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Apple unveiled on Sunday Final Cut Studio 2, its production suite for film editors. As part of the update Apple will release Final Cut Pro 6, Soundtrack 2, Compressor 3, Motion 3 and a new application called Color. more
Apple unveils Final Cut Studio 2
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#3
Philip Michaels 
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 03:27 PM
Breaking news, my man. We're posting and updating as we go.
#4
rfrmac
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 03:36 PM
For me, what they did in 2 years of work on FCP was very disappointing. Many of the features that user groups have been asking for out of FCP team didn't seem to make it. Unless there is more than we we saw today, it is disappointing. Simple interface changes like marker identifactions and the like did not seem to make it in here. Not to mention any real changes in Media Manager did not seem to happen. Yes, we got a bit of "Shake" in it but it is the common everyday things that seem to be left out of the last several major updates. Yes, common, simple interface updates and database management is what I was looking for.
What they did with Motion and Soundtrack Pro is nice. Integration is a big thing. Your on the right course here. Have to see about Color and how it works but it looks good from here. DVDSP didn't get anything done to it at all from reading the announcement. All this in two years. HD is nice, but many of us are not there yet. Our customers are not there yet. It is the day to day things that are the most useful. Hope I am wrong but I saw very little in this update to help.
The upgrade cost is steep. I know it is to help pay for the acquisisions but I for one purchase FCP Studio for Final Cut Pro first and the rest second. This has not been a good couple of weeks for Apple from where I sit.
What they did with Motion and Soundtrack Pro is nice. Integration is a big thing. Your on the right course here. Have to see about Color and how it works but it looks good from here. DVDSP didn't get anything done to it at all from reading the announcement. All this in two years. HD is nice, but many of us are not there yet. Our customers are not there yet. It is the day to day things that are the most useful. Hope I am wrong but I saw very little in this update to help.
The upgrade cost is steep. I know it is to help pay for the acquisisions but I for one purchase FCP Studio for Final Cut Pro first and the rest second. This has not been a good couple of weeks for Apple from where I sit.
#5
k2director
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 04:10 PM
Wow, I think this is one of Apple's strongest releases ever.
And you can't say that Apple has been working on this for 2 full years. Remember, Apple needed a big chunk of that time to create a Universal Binary version of the previous Final Cut Studio (5.1). Apple made it available only months after shipping the first INtel machines (more than a year ago). In contrast, Adobe still hasn't shipped Intel versions of any of its software, and Avid just began to. Clearly, Apple had to use some of the last two years to simply bring FInal Cut over to the Intel platform, and I'm glad they took that time early on, because running Final Cut on my intel Macbook and Mac Pro has been a dream.
Also, you may find that some of your gripes about Final Cut Pro are addressed, though not highlighted in a press conference or overall product web page. There have often been tons of small improvements that go along with the bigger, more glitzy features of past updates. Same is likely true now. And as for Final Cut 6's bigger features, they are definitely impressive.
Then you've got the other Studio apps, which have made big strides. Motion 3 getting 3D will finally let it go up against After Effects for a lot of common motion design work. Soundtrack Pro is very refined (dialog editing, etc.). And Color is Apple's rebranded version of Final Touch (purchased last year)...before Apple's purchase, Final Touch HD cost $5,000, and now it's included for free. That's progress!
I think this Studio 2 update, along with Final Cut Server, is going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and causes a lot of Avid houses to finally start migrating over to Final Cut.
And you can't say that Apple has been working on this for 2 full years. Remember, Apple needed a big chunk of that time to create a Universal Binary version of the previous Final Cut Studio (5.1). Apple made it available only months after shipping the first INtel machines (more than a year ago). In contrast, Adobe still hasn't shipped Intel versions of any of its software, and Avid just began to. Clearly, Apple had to use some of the last two years to simply bring FInal Cut over to the Intel platform, and I'm glad they took that time early on, because running Final Cut on my intel Macbook and Mac Pro has been a dream.
Also, you may find that some of your gripes about Final Cut Pro are addressed, though not highlighted in a press conference or overall product web page. There have often been tons of small improvements that go along with the bigger, more glitzy features of past updates. Same is likely true now. And as for Final Cut 6's bigger features, they are definitely impressive.
Then you've got the other Studio apps, which have made big strides. Motion 3 getting 3D will finally let it go up against After Effects for a lot of common motion design work. Soundtrack Pro is very refined (dialog editing, etc.). And Color is Apple's rebranded version of Final Touch (purchased last year)...before Apple's purchase, Final Touch HD cost $5,000, and now it's included for free. That's progress!
I think this Studio 2 update, along with Final Cut Server, is going to be the straw that breaks the camel's back, and causes a lot of Avid houses to finally start migrating over to Final Cut.
#6
megatrick
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 04:18 PM
I agree that this release is very strong, and I have no problem with the pricing. Consider that at our studio we're charging $200/hour for editing and it's not much of a stretch.
The OpenFormat timeline addresses a lot of the issues I've had dealing with bringing HD content into SD projects and vice versa. Also, you can monitor surround sound in Final Cut. Whoa... I will be upgrading immediately.
The OpenFormat timeline addresses a lot of the issues I've had dealing with bringing HD content into SD projects and vice versa. Also, you can monitor surround sound in Final Cut. Whoa... I will be upgrading immediately.
#7
phaseshift
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 05:29 PM
The announcement does not seem to include much new on DVD Studio Pro. It remains at version 4. And it can't make Blu-ray Discs. This, despite the availablity of Blu-ray drives and Apple's presence on the board of the Blu-ray Disc Association. That's a big disappointment for me. I expect Apple will have Blu-ray down the road; at another upgrade charge.
#9
pixelcruncher
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 07:52 PM
A really mixed bag. Can't complain about Finaltouch being thrown in for free, but there's not a lot else to cheer about.
I'm very disappointed in the integration and color correction in general. It appears that you can only send a project to Color rather than clips or elements. There's no way to utilize these powerful color correction tools when you are working on elements in a composite, or creating a graphic with multiple windows from unmatched sources. It doesn't appear as though you can access Color through Motion or Shake (I know Shake isn't being developed anymore, but it doesn't appear I'm going to be able to stop using it), where it would be incredibly valuable. Shake has some good color correction, but in FCP or Motion you're stuck with what appears to be the exact same awful color correction tools that Apple has had for five (?!) years now. As on-line finishing software, it's great - but it was already available as Finaltouch.
Motion is still playing catch up with After Effects, and some of the new featues are just copies of Trapcode plugs most motion graphics designers already have.
Apple needs to streamline these programs. There seems to be a lot of redundancy, Final Cut, Motion and Color share many of the same functions (and Shake as well). There's really no reason for those programs to exist as separate entities. Motion could be distilled down to a set of plug-ins and mini-apps for Final Cut, and so could Color. Apple has spent years acquiring other software and bolting it onto Final Cut. It's time to start working on some design elegance. Final Cut Studio still feels like different apps from different vendors.
ProRes 422 could be great, it'll have to be tested extensively and capture cards will have to support it. Converting 15-30 hours of raw footage through the Media Manager (as they suggest in the demo) is ridiculous.
No update to DVD Studio Pro??? Wow! They should have called it Final Cut Studio 1.8! They released 4 in April 2005! 4.1 was over a year ago! So when I buy this upgrade I just get a second copy of DSP 4? Not good. I'm actually very interested to see Adobe's offerings for the first time in years.
I'm very disappointed in the integration and color correction in general. It appears that you can only send a project to Color rather than clips or elements. There's no way to utilize these powerful color correction tools when you are working on elements in a composite, or creating a graphic with multiple windows from unmatched sources. It doesn't appear as though you can access Color through Motion or Shake (I know Shake isn't being developed anymore, but it doesn't appear I'm going to be able to stop using it), where it would be incredibly valuable. Shake has some good color correction, but in FCP or Motion you're stuck with what appears to be the exact same awful color correction tools that Apple has had for five (?!) years now. As on-line finishing software, it's great - but it was already available as Finaltouch.
Motion is still playing catch up with After Effects, and some of the new featues are just copies of Trapcode plugs most motion graphics designers already have.
Apple needs to streamline these programs. There seems to be a lot of redundancy, Final Cut, Motion and Color share many of the same functions (and Shake as well). There's really no reason for those programs to exist as separate entities. Motion could be distilled down to a set of plug-ins and mini-apps for Final Cut, and so could Color. Apple has spent years acquiring other software and bolting it onto Final Cut. It's time to start working on some design elegance. Final Cut Studio still feels like different apps from different vendors.
ProRes 422 could be great, it'll have to be tested extensively and capture cards will have to support it. Converting 15-30 hours of raw footage through the Media Manager (as they suggest in the demo) is ridiculous.
No update to DVD Studio Pro??? Wow! They should have called it Final Cut Studio 1.8! They released 4 in April 2005! 4.1 was over a year ago! So when I buy this upgrade I just get a second copy of DSP 4? Not good. I'm actually very interested to see Adobe's offerings for the first time in years.
#10
kennethfcooper
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 07:56 PM
After the discussions, which occured when Apple delayed the release of OS X, I'm just happy that the announcement wasn't Final Cut Studio for the iPod. /forums/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif
#11
NeoX
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 07:56 PM
The subject says it all. Why is Apple making software that is not compatible on one of their current computer lines? If you tell me that the MacBook wasn't made for this that is rubbish, because at the price point the MacBook sells for it should be able to. Besides that the MacBook is no slouch on the other components. CPU, RAM, HD, Etc..
I really hope the next revision of the MacBook gets a real GPU, because I think there are probably quite a few people that bought a MacBook to compliment their MacPro.
Thoughts on this?
Cheers,
I really hope the next revision of the MacBook gets a real GPU, because I think there are probably quite a few people that bought a MacBook to compliment their MacPro.
Thoughts on this?
Cheers,
#12
Adwiz
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 08:47 PM
I too am disappointed that DVDSP remains unchanged. While it's very strong in its current incarnation, there are lots of little things that could be fixed. Does this mean we have to wait a year to get the next version capable of properly supporting HD or Blu-Ray? Or will we have to pay for a DVDSP upgrade in the next few months? Neither scenario is healthy.
I hope that they've finally worked out the bugs in Soundtrack Pro. We've been unable to save any files created in it for months now, making it useless. Not only don't they save, they actually corrupt the original file in the process.
I hope that they've finally worked out the bugs in Soundtrack Pro. We've been unable to save any files created in it for months now, making it useless. Not only don't they save, they actually corrupt the original file in the process.
#14
mac_sba
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Posted 15 April 2007 - 11:46 PM
Final Cut Pro Studio 2 is crap - it won't even produce Blu Ray discs. I have a Blu Ray player and HDV camcorder and I want to produce Blue Ray discs from the HDV tapes I recorded. What's really stupid is that Apple didn't include support for Blu Ray drives in the new 8-core Mac Pros. One step forward, two steps backwards.
Enjoy.
Enjoy.
