Apple has introduced Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 which now has Live Multicam. Final Cut Pro for Mac10.8 has also been updated with new artificial intelligence features.
Final Cut Pro 2 for iPad
Apple says that Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 transforms your iPad into a multicam production studio. With Live Multicam you can connect and preview up to four iPhone or iPad cameras to capture different angles of a single scene. Live Multicam also gives you a director’s view of each camera in real-time. In addition, you can adjust settings including exposure, focus and zoom for each live camera feed from Final Cut Pro for iPad 2. Editable preview clips are immediately passed through to Final Cut Pro for iPad and replaced with full-resolution files in the background. This means you can move quickly from production to editing.
Final Cut Camera
To support Live Multicam, there’s also a new video capture app for iPhones and iPads called Final Cut Camera. Final Cut Camera enables live monitoring and individual control of each video feed. You can also adjust white balance, manual focus, ISO and shutter speed. In addition, you get tools such as zebras, focus peaking and audio meters to help you monitor your recordings.
External project support
Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 now supports external projects. This means you can create or open projects on an external storage device. You can also import media without taking up space on your iPad. This means that you can import high-resolution files and professional codecs like ProRes and Log. In addition, editors can quickly hand off external projects to another editor or take them into Final Cut Pro for Mac.
Other improvements
With M4 on the new iPad Pro, final rendering in Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 is up to 2x faster. You can also take advantage of support for up to 4x more streams of ProRes RAW than with M1. In addition, there are 12 new color-grading presets, eight basic text titles, and 20 new soundtracks. Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 even utilizes the advanced features of the all-new Apple Pencil Pro such as barrel roll and squeeze for Live Drawing.
Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8
With Final Cut Pro 10.8, you get new AI features and organizational tools thanks to the Neural Engine in Apple silicon. The update introduces Enhance Light and Color, which allows you to improve color, color balance, contrast and brightness in one step. It’s optimized for SDR, HDR, RAW and Log-encoded media. In addition, with Smooth Slo-Mo, frames of video are intelligently generated and blended together for high-quality results.
Post-production workflow
For efficiency in post-production workflows, color corrections and video effects can now be given custom names in the inspector. This means you can easily identify changes applied to a clip. Effects can also be dragged from the inspector to other clips in the timeline or viewer. In addition, you can now search for and navigate to clips with missing media or effects in the timeline index. The text-based timeline search now includes important information like reel, scene and camera angle as well.
What we think
Live Multicam is a great new feature for Final Cut Pro for iPad 2. It takes advantage of the iPad’s portability and power, especially the iPad Pro with M4. Final Cut Camera also adds new levels of functionality and control so it’s good to see that Apple released that standalone app free. The upgrades to Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8 might not be so attention-grabbing. However, editors will benefit from the efficiency and speed improvements when working with the app. If you already own Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 or Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8 you should upgrade as soon as the update is released. If you are a new user, then there are free trials you can take advantage of before committing to buy either app.
Availability
Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 will be available later this spring and the update is free for existing users. It will also be available on the App Store for $4.99 per month or $49 per year. There’s a one-month free trial for new users.
Final Cut Camera will be available for free later this spring as a standalone app.
Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8 will also be available as a free update for existing users. If you are a new user, it will cost $299 on the Mac App Store. However, all new users can download a free 90-day trial of Final Cut Pro.
