UPDATED – Jan. 31, Feb. 1

Today, Apple announced the latest update to Final Cut Pro X. Following its announcement last September that the next major version of the software would include support for multicam editing and broadcast monitoring, this update delivers on that promise.

THE HEADLINES

This FREE update – now available in the Mac App Store – includes:

• Project import from FCP 7 to FCP X (via a 3rd-party utility)
• Clip relinking
• Multicam
• Layered Photoshop import
• Broadcast monitor output
• And dozens of other features

According to the Release Notes from Apple, Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.3 adds the following features:

• Multicam editing with automatic sync and support for mixed formats, mixed frame rates, and up to 64 camera angles
• Media relink for manual reconnect of projects and Events to new media
• Ability to import and edit layered Photoshop graphics
• Advanced chroma keying with controls for color sampling, edge quality, and light wrap
• XML 1.1 with support for exporting basic primary color grades and both importing and exporting effect parameters and audio keyframes
• Multiple improvements to the Color Board, including new key commands, editable numeric fields, and adjustable parameters that act like infinite sliders when dragged
• Ability to reorder color corrections in the Inspector
• Reveal in Event Browser shows clip range in the filmstrip while in List View
• Batch offset for clip date and time
• Ability to search text added to Favorite and Reject ranges
• Automatic restore of projects and Events in case of file corruption
• Beta version of broadcast monitoring with third-party PCIe and Thunderbolt I/O devices

Final Cut Pro X version 10.0.3 also improves overall stability and performance, and addresses the following issues:

• Improves performance when editing text in titles
• Improves performance when applying an effect from the Effect Browser
• Improves key-framing behavior in the Inspector, with keyframes automatically added when moving to a new point in time and adjusting a parameter
• Modifies transition behavior so that all newly added transitions use available media and maintain project length
• Fixes an issue which affected audio solo while skimming
• Resolves issues related to using Synchronize Clips with media containing a silent audio channel
• Fixes an issue in which constant speed retiming was not properly applied when using the Paste Effects command

I had a chance to talk to Apple and spend some time with the updated app ahead of today’s release of Final Cut Pro 10.0.3. This isn’t a review – I haven’t had the time for that. Instead, let me give you my initial reactions to the new features in the upgrade.

FINALLY – WE CAN CONVERT PROJECTS!!!

First, thanks to the hard work of Philip Hodgetts and Greg Clark, Intelligent Assistance has released a utility with Apple’s blessing that supports transferring projects from Final Cut Pro 7 to Final Cut Pro X called “7toX.”

As Philip told me: “We worked very hard to offer a very high fidelity conversion, so that editors can take their Final Cut Pro 7 projects forward to Final Cut Pro X’s efficient working environment.”

With 7toX for Final Cut Pro, the high fidelity translation moves Bins and Sequences from Final Cut Pro 7 to Final Cut Pro X with Keyword Collections representing Bins and Compound Clips converted from Sequences. All Bins and Sequences are recreated with no metadata or log notes from Final Cut Pro 7 being lost.

All Motion tab settings and keyframes are translated into their equivalent in Final Cut Pro X; more than 20 Transitions and 45 Filters are matched and applied, including matching Color Correction filters from Final Cut Pro 7 mapped to the Color Board; and full support for Multicam.

7toX for Final Cut Pro fully reports any variation from the original using Final Cut Pro X’s To Do Markers and the original track numbers are applied to Clips in a Project as a Final Cut Pro X Role.

This is such a significant feature that I’ll cover it more in a separate blog later this week. Click here for more information: www.intelligentassistance.com.

Apple set the standard for multi-camera editing when it was introduced in Final Cut 5 — and totally blew past it with this latest release:

• Edit up to 64 cameras simultaneously, using 4 banks of 16 images each
• Combine any video format, frame rate, or image size into the same multicam clip
• Integrate video, audio, or stills in the same multicam clip
• Sync clips automatically using audio waveforms or manually using timecode, markers, or other options
• Reach “inside” a multicam clip and resync clips, apply filters, add or remove angles, or change the angle order at any time in the editing process
• Instantly switch between proxy and optimized media during playback to maximize hard disk throughput

This feature is amazing. Far more flexible than the multicam in FCP 7, it simplifies multicam editing using either the Viewer or the keyboard. The ability to revise multicam clips even after they are edited to the Timeline is very, very slick..

However, as HD files increase in size, this will benefit from every bit of speed your hard disk can throw at it. This is a perfect application for a Thunderbolt RAID.

I know none of your clips have ever gone off-line, but with all the files I’m juggling over here, it happens to me ALL the time.

Now, we can relink clips from either the Event Browser or the Project Timeline. Linking from the Event Browser reestablishes links to every occurrence of that clip in every Project. Linking clips from the Project Timeline simply reconnects that clip for that Project.

Relinking is as straightforward as it was in FCP 7 – with the added ability to change the links in a Project separate from changing links in the Event Browser.

Importing layered Photoshop files now works the same as it did in Final Cut Pro 7. Each layer of the graphic opens as a layer inside FCP X in what is essentially a compound clip. You can animate individual layers, apply filters, scale, rotate… all the stuff we could do before in 7, we can do again.

Just a note, however, that lPhotoshop ayer effects are not supported. This means that, just as with FCP 7, you need to rasterize any layer effects in Photoshop before bringing the file over to FCP X.

Apple says that this is included in this release, but is still in beta. That’s because to get an external monitor to work, you’ll need a Thunderbolt Mac, connected to either an AJA, Blackmagic Design, or Matrox conversion box, and not all these devices are shipping yet..

AJA has just released their IO XT unit, which is their version of what you’ll need to make this work. I have been told that Blackmagic Design is not far behind; and Matrox has committed to providing gear as well – though that may be a bit farther away.

However, Apple says that while video monitoring works fine for general editing, they are not happy with the performance of video monitoring for multicam clips, so Apple is continuing to work with their partners to get the performance up to their satisfaction.

One of the features Apple first touted in FCP X was its support for ColorSync to maintain consistent color throughout editing. This is an excellent solution for editors that only need to go to the web. What’s missing is any documentation from Apple on how to set this up. I’m hoping that they will publish this workflow on their website in the near future.

UPDATE – Jan. 31: In reading a white paper from AJA about FCP X 10.0.3, I learned that the Kona/3 card is supported in MacPros using updated drivers. Check out the AJA website for more details — www.aja.com/pdf/FCP_X_and_AJA.pdf.

UPDATE – Feb. 1: Blackmagic Design announced this morning support for FCP X with their release of Desktop Video 9.2 beta 1, a free download that supports DeckLink, Multibridge, Intensity, and UltraStudio – www.blackmagic-design.com

Many file-based cameras assign names to clips that only a cryptologist could love. This update now allows you to rename clips in batches, using naming presets that you can create or modify, from about two dozen template elements.

UPDATE: I just learned that this feature is also in FCP X 10.0.2. I have a note in to Apple to see what’s new about this feature in this version.

But, what really fascinates me is the amount of refinement in the smaller details with this release. Apple seems to have worked hard polishing the details, as well as inventing the big stuff.

For example….

Apple has added more flexibility to the Color Board through additional keyboard shortcuts and the ability to enter corrections numerically.

Video scope keyboard shortcuts have changed. And Command+7 now remembers the last scope you used, rather than returning to the benighted Histogram! (Scopes have also sprouted brightness controls.)

The chroma-keyer, which was totally rewritten for FCP X, has been updated with additional controls brought over from Motion 5. Now it is easier to adjust an image for translucency, add light wrap, and tweak the background color selections to clean up bad lighting, background wrinkles, or just general malfeasance on the part of the production crew.

There’s a lot to like with these keyer settings and the whole combination is a vast improvement over the native keying in FCP 7. Sadly, though, the mask function hasn’t changed and is seriously underpowered.

FCP X now automatically backups up every Project and Event folder. This is designed as an automatic recovery system should some wayward binary bad guys corrupt a file. Backups occur every 15 minutes whenever a file has changed. Since Final Cut already saves everything you do as soon as you do it, these backups are best thought of as disaster recovery.

We can now adjust the camera-stamped date and time associated with any clip. Since this can be used by a multicam clip for syncing, this becomes a very useful addition.

Transitions now default to using available media. Gone is the preference setting for “Full Overlap,” where the entire right side of your project was pulled left to get a transition with insufficent handles to work. Now, if you don’t have enough handles (extra media before the In or after the Out) FCP will popup a dialog asking what you want to do.

New preferences are added to clarify dropped frame warnings and enable broadcast monitors.

There is now a keyboard shortcut to apply a default full-screen title at the position of the skimmer or playhead – Control+T. AND a keyboard shortcut to apply a default lower-third title at the position of the skimmer or playhead – Shift+Control+T. Both of these new titles support full font styling, but don’t come with any annoying animation.

Cool!

Apple has told me on many occasions that they are committed to improving Final Cut Pro X to meet the needs of video professionals. Their record since then backs this up.

Since Final Cut was released last June, it has had two major updates and one minor bug fix. Several of their innovative features released as part of these updates – Roles and Multicam come immediately to mind – are stunning.

I will be the first to say that FCP X had a very controversial birth. I will also say that this version of Final Cut is not perfect — there are features that I wish it had that are still missing. But, with this update, my list of “I wants” is much shorter. I’m looking forward to exploring this version in more detail and writing about it in coming weeks.

If your deadlines are getting shorter and budgets are tight; and you need a fast, powerful system optimized for tapeless editing, the latest version of Final Cut Pro X delivers an amazing range of features in an easy-to-use package.

If you haven’t looked at Final Cut Pro X in a while, it’s time to take another look. Apple’s been making major improvements.

Let me know what you think.

Larry

P.S.While working with the software, I’ve assembled a series of ten training movies highlighting how to use the new features in the 10.0.3 release. Priced at only $19.99, and offering more than an hour of step-by-step traiining, these will get you started fast and right. Click here to learn more.

However, for the last few months, I write several new articles a week covering Final Cut Pro X and post them to the Editing Resource Library on my website. There’s a lot of misinformation out there about what the program does and doesn’t do. My step-by-step techniques are designed to show you exactly how make the most of this new program.

So, just to show you what’s available, here’s a list of my most recent articles on Final Cut Pro X. I have dozens of articles – all available for free – that can help answer your questions about this program.

NOTE: Visit my Editing Resources page for a list of most recent and most popular articles. This page updates in real-time.

FCP X: The Limiter Filter

FCP X: Match Audio Between Clips

FCP X: Adding Video to a Shape

FCP X: Enhancing Audio

FCP X: Compound Clip Secrets

FCP X: Animating Timeline Effects

FCP X: Adding Timecode to Clips

FCP X: Copying and Pasting Clips

FCP X: Saving Audio Presets

FCP X: Quick Color Correction

FCP X: Create a Picture-in-Picture Effect

Before the doors to MacWorld opened, I had the chance to sit down with Gary Adcock, founder of Studio 37, who lives somewhere beyond the high-end of today’s market.

“So, Gary,” I asked, “is the world really going to 4K?”

“Absolutely,” he replied,

And we launched into a wonderful conversation about 4K images, quad-HD, monitors, codecs, camera formats, and an eclectic discussion of the challenges of working with $100,000 cameras and lenses.

I loved it. Gary is a gifted story-teller and I’ll write about our discussion once I understand it better. I left convinced that the march toward higher resolution was inevitable.

Then, the doors to MacWorld 2012 opened and the first booth I saw was i4Software extolling the virtues of editing video on an iPhone.

Talk about mental whiplash…!

Last night, I presented a demo on Final Cut Pro X at the San Francisco Apple Store to about 70 people. Over half the people there had not edited video before. And less than 10% (because I asked for a show of hands) had ever been paid to edit video.

This got me reflecting on who is a professional and the future of video editing.

If video is your hobby, you can view the tumult our industry is going through with a bemused smile, as you watch an industry reinvent itself from the inside out.

However, if your livelihood depends upon trying to figure out what the heck is going on, that bemused smile turns into a terrified grin because all this industry change makes you feel like you are riding in a little red wagon while traveling at breakneck speed down a foggy mountain road.

Terrifying is a good way to describe today’s professional video environment.

MACWORLD

MacWorld made an interesting shift this year. The last time I attended, three years ago, it was all iPod covers and iPhone cases. It was in danger of become Walmart.

This year, I felt like I was in Best Buy. Something intriguing lurked around each corner. There were the obligatory covers and cases – including, yes, an iPhone case that doubled as a bottle opener – but there were interesting vendors hidden in plain sight.

MacWorld showcased the world of mobile devices. I was reminded of the photographer’s credo: “The camera in your hand is better than the camera you left at home.”

As I walked the show floor I saw crowds in the i4Software booth learning how to shoot and edit video on an iPhone using their Video Camera app.

Cinefy showed its app for video editing on the iPhone.

Blue showcased their family of professional mics that plugged directly into an iPhone or iPad.

MicW Audio highlighted some amazing small mics – both lavaliere and condenser that plugged directly into an iPhone or iPad.

iPro Lens presented its wide angle and fish-eye lenses for the iPhone.

Audio Engine devoted their booth to wirelessly streaming 24-bit audio from a computer to a personal or professional sound system.

And, probably my favorite booth was IndiSystem. This was run by a long-time grip with an infectious smile, who, in addition to a wealth of ideas, has access to 3D modeling tools, aluminum extruders, precision lathes, and a plastic model shop. He runs a hardware-creation toy store! Out of this, he created iSupport: incredible camera accessories – like jibs, camera sliders, and grips – for the iPhone. Perfect tools for photographing miniatures!

After walking MacWorld, I was reminded of Wayne Gretzke’s famous quote: “A good hockey player plays where the puck is. A great hockey player plays where the puck is going to be.”

THE IMPLICATIONS

The high-end of the market is not going away; the world of Gary Adcock attests to that.

But the tools are changing. And I think MacWorld is showing us where the puck is going to be. Not for the high-end, perhaps, but for the rest of us.

Last night, at the SuperMeet, Alex Buono, the head of the Film Unit for Saturday Night Live, explained that he gets a script on Thursday, shoots on Friday, and airs on Saturday. Speed and workflow are everything to him. He shoots on a variety of cameras, with emphasis on the Canon 5D, 7D, and 1D. (And the new Canon C300.)

With budgets continually shrinking, camera technology morphing on a daily basis, and deadlines ridiculously short, I think we need to redefine “professional.”

There is a time and place for “heavy iron.” Some shows require all the equipment we can throw at them… (I was told recently that the SuperBowl will have 43 robotically controlled cameras this year.)

But all too often we define ourselves in terms of the tools we use. As soon as we do that, however, we limit our opportunities.

At the SuperMeet lounge last night, I was hanging around the Peachpit Press booth when an editor walked up and told me that when he first saw a demo of Adobe Premiere in 1997, he was busy editing linear tape and laughed when Adobe showed how to do a DVE move in software.

“Shoot,” he said, “with our equipment we pressed a few buttons on the switcher, recorded it live, and we were done.”

“Yes,” I said, “but it took you three-quarters of a million dollars of equipment to do it.”

“Ah,” he replied, laughing, “but it wasn’t my money!”

Today, it’s our money. And our time. And this affects our ability to feed our families. Technology this year is in a whirlwind of evolution, constrained only by the sluggishness of the economy.

Philip Hodgetts presented three ideas last night at the SuperMeet that can help us grow our business. He suggested we:

1. Mind our own business. That is, figure out what business we are actually in and why someone else would want to do business with you.
2. Give yourself an unfair advantage. That is, network with the people around you and stay informed and up-to-date.
3. Own a piece of the action. That is, create something that you own and can sell yourself.

Just as the DV revolution undermined film, the new mobile revolution threatens a lot of what we used to believe in. But it also provides us a lot of opportunities if we recognize that people coming new to video on mobile devices can benefit from what we know.

Forcing the story to fit the technology you know is a trap. It will work for the short-term, but longer term you get pigeon-holed in a backwater with no clients. Don’t let old habits prevent you from learning new techniques.

All of us are story-tellers at heart. Focus on the story and your creative approach to it. When you let the story guide you to the technology it needs to be told, you will always be in demand.

People pay money to hear good stories well told. They could care less about the gear you use to tell them.

Let me know what you think,

Larry

Behind the Seen: How Walter Murch Edited Cold Mountain Using Apple’s Final Cut Pro and What This Means for Cinema by Charles Koppelman.

Mastering MultiCamera Techniques: From Preproduction to Editing and Deliverables by Mitch Jacobson.

Apple Pro Training Series: Motion 5 by Mark Spencer.

The Green Screen Handbook: Real-World Production Techniques by Jeff Foster.

All the books on color grading and correction by Alexis Van Hurkman.

Real World Video Compression by Andy Beach.

All books on video compression by Brian Gary.

Video Compression for Flash, Apple Devices, and HTML5 by Jan Ozer.

In the Blink of an Eye Revised 2nd Edition by Walter Murch.

The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film.
by Michael Ondaatie

One the the secrets that I’ve learned to improving both my production and editing skills is to watch a video with the sound turned off. This allows me to concentrate on the visual without getting hooked into the story. It is always enlightening to see how much you can learn this way. I use this technique for my own work, as well as analyzing the work of others. Best of all, it doesn’t require any money or special gear, just an ability to focus on the screen and learn from what you see.

(Caution: I’ve found that this technique drives the rest of my family nuts! So, I’ve been told this is an activity best done when no one else is around.)

Also, please stop by my Amazon Author Page and leave a comment. And I would be remiss if I failed to suggest that you purchase my newest book: Final Cut Pro X: Making the Transition at Amazon.com. Lots of great tricks and tips techniques packed into one slim volume to help you Power Up your editing!

Let me know what you think.

Larry

I thought you might be interested in how we are covering it.

We have equipped each of our reporters – Ed Clark and Tchad Moore – with a Zoom H4n digital recorder and two Shure SM58 hand mikes.

Our producers – Cirina Catania and Debbie Price – have scheduled interviews with conference speakers and key industry leaders which Ed and Tchad then interview. (We are always interested in interviewing new people — let me know if you want to be added to our list.)

The interviews are transferred from the Zoom recorders via USB and compressed, in their raw state, into a single ZIP file which is transferred to our home offices here in LA via Dropbox.

The files are then downloaded and edited by Hilary White and myself. As soon as they are edited, the files are posted to our GV Expo Buzz website, while two or three of our favorite interviews will be featured on this week’s show, with a few more featured next week.

If you haven’t checked out our latest interviews, make a point to visit here.

And, if you are in the DC area, swing by the Walter Washington Conference Center and check out the exhibits. They always have a great collection of new gear that’s worth seeing.

Thanks – and let me know what you think.

Larry

Tom Keith died yesterday, the LA TIMES reported this morning.

For those that have not fallen under the spell of a “Prairie Home Companion,” hosted by Garrison Keillor, a blank look can be forgiven. Prairie Home has been on the air since the early 1970’s. It’s a radio show, airing Saturday evenings live from St. Paul, Minnesota.

Robert Altman’s last film, “A Prairie Home Companion,” presented an evening at a show — thus forever confirming that what goes on behind the scenes is ALWAYS more interesting than what goes on in front.

But radio is theater of the mind – and that’s where Tom Keith came in. What does a grade school teacher sound like when instantly being shrunk from 6 feet to 3 inches? Or a drunken caribou stubbing his toe? Tom instinctively knew how to make the sound, and the composure to create it in real-time for a live radio show.

Sound effects that were undeniably believable and off-the-wall funny. Tom could carry an entire scene on sound effects alone.

While I have met Garrison Keillor, I never met Tom Keith. I had the pleasure of watching the show live on two occasions, plus many more when PBS would broadcast a simulcast. Garrison is the soul of the show, but Keith was its heart.

“Tom was one of radio’s great clowns,” said Keillor. “He was serious about silliness and worked hard to get a moo exactly right and the cluck, too, and the woof. His whinny was amazing.”

It struck me, as I was reading the obituary, that we all get so caught up in the technology, that we forget the magic.

Tom Keith, armed with only a pair of hands, a versatile mouth, and a light-speed imagination, brought the impossible to life.

I will miss his singing walrus, the pre-pubescent teenager forever coping with growing up, and the garbage truck backing up into a tree. Because I can see them in my mind as clearly as if I were there. And I was.

The imagination of the mind trumps the imagination of the screen — and I’m grateful Tom lived to remind me of that.

Larry

Most of the performance video techniques that we rely on today were invented by these two guys. To my mind, they are the gold standard against which all other performance videos need to be judged.

Anyway, I was given a ticket to a preview of the upcoming 3D Glee Concert Movie. So I went to see it tonight. (And, yup, I’m a fan of the show — it has singing and dancing!)

The movie interweaves three storylines: onstage performances to what looks like a crowd of about 50,000 enraptured screaming Gleeks, backstage with the performers getting ready to go on, and interviews and profiles of fans.

Its also shot in 3D.

For people interested in production and editing the movie is worth seeing for a variety of reasons.

First, the sheer energy, enthusiasm, and talent of the performers just radiates off the screen. It is enormous fun watching talented performers who clearly enjoy what they are doing.

Second, the editing on the main set pieces is always good and many times borders on amazing. The performance by The Warblers is an outstanding example of successful editing in a 360 degree environment. The Puck solo as he traverses the entire floor of the stadium is a great balance between being lost with the crowd and keeping the viewer oriented. And the dance number by Brittany and her backup dancers is a clinic on how to edit dance for the big screen.

However, there are also a number of other things to watch that didn’t work so well. Notice how 3D does not enhance the performance. In many cases, there were real issues where they had trouble shooting a live scene and keeping performances separated from the screen plane. All too often, the performer would touch the edge of the physical frame and the 3D effect was lost. The Mercedes set piece is an excellent example of the breakdown of the screen plane. 3D may sell tickets, but it doesn’t enhance the performance… especially a live performance when so much of camera work is “keeping up and winging it.”

Another issue with 3D is that camera angles that work in 2D, don’t work in 3D. An example of this is a low camera angle shooting up at a performer. Very uncomfortable. Also, fast cuts that work great in 2D, are too fast in 3D. The brain can’t orient in space fast enough.

The whole 3D editing issue needs to be thought through more when dealing with fast-paced music. In this case, the cutting was too fast and the 3D made it disorienting.

Notice how hard it is to weave three separate storylines, and five different Gleek profiles into a coherent performance video. Also notice that the documentary sections switches into 2D, then back to 3D for the music. As an editor, how would you handle the challenge?

For anyone who’s a fan of the show, the movie is well worth seeing.

For people who are fans of production and editing, the movie provides an exceedingly good example of what works and what doesn’t when integrating performance with documentary footage. And, while most of us don’t work on this scale or with these budgets, this combination is a popular format where we are all wrestling with the same issues:

* How do we transition from speaking to performance and make it appear seamless?
* Is the musical performance enough to carry the film? If not, what do we need to add?
* How do we compensate for the inherent imperfections in a live performance?
* How do you edit multi-camera musical performance without excessive jump cuts and without obstructing the flow of the performance itself?
* How important is it to make people in the film audience feel like they are in the concert audience?

An example of this last question is compare the editing of this concert to the editing in “Singing in the Rain,” any Fred Astaire movie, or “Woodstock.” The Glee movie has outstanding talent that can easily fill the frame, yet, many times, the editors were afraid to stay with a shot, cutting off action too soon, just to keep the pace up.

Many times, I feel that editors are afraid to trust their actors to fill a scene. That the imperative of cuts for the sake of cutting gives the illusion of pacing, but actually obscures what’s going on and frustrates the audience.

When you are trying to hide the fact that your performers are inept, then rapid cutting, shaky handheld shots, wild angles, bad lighting, and unmotivated effects are the rule. But when you have talent that glows, cutting too soon should be a crime.

I enjoyed the movie. And I’m old school – I’ll buy it on DVD when it comes out. Its worth watching more than once because there’s a lot we can learn from it – both good and bad.

As always, let me know what you think.

Larry

My blog this morning – Who’s Accountable – touched a nerve because, in addition to the people that commented directly on the blog, I’ve also had several private conversations with Apple and people who are very, very upset with Apple.

What’s become obvious over the last week, is that the way the Final Cut Pro X launch was handled has totally overshadowed the features of Final Cut Pro X.

Over the last several days, I’ve been consumed with trying to decide what to do – stay with Final Cut or move to another platform. If I switch, what do I switch to? What advice should I give to others trying to make the same choice?

As my office will attest, all this internal debating has not made me a pleasant person to be around.

Let me share my thinking with you — then, you can decide for yourself whether you agree or disagree.

First, let me say that I think the launch of Final Cut Pro X was very badly handled. As I’ve written, I don’t think Apple needed to cancel Final Cut Studio (3) as abruptly and coldly as they did. They should have given us more time to make an orderly transition. They were thinking as a technology company, not as editors managing a decade of assets.

Canceling Final Cut Server, even though it was incompatible with Final Cut Pro X, has unnecessarily jeopardized companies building a business on that platform.

Apple never does things accidentally, so they will disagree with me. Probably strongly disagree… I remember a remark one of the people at Apple told me before the launch, in that they were expecting a lot of controversy over the new version of Final Cut Pro.

Well, we can certainly agree about that.

I also think that Apple seriously erred in not providing a conversion utility between Final Cut Pro 7 and FCP X. The one-two punch of canceling FCS (3) and an inability to convert old projects dominated the discussion far more than the merits of FCP X.

Apple will disagree, but the launch did not take the feelings and passion of editors properly into account. And damage was done.

On the other hand, there are some very cool new features in Final Cut Pro X. Some editors are writing and telling me how much they are enjoying the new program. (Just as other editors are writing to tell me, at length, why they are moving to Avid or Adobe.)

There’s a lot of passion on both sides. And both sides have some truth behind them.

But, let’s look at a few more points:

* Apple said in their presentation at NAB that FCP X redefines video editing for the next ten years. There is lots of additional development planned.

* Apple told me that because FCP X is distributed via the App Store, they can update the program much more frequently than when it was sold as a package on DVD.

* Apple wrote in their FAQ that they are already working on adding new features, such as XML and multicam, to the product and releasing updates quickly.

* Apple has stressed that FCP X is designed to provide a feature set for professionals, and not just as an upgrade for iMovie. (I am not saying they MET the needs of professionals, but a look at the architecture of FCP X reveals features that no iMovie user would ever need.)

* However, it is also self-evident that Apple needed to provide a clear and consistent upgrade path to iMovie users who were totally lost trying to understand how Final Cut Express works. Apple feels that it is possible for one product to meet both needs.

As I wrote in an earlier blog – Moving Forward – the first rule of business is to stay in business. All of us should keep an eye on our options. Check out what Avid, Adobe, and Media 100 are offering. If you feel you can’t wait, then switch.

But I would also suggest that many of us would benefit by taking a deep breath and giving Apple a chance to live up to their promises for the program.

Final Cut Studio (3) still works.

It took Avid, Adobe, and Apple many years to evolve their programs to their current feature set. I’m willing to give Apple a few months to get their act together and fix what’s broken with FCP X.

I’m going to stay with Final Cut Pro for a while. Work at learning the new version. Give feedback to Apple on what they need to do to improve things. And share what I learn with you.

Final Cut Pro X has a lot of exciting potential – but, for many of us, that potential is not yet realized.

The burden is on Apple to deliver on their promises, update the program quickly, and repair the damage they did during the launch. The proof is in the program.

If they succeed, great. If not, Avid and Adobe will still be around in six months.

Larry

I read in a blog last night that Steve Jobs has gotten involved in this mess and that “really great things will be happening really soon.”

So my first question is: “Why does Steve Jobs need to get directly involved in what is essentially a straight-forward upgrade to one of their well-established products?”

And this led me to a bigger thought: “Who’s Accountable?”

As I woke up this morning, I had a day-dream of Phil Schiller, VP of Worldwide Marketing, appearing on my podcast, the Digital Production Buzz, to answer questions from listeners.

(In reality, this will never happen. Apple stopped giving on-the-record interviews, with the exception of Mr. Jobs, many years ago.)

So, imagining that Mr. Schiller were on the program, here are the questions I would ask:

1. What was the benefit to Apple of immediately canceling Final Cut Studio (3) with the release of a brand-new and untested product; when there was no technical reason (according to Apple) to do so?

2. Why did Apple feel it was necessary to alienate one of their most passionate fan bases with this release; were professional users that expendable?

3. What responsibility does Apple have when canceling a product to companies that built businesses around those products in terms of notification and support?

4. Conversely, what does Apple require of its vendors, when a supplier to Apple decides to modify a manufacturing method?

5. What is the benefit to Apple for assuming a strict rule of silence whenever something goes wrong? (A short period for research is understandable, but not when it stretches for weeks. The number one rule of PR is communication – but, apparently, not for Apple.)

6. Conversely, what would Apple’s reaction be if one of its vendors, say FoxConn, refused to talk to Apple when something went wrong, such as an explosion?

7. Why is Apple unwilling to provide a general roadmap to those products it considers “professional”?

8. Conversely, what would Apple’s reaction be if Intel refused to tell it about new chips it was developing?

9. Trust is a very tricky thing. It takes time to create and can be destroyed in an instant. Does Apple perceive the extent to which it has breached this trust and what will Apple do to recover from it?

Not one of these questions deals with the features of a product. They deal with the moral character of a company.

As consumers, we are held accountable through license agreements, laws, and regulation.

But who holds corporations accountable?

The sad part is that no one holds corporations accountable. We will never learn these answers. And the damage that’s been done will be irreparable.

Larry

You can read the entire blog here.

Here’s a summary of the key points that Alex listed in his blog, covering tweets from Sam Johnson, who attended the event:

1. FCP XML in/out is coming via 3rd party soon…no FCP 6/7 support project support coming ever it seems…

2. Ability to buy FCP7 licenses for enterprise deployments coming in the next few weeks…

3. FCPX EDL import/export coming soon…

4. FCPX AJA plugins coming soon for tape capture and layback…capture straight into FCPX bins.

5. XSAN support for FCPX coming in the next few weeks…

6. FCPX Broadcast video output via #Blackmagic & @AJAVideo coming soon…

7. Additional codec support for FCPX via 3rd Parties coming soon…

8. Customizable sequence TC in FCPX for master exports coming soon…

9. Some FCPX updates will be free some will cost…

So far, there is no official word from Apple about this.

What I find most interesting about these statements is the degree to which Apple is counting on third-party developers, rather than Apple itself, to provide missing features in Final Cut Pro X.

Next week, both AJA and Blackmagic Design are doing stage presentations at my Final Cut Pro X Event – we should learn a lot more about this latest news then.

Click here to learn more about our Final Cut Pro X event.

Thanks,

Larry