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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The New York Times‘ David Pogue, using info supplied by Apple itself, posted a Q&A Thursday addressing many complaints emailed him regarding his mostly positive review of FCP X. Pogue contends that many of the shortcomings editors are finding in the new pro video editing software from Apple are either issues that the company plans to address with updates or are features that were introduced via third-party plugins and drivers, which will probably be addressed in the same way again, once people have spent some time with the software.

Pogue’s column doesn’t address every complaint, and as you can see in the video below, the issue has grown big enough that Conan O’Brien skewered it on his show Thursday night. But Apple clearly seems dedicated to making FCP X a more full-featured product, with lots of planned additions in later updates, including multi-camera support, one of the most noteworthy omissions from the latest version.

Here’s the thing: In a time when minor aesthetic updates to Facebook’s home page are greeted with petitions that attract thousands of users, is it any surprise that a radically different Final Cut Pro would be met with resistance? Final Cut Pro is an essential tool for many, and one they use every day. Not many liked Office 2007 when it came out either, and many complaints were the same, with users citing an inability to do things or find features.

Apple seems committed to listening to user feedback, and it has always iterated its software products with one eye to addressing outstanding issues, including through iOS and OS X updates. Also, Final Cut Pro 7 isn’t being banished from use. I still know many professional video editors working for large media companies that are now two versions behind, in fact, and so aren’t terribly concerned about what the newest version has or doesn’t have to offer. But I’d love to hear from other video professionals what they think about FCP X. Is this just a case of users requiring an adjustment period for a new product that doesn’t look all that familiar, or is it an example of Apple dropping the ball in a much more serious way?

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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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Final Cut Pro X brings a number of new features (via TUAW) to the editing platform, including full 64-bit compatibility, and the ability to take advantage of the processing power of all cores of a Mac’s CPU, in addition to the GPU using Snow Leopard’s Grand Central Dispatch feature. This should improve rendering times, especially on more powerful machines like Mac Pros.

The new version of the app also sports a brand-new visual look, resolution-independent playback, and content analysis, which allows it to detect whether shots are close-ups, medium or wide-angle, identify people or groups, and more. The new recognition features feed into Smart Collections, which automatically groups different types of shots. It’s sort of like Faces and Places for iPhoto, but much more powerful and with video as well as stills.

Final Cut Pro X also features many new non-destructive editing tools, like primary audio and video that can’t be knocked out of sync accidentally, and secondary audio that can be locked to video if that’s what an editor requires. Final Cut also now seems to be able to detect primary and audio tracks: for example, when you have an actor wearing a microphone but also have the camera’s microphone working. The new Magnetic Timeline automatically moves audio out of the way when you move video, while the timeline automatically adjusts, which should make it easier to drop clips in later without worrying about screwing up timing later on.

All rendering is now handled in the background, too, without any interruption to your primary workflow. That alone will probably make a significant difference in the lives of many video editors. Apple didn’t reveal details regarding the rest of the Final Cut Studio suite, which includes apps like Color, Motion and Soundtrack Pro in addition to Final Cut Pro. The full Final Cut Studio package retails for $999, so it’s possible Apple will be separating out the suite’s components and selling them individually on the Mac App Store, as it has done with the iLife and iWork suites.

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