Apple plans to upgrade its Final Cut software with Final Cut Studio 2, a new suite of software designed for video production and editing, motion graphics editing and audio editing.At the National Association of Broadcasters 2007 conference being held in Las Vegas, Apple Inc. introduced its Final Cut Studio 2, a suite of software that provides production, audio and graphics editors with editing tools for their various creative projects, the company announced on April 15.
The new suite of software includes Final Cut Pro 6, editing software that features an open-format timeline that enables editors to mix and match video formats and frame-rates in a single timeline while also including the ProRes 422 format, a post-production format that generates HD quality at SD file sizes. The editing software also features smoothcam technology, which allows editors to remove unwanted camera movement.
Final Cut Studio 2 has also added Color, which provides editors with color-correction tools including gamma, lift and gain adjustments while also featuring 20 signature displays that users can customize to fit their project.
Also included in Apple's new suite of software is Motion 3, motion-graphics software that allows editors to utilize motion tools in a 3D environment while also providing editors with paint tools that enable them to create brushes with color, particles, videos or pictures. The motion graphics software also features a match moving tool that maps images and effects to the path of other objects.
For audio editors, Final Cut Studio 2 now includes Soundtrack Pro 2, an audio-editing application that provides editors with multitrack editing and recording tools while also allowing editors to match effects and dialog with pictures. The audio editing application also includes stereo and surround mixing tools that allow users to create 5.1 and stereo mixes in the same project.
Compressor 3, an encoding tool, has also been included in Final Cut Studio 2, allowing editors to deliver their projects in multiple formats while also supporting MPEG-2 and H.264 to allow editors to create new drag-and-drop presets for delivery to broadcast television, Web, iPod, Apple TV, DVD and mobile phones.
"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," Rob Schoeben, vice president of Applications Product Marketing for the Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple, said in a company statement.
Final Cut Studio 2 will be available in May through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers for $1,299.
The company also introduced its Final Cut Server, a server application designed to work with Final Cut Studio 2 and provides production and broadcast professionals with media asset management and workflow automation tools.
Final Cut server catalogs content while generating thumbnails and low resolution proxies throughout the process. The server application also catalogs large collections of assets and enables searching across multiple volumes through a user interface.
"Final Cut Server's media asset management capabilities simplify managing the thousands of assets that make up a typical edit," Schoeben said.
The search capabilities featured in the server application from Apple go from simple keywords to combinations of IPTC, XMP and XML (extensible markup language) metadata while also having the ability to set up access controls that define user permissions on an asset or project basis.
Customizable templates are also included in Final Cut Server, allowing users to control the flow of work found in broadcast, post and education environments while also featuring watch and respond systems, which allow users to track the progress of assets, alert editors as projects move through the production process and notify producers by e-mail when a project is ready to be viewed and evaluated.
Final Cut Server also includes a time-saving shot and editing tool that enables users to drag and drop integration with Final Cut Pro 6 projects while also having the ability to integrate with Compressor 3, providing format conversions for publishing to broadcast television, Web, iPod, Apple TV, DVD and mobile phones.
Final Cut Server will be available this summer through the Apple Store, Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized resellers for $999 for one server and 10 concurrent client licenses and $1,999 for one server and unlimited client licenses.
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