Apple today unveiled Final Cut Studio 2
, a significant upgrade to the industry’s leading video production suite that delivers new creative tools designed expressly for editors. Final Cut Studio 2 includes Final Cut Pro 6, which introduces Apple’s ProRes 422 format for uncompressed HD quality at SD file sizes and support for mixed video formats and frame rates in a single Timeline; Motion 3 featuring an intuitive 3D environment, paint and new behaviors; Soundtrack Pro 2 with dozens of innovative tools for multitrack editing, surround mixing and conforming sound to picture; Compressor 3 delivering powerful batch encoding for multiple formats with a single click; and DVD Studio Pro 4.2 for SD and HD DVD authoring. Final Cut Studio 2 also introduces “Color,” a professional color grading and finishing application for ensuring consistent color and creating signature looks.
“Final Cut Studio 2 was specifically designed to enable the rapidly growing community of over 800,000 Final Cut editors worldwide to animate, mix, grade and deliver their work as a natural extension of the editorial process,” said Rob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Product Marketing, in the press release. “Final Cut Studio 2 is the most powerful production suite on the planet.”
At the core of Final Cut Studio 2 is Final Cut Pro 6, the latest version of Apple’s Emmy award-winning editing software which includes a new Open Format Timeline that lets editors mix and match virtually any video format and frame-rate in a single Timeline without transcoding. ProRes 422, a new full raster, 10-bit 4:2:2 post production format produces stunning HD quality at SD file sizes, making it ideal for working efficiently across a SAN or on a MacBook Pro in the field. Companies including Panasonic, Sony and RED are embracing ProRes 422 as they continue to innovate on the next generation of cameras. Final Cut Pro 6 also includes optical flow based SmoothCam technology to remove unwanted or jarring camera movement with simple, easy-to-use tools. Deep integration with Motion includes the ability to edit Motion templates with video drop zones and editable text fields directly in Final Cut Pro.
New to Final Cut Studio is Color, which puts a logical task-based color grading and finishing workflow in the hands of every Final Cut Pro editor. The primaries in Color include advanced color correction tools such as gamma, lift and gain adjustments, as well as custom R, G, B and luma curves, and the secondaries provide the ability to isolate specific areas of an image with soft-edged mattes and custom-shaped vignettes, which can be tracked with ease. Pro- fessional scopes provide precise monitoring of chrominance and luminance values via waveforms, histograms and new 3D scopes. Color includes over 20 signature looks which can be customized to create a unique mood for any given project, and offers a seamless roundtrip workflow where projects can be sent from Final Cut Pro 6 directly to Color for grading, finishing and final rendering with 32-bit float 4:4:4 image processing.
Motion 3, the latest version of Apple’s groundbreaking motion graphics software, takes all the familiar Motion tools and extends them to a 3D environment. New camera behaviors add depth and realism with drag-and-drop simplicity. Vector based paint tools allow editors to easily create brushes with color, particles, video or pictures. A simple, yet highly precise match moving tool automatically maps any image or effect to the path of any other object. New retiming behaviors enable editors to slip and slide retiming effects on the Timeline without keyframes, while new audio behaviors allow users to easily create animations that respond to soundtrack volume and frequency. Motion 3 includes over 1500 new design elements including professional stock imagery, beautifully animated line drawings and stunning vector artwork.
Soundtrack Pro 2, a brand new version of the audio editing application in Final Cut Studio 2, features powerful new multitrack editing and recording tools in a streamlined interface that simplifies every aspect of the audio post production process. Soundtrack Pro 2 introduces a breakthrough heads up spotting display that lets editors precisely align effects and dialog with picture. Advanced take management tools enable editors to quickly combine pieces of the best takes to craft seamless performances. Stereo and surround mixing tools enable users to create 5.1 and stereo mixes in the same project, saving time and eliminating costly errors. Editors can work with a royalty-free library of over 5,000 professionally produced foley and sound effects, including over 1,000 surround sound effects and evocative multi-channel music tracks. A powerful new Conform tool enables users to synchronize and track changes between picture and sound editorial.
Compressor 3, the latest version of Apple’s industrial strength encoding tool, comes with a new streamlined interface and simplified workflows that make encoding and delivering in multiple formats easier and more efficient than ever. Powerful batch processing and job chaining capabilities enable edi- tors to create pristine quality output for a wide range of delivery formats with a single click. Compressor 3 extends support for industry-standard codecs such as MPEG-2 and H.264 to include new drag-and-drop presets for delivery to broadcast television, web, iPod, Apple TV, DVD and mobile phones. Dynamic filters applied during pre-processing now support timecode overlays, audio/video fade in and out, and animated watermarks that can be applied directly from Motion projects.
Apple today also introduced Final Cut Server, a powerful new server application that works seamlessly with Final Cut Studio 2 to provide media asset management and workflow automation for post production and broadcast professionals.
Final Cut Studio 2 will be available in May through the Apple Store, Apple’s retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for a suggested retail price of US$1,299. Registered users of the current version of Final Cut Studio can upgrade for $499 (US) and registered users from any previous version of Final Cut Pro can upgrade for $699.
Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Studio 2 can be found here: Final Cut Studio 2
Home videos will never be the same again…
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I must say, Apple puts out a lot of amazing products for such a (relatively) small company
This should help show people that Apple is still serious about computers and not just gadgets. Can’t run this stuff on Windoze.
The heck with 10.5 and iDVD, I’m upgrading to Final Cut Studio. Unfortunately, Steve Jobs now has one less thing to “announce” at MacWorld Expo.
Alright FINALLY Apple gives us Blu-Ray and HD-DVD authoring!! Yipeeee, yah000……what, no Blu-Ray or HD-DVD?…………What a wate.
“10-bit 4:2:2 post production format produces stunning HD quality at SD file sizes”
Yeah, because Blu ray and HD-dvd are far more important than delivering HD over the internet Quad-core.
Get a clue.
I can hardly wait for our company to get our hands on the new package!
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How come each time I click on “Hardware Compatibility Guide” link I get the following message?
Error #2005:Unknown MySQL Server Host ‘www98.apple.com’ (1)
Wow, the final cut studio page looks amazing.
OK… I thought Microsoft was a bit flakey for their naming conventions (i.e. Windows 3.1, 95, 98, 2000) but Final Cut Studio 5.1 to Final Cut Studio 2?!! What’s up with that?
This is HUGE!!!! WOOOO HOOOO
@QuadCore:
It looks like FCS does support hi-def DVDs:
“For commercial replication, choose one of the traditional red laser formats or double the capacity on your HD DVD disc by using a blue laser format.”
Well, well, well, Apple’s first Mac-related announcement of 2007. And, of course, it applies to about 1% of the total Mac user market. What a monumentally waste of news for the rest of us. Apple’s OSX GARFIELD will I’m sure be worth the wait. Good thing we have Final Cut Pro to get us through the 1/2 year delay of the now maligned OS. What a collosal letdown, but, then again, that’s what we are now used to.
@ iMaki
What are you talking about? This is HUGE!!!!!! Soon Apple will have 90% of the Professional Video Market. Avid is toast!!! Just like Microsoft (of course OSX will probably surpass Windows next year!!!!)!!!
Wooo Hooo Apple.
Avid must really regret caving into Microsoft’s demands to drop QuickTime now. If they hadn’t Apple would never have bought Final Cut and turned it into a real competitor.
This is great news. I hope to see this on display at NAB here in Vegas tomorrow. I am curious to see what Flacid…I mean Avid, will be trying to push this week.
Every year, Avid tries to compete with the Apple Presentation, even resulting to childish things like cranking up their lame “Roxbury” techno music to try and drown out the Apple presenter.
God I hate Avid, they need to die a horrible flacid death.
On a brighter note, the new FCS2 features should go a long way but I’ll have to wait and see if the Motion additions will make the $499 worth the upgrade.
Andrew Hamilton
Video Production Las Vegas
http://www.hiproductions.com
I’ve just got Final Cut Express and it farkin brill. This pro stuff just destroys the rest of the vid software on price and bangs. This will filter down to us ams, amazing. 2007 is smokin’, can’t wait.
Hey guys, I’m a DOUCHE!
@ The Fake Mindless Fanboy
Hey guys, I’m a DOUCHE!
Truth Hurts doesn’t it fanboy????… My posts are nothing more than repeats of what you Yahoos post daily… Everything Apple does is “Huge”, OSX is going to wipe out Windows, Avid is on the way out, etc, etc….
I love OSX as much as any other Mac user. But I don’t get up in the morning, fire up the computer and dream of ways to kiss Steve Job’s ass (as MDN does and all you dumbass blind followers do…
Get Real, Apple lost the OS war a long time ago because they refused to open their system. I only own Mac, .. But I’m not so damned delusional to believe everything they do is “Huge” and they are going to overtake Windows… They’re a 10% Max market share OS if the never open the OS to standard equipment….
I’m fine with that. I’m 50 years old and 1st used a Apple II before you guys were even born. I’m happy with my overpriced Macs, but Apple can certainly do better. It is, and always will be a platform for a few niche users.
You morons can go on, predict world domination and sit spellbound everytime Steve farts..
Mindless,
I’ve used Apple for as long as you – possibly longer – and have used their products professionally for decades.
Relevant to this article, the target is Avid, which is Mac and Windows, and Adobe After Effects – likewise cross-platform. Any other video editing apps are tertiary, at best. Avid rules Hollywood (where I work and edit.)
FCP Studio 2 makes progress towards that goal, but it is a multi-year plan and Avid has its own resources to compete, but is presently hindered by their addiction to the huge profit built into their turnkey hardware systems, which are increasingly being rendered irrelevant by mainstream PCs (Intel Mac’s foremost) much as the 3D and Desktop Publishing vertical markets were flattened previously.
Take a chill pill, before you have an infarction. You might learn to enjoy your remaining years. I hope you stick around, if only to see where all of this is headed.
@The Real Mindless Fanboy
Then why not just fvsk off and let the “Fake Fanboys” have their fun predicting world domination? Your comments are useless and annoying, and just make it harder to find any of the few comments that actually might be worth a damn to read.
</rant>
Mindless Fanboy is 50 years old, and yet he gets so worked up over people being excited about an exciting product. I’ve seriously never heard of a 50 year old troll. Who here is actually being ridiculous? The people who happen to like Apple products and support them with enthusiasim, or the shithead who deludes himself into thinking he’s on a higher plane, simply because he’s doesn’t do that? This is a sure sign of someone desperate for a reason to feel good about himself.
And another thing, if 50 year old Mindless Fanboy is really so bothered by the prevailing attitude, I can’t help but wonder why in the hell he comes here in the first place. Are we all just supposed to change in order to suit him? Okay okay, geezer, we get it. You don’t like this place. So, uhh, then maybe you ought to leave and never come back. It’s strange you don’t already know you have that option. I wonder if you might be stupid.
@ Oops
“This is a sure sign of someone desperate for a reason to feel good about himself.”
Thanks, But I feel just fine about myself. When I first found this site I though, How great, Mac Daily News…
There’s no News here, just a bunch of “Mindless Fanboys” who live in fantasy land….
“the people who happen to like Apple products and support them with enthusiasm”
I like Apple products and I support them. But I don’t make asinine statements like “Windows is Toast”, “We’re going to destroy Microsoft”….
You ain’t destroying anything and you’ll never have more market share than MS. Apple had their chance and threw it away over 20 years ago. That’s fact… Be happy that we have a clean platform to operate from and hope Apple will continue to support the 5-10% of us who use Macs.
Or you can just be blind and say WOOOOO HOOOOO Apple, THIS IS HUGE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
“10-bit 4:2:2 post production format produces stunning HD quality at SD file sizes”
Yeah, because Blu ray and HD-dvd are far more important than delivering HD over the internet Quad-core.
Get a clue.”
You get a clue. First of all, that is an editing format, not a distribution format. Meaning that you will save space on your video hard drives while editing. And yes, delivering Blu-Ray Discs and HD-DVDs is more important. Why? Because you already could distribute Hi-Drf over the internet!
“It looks like FCS does support hi-def DVDs:
“For commercial replication, choose one of the traditional red laser formats or double the capacity on your HD DVD disc by using a blue laser format.”
Yes but only in the same way it did previously. That is you can put HD on a DVD, but it’s only works if you play the DVD on a Mac.