Big FCP overhaul rumor... fingers crossed

[roryhinds]

RED = Jim Jannard plus a HUGELY talented following

APPLE = Steve Jobs plus a HUGELY talented following

Public or not, no one pushes either of these guys where they don't want to go.

:coolgleamA:

APPLE have shareholders to answer too
RED does not

That is a huge difference in how/what the company does.

 

[Mike Bell]

Guys, new FCP will be HUGE! Here's the latest blurb.

Posted by Larry on February 23, 2011
I’ve Seen The New Version of Final Cut Pro…
… and it’s a jaw-dropper.


Last week, Apple invited a few folks, including me, to a short meeting in Cupertino where they previewed the up-coming version of Final Cut Pro.

While I am under NDA and can’t talk about what I saw, I CAN tell you the meeting happened and that it showcased the new Final Cut Pro.

While the invited crowd was small, it was a Who’s Who of leaders in the post-production community. I felt like I was standing on the red carpet at an awards show, watching all the stars walk past.

There will be LOTS to talk about as this project gets closer. For now, I recommend you subscribe to my monthly Final Cut Studio newsletter – because I’ll share all the news that I’m allowed to share in there first.

Tell your friends … its gonna be a great year.

Larry

P.S. If you feel the urge to email me for more information, keep in mind that Apple’s lawyers are bigger than your lawyers. So, until Apple lifts the NDA, I’m telling you all I can … for now.
http://www.larryjordan.biz/app_bin/wordpress/archives/1365

 

[Peter Salvia]

For some reason I have an image in my head of a keynote presentation showing FCS3 animating into FCS3D.

 

[Jeff Coatney]

I don't use Avid-- how does it measure up? Based on what I hear second and third hand, Avid is perfect and walks on water. Yet every time I'm in an Avid suite, the editor is always cursing it. I'm assuming Avid is 64 bit? Faster than FCP? File handling is better, etc.? I know its way more expensive than FCP.

 

[Tom Greenberg]

There's no question that the FCP interface could use some streamlining. Flexibility in how you use an application is great, but there are so many different ways to access the same basic commands and information in FCP that it becomes needlessly complex and redundant, and the interface is extremely cluttered.

Fixing the QT gamma issues would be huge, and being able to drop r3d and HDSLR footage right into a timeline would save immense amounts of transcoding time and disk space. There are also many other things that could be improved, like project asset management, the whole kludgy Log & Transfer interface, effects menu display/access (AE does this really well), etc., etc.

Don't get me wrong, I love FCP and have used it since v1.25, but I want it to work smoother, better, faster than before. I've been on the verge of jumping ship to PPro CS5, but just can't quite bring myself to do it...so c'mon Apple hit this one out of the park!

 

[Tom.Wong]

I don't use Avid-- how does it measure up? Based on what I hear second and third hand, Avid is perfect and walks on water. Yet every time I'm in an Avid suite, the editor is always cursing it. I'm assuming Avid is 64 bit? Faster than FCP? File handling is better, etc.? I know its way more expensive than FCP.

it's all subjective, i think it's natural for an editor to curse at their NLE

a lot of companies tend to use much older versions of Avid too that make no sense in modern day productions. Avid upgrades used to cost a LOT, but not so much anymore now that you have the software version. still more expensive than FCP and PP though. but current version of Avid is modern in every sense, works great, and retained all the things that made avid great to begin with.


back on topic though, i really hope this rumor is true. I really don't care about incorporating shake, motion, color any of that stuff. i just want it to be a very powerful editing tool, with maybe improved compositing and motion abilities.

64 bit, more native codecs, FILE MANAGEMENT, and more streamlining to other software like AE, Da vinci, nuke, flame, whatever you want, and back into it with ease.

i'd also can't wait for a full overhaul in compressor. complete true BD encoding, 64 bit, massive batch encoding in a single project without crashing it out. I always felt like cinema tools and compressor should have been fused together too... I hope apple did some voodoo on this.

 

[Terry VerHaar]

APPLE have shareholders to answer too
RED does not

That is a huge difference in how/what the company does.

That's, of course, the case when shareholders aren't happy. I can pretty much guarantee that, given the performance of Apple stock in recent years. there isn't an unhappy shareholder on the planet. I'll say it again - Steve Jobs does what Steve Jobs thinks is best, public company or not.

Disclaimer: I am a small but very ecstatic Apple shareholder myself!! :thumbup1:

 

[Chris Kenny]

I'm still confused why there has been so much hand-wringing about FCP over the last couple of years. As of the release of FCP6 in 2007, what did Apple have to do? Well, they had to a) create a 64-bit Cocoa API capable of hosting Final Cut and b) pretty much rewrite the entire app to run on that API, probably taking the opportunity to overhaul the UI in the process. And how long could one expect that to take? Well, given that a normal Final Cut release cycle is two years, twice as long -- four years -- would seem sensible for such a major overhaul. And a four year gap would, of course, make it necessary to ship an interim release.

These rumors (in addition to the interim FCP7 release) seem to confirm that this is exactly what Apple has been up to. It really has been fairly obvious all along, based on nothing but public information and a little understanding of OS X's features and Final Cut's requirements -- and the assumption that Apple wouldn't walk away from Final Cut. Some people weren't willing to give Apple the benefit of the doubt on that, despite there being nothing substantial to suggest otherwise.

For anyone still unsure about Apple's commitment, here's what you need to know about Apple and creative pros: I don't think it's even really about money, per se. Apple feels an affinity for this market. Apple/Google/Microsoft sort of line up with the three major pillars of civilization, art/science/commerce, respectively. Ever hear Steve Jobs go on about how the problem with Microsoft is that they haven't got any culture, or any taste? Apple won't abandon the creatives, because they're the users Apple itself most identifies with.

Maybe some radical culture shift a few years into a post-Jobs era will change this. But until then, don't worry about how many iPads Apple is selling, yeah? They're going to keep on making stuff for people who make stuff.

 

[M Most]

Apple won't abandon the creatives, because they're the users Apple itself most identifies with.

Apple is a company, not a living entity with emotional attachments. It doesn't "identify" with anything other than products that can sell and contribute to the company's bottom line.

Now, if you're talking about Steve Jobs personally, I might agree with you. :001_cool:

 

[Stephen Pruitt]

I would have put the art/science/commerce companies as Apple/Intel/Google, but that's just me.

I really am stuck as what to do here. I am just about to start the editing of our second feature, and the new FCP is rumored to be wonderful. In the meantime, we have Premiere Pro 5.

Decisions, decisions.

If FCP 8 came out tomorrow, the decision would be very easy one way or the other. I do not want to have to deal with file wrappers again, however, so if the new FCP can't directly ingest R3D files, then it is game over for Apple for us.

Stephen

 

[Michael Totten]

Apple is a company, not a living entity with emotional attachments. It doesn't "identify" with anything other than products that can sell and contribute to the company's bottom line.

Now, if you're talking about Steve Jobs personally, I might agree with you. :001_cool:

Yeah but Steve Jobs is the heart and soul of Apple.... how do you take the Apple out of SJ or vise versa?

 

[Terry VerHaar]

Yeah but Steve Jobs is the heart and soul of Apple.... how do you take the Apple out of SJ or vise versa?

EXACTLY. :thumbup1:

 

[Hans von Sonntag]

I would have put the art/science/commerce companies as Apple/Intel/Google, but that's just me.

I really am stuck as what to do here. I am just about to start the editing of our second feature, and the new FCP is rumored to be wonderful. In the meantime, we have Premiere Pro 5.

Decisions, decisions....

No big decisions really. If CS5 works well for your now - use it. Next time FCP might be the better tool. Go for it. I find NLEs these days the least money-eating asset in a film production. Personally I would leave the decision to the editor. She/he is the one who has to deal with it.

Hans

 

[Michael Hastings]

I'm still confused why there has been so much hand-wringing about FCP over the last couple of years. As of the release of FCP6 in 2007, what did Apple have to do? Well, they had to a) create a 64-bit Cocoa API capable of hosting Final Cut and b) pretty much rewrite the entire app to run on that API, probably taking the opportunity to overhaul the UI in the process. And how long could one expect that to take? Well, given that a normal release Final Cut cycle is two years, twice as long -- four years -- would seem sensible for such a major overhaul. And a four year gap would, of course, make it necessary to ship an interim release.

These rumors (in addition to the interim FCP7 release) seem to confirm that this is exactly what Apple has been up to. It really has been fairly obvious all along, based on nothing but public information and a little understanding of OS X's features and Final Cut's requirements -- and the assumption that Apple wouldn't walk away from Final Cut. Some people weren't willing to give Apple the benefit of the doubt on that, despite there being nothing substantial to suggest otherwise.

For anyone still unsure about Apple's commitment, here's what you need to know about Apple and creative pros: I don't think it's even really about money, per se. Apple feels an affinity for this market. Apple/Google/Microsoft sort of line up with the three major pillars of civilization, art/science/commerce, respectively. Ever hear Steve Jobs go on about how the problem with Microsoft is that they haven't got any culture, or any taste? Apple won't abandon the creatives, because they're the users Apple itself most identifies with.

Maybe some radical culture shift a few years into a post-Jobs era will change this. But until then, don't worry about how many iPads Apple is selling, yeah? They're going to keep on making stuff for people who make stuff.

Perfect summation. Mike most is right to an extent, but I think there is enough of the jobsian culture throughout the company to make FCP development a priority for years to come.

 

[David Battistella]

I agree Michael.

All this talk about FCP and apple reminds me of when people used to crap on rock stars for being "sellouts". Why anyone gets upset because apple is making money with a few number one "hits".

Apple success is a great thing for FCP. If anything it raises the bar for them.

I still maintain, as I have for months, that this release will be very wonderful for post production. Just as Apple invented the idea of a suite of post apps (which Adobe since emulated) they will invent the next "way post does things".

 

[Terry VerHaar]

I agree Michael.

All this talk about FCP and apple reminds me of when people used to crap on rock stars for being "sellouts". Why anyone gets upset because apple is making money with a few number one "hits".

Apple success is a great thing for FCP. If anything it raises the bar for them.

I still maintain, as I have for months, that this release will be very wonderful for post production. Just as Apple invented the idea of a suite of post apps (which Adobe since emulated) they will invent the next "way post does things".

David, couldn't agree more. The pattern for NLEs lately, but only lately, is for a sort of leapfrogging. It took forever for Avid and Adobe to wake up and once they did, people seemed to get all antsy about Final Cut. I admit that I have been tempted by Adobe but just didn't what to add another piece of software to the mix. I guess I am lazy; staying current on 2 or 3 different NLEs, through all the updates and transitions just seems like a time suck. FCP hasn't really been deficient for my own needs as yet and I look forward to what new "goodies" (and a few fixes) will be available in the next iteration. I am optimistic! :thumbup1::thumbup1:

 

[shashbugu]

I would have put the art/science/commerce companies as Apple/Intel/Google, but that's just me.

I really am stuck as what to do here. I am just about to start the editing of our second feature, and the new FCP is rumored to be wonderful. In the meantime, we have Premiere Pro 5.

Decisions, decisions.

If FCP 8 came out tomorrow, the decision would be very easy one way or the other. I do not want to have to deal with file wrappers again, however, so if the new FCP can't directly ingest R3D files, then it is game over for Apple for us.

Stephen

Start editing with PPro CS5, if you need to use FCP tomorrow, its a simple XML out, works like a charm as long as you don't use subclips or dynamic linked files.

This is a win win situation for us all. Most of you guys on this thread have posted in the Adobe thread in the past. Just like me, most of you use macs and have an installation of both software, you'll have nothing to loose but more to gain. If a new version of shake and color are integrated into FCP, that will be awesome. Whilst we take the time to learn it we can always keep our clients happy with CS5. The great thing is most of the third party plugins applications we all use, work well with both Apps. Red and CS5 have been good to me, but i would love to add a new and improved fcp to my arsenal not necessarily abandon ship.

 

[Chris Kenny]

I would have put the art/science/commerce companies as Apple/Intel/Google, but that's just me.

Despite their main revenue source being advertising, in terms of corporate culture Google is very engineering-driven. And Apple/Google/Microsoft all do software platforms, unlike Intel, so I think the comparison works better.

Apple is a company, not a living entity with emotional attachments. It doesn't "identify" with anything other than products that can sell and contribute to the company's bottom line.

Now, if you're talking about Steve Jobs personally, I might agree with you. :001_cool:

Corporate culture is a real thing, with real impact.

 

[Palmer Woodrow]

I would be very happy to see a LOT of Motion integrated into FCP, but keep Motion as a stand alone

Motion is one of the very few apps that Apple actually created (the other being Aperture), and it's by far the most innovative. For certain tasks, there's little reason to bother with anything else. The UI needs work to eliminate obscurity, and it gets poor (or no) marketing from Apple, but Motion deserves way more attention than it gets.

 

[Quentin Brown]

I read a very interesting blog recently (I will try and hunt for the link and post it later) regarding the QuickTime architecture and the likely changes coming to finalcut.

Basically a lot of the filters and power that was in the old Quicktime Legacy architecture has not been added to the new QT coming in Lion and never will. QT can work in conjunction with Quartz composer (another baseline graphical system of OSX) to provide GPU based effects which can do these functions much better and faster. This is the core architecture of what we are likely to see in the next FCP. Noise Industries uses the quartz composer for their fxFactory plugin I believe. What will be great will be to see these effects architectures integrated at a base level throughout FCP. With Apples integration of standards like OpenCL in OSX I could imagine them becoming a part of the architecture as well. I hope these technologies will give us more than just smoother playback, less rendering and more realtime effects but also faster GPU/CPU combined transcoding of formats (even if you need to transcode for the edit less because of improved realtime playback there is always transcoding/rendering for delivery)

I think these things (possibly not the last one of transcoding) will be at the heart of the new FCP. There may be some features which they planned for this release but have not been able to implement in time or so I've heard but it should all be a big improvement.

I'm expecting we'll see it at NAB this year (maybe not shipping yet though but who knows?) and a bunch of it's features will be dependant on OSX Lion (which is working out to be less of an iPhone on my PC consumer wash than I had feared)

Lets just hope that gamma & color management issues have been tackled effectively.