that Final Cut Pro has that shortcomming too. If 3.5 fixes this, I'll gladly pay the upgrade price.
Originally posted by minderbinder
Soundtrack 1.5???
I thought they discontinued Soundtrack when they released Soundtrack Pro?
Where they hell are they going with their line of audio apps? Makes no sense at all.
What is there not to understand?
General-purpose sequencers; consumer, prosumer, professional: GarageBand, Logic Express, Logic Pro.
Video editing software; consumer, prosumer, professional: iMovie, Final Cut Express, Final Cut Pro.
Movie soundtrack-oriented sequencers; prosumer, professional: Soundtrack, Soundtrack Pro.
Not so hard to understand.
Originally posted by bcharna
$99 is....simply CRAZY!!!
I hope the sense gets knocked in their heads and they give us coupons as the did for Final Cut Pro!!
You'll agree?
You're kidding, right?? Have you looked out there for anything like FCE in the Windows world? Over $400 for anything that comes close. Hell, Adobe After Affects Standard version is $699 and $199 Upgrade.
So, no I do not think that $99 for an upgrade price for something as complete and fully featured as FCE is too much to ask for.
Originally posted by bcharna
$99 is....simply CRAZY!!!
I hope the sense gets knocked in their heads and they give us coupons as the did for Final Cut Pro!!
You'll agree?
Yes, I agree...and everything from Apple should be free. What the hell is Apple thinking!? Jeebus. They should ship an iMac to me with a $1000 check.
Originally posted by kim kap sol
They should ship an iMac to me with a $1000 check.
I nearly peed on myself when I read that!!
Originally posted by bcharna
$99 is....simply CRAZY!!!
I hope the sense gets knocked in their heads and they give us coupons as the did for Final Cut Pro!!
You'll agree?
That was the same upgrade price as before. It's supposedly a greatly improved program vs 3.0, though I'll wait for reviews to bear that out.
What coupons?
No.
Originally posted by bcharna
Logic Express Retail $299 Upgrade $29
FCP to whole studio Retail of FCP $499 Retail of studio 1299 Upgrade $99
Final Cut Express Retail $299 Upgrade $99
proportionally speaking.. use your head.
Logic Express Upgrade from Version 6 to 7 is $99.
Where did you get the idea it was only $29?
Originally posted by bcharna
http://www.apple.com/universal/crossgrade/ thats for 7 to 7.2 fce is 3 to 3.5
That is to take it to a Universal Binary version of it. It is not an upgrade of the product, like what FCE 3.5 is.
On Apple.com
Take advantage of the Universal crossgrade promotion to get the latest versions of Final Cut Studio, Logic Pro, and Logic Express. These Universal applications are designed to run natively on both Intel- and PowerPC-based Macintosh systems.
Upgrade from: Logic Express 7 or 7.1 for $29 to get Logic Express 7.2
Just to clarify, Logic Express 7 to 7.2 is not new features or enhancements, it is just to make it Universal Binary. FCE 3 to 3.5 has added features, improvements in speed, etc. That is why it costs $99 for an upgrade.
But I must fight the urge.
But you get an academic discount.
Fight the godamn urge!
After reading through the pdf I can't see why $99 is too expensive for some.
Things I like just from first glance.
Dynamic RT-
Everything you play is going to be 30fps with most effects. The quality of playback scales up and down
depending on video/effect complexity. This actually
makes more sense than background rendering because it
keeps you motivated and tweaking rather. You can render
when you're sure you have things the way your want.
Full Keyframe -
Keyframes are something you don't really want to be limited on. I'm glad we're now on par with FCS. Master keyframes and your productions will be a lot better looking.
Soundtrack 1.5-
Wow. Great job Apple. I thought they'd just toss in a few more sounds and all but they've actually improved the UI greatly. It's customizable and has tear off menus. You can now save your loops to the drive of your choice. It'll be nice to put the files on a NAS or something like that.
Livetype 2.0 -
Problem with the first LT was that it was slooooooow. New LT 2.0 supports Vector fonts. No more jaggies when resizing plus the vector livefonts take up much less space. I look for Apple to eventually replace most of the bitmapp fonts with vector fonts over the next few years. Good to see LT isn't dead.
I'm thinking about picking this up later this year and running it on my mini. Can't wait to see what Apple has planned for FCS.
You are pretty much getting final cut pro 5 minus DVCPro multicam and cinema tools, tools that the targert market do not need.
the $99 price covers any version, which is a good deal for ver 1 or 2 users who dont have the new features from 3.0 (i.e. built on the latest FCP codebase).
upgrade != crossgrade.
Final Cut Pro I understand, but Express is supposed to be for the non-pro audience, which naturally overlaps with the MacBook target market.
Originally posted by Frank777
Is it true you can't run FCE on a MacBook?
Final Cut Pro I understand, but Express is supposed to be for the non-pro audience, which naturally overlaps with the MacBook target market.
I'm pretty sure that the Intel 950 graphics chipset used in the new MacBooks will support Quartz Extreme despite the shared memory thing, and the MacBooks certainly meet all the rest of the tech spec requirements for FCE-HD 3.5 (http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/specs.html). So, assuming I'm right about the Quartz Extreme thing, I don't see why the MacBook wouldn't work ok with FCE-HD. There are some posts on the Apple.com support discussion forums saying that they are able to run the new version of FCE-HD 3.5 on their new Intel-based MacBooks.
- JonYo
Originally posted by jonyo
I'm pretty sure that the Intel 950 graphics chipset used in the new MacBooks will support Quartz Extreme despite the shared memory thing, and the MacBooks certainly meet all the rest of the tech spec requirements for FCE-HD 3.5 (http://www.apple.com/finalcutexpress/specs.html). So, assuming I'm right about the Quartz Extreme thing, I don't see why the MacBook wouldn't work ok with FCE-HD. There are some posts on the Apple.com support discussion forums saying that they are able to run the new version of FCE-HD 3.5 on their new Intel-based MacBooks.
- JonYo
Yes. I looked it up on the System Profiler on my MacBook, and QE is supported.