Apple Updates Final Cut Pro: Adds A New Social Media Tool And Workflow Improvements

Apple today updated its video editing software Final Cut Pro X, which focuses on two new features, namely an improved workflow and a new social media tool. The last update was on December 10th last year, more than 8 months ago.

First, today's update to Final Cut Pro includes major improvements to proxy workflows that make libraries more portable and streamline remote work with large, high-resolution files. For the first time in Final Cut Pro, video editors can create proxies in either ProRes Proxy or H.264 in dimensions as small as 12.5 percent of the original. They can also consolidate proxy media, images, and audio to external or network-connected drives. The Final Cut Pro Library can even be linked to proxies already created for added flexibility. Editors can now link to proxy media generated by third-party applications through XML.

Next, the update makes the experience of delivering social media content easier than ever. Using machine learning, project clips can now be automatically analyzed for dominant motion and intelligently cropped with Smart Conform to convert them into a square, vertical, or any other size video — perfect for popular platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter.

Here are the other features and improvements that have been added in this update:

• Use the new controls in the inspector to adjust ProRes RAW camera settings such as ISO, color temperature, and exposure offset
• Apply menu commands or keyboard shortcuts to cross-fade audio on adjacent clips in one step
• Utilize the "Close Project" command in the new drop-down menu above the timeline to clear the project history
• Sort clips and items in the list view by their most recent modification date
• Preview 360-degree stereoscopic 3D video using the left and right eye views simultaneously through the 360° viewer
• New Stroke Filter, a tool that automatically outlines an object or text element using its alpha channel
• One-click on the tool in the inspector to easily stabilize 360-degree videos

Final Cut Pro 10.4.9 is available today as a free update for existing users, and for $299.99 (US) for new users on the Mac App Store, while education customers can purchase the Pro Apps Bundle for Education for $199.99 (US). All users can download a free trial of Final Cut Pro X.