NoFilmSchool » finalcut

Apple Adds Multicam Support (And a Way to Open Final Cut 7 Projects) to Final Cut Pro X

Ryan Koo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 20:59:54 +0000

Apple today released an update to the controversial Final Cut Pro X, adding multicam support, advanced chroma keying, media relinking upgrades, and enhanced XML support. There’s also a third party app that — get this — actually allows you to import Final Cut Pro 7 projects. FCPX is now at 10.0.3, and while I’m not sure this will make anyone give up their copy of 7, it’s a step in the right direction (and a significant upgrade for current X users). Here are the details: (more…)

Edit Like It's 2009: Apple Quietly Re-releases Final Cut Studio (for Full Price)

Ryan Koo — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 17:56:04 +0000

After days of rumors, it’s official: according to Apple, “a limited quantity of Final Cut Studio [are] still available through Apple telesales to customers who need them for ongoing projects.” What’s the big deal? Apple had previously pulled all copies of FCS from the shelves, and this represents a capitulation to the ongoing demand for their two year-old NLE in the face of negative reactions to FCPX. I thought Walter Biscardi put it best: (more…)

Free 15-part Training on Color Grading in Final Cut Pro X

Ryan Koo — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 19:00:47 +0000

Denver Riddle from Color Grading Central has released a free 15-part tutorial on color correction in Final Cut Pro X. Apple’s controversial NLE reboot introduces a number of new features and interface elements, chief of which is the Color Board, seen in the following tutorial. Hit the full link below for all 15 parts, which in addition to streaming for free are available as downloads for $49. (more…)

Final Cut Pro X is New and Unfamiliar. Here's 2.5 Hours of Free Training.

Ryan Koo — Thu, 30 Jun 2011 14:49:07 +0000

Video learning site Izzy Video has created a 2.5 hour Final Cut Pro X online training course — and released it for free. Many of the tutorials at Izzy’s site are normally part of a paid membership, but you can go watch this one in its 26-part entirety, without charge. I haven’t done a tutorial on nonlinear video editing since 1998, when I first learned how to edit on a Media 100. But when I booted up Final Cut Pro X this week, I was lost. I couldn’t even drag a clip onto the timeline because the behavior was completely new. So much thanks to Izzy for posting. (more…)

Free Final Cut Pro X Webinar This Thursday

Ryan Koo — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 16:08:40 +0000

Okay, instead of just giving FCP X a hard time, let’s take a look at something that’s a bit more helpful for those trying to learn the new program. This Thursday, June 30 2011 from 10:00 AM to 11:30 AM PDT, FilmmakingWebinars.com will be putting on a free live seminar on Final Cut Pro X by Scott Simmons. Here’s a preview of the presentation: (more…)

More Fun at Final Cut Pro X's Expense: 'The Social Network' Mock Trailer

Ryan Koo — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 15:30:40 +0000

The Final Cut Pro X release has so many editors up in arms that one mocking video is not enough. Jeffrey Harrell cut this exploration of Final Cut Pro X’s (missing) features to emulate the trailer for The Social Network, using snippets of Steve Jobs’ own speech from WWDC ’97: (more…)

Shootout: Adobe's Warp Stabilizer vs. Apple's Final Cut Pro X Stabilization

Ryan Koo — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 18:14:43 +0000

Let’s review: Adobe Premiere Pro reaches feature parity with Final Cut Pro, exceeding it in some aspects, and in the process builds up an equal-sized customer base as Apple’s NLE. Then Apple relaunches FCP from the ground up — and removes a lot of the features shared between the two, making Premiere Pro undeniably more feature-rich. It seems perfect timing for Adobe, whose application is now easier to migrate to from Final Cut Pro 7 than is Apple’s. I’m still learning FCP X and I think it has a ton of potential, but at the very least, Adobe has to be happy with the missing features in FCP X that everyone’s complaining about. So let’s take a look at one feature both video solutions are touting highly: automatic camera stabilization. (more…)

Conan O'Brien's Editors Are Already Using Final Cut Pro X, with Disastrous Results

Ryan Koo — Fri, 24 Jun 2011 06:38:16 +0000

Late night talk show host Conan O’Brien has a brave set of editors who aren’t afraid of unfamiliar workflows, as evidenced by their rapid transition to Final Cut Pro X. Here, members of Conan’s editing team show off the new magnetic timeline, title animation, audio synchronization, and color correction features of the much-debated program: (more…)

The Final Cut Pro X Community Review: Post Your Impressions of 'iMovie Pro' Here

Ryan Koo — Wed, 22 Jun 2011 17:39:44 +0000

Now that Final Cut Pro X has been out for a full 24 hours, the internet has rendered its verdict on the render-free software, and most of the backlash on Twitter seems to be coming from seasoned professionals. Sure, there were bound to be some repercussions when rebooting an application with a 94% customer satisfaction rate. But some of the features Apple dropped — tape ingest, multiclip, backward compatibility, and the viewer itself — make the “Pro” moniker pretty hard to justify. I’m only getting my hands dirty with FCP X now — which, I should note, works perfectly on the video editor’s hackintosh — and while I’m definitely experiencing some growing pains getting used to the new interface, I feel it’s too early to tell whether I’ll go back to Premiere Pro. However, here are some quotes of what’s being said around the web. Also, I want to hear from you — what are your honest thoughts so far? (more…)

Here It Is: Final Cut Pro X Now Available on the Mac App Store Alongside Motion 5 and Compressor 4

Ryan Koo — Tue, 21 Jun 2011 17:01:19 +0000

As promised, Apple today released Final Cut Pro X on the Mac App Store for $299. The completely-redesigned, much debated application clocks in at 1.33GB and requires a 64-bit processor and OS X 10.6.7 or later. Also debuting today are Motion 5 and Compressor 4 — both priced at only $49.99 apiece. (more…)

Apple Set to Release FCP X Next Week Alongside New Thunderbolt Accessories

Ryan Koo — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 20:47:08 +0000

Reports are surfacing that Apple’s much-ballyhooed 64-bit editing application Final Cut Pro X will be released in the Mac App Store next week. AppleInsider has further confirmed the application will be released “in the next 10 days.” No word on whether this release also includes Motion, Color, Soundtrack Pro, or any other applications that may make up a professional content-creation suite, but the reports also mention that we should expect additional releases alongside the software: (more…)

More Final Cut Pro X Screenshots Show Off Advanced Color Grading Interface

Ryan Koo — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 19:56:08 +0000

More screenshots of Final Cut Pro X (set to be released this month) have been discovered via twitter, this time by @MortGoldman2. Apparently taken from FCP X training videos that the user claims are “publicly available” (though not found easily or released legally), the new screenshots demonstrate the color correction interface of FCP X, which looks a lot like the Motion screenshots we saw last week. The screens show off a new primary and secondary color correction interface, as well as a full suite of video scopes. From these screens, it would appear that Color (but not Motion) has been folded right into FCP X: (more…)

Are These the First Screenshots of the New Apple Motion? And FCP X Ships this Month, Right?

Ryan Koo — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:40:06 +0000

There were no Final Cut Pro X-related announcements among the recent iOS and iCloud-focused Apple updates from WWDC, which was not unexpected (WWDC is not traditionally a film or video event). Except it was originally announced Final Cut Pro X will ship in June, which would mean the much-debanticipated (yes, FCP X hype deserves its own word, a combination of “debated” and “anticipated”) software has a scant three weeks to appear in the App Store. Since the original demonstration, videos, and screenshots, we’ve heard nothing. Then Twitter use BWilks2001 dropped these screenshots, which are reportedly of the new Apple Motion application: (more…)

David Fincher's Streamlined, Almost DIY Post-Production Workflow for 'The Social Network'

Ryan Koo — Wed, 25 May 2011 19:40:46 +0000

I had no idea when watching David Fincher’s generation-defining (yeah, I said it) The Social Network that the RED-shot film would utilize a post-production process similar to what you or I could execute. It turns out that the crew on the award-winning film conformed all shots — and did some basic visual effects work — using Adobe After Effects, after utilizing Premiere Pro to get their Final Cut Pro timeline into AE. Yes, they also used higher-end tools — notably Quantel’s Pablo for the color grade — but the basic editing tools are the same as you or I might use on a no-budget project. Here’s Fincher and assistant editor Tyler Nelson on the process: (more…)

Full Resolution Screenshots of Final Cut Pro X and the Importance of Overcoming Lock-In

Ryan Koo — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 19:00:00 +0000

Some have pointed out that many of Final Cut Pro X’s much-lauded new features are not really that “new.” This backlash seems to happen with every Apple product, perhaps out of response to the rapturous reception with which Apple fanboys greet the superlative-laced presentations. In the case of FCP X, the criticism is that FCP X’s list of new features (seen on video) have been around for a while in other editing applications (notably Premiere and Vegas). But a list of features does not an editing program make. It’s not what features you include in a piece of software, it’s how you design them. Read on for some thoughts on intuitive design and a few full resolution screenshots of the new Final Cut Pro X. (more…)

See Apple's Final Cut Pro X Interface at Work in Unofficial Video

Ryan Koo — Thu, 14 Apr 2011 00:18:12 +0000

Apple hasn’t posted any official acknowledgement of last night’s demonstrations of Final Cut Pro X on their website, and so everyone on the internet is speculating based on lists of features rather than seeing the presentation. Until Apple gets official with any such announcement, then, the next best thing to an official video is an unofficial (kind of shaky) video of the presentation. In my liveblog of the event I noted, “editors are crazy,” and you’ll see that to be the case based on the overenthusiastic reactions here: (more…)

Apple Announces Redesigned 64-Bit Final Cut Pro X with Background Rendering for $299

Ryan Koo — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:25:18 +0000

I’m live at the sold-out FCPUG SuperMeet in Las Vegas, where the “surprise” guest has turned out to be none other than Apple (“surprise” is in quotes because everyone, this site included, expected it to be AAPL). As expected, Apple has announced the new version of Final Cut Pro, now called Final Cut Pro X, with OpenCL support, backround rendering, and a completely redesigned interface. Here are the new features: (more…)

Off to Vegas, Baby, Vegas and a Pre-NAB Panel on the Future of Editing

Ryan Koo — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:41:55 +0000

Thanks to your suggestions, I just finished packing the new and diminutive Canon XA10 camcorder (on loan from B&H) to take to NAB. I don’t know how many interviews I’ll be posting from Las Vegas or how quickly I’ll get them online, but I’ll be approaching the show with a relaxed demeanor given there are plenty of other great video/DSLR sites that will be covering the show top-to-bottom and I’m perfectly happy to share their coverage. If you’re going to be at NAB, please come up and say hi — I’d love to actually meet folks face to face (I look like this). On to the real news: every year Editors Lounge holds a pre-NAB roundtable wherein post-production pros discuss the latest trends in hardware and software. Here’s the very informative session in full: (more…)

Apple to Demonstrate the Next Final Cut Pro at NAB SuperMeet April 12

Ryan Koo — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 13:10:45 +0000

Every year at NAB the FCPUG (Final Cut Pro User Group) puts on their own event dubbed the “SuperMeet.” Since Apple pulled out of NAB two years ago, no one knew how the expected announcement of a new Final Cut Pro at this year’s NAB would take place. With all other scheduled events at this year’s SuperMeet suddenly being cancelled at the request of Apple, who apparently wants exclusive stage time, it looks like the new FCP will be unveiled publicly on April 12 at Bally’s Event Center. The event opens at 4:30pm with presentations beginning at 7. Tickets are currently sold out; guess I should’ve bought a ticket when I had a chance. More details: (more…)

Will Apple Split Up Final Cut Studio and Sell the Components a la Carte?

Ryan Koo — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 19:46:08 +0000

Since Apple showed a new version of Final Cut Pro behind closed doors, the internets have been flooded with all manner of speculation as to what is so groundbreaking about the latest update to FCP. Idle speculation alert — if you’re not a Final Cut-based editor or you simply don’t care about what could be, feel free to skip this post — we’ll get proper news soon enough. But because there are a lot of FCP editors out there — and because so many folks are throwing ideas at the wall — I thought I’d share a few of the ideas floating about. (more…)