Now that Steve Jobs made it clear (via a user e-mail) that Final Cut Studio will be getting an update early next year, I took some time to parse through what I think are the biggest improvements Final Cut Studio needs. The most important, I think, is an update to DVD Studio Pro. It's remained mostly unchanged for 5 years. Also the interfaces of each app may be in need of an overhaul.

It should include my RGB-curves plug-in by default. ;)

It should include my RGB-curves plug-in by default. ;)

Well that would be lovely now wouldn't it? But then it wouldn't be *yours* anymore, would it?

Scroll down my piece and you'll see I ask for a plugin App Store. How does that sound to you?

I'll tell you what I want:

Native image sequences. At least .tiff, .tga, .png, .dpx (with seamless log to lin, of course), and while we're at it, .exr, .jpg and .j2k. It makes no sense that an edit platform with finishing tools like Color can't work with commonly used native image sequences.

Native AVCI and h.264. Other people do it.

Leverage my graphics card to provide better real time performance. Limit my choices of graphics cards if you have to, people like me will gladly upgrade for the benefit.

Native stereoscopic 3D editing. This couuld work similar to multiclip where you line up your clips & sync them by timecode or inpoint. Let me choose my 3D display method (which color anaglyph, or side by side, top & bottom, interlace (row, column or checkerboard) or dual-link SDI. And let me adjust the 3D alignment (with keyframes) as needed. In real time, since I sprang for the fatter graphics board!

Tracking.

Rotoscoping. With point by point softening. Both b-splines & Beziers.

Upgrade the 3-way CC to add vignettes or roto-mattes, similar to Color.

A little bit of paint. Just enough for dustbusting, rig removal & some cool write on effects.

Nodal compositing.

You know, when I look at this, It looks like I want FCP to be more like Smoke! But these are all features that I can use now, on projects I've recently worked on.

From a functionality standpoint I can't think of too many things I'd like to see, primarily better media management both in browser & in moving projects. It would be nice to see a more unified interface across the apps, and both Compressor and Color could really do with a major interface overhaul. Couldn't care less about DVD studio pro, haven't had a need to make DVDs in years, no Blu-ray at all, and for online interactive stuff I can build whatever I need in html/javascript or flash.

Track level effects. . .i.e. apply audio/video filter to entire track so all clips on said track would have that effect

-an easier way to select "target tracks" (I think this is the term). For instance, if I copy a clip, I should be able to simply click anywhere on a track, to make that the target track, and then paste the clip on that track. I hate the auto select/router thingies. Sorry.

-easier way to select v1, a1, a2, or all of those or any of those when doing basic editing, dragging from the preview window to the timeline.

-undo history

-I would like to see it tell me what I'm undoing when I undo. Sometimes I click something accidentally, and have no idea what I did. It'd be nice if said "undo paste clip" or whatever I just mistakenly did.

The list goes on. These are just a few.

Better use of the hardware, less rendering time, within FCP.

Ow, and a seperate capture window/program. Yes, tape is on it's way out, but we still have to capture tapes, and not being able to use Final Cut while capturing a 4 hour tape is a pain.

An option to link scratch drives to specific projects.

I often work from different external drives and it's a pain to have to set them every time I switch between projects.

I'm curious what everyone thinks of possible (probable?) interface changes. Lion is coming, whether we like it or not, and with it comes enhanced multi-touch gestures and an OS-wide focus on Fullscreen, state-saving apps. No one knows what the Final Cut team is going to do, but we do know that the overall interface of FCP has been virtually unchanged since v1.2.5.

Personally, I think the studio suite, strictly from a design and usablility standpoint, is a mess. Most of apps don't "match" in terms of window/panel/tab interfaces and they don't take into account multi-touch advances from the last few years. For the most part, it's still a mouse-and-keyboard environment. Which isn't to say we should change for the sake of changing, but is there a way that Apple could gradually bring the interface up to date? Will there be a mass exodus if they nix the window/panels in FCP in favor of a single window but configurable display?

Either way, I'm excited. FCP, is still the best in my opinion, but changes are always going to come. They've basically maxed out the transition, plugin and codec as upgrade market. I think an interface overhaul is next. What do you all think?

Then you basically have to relearn the program. . .not good, in my opinion.

Take MS Word.

Whatever recent version it is that came out for PCs (I use them for work sometimes). . .I have no idea where anything is! Why did word need to be changed? It didn't!

- 64 bit for all apps in the suite.

- ability to create simple 3d objects in Motion (ie, real 3d text)

- more of the features that After Effects has.

The more I think about what Final Cut 8 will look like, the more I think it is going to look like a cross between Aperture and Final Cut. For that matter, the more I *want* to act more like Aperture. If you look at where 10.7 Lion is going and how many of the features of Aperture fit with a lot of the requests people have, it seems like an inevitability that the two applications would collide, much like Camcorders and DSLRs have already collided. Extensive thoughts, if you please: Final Aperture Pro, An Idea for What’s to Come (http://www.candlerblog.com/2010/11/17/final-aperture-pro-an-idea-for-whats-to-come/)

The more I think about what Final Cut 8 will look like, the more I think it is going to look like a cross between Aperture and Final Cut. For that matter, the more I *want* to act more like Aperture. If you look at where 10.7 Lion is going and how many of the features of Aperture fit with a lot of the requests people have, it seems like an inevitability that the two applications would collide, much like Camcorders and DSLRs have already collided. Extensive thoughts, if you please: Final Aperture Pro, An Idea for What’s to Come (http://www.candlerblog.com/2010/11/17/final-aperture-pro-an-idea-for-whats-to-come/)

I think the two things I've long most wanted most from any putative FCP 8 are:

1. An app that looks and behaves like a modern OS X app; and,
2. An app that does for video what something like Lightroom does for photography.

You've covered the first point several times, so I won't touch on it any further (it's a don't-get-me-started topic :-)); my second wish is sort of covered by your new article (Lightroom and Aperture are pretty similar, at least conceptually). Yes, I really really (really) wish I could browse media anywhere within a repository (or whatever we call it), associated keywords and other metadata with one or hundreds of clips with a few clicks of a mouse and keyboard, associate a clip or group of clips with one or more specific projects, search for clips by keyword or length or attribute, have optional mouse-over animated thumbnails, process groups of clips together, etc. -- all the sorts of things I can do for images in Lightroom. The current FC browser always seems like something from 1992.

All else is optional :-). (Actually, I'd like slightly better audio features, but I can't have everything...).

(Actually, I'd like slightly better audio features, but I can't have everything...).

There's another don't get me started. Mapping audio in Final Cut for output, or even for a multi-track Quicktime, is terrible. They don't need to bring all of the functionality of Soundtrack Pro into Final Cut, but would it hurt to make the audio tracks look a little more like an audio track? Right now it's identical to the video track. Even just a mapping audio dropdown menu instead of the "right click in gray space to left of media but before the green ball" method. Time will tell.

Sidenote: Anyone remember the Final Cut Extreme rumors from January 2006? There was talk of 64-bit apps and a hardware-accelerated break-out box. Almost 5 years on and even the most mundane of those rumors haven't been delivered on. Supposedly the FCP team built Aperture, then was needed on Snow Leopard or something. Who knows anymore.

Take MS Word.

Whatever recent version it is that came out for PCs (I use them for work sometimes). . .I have no idea where anything is! Why did word need to be changed? It didn't!

I'm thankful that nothing has changed in the Mac version of Word. :) Maybe it'll be the same for Final Cut.

I'm surprised no ones said anything yet about Bluray in DVD Studio Pro! I'm just hoping there's something in the New Final Cut Studio that's worth the upgrade, don't really care what it is, just as long as it something useful (and hopefully works like it says on the box).

Lots of good suggestions. The one that really resonates with me is Mathieu's one on rendering in FCP. The cost of the upgrade would be paid in 1 job just in render time savings alone if they made it a background task and got multi-core rendering truly happening on when rendering a sequence and exporting to Quicktime.

This profoundly affects all of us especially those working with LongGOP based footage.

T
Whatever recent version it is that came out for PCs (I use them for work sometimes). . .I have no idea where anything is! Why did word need to be changed? It didn't!

You also need to send documents in the old version's file, because chances are that other people don't have the new version of word.

I think IF there is a new FCS DVDSP will not be in it. I think they have gone as far as they can with maestro and IF they are going to do bluray it will most likely be incorporated into FCP itself. Id like to see native AVCHD editing and a different way to handle audio I really cant explain it not being a regular FCP user (mainly because of the audio) but the way the audio is handled seems inconsistant if I capture through FCP is works one way if I import the files from somewhere else its different. Drives me nuts my needs are pretty simple. Oh id like a feature where FCP automaticly ripples back to allow handles when dropping in transsitions I know commercial guys would hate this so maybe it can be put in a pref somewhere. BTW what e-mail??

I would also like to see FCP move towards Aperture/Lightroom.

On the other side:
I have fallen in love with CS5, and I am not sure I will ever go back to FCS. Apple is too slow, doesn't communicate with its customers, which I find unacceptable when you are dealing with prosumers and professionals who earn money with your software. There is no roadmap, nothing. And finally, I really believe that Apple's going to sell its Pro Apps in the near future. They don't need them anymore.

And as mentioned before, the future is online (interactive) content and Adobe is much better in that (Flash integration, Dynamic Link i.e.). So, to conclude, curious to see what they have cooked up, but it has to be shy of awesome for me to really go back to Final Cut Studio again.

There are some pretty interesting rumours (that's rumors to a lot of you!) circulating on some of the Mac forums about a new FCS 2011 launch this spring. Seems a few select video pros (with the emphasis on the word pros) have been invited in to test it out as they put the final touches to it and it's supposed to be "radical". Glad I held off on the half hearted FCS 3 update last year..(I'm still on FCS2). Let's hope this turns out to be true!

New Final Cut Pro Is Real, And It’s Spectacular (And It’s Expected Spring 2011) (http://techcrunch.com/2011/02/22/new-final-cut-pro-is-real-and-its-spectacular-and-its-expected-spring-2011/)

The only thing I can say is that Techcrunch's predicting record is pretty decent.

My feeling is that Apple will eventually be leveraging the touch screen capabilities of the iOS/iPhone/iPad into the OS X/Macs. So I'd love to eventually see a touch version of FCP and also the ability to use the the iPad as an accessory peripheral integrated with FCP. I would see that as jaw-dropping.

Just look at a demo of iMovie for iPad 2 to see what may be possible. Imagine a 27" touch screen display running Final Cut

I must be the only one who isn't excited at the prospect of dirty, oily fingerprints all over my screen when I'm trying to edit.

nah josh im with ya also I dont like having to reach across to my monitor for hours on end while editing a big project. Its ok for web stuff and looking at pix but editing I dont know.

How about having the iPad as a control interface that works with FCP. Imagine being able to assign any window to an iPad and then dragging and dropping between the two. You could have just the timeline on the iPad where you could use touch controls, but bins and monitors stay on the main screen!

Brilliant in theory, but, how would you know what you're touching without looking? With a computer screen, everything's in front of your eyes at the same time. With a screen/touch surface, it would likely be under your hands, and you'd constantly have to look down to see what control you're fumbling with, no?

I'm surprised that no-one mentioned the obvious - "make a version for Windows".

I'm curious about this too and whether architecturally there will be utilization of the iPad as an interface device with processing tasks executed by a service implementation on a MacPro.

I'm curious what everyone thinks of possible (probable?) interface changes. Lion is coming, whether we like it or not, and with it comes enhanced multi-touch gestures and an OS-wide focus on Fullscreen, state-saving apps. No one knows what the Final Cut team is going to do, but we do know that the overall interface of FCP has been virtually unchanged since v1.2.5.

NAB in a weeks time, hopefully we'll hear something soon

I just plain gave up on Final Cut. I got sick of waiting for updates, patches, fixes, and work-arounds. Steve Jobs should stick to what he's good at, making pretty boxes and spending millions in advertising convincing people his products are worth the cost.

Sorry for the rant. :)

Word is you won't have to wait long. FCPUG at NAB is now Apple Über Alles. All other presenters got the boot.

I am interested in this new FCP to be honest I never REALLY liked FCP for my uses so im looking forward to the new GUI. I just wonder why everyone gets hooked on the PRO part. In more than one article they said ITS PRO!! Other than CODECS I dont know what constitutes pro vs prosumer anymore. The prosumer has come so far and does just about anything that the pro versions can do. Within reason.

Boy it's all over the Apple rumors/news sites tonight that Apple will debut it at the Vegas Supermeet on April 12:

Rumor: New Final Cut Pro to debut on April 12 (http://www.tuaw.com/2011/04/05/rumor-new-final-cut-pro-to-debute-on-april-12/)

"(T)he rumors do seem to have credibility because Canon, Avid, and Autodesk have all confirmed that their sponsorships have been canceled because Apple has demanded no one else has the main stage."

Check out SuperMeet's page:

http://www.supermeet.com/

"The Final Cut Pro User Group Network is excited to have a very special guest presentation at the 10th Annual Las Vegas FCPUG SuperMeet. Come to see a surprise sneak peek at something very special - you really do not want to miss this one!"

Interesting.

heath

I have a ticket to the SuperMeet. There have been breathings about this being the launching place for the new FCP for a number of weeks now. They still haven't spilled the beans but everyone is expecting there to be an extensive demo of it in the second half of the evening's presentations.