Apple updates Final Cut Pro X with workflow improvements to speed up your edits

Apple has announced significant upgrades to its popular Mac-only video editing software Final Cut Pro X, along with companion apps Compressor and Motion. 

The new features are primarily designed to streamline and speedup the workflow of video editors, particularly those who work with proxies (lower-res versions of source footage meant to speed up editing) and create footage meant for social media in vertical or square formats.

There are also improvements to working with ProRes RAW, one-step audio crossfades, and performance improvements when working with RED RAW or Canon Cinema RAW Light formats.

In addition to the updates to Final Cut Pro X, Apple has updated its two companion apps Motion (for creating titles and motion graphics) and Compressor (for more expansive video encoding options). Motion gains a stroke filter and support for 3D models, while Compressor gets support for camera LUTs and custom LUT effects.

Release notes

The release notes for Final Cut Pro X version 10.4.9 are as follows:

Improved proxy workflows

• Generate proxy media in custom frame sizes of 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, or full resolution
• Choose to create proxy media in either ProRes Proxy or H.264
• Choose to display original or optimized media if proxy media is not available for some clips in your project
• Create a proxy-only copy of a library to reduce size for portability or performance

Social media tools

• Automatically transform projects for square or vertical delivery with Smart Conform
• Display media outside the Viewer boundary when adjusting scale, rotation, and position using Transform Overscan
• Add a Custom Overlay as an on-screen guide when placing text and graphics within a square or vertical frame
• Use the new Duplicate Project As command in combination with Smart Conform to quickly create a social media version of your existing project

Other new features

• Adjust ProRes RAW camera settings such as ISO, color temperature, and exposure offset using new controls in the inspector
• Crossfade audio on adjacent clips in one step using a menu command or keyboard shortcut
• Use Close Project command in a new drop-down menu above the timeline to clear project history
• Sort clips and projects by last modified date in list view
• Preview 360-degree stereoscopic 3D video in simultaneous left and right eye views with the 360° Viewer
• Easily stabilize 360-degree video with one-click tools in the inspector

The release notes for Motion version 5.4.6 are as follows:

3D object support

• Add 3D objects as elements in Title, Generator, Effect and Transition templates
• Animate a 3D object’s position, rotation, and scale using keyframes
• Use behaviors to easily add realistic and complex animations to 3D objects
• Use 3D objects with tools like replicators, emitters, lights or cameras
• Use a collection of 60 premade 3D objects in the Motion library
• Import USDZ objects from third-party websites and developers
• Adjust 3D object environment lighting in the project inspector

Stroke filter

• Create a solid or gradient color outline around the edge of an object or clip based on its alpha channel
• Use the filter’s gradient tools to create multiple colored strokes
• Animate the stroke’s offset or apply multiple stroke filters to the same object to create stunning effects

The release notes for Compressor version 4.4.7 are as follows:

Camera log conversion

• Convert log-encoded video to SDR and HDR color spaces.
• Choose from built-in Camera LUTs for Panasonic, Sony, Canon, Blackmagic, Nikon and ARRI log
• Add a custom Camera LUT to achieve accurate conversions for cameras without a built-in option or to match on-set looks

Custom LUT effect

• Apply third-party creative LUTs to footage to add a custom look during compression
• Support for .cube, .mga, and .m3d file formats
• Set the output color space to SDR or HDR

Other new features

• Improved speed and reliability using distributed processing over SMB
• Create ProRes IMF Packages including support for multiple languages