While most of the news about Final Cut Pro X in recent months has been focused on companies abandoning the platform for rival Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple has continued to deliver improvements, including a laundry list of changes this week.
New iPad and Mac products weren't the only thing Apple released on Tuesday -- the company also pushed out updates to its pro video apps for the Mac, including Final Cut Pro X 10.0.6, which adds a significant number of welcome features despite the modest version number.
Final Cut Pro X has taken a lot of heat since its introduction in the summer of 2011, and while the initial release did lack a lot of features video editors had taken for granted in the previous Final Cut Pro 7, Apple continues to add back that missing functionality with free updates to the Mac App Store version.
The latest version 10.0.6 update released Tuesday is no exception, offering an impressive list of changes:
• Expand multichannel audio files directly in the timeline for precise editing of individual audio channels
• Unified import window for transferring media from both file-based cameras and folders of files
• Redesigned Share interface for exporting projects and range selections to one or more destinations
• RED camera support with native REDCODE RAW editing and optional background transcode to Apple ProRes
• MXF plug-in support that allows you to work natively with MXF files from import through delivery using third-party plug-ins
• Dual viewers, each with a video scope display, let you compare shots to match action and color
• Option to add chapter markers in the timeline for export to video files, DVD, and Blu-ray disc
• Range selection now preserves start and end points in the Event Browser and allows you to create multiple range selections on a single clip
• Paste attributes window lets you choose specific effects to copy between clips
• Flexible Clip Connections allow you to keep Connected Clips in place when slipping, sliding or moving clips in the Primary Storyline
• Add a freeze frame to your timeline with a single keystroke
• Drop shadow effect with intuitive onscreen controls to adjust position, edge falloff, angle, and more
• New controls for combining audio from multiple angles within a Multicam Clip
• Compound Clip creation in the timeline now saves the clip in the Event Browser for re-use in other projects
• XML 1.2 featuring metadata import and export for richer integration with third-party apps
If that's not enough for video pros, both Compressor 4 and Motion 5 also received minor updates on Tuesday. Compressor 4.0.5 adds improved cluster setup while addressing an issue where the app might not open due to third-party QuickTime components, while Motion 5.0.5 adds improved anti-aliasing to increase text sharpness, the ability to open multiple projects and switch, copy or paste between them and accelerated loading of complex projects.
All three updates are available now on the Mac App Store -- call us crazy, but we feel like Final Cut Pro X is even a bit faster than it used to be, so it's worth updating for that possibility alone.
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