Apple says it has released Final Cut Pro X 10.0.1, a long-awaited update to the company’s professional video editing software. The upgrade adds several promised features, including XML import and export of both project and event information. The addition should make it possible for Final Cut to be better integrated with outside software. Apple’s director of pro video product marketing, Richard Townhill, told MacWorld that companies like Blackmagic and Square Box have been experimenting with beta versions of the new XML interchange and integrating into existing programs, like BlackMagic’s DaVinci.
“Final Cut Pro X is [no longer] an island,” says Townshill. “It works and plays well with others… we have a healthy network of third-party developers, and are very excited about what they’re going to do.”
Another improvement is intelligent stem export from project timelines using a feature called Roles. By applying tags to content, such as “Dialogue” or “Sound Effects,” material can be selectively exported without having to disable and then re-enable tracks. This should help in collaboration, particularly as Pro X now supports Xsan, Apple’s storage area network platform.
Other additions include timecode start customization, GPU acceleration for export, a fullscreen mode in OS X Lion, and a camera import SDK designed to ensure Pro X-compatible hardware. Townhill admits, however, that several promised features have yet to be implemented, above all multicam editing and broadcast video monitoring. He elaborates that Apple is “fully committed” to adding the options in a 2012 update.
30 Day Free Trial
In an unusual twist, Apple is trying to win back alienated editors with a 30-day free trial. The software does not overwrite any Final Cut Studio installation, and Apple has in fact prepared a PDF booklet introducing Pro X to Pro 7 editors.
