Apple releases FAQ for FCP X at DVinfo.net

Henrik Reach · June 29th, 2011, 02:14 AM

Apple - Final Cut Pro X - Answers to common questions.

Apple has obviously deemed it prudent to release some official statements on some of the most controversial issues! Better than nothing.

• Final Cut Pro 7 will work with Mac OS X Lion (Big news, as many has assumed the opposite)
• Support multicam? "Not yet, but it will. ... we will provide great multicam support in the next major release."
• External monitoring? Third party (as before), and coming - AJA has beta drivers for Kona-card.
• XML-export? EDL, OMF? XML coming, other protocols third-party.
• Assigning audio tracks? Not yet. "An update this summer will allow you to use metadata tags to categorize your audio clips by type and export them directly from Final Cut Pro X."
• Volume license? "Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, and Compressor 4 Commercial and Education Volume Licensing will be available soon via the Apple Online Store for quantities of 20 or more. After purchasing, customers will receive redemption codes they can use to download the applications from the Mac App Store."

Marcus Durham · June 29th, 2011, 04:45 AM

Gotta love the webpage introduction:

"Final Cut Pro X is a breakthrough in nonlinear video editing. The application has impressed many pro editors, and it has also generated a lot of discussion in the pro video community."

which should read.

"Final Cut Pro X is an unfinished beta nonlinear video editing. The application has impressed many pro editors who are on our payroll, and it has also generated a lot of dismay in the pro video community."

Get it together Apple. We don't need mealy mouthed FAQ's we need a roadmap of what you are planning to do. Be warned that many of us aren't Apple zealots who worship at the feet of Jobs and don't care less what platform we use. If it means changing to Windows 7 with Adobe then so be it as it would certainly be far cheaper from a hardware point of view. Having made the jump from Premiere/Windows to Mac/FCP, I can easily make the jump back again.

If Adobe started offering FCP upgrade packages in the UK right now, I'd certainly give it consideration. The idea that FCP is somehow more professional than Premiere has always just been something put around by Apple advocates anyway. It's just FCP has seemingly been more widely adopted by the pros. However that is probably about to change.

David Knaggs · June 29th, 2011, 04:46 AM

I read no further than this: "Because of these changes, there is no way to “translate” or bring in old projects without changing or losing data."

I get that the filters will be different. Fine. But all of the cuts and dissolves and different layers could still be brought in.

If they did that, and then gave an on-screen list of things that couldn't be translated, with the timecodes of where it occurred, that would be a very workable solution. (E.g. "Missing 3-way-CC filter at 01:39.43, or whatever.)

They already do it with Pages. That's the great irony! When you bring in and open a Microsoft Word document in Pages, it will open it and give you a list of what it couldn't import or provide such as 'column formatting unable to be ..." or "missing Calibri font" or whatever.

The point being that the Pages software engineers didn't lazily sit back and simply issue an FAQ saying, "Pages cannot open Word files. This is because there is no way to “translate” or bring in old projects without changing or losing data."

No, they just rolled up their sleeves, had a few bright ideas and then provided a feature that could open Word files and provided a list of what it couldn't do, so that you could fix those points with available alternatives.

If they provide something similar with FCP X, opening up earlier FCP projects with a list of missing or non-compatible filters, etc. with the timecodes where they occurred - and if that list could be printed out (so that you can tick them off one by one) - this would be a very viable solution. Especially because a number of the new FCP X filters/effects/titlers might be a big improvement on what you earlier used in FCP 6 or 7!

They've already shown that it can be done with Pages.

Simon Denny · June 29th, 2011, 05:04 AM

It's finally occurred to me that this is the end of FCP7 in given time and that I had better be looking at another NLE to edit with. I wonder how long before FCP7 stops working on my MP or MBP and all the freelance editors and business that I collaborate with.
At this stage with development I'm safe and able to continue cutting but time will tell when this will cease.

I'm going back to AVID... not now, but soon, as I think this is the way forward with keeping a work flow between different editing houses.

If I see a massive change with FCP X I'll give it a go? but for now I'll pass.

Marcus Durham · June 29th, 2011, 05:18 AM

Here's a real biggie. Apple have shown they don't care about throwing out old features. So what if at some future date they decide to drop ProRes or even break Quicktime all together? There's a real possibility that a future QT update could take down FCP 7.

That worries me more as I have a lot of projects rendered out as ProRes and naturally everything is a QT file.

I'm afraid I don't have any confidence in Apple at the moment. We need honesty and clarity not FAQ's that try to cover over the issues.

Andy Wilkinson · June 29th, 2011, 06:30 AM

Spot on Marcus!

Richard D. George · June 29th, 2011, 06:55 AM

I don't know if they can ship to England, buy Videoguys (dot com) has a great deal. If you have FCP / FCS and are also eligible for the Adobe upgrade to Premiere Production bundle (a Photoshop copy would work - CS2 or higher, perhaps), you can get the bundle upgrade for around $800 versus $1,100. I would like to thank the Wrangler that mentioned this in another thread. See also this Wrangler's article on a Spring surprise on the home page of DVInfo.net. The bundle includes many programs, including After Effects and Audition.

Nigel Barker · June 29th, 2011, 07:14 AM

Of course it's going to be possible to create something to import projects from FCP 7. As we old-time software developers know it's just a SMOP (Simple Matter Of Programming). That SMOP may involve many man years of software development but it's always possible. Incidentally importing an iMovie XML export into FCP 7 leaves behind all the fancy stuff like transitions, titles etc. My guess is that it's likely to be relatively easy to create some translator software that takes an FCP 7 project & creates a basic FCP X project by just importing the clips into the Event Library & marking the in & out points.

FCP 7 is never going to stop working. It's not time-bombed or anything. It's just not going to develop or get new features & there may be a time post-Lion when it won't run on the current hardware because it won't run on OS 10.x which is required for that new hardware. In many areas of real grown-up computing (banks, defence, power utilities etc) computer software frequently gets frozen on a particular version & never upgraded for stability & support reasons.

From these statements from the FAQ:-
"An update this summer will allow you to use metadata tags to categorize your audio clips by type and export them directly from Final Cut Pro X."
"we will provide great multicam support in the next major release."

We can deduce that there will be a minor update this summer (presumably July/August) that will not have multicam & that there will be a subsequent major release (6 months? 12 months? later?) that will have multicam.

Mathieu Ghekiere · June 29th, 2011, 12:36 PM

Was this also posted before?

Apple - Final Cut Pro X - Key features for professional editors.

Henrik Reach · June 29th, 2011, 12:57 PM

Not sure, where did you find a link to the page?

Brian Van Peski · June 29th, 2011, 01:44 PM

On the issue of importing older projects..

I'm holding out hope that once Apple releases their XML API some third-party companies will step in and be able to offer some sort of migration solution. Perhaps something that David mentions will eventually be possible..

Gary Bettan · June 29th, 2011, 01:45 PM

We're extending both the Adobe $799 and Avid $995 crossgrade promotions through the July 4th holiday weekend. These are fantastic offers from companies that are committed to the professional editors.

Check out these blog posts on Videoguys.com:

FCPX got you down? Videoguys' Options for Final Cut Editors Videoguys Blog - FCPX got you down? Videoguys' Options for Final Cut Editors

Avid - The Professional's Choice. Always was. It's that simple.Videoguys Blog - Avid - The Professional's Choice. Always was. It's that simple.

Adobe gets it and Adobe wants you.Videoguys Blog - Adobe gets it and Adobe wants you.

Gary

David Knaggs · June 29th, 2011, 02:32 PM

I found this one:

Apple - Final Cut Pro X - All Features

which is a comprehensive list of all the new enhancements and features.

I really could use SO much of that in my daily workflow! Big time! The possibilities actually got me quite excited until I remembered the features they left out.

Man, if they were to get their act together ...

Rick Presas · June 30th, 2011, 08:09 AM

As the saying goes "There ain't no money in the cure."

LOTS of technology companies purposely cripple a new product for simple upgrade later. It makes them more money (most of the time). I don't think FCPX will be very successful unless they immediately (like, RIGHT NOW) addess ALL the major issues surrounding the program.

-Casual consumers likely won't see a need to drop $300 for FCPX when they already have iMovie for free.
-As clearly evidenced, Pro, and Prosumer editors will have no qualms going over to better offerings from Adobe or Avid.

I'm curious as to the buy/return rate of FCPX so far, and wether or not its sales can be considered succesful. Every editor I've talked to has essentially HATED it, and MANY are getting refunds.

I'm waiting til the update for mine. For the time being, older iterations of FCP will work for me. And when the updates get released, if they don't give us the things we need, it's off to AVID for me.

June 29th, 2011, 02:14 AM	#1
Henrik Reach Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Halden Posts: 106	Apple releases FAQ for FCP X Apple - Final Cut Pro X - Answers to common questions. Apple has obviously deemed it prudent to release some official statements on some of the most controversial issues! Better than nothing. • Final Cut Pro 7 will work with Mac OS X Lion (Big news, as many has assumed the opposite) • Support multicam? "Not yet, but it will. ... we will provide great multicam support in the next major release." • External monitoring? Third party (as before), and coming - AJA has beta drivers for Kona-card. • XML-export? EDL, OMF? XML coming, other protocols third-party. • Assigning audio tracks? Not yet. "An update this summer will allow you to use metadata tags to categorize your audio clips by type and export them directly from Final Cut Pro X." • Volume license? "Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, and Compressor 4 Commercial and Education Volume Licensing will be available soon via the Apple Online Store for quantities of 20 or more. After purchasing, customers will receive redemption codes they can use to download the applications from the Mac App Store."

June 29th, 2011, 04:45 AM	#2
Marcus Durham Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 693	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X Gotta love the webpage introduction: "Final Cut Pro X is a breakthrough in nonlinear video editing. The application has impressed many pro editors, and it has also generated a lot of discussion in the pro video community." which should read. "Final Cut Pro X is an unfinished beta nonlinear video editing. The application has impressed many pro editors who are on our payroll, and it has also generated a lot of dismay in the pro video community." Get it together Apple. We don't need mealy mouthed FAQ's we need a roadmap of what you are planning to do. Be warned that many of us aren't Apple zealots who worship at the feet of Jobs and don't care less what platform we use. If it means changing to Windows 7 with Adobe then so be it as it would certainly be far cheaper from a hardware point of view. Having made the jump from Premiere/Windows to Mac/FCP, I can easily make the jump back again. If Adobe started offering FCP upgrade packages in the UK right now, I'd certainly give it consideration. The idea that FCP is somehow more professional than Premiere has always just been something put around by Apple advocates anyway. It's just FCP has seemingly been more widely adopted by the pros. However that is probably about to change. __________________ Marcus Durham Media2u, Corporate Video Production For Your Business - http://www.media2u.co.uk

June 29th, 2011, 04:46 AM	#3
David Knaggs Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 826	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X I read no further than this: "Because of these changes, there is no way to “translate” or bring in old projects without changing or losing data." I get that the filters will be different. Fine. But all of the cuts and dissolves and different layers could still be brought in. If they did that, and then gave an on-screen list of things that couldn't be translated, with the timecodes of where it occurred, that would be a very workable solution. (E.g. "Missing 3-way-CC filter at 01:39.43, or whatever.) They already do it with Pages. That's the great irony! When you bring in and open a Microsoft Word document in Pages, it will open it and give you a list of what it couldn't import or provide such as 'column formatting unable to be ..." or "missing Calibri font" or whatever. The point being that the Pages software engineers didn't lazily sit back and simply issue an FAQ saying, "Pages cannot open Word files. This is because there is no way to “translate” or bring in old projects without changing or losing data." No, they just rolled up their sleeves, had a few bright ideas and then provided a feature that could open Word files and provided a list of what it couldn't do, so that you could fix those points with available alternatives. If they provide something similar with FCP X, opening up earlier FCP projects with a list of missing or non-compatible filters, etc. with the timecodes where they occurred - and if that list could be printed out (so that you can tick them off one by one) - this would be a very viable solution. Especially because a number of the new FCP X filters/effects/titlers might be a big improvement on what you earlier used in FCP 6 or 7! They've already shown that it can be done with Pages.

June 29th, 2011, 05:04 AM	#4
Simon Denny Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Australia Posts: 1,409	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X It's finally occurred to me that this is the end of FCP7 in given time and that I had better be looking at another NLE to edit with. I wonder how long before FCP7 stops working on my MP or MBP and all the freelance editors and business that I collaborate with. At this stage with development I'm safe and able to continue cutting but time will tell when this will cease. I'm going back to AVID... not now, but soon, as I think this is the way forward with keeping a work flow between different editing houses. If I see a massive change with FCP X I'll give it a go? but for now I'll pass.

June 29th, 2011, 05:18 AM	#5
Marcus Durham Major Player Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Hampshire, UK Posts: 693	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X Here's a real biggie. Apple have shown they don't care about throwing out old features. So what if at some future date they decide to drop ProRes or even break Quicktime all together? There's a real possibility that a future QT update could take down FCP 7. That worries me more as I have a lot of projects rendered out as ProRes and naturally everything is a QT file. I'm afraid I don't have any confidence in Apple at the moment. We need honesty and clarity not FAQ's that try to cover over the issues. __________________ Marcus Durham Media2u, Corporate Video Production For Your Business - http://www.media2u.co.uk

June 29th, 2011, 06:30 AM	#6
Andy Wilkinson Inner Circle Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Cambridge UK Posts: 2,853	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X Spot on Marcus! __________________ Andy K Wilkinson - https://www.shootingimage.co.uk Cambridge (UK) Corporate Video Production

June 29th, 2011, 06:55 AM	#7
Richard D. George Major Player Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Denver, CO Posts: 351	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X I don't know if they can ship to England, buy Videoguys (dot com) has a great deal. If you have FCP / FCS and are also eligible for the Adobe upgrade to Premiere Production bundle (a Photoshop copy would work - CS2 or higher, perhaps), you can get the bundle upgrade for around $800 versus $1,100. I would like to thank the Wrangler that mentioned this in another thread. See also this Wrangler's article on a Spring surprise on the home page of DVInfo.net. The bundle includes many programs, including After Effects and Audition.

June 29th, 2011, 07:14 AM	#8
Nigel Barker Inner Circle Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Norwich, Norfolk, UK Posts: 3,531	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X Of course it's going to be possible to create something to import projects from FCP 7. As we old-time software developers know it's just a SMOP (Simple Matter Of Programming). That SMOP may involve many man years of software development but it's always possible. Incidentally importing an iMovie XML export into FCP 7 leaves behind all the fancy stuff like transitions, titles etc. My guess is that it's likely to be relatively easy to create some translator software that takes an FCP 7 project & creates a basic FCP X project by just importing the clips into the Event Library & marking the in & out points. FCP 7 is never going to stop working. It's not time-bombed or anything. It's just not going to develop or get new features & there may be a time post-Lion when it won't run on the current hardware because it won't run on OS 10.x which is required for that new hardware. In many areas of real grown-up computing (banks, defence, power utilities etc) computer software frequently gets frozen on a particular version & never upgraded for stability & support reasons. From these statements from the FAQ:- "An update this summer will allow you to use metadata tags to categorize your audio clips by type and export them directly from Final Cut Pro X." "we will provide great multicam support in the next major release." We can deduce that there will be a minor update this summer (presumably July/August) that will not have multicam & that there will be a subsequent major release (6 months? 12 months? later?) that will have multicam.

June 29th, 2011, 12:36 PM	#9
Mathieu Ghekiere Inner Circle Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Belgium Posts: 2,195	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X Was this also posted before? Apple - Final Cut Pro X - Key features for professional editors. __________________ http://productionsofthe3rdkind.com http://pr3k.com

June 29th, 2011, 12:57 PM	#10
Henrik Reach Regular Crew Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Halden Posts: 106	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X Not sure, where did you find a link to the page?

June 29th, 2011, 01:44 PM	#11
Brian Van Peski New Boot Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 24	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X On the issue of importing older projects.. I'm holding out hope that once Apple releases their XML API some third-party companies will step in and be able to offer some sort of migration solution. Perhaps something that David mentions will eventually be possible..

June 29th, 2011, 01:45 PM	#12
Gary Bettan Sponsor: Electronic Mailbox Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Glen Cove, NY Posts: 758	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X We're extending both the Adobe $799 and Avid $995 crossgrade promotions through the July 4th holiday weekend. These are fantastic offers from companies that are committed to the professional editors. Check out these blog posts on Videoguys.com: FCPX got you down? Videoguys' Options for Final Cut Editors Videoguys Blog - FCPX got you down? Videoguys' Options for Final Cut Editors Avid - The Professional's Choice. Always was. It's that simple.Videoguys Blog - Avid - The Professional's Choice. Always was. It's that simple. Adobe gets it and Adobe wants you.Videoguys Blog - Adobe gets it and Adobe wants you. Gary __________________ Check out http://www.videoguys.com 800 323-2325 We are the video editing and live video production experts! DV InfoNet members save 5%! Use Coupon Code DVINFO5OFF

June 29th, 2011, 02:32 PM	#13
David Knaggs Major Player Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Melbourne, Australia Posts: 826	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X I found this one: Apple - Final Cut Pro X - All Features which is a comprehensive list of all the new enhancements and features. I really could use SO much of that in my daily workflow! Big time! The possibilities actually got me quite excited until I remembered the features they left out. Man, if they were to get their act together ...

June 30th, 2011, 08:09 AM	#14
Rick Presas Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Brownsville Texas Posts: 74	Re: Apple releases FAQ for FCP X As the saying goes "There ain't no money in the cure." LOTS of technology companies purposely cripple a new product for simple upgrade later. It makes them more money (most of the time). I don't think FCPX will be very successful unless they immediately (like, RIGHT NOW) addess ALL the major issues surrounding the program. -Casual consumers likely won't see a need to drop $300 for FCPX when they already have iMovie for free. -As clearly evidenced, Pro, and Prosumer editors will have no qualms going over to better offerings from Adobe or Avid. I'm curious as to the buy/return rate of FCPX so far, and wether or not its sales can be considered succesful. Every editor I've talked to has essentially HATED it, and MANY are getting refunds. I'm waiting til the update for mine. For the time being, older iterations of FCP will work for me. And when the updates get released, if they don't give us the things we need, it's off to AVID for me.