On Sunday, Apple introduced Final Cut Pro, the newest edition of its video production suite as well as new version of its component programs; Final Cut Pro 6, Soundtrack 2, Compressor 3, Motion 3 and a new program called Color.
The suite, which is priced at US$1,299 for the full version and US$499 for the upgrade version from Final Cut Studio to Final Cut Studio 2. Upgrades from Final Cut Pro to Final Cut Studio 2 will run US$699 according to The Mac Observer.
The new version, which hits the shelves in May, offers the following new features and fixes:
-Final Cut Pro 6 has gained the ability to mix and match most video formats as well as their frame rates in a single timeline without transcording. The program now supports ProRes 422, 10-bit 4:2:2 post production format that can create HD quality files at SD file sizes, a SmoothCam feature that removes camera movement and the ability to edit Motion templates.
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On Sunday, Apple introduced Final Cut Pro, the newest edition of its video production suite as well as new version of its component programs; Final Cut Pro 6, Soundtrack 2, Compressor 3, Motion 3 and a new program called Color.
The suite, which is priced at US$1,299 for the full version and US$499 for the upgrade version from Final Cut Studio to Final Cut Studio 2. Upgrades from Final Cut Pro to Final Cut Studio 2 will run US$699 according to The Mac Observer.
The new version, which hits the shelves in May, offers the following new features and fixes:
-Final Cut Pro 6 has gained the ability to mix and match most video formats as well as their frame rates in a single timeline without transcording. The program now supports ProRes 422, 10-bit 4:2:2 post production format that can create HD quality files at SD file sizes, a SmoothCam feature that removes camera movement and the ability to edit Motion templates.
-Motion 3 has gained support for 3D environments with improved camera behavior and drag-and-drop support. The program now offers vector-based painting tools with brushes that add color, particles, video and pictures while a match moving tool can map images and effects to the path of other objects has been improved, gaining retiming behaviors and the ability to create animations capable of responding to soundtrack volume and frequency.
-Soundtrack 2 has gained an improved interface with a “heads up” spotting display for aligning effects and dialog with images. The program now features the ability to combine elements from multiple takes into a seamless cut and can create both 5.1 and stereo mixes for a single project. A new Conform tool can synchronize and track changes between picture and sound editorial elements.
-The new version of Compressor 3 features an improved interface, streamlined workflow, batch processing and job chaining capabilities, the ability to simultaneously create outputs for multipleformats and the ability to add animated watermarks imported from Motion projects. Drag-and-drop presets have also been added to encode directly to television, Web, iPod, Apple TV, DVD and mobile formats.
-The new Color program includes full color correction tools as well as effectively isolates images with soft edge mattes and custom shaped vignettes that can be tracked. The program offers professional scopes for monitoring chominance and luminance and supports round trip workflows with Final Cut Pro 6 for grading, finishing and final rendering with 32-bit float 4:4:4 image processing.
Final Cut Studio Pro 2 requires a 1.25 GHz or faster G4, G5 or Intel-based processor, 1 gigabyte of RAM, an AGP or PCI Express Quartz Extreme graphics card (the program is not compatible with integrated Intel graphics processors, a 1024 x 768 screen resolution, QuickTime 7.1.6 or later, a DVD drive for installation and Mac OS X 10.4.9 to run.