The two big new features in the 10.0.3 update, which is free through the Mac App Store, are multicam editing, allowing users to automatically sync a maximum of 64 angles of video and photos, and a beta version of a broadcast monitoring feature that works with both Thunderbolt and PCIe cards. The removal of multi-camera editing was a major complaint among FCP 7 video editors, since it made combining photo and video from multiple camera sources a much more complicated process.

In addition to those new features, the update also brings improved image and color controls, including the introduction of color sampling, edge adjustment and light wrap editing abilities, which means you’ll be able to depend more on FCP X directly, and less on external programs like Motion when working with complex keying challenges, Apple said in its press release.

Apple also took the opportunity of the release to point out that the third-party application ecosystem for FCPX has grown considerably in recent months, and now includes tools like 7toX, which allows FCP7 projects to be imported to the newer software. The inability to import old projects in FCPX was another of the major complaints users had with the latest version.

Apple promised updates to answer a lot of user concerns with the software back when version 10.0.1 delivered XML support, and judging by a recent Ars Technica report on the continued reticence of video pros to use the software, the sooner it can deliver more updates like this one that address major pain points cited by users, the better.

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Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1, available through the Mac App Store right now, brings Xsan integration for distributed remote collaborative editing; XML support, which will allow project and event info to be imported and exported to external programs; and simplified export of audio, video and graphics with a new “Roles” feature. Other new additions include GPU-accelerated exports and full-screen mode for OS X Lion users, among others.

Still missing are oft-requested features like multi-camera support, but many of those are coming in 2012, according to Apple Director of Pro Video Product Marketing Richard Townhill, who spoke to Macworld about the release. Apple is clearly intent on keeping its earlier promises to disgruntled Final Cut customers, many of whom found the changes in FCP X to be more of a backslide as opposed to forward progress.

In order to convince those customers to take a second look, Apple has also introduced a free 30-day trial version of FCP X. True to the company’s dictum that the Mac App Store shall contain no trial software, the demo is available directly from its website. The trial can live comfortably alongside an existing Final Cut Pro install, so pros who want to give it a shot don’t have to worry about being unable to go back once the 30 days are over.

Apple may have made some serious miscalculations about what its pro customers were looking for with the initial release of FCP X, but version 10.0.1 shows for a fact that it is highly motivated to make amends for that lack of foresight. XML support in particular really unlocks the app’s potential, opening up editing to integration with lots of third-party apps. We’ll see if this update is enough to convince more pro customers to upgrade, or if users wait to see what other changes Apple introduces down the road.

Note that at the time of this writing, the update wasn’t yet live in the Mac App Store, and the Final Cut Pro X trial download link redirects to the Aperture demo. We expect Apple to resolve both of these issues shortly.

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Apple has apparently decided that the poor reception of Final Cut Pro X by many professional video editors isn’t going away on its own, and has released a special FAQ page to address commonly voiced concerns about its editing software. Arguably, it’s a step Apple should have taken before the FCP X release, not once opinion is starting to galvanize against it.

As digital media consultant and Final Cut expert Larry Jordan notes, Apple botched this launch. It did so by not recognizing that change, especially major change to a platform essential to how people make a living, often isn’t welcomed with open arms. That doesn’t mean Apple should just stick with what’s comfortable and give FCP customers a slightly tweaked version of what they already had. But it does mean it should have done a better job of anticipating sore spots for pros making the move to FCP X, and provided transition aids to make those changes less jarring — like the FAQ that arrived Wednesday, for instance.

The FAQ also reveals where Apple missed the mark with FCP X, and where it still needs to address concerns. It addresses some complaints, like the ability to support multi-cam editing, XML export, and audio track exporting, by promising the features will arrive in future updates. If these are big enough pain points to address now, however, it likely means they would have been relatively easy to anticipate and prepare for prior to release.

The FAQ describes other issues as things third-party add-ons should — and will — handle. It’s true that third-party developers need some time to cope with a new release, but again, it seems like Apple missed a trick by not making better use of its closed beta program to head these complaints off by working more closely with third-party devs.

The biggest issue many editing pros will probably have with this FAQ is that Apple doesn’t plan to offer project importing from FCP 7 to FCP X. It’s the first question Apple addresses, and it’s a complaint I’ve seen often. Apple says “there is no way to ‘translate’ or bring in old projects without changing or losing data,” due to FCP X’s completely redesigned project architecture and trackless editing. This may be one of the biggest problems for editors going forward, even after other issues are addressed with updates and third-party plugins.

I still think the strength of the reaction to FCP X has a lot to do with the shock of encountering a dramatically different program than people are used to, but there’s no doubt that Apple overestimated the willingness of users to jump on board a new way of doing things. If Apple had already identified problems like multi-cam support during the limited beta, it should have delayed the FCP X release until fixes were ready. And if it didn’t, it needs to rethink how it approached pre-release testing and who was included, since it seems like it might have been an excessively approving crowd.

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Final Cut Pro X arrived in the App Store today

This is only the most recent example of Apple bringing significant price cuts to once expensive software. Mac OS X 10.0 cost $129.99, for example, while even a family pack of Snow Leopard was priced at only $49, and a single user license was just $29. Lion, which is said to be coming in July, will cost $29 for a copy that can be used on multiple Macs associated with your Apple ID. Windows still starts at $79.95 for entry-level upgrade pricing, and can cost as much as $219.99, depending on the edition.

But pricing isn’t the only difference. Windows also divides its software product offerings, making clear distinctions between tools it thinks consumers need vs those that professional users would want. Apple has always done a good job of steering clear of such defined lines, and although it does offer an OS X Server variant of its software, that product is much more clearly designed for a very specific use than Microsoft’s “professional” grade operating systems.

Apple also seems to be gaining ground in the enterprise thanks in part to its refusal to target professionals specifically. BlackBerry tried that strategy, and while it worked well for many years, mobile companies now appear to be following Apple’s lead, realizing that the new path to the enterprise is by convincing individual users of the value of your product, and not necessarily by selling to corporate IT. Apple doesn’t ignore business, but it definitely doesn’t unduly prioritize that market, as evidenced by the decision to stop selling Xserve late last year.

$300 is still a lot of money for a consumer to spend on a single application, don’t get me wrong. But Final Cut Studio once cost $1300. To say that it isn’t more likely that hobbyists or pro-sumers will drop the cash to take their craft to the next level than it was four years ago just isn’t realistic.

Some might claim that the disappearance of Final Cut Express, Apple’s mid-range offering between Final Cut Pro and iMovie actually indicates the distinction between pro and consumer applications is getting more defined. But Final Cut Express was priced at $199, just $100 shy of the new Final Cut Pro X, and it didn’t incorporate the same audio and color correction tools of the newer application, plus it carried a lot of limitations that made it pale in comparison to the full Final Cut Pro product.

And that’s the key: Apple isn’t narrowing the gap between pro and consumer by leaving out features and dumbing things down; it’s making things easier, certainly, but it’s also just making them more affordable. It’s the smart move for a workforce that is becoming more and more contract-based, where freelancers often have to source their own tools in order to impress potential employers and win contracts.

Apple is already a company that knows how to make a tool that everyone can use. Now that it’s increasingly becoming one that also knows how to make tools that everybody can afford, there are even fewer barriers to the potential heights it can reach.

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Apple explains that in addition to it video editing features, Final Cut Pro X now also contains the key sound editing and color grading components once found in Color 1.5 and Compressor 3.5, allowing you to “use a single application for the entire post-production workflow.” Motion and Compressor remain distinct apps because of their unique functions, and basic DVD and Blu-ray authoring abilities are now contained in the main Final Cut product.

$300 may seem steep for a single program, but the revamped Final Cut Pro X actually does the work of about four programs from the original suite, which sold for $1,000. Final Cut Pro X also brings a lot of great new features, as shown off at NAB, an industry event for digital video audio and film professionals in April, including background rendering, which will allow editors to continue editing while video rendering takes place in the background. Other noteworthy new features include the new Magnetic Timeline, which lets you drag and drop clips wherever without breaking up existing elements, Smart Collections that analyze and scan your clip library and group like elements together (like close shots or group shots, for example).

Motion 5 brings new smart templates that allow you to use effects, transitions titles and more as you edit, and the interface is redesigned to make it easier to spot subtle color variations and effects in your content. Compressor 4 brings boosted export options, including HTTP live streaming support, and one-step streaming web playback output options designed for iOS device compatibility.

At $400 total for Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5 and Compressor 4, this represents a steep price drop from Final Cut Studio 3. Apple may have simplified its video editing product, but it doesn’t look like it cut too many corners in doing so, and it brings some exciting new features. Video editors: will you be taking the plunge or waiting to see how this new approach pans out?

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I learnt that the hard way earlier this week, when I had to master a DVD for a client. My intention was to export five segments from the timeline, each of which would have chapter markers, while the segment would itself become a ‘Play All’ clip. 

Having finished the edit in Final Cut Pro, I placed the necessary chapter markers in the timeline and exported each segment of the timeline as DV PAL 16:9 Anamorphic QuickTime clips. I chose this format since it was what the acquired footage was shot in. 

Once I’d imported the clips into iDVD, two problems surfaced: the 16:9 clips remained anamorphically squashed in the 4:3 ratio, and iDVD could not see the chapter markers in any of the clips. After some Googling, it turned out that the problems I was facing are known issues, according to two Apple support articles. 

In the first, Article TS2179, titled “iDVD: DV widescreen 16:9 workflow from Final Cut Pro”, warned that “if you export an anamorphic 16:9 DV sequence from Final Cut Pro with the intention of burning a DVD-Video of that sequence in iDVD…. Final Cut Pro does not include the widescreen aspect ratio information that iDVD looks for.” 

Great. Prior to discovering the support article, I had figured iDVD would be smart enough to unsqueeze 16:9 clips back into their original anamorphic aspect ratio since QuickTime Player did exactly that. 

The second problem is acknowledged in Article TS1233, titled “Final Cut Studio: “All Markers” option does not include DVD Chapter Markers”. The symptoms described in it goes: “When you export a QuickTime movie from Final Cut Pro, choosing the “All Markers” option does not include chapter markers that will function in DVD Stidio Pro or iDVD.” 

Right. 

Look at the screenshot of Final Cut Pro’s export dialog box above. You can see various types of markers listed. Any user would naturally assume that choosing “All Markers” would include all the types of markers. Why this is not the case for DV clips is a mystery only the FCP or iDVD folks at Apple would know, since the support article offers no explaination. 

If your editing workflow comprises exporting 16:9 clips from Final Cut Pro for DVD mastering in iDVD, you’ll have to avoid using the DV Widescreen format until this is fixed in a future release of iDVD or Final Cut Pro. In the meanwhile, if your workflow involves DV Widescreen, I recommend that you export your clips as ProRes 4:2:2.

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Apple’s Pro Lab Description

“During these free, four-part, eight-hour courses, you’ll meet fellow aspiring creative pros and learn solution-based workflows from our team of expert trainers. Learn how Aperture can revolutionize your photography workflow, how Final Cut Pro can help you edit your first independent feature or Logic can make it easier to write, record or edit your own music. At the end of the series, you’ll be able to share what you’ve learned with friends and family.”

Experience: The Beginning

I took the Final Cut Pro Pro Lab. This was my first experience with the West 14th Street Store. Upon asking where the Pro Labs were held, I was directed to the third floor. I did not know what to expect. The SoHo store houses an auditorium to teach its classes. The West 14th Street facility is completely different. There was a silver and white cardboard sign with the words “Pro Labs” held up by a thin metal pole on top of a table with six 17 inch MacBook Pros. This was the facility for the Pro Labs.

I introduced myself to the instructor, Johnathan. He is a tall, bald, bearded fellow in his twenties. I asked about the contents of the Pro Lab course and he told me everything I wanted to know. It appeared as if I would not learn anything new about Final Cut until several weeks into the course. At first, I was disappointed that we would be working on MacBook Pros instead of Mac Pros and the content of the course would not cover advanced topics for two weeks. This disappointment dissipated over the course of the labs.

The labs are limited to six people per month. Sign up is available at an Apple site. There is also a wait list available. At the lab, I was told that the wait list was pretty much worthless unless a person notifies the Apple Store in advance that they will not be attending. If someone no-shows, then that spot goes unfilled. I was placed on the wait list for several months before getting into the Pro Lab. I even resorted to making the sign up page my home page so I could get into the class.ﾠ

The People

My class was started off with five relatively young people. The class went through attendance fluctuations from as much as five to as little as two. Someone even suggested that the store incentive the completion of a Pro Lab with a discount on Final Cut Studio software. The instructor thought it was a good idea. However, I still think there is something odd about incentivizing a free course — though, I would not turn down a discount for some expensive software.

The class was made up of people with varying backgrounds. One individual worked for a local news station and had experience with many other types of video production software, but was interested in learning about Final Cut. Effectively, the course was a bit of remapping of keyboard shortcuts and differently named features standard in many video editing packages. Another was a director who had created several music videos that aired on MTV using iMovie ’06 and wanted to move to the next step. Only one person had no experience with video editing and appeared to be there because she had nothing better to do.

I did not get to know the other student very well, but she appeared to have experience in editing and explained the uses of the tools. When we went over the Trim Edit Window, I asked “When would you use this tool?” she had the answer in real life terms. “You would use this when you were doing quick editing of dialogue between two people.” “Oh.” Myself, I had attended several Final Cut workshops at the SoHo Apple Store and sought to solve problems I had run into in the past. Everyone got along quite well and no one student dominated the lab.

Hardware

Each student was provided with a 17-inch MacBook Pro attached to a Firewire 800 external drive for each class of the course. At the end of class, the instructor would collect the hardware and place it into a lockable rolling cart. We nicknamed it the “$20,000 Cart” because it contained more than just the laptops. I was told that the computers we used were the latest models. I did not get the specs for the notebooks. I am the owner of a 15-inch Intel Core Duo MacBook Pro, so this was a new experience. Not having to lug around my MacBook Pro was pleasant since it does not handle Final Cut Pro as well as the new machines.

The Classes

How do these pro labs operate? Take your seat at your MacBook Pro. At one end of the table is the instructor, at the other end is an Apple Cinema Display showing a Keynote presentation. We ran through numerous topics over the span of the course: Day 1 – Basics of Video, Project Set-up and Importing; Day 2 – Basic Editing; Day 3 – Filters, Effects and Titling; and Day 4 – Keyframing, Audio & Output.

When I started out at this lab, I thought I would not get any new information for awhile. I was incorrect. Obviously, there was some overlap as to the material covered between the Final Cut Pro Pro Lab and the Final Cut Workshops. Since Final Cut is so dense, I learned some new things starting on Day 1.

Each class started off in a friendly manner. Since the class was so small, our instructor got to know each of us quite well. After an exchange of pleasantries, we would start by turning to view the Keynote presentation. Keynote was used to illustrate abstract concepts easily such as resolutions, aspect ratios, and keyframing. These Keynotes are not given to the students, but you are free to take as many notes as you want.

While the instructor was going over material, you could either follow along by trying to keep up on your MacBook Pro or just take notes. After we were introduced to some material, we would be given an “Activity.” An “Activity” is an assignment to apply the material to footage. We were given access to 1080P HD material from a documentary. We would learn how to put together clips in the Timeline, put in transitions, or effects. Experimenting was encouraged. At one point, I found a feature in Final Cut and asked the instructor about it. The instructor, a guy with considerable experience with Final Cut, did not know about the feature. This just goes to show you that Final Cut is very feature dense.

Comparing a Workshop with the Pro Lab

The SoHo store offers weekly workshops in Final Cut Pro. The workshops are a great way to get a basic handle on Final Cut Pro’s interface and some advanced features. The Pro Labs go well beyond the material covered at the workshops. Additionally, due to the nature of the lab, it was much easier to ask questions and learn hands-on. Workshops last about an hour, but the Pro Labs give you twice that amount of time. There was plenty of time to learn by doing during the Pro Labs.

The workshops are much more rushed and are more like a lecture class. There are few questions by the audience. Real life error messages are dealt with very quickly in the Pro Lab. Should you run into a problem, all you have to do is ask your instructor and he will come over and help you out. However, the workshops cover more of Final Cut Studio’s programs. The Pro Lab was focused on Final Cut Pro and we did not leave that particular application for the eight hours. The workshops also sometimes push the product — “This is why you should buy Final Cut Pro! 6 applications for only $1300. You couldn’t get this kind of suite years ago!” Sometimes it feels like an advertisement. Not so with the Pro Lab.ﾠ

Conclusion

Was it worth it? The Pro Labs are definitely worth the time. Final Cut Pro has so many features that it is hard to master without some instruction. Every class, I learned something new. Final Cut training can costs hundreds of dollars. The Pro Lab is free and is a great money saver. The labs are limited in their capacity and subject matter. If you cannot make a workshop or lab, Apple also offers “One to One,” a service of training that costs $99 for a year where you can get trained for one hour per week in whatever application you would like. If you want to learn Final Cut for a bargain and there is an Apple Store offering Pro Labs, definitely check out the course. You’ll learn some very valuable information.

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