FCP X 10.0.3: Reactions, resources and compatibility announcements

An update to Final Cut Pro X this week finally gave pro video editors the multicam support and ability to relink files they had been craving. Now that the dust has settled, we've started to see a few more reviews and tutorials come out in praise of v10.0.3. It also seems Apple has been working with third-party developers to iron out a few compatibility bugs, as Blackmagic Design, GenArts, Red Giant and Matrox all announce hardware and plug-in support for the latest version of FCP X...

New features in 10.0.3

A major gripe from editors when FCP X first came out was that it no longer supported multicam editing, but Apple promised the feature would be on its way soon. True to their word, it's now arrived in v10.0.3 to positive reviews from FCP expert Larry Jordan, as we reported here. Another editor impressed by the new features was Apple Certified Trainer and guest Jigsaw blogger Jonathan Eric Tyrrell, of postpost.tv.

"So far I've had chance to experiment with Multicam editing, the updated Keyer Effect and relinking media; they all seem sophisticated, robust and relatively straightforward to use," said Jonathan. "They are symbolic of the intrinsic power of FCP X in that respect. It's an amazing feat to take something like Multicam editing, a process that will be so familiar to so many seasoned editors, and provide such terrific enhancements - automatic multicam clip creation will turn heads and deservedly so. The significance for the wider post-world is surely in the message that development of Final Cut Pro X is ongoing and that Apple is clearly intent on producing new and reimagined tools that are unequivocally best of class. The revisions to FCPXML are also a great leap forward. The possibilities for third-parties are expanding with this release and tools like 7toX for Final Cut Pro, which is a terrific application, are a boon for the community."

More resources. There's more from Jonathan Eric Tyrrell, including an excellent walkthrough of using 7toX, at his website postpost.tv. Creative Cow, always a handy source of media and entertainment news and reviews, have come up with this tutorial "FCP X INs and OUTs - Multicam Part ONE". There's also an interesting video review of 10.0.3 over at MacProVideo.com, and the consistently useful fcp.co have put together a good roundup of third-party apps available, as well as a balanced review of FCP X from a former 'hater'.

Finally, Apple have released a white paper, 'Final Cut Pro X: Xsan best practices', which they say is "designed to help you determine the best way of working with a SAN, such as Xsan, to speed up creative work and eliminate copying files across networks or hand-carrying hard drives on multiuser projects." In response, the Xsanity.com website has looked through the features and found the Xsan support in FCP X is not very different from FCP 7 and previous versions.

Blackmagic Design

One thing people had been calling for since FCP X was first announced was monitoring, and now that it's been included in the latest version, BMD have been quick to ensure their capture and playback products support it. The Desktop Video 9.2 beta 1 includes a new control panel for selecting the video output format from Final Cut Pro X for output to devices such as broadcast quality monitors, HDTVs and projectors.

Grant Petty, CEO of Blackmagic Design said this would allow editors to see exactly what masters will look like in television colourspace: "Now working with Final Cut Pro X is even better since our customers can accurately view projects on whatever monitor they choose and can ensure that their final output meets crucial broadcast standards."

The Desktop Video 9.2 beta 1 for Mac OS X includes support for all current DeckLink, Multibridge, Intensity and UltraStudio models, and is available to download for free now.

Matrox

Also taking advantage of the new monitoring capabilities in 10.0.3 were Matrox, who announced a new software update (if only in beta form for the time being) for their I/O products. The release will give Matrox's PCIe cards, ExpressCard/34 or Thunderbolt I/O devices broadcast quality output to a variety of monitors - SDI, Analogue Component or HDMI monitors - while editing with Final Cut Pro X. Matrox's 3.1 beta will be available to download from the 13th February.

Sapphire Edge

Sapphire Edge, the younger sister of GenArts' Sapphire effects and transitions plug-ins, has now also got an update to make it compatible with Final Cut Pro X. Delivering the same pro effects as the more high-end version, Edge is designed to be more streamlined with "the busy, modern editor in mind".

"Using Sapphire Edge with Final Cut Pro X transforms the experience so editors can apply premium visual effects in a more intuitive workflow to quickly create higher quality, better performing video." said GenArts CEO Katherine Hays.

You can find out more about GenArts Sapphire Edge for FCP X here.

Magic Bullet Looks

It's also worth mentioning Red Giant has now updated their Magic Bullet Looks colour correction tool (available in Magic Bullet Suite) to accomodate Apple editing. The plug-in's FCP X compatibility has been hampered for quite some time, as Red Giant explained:

"There was a serious bug in Final Cut Pro X that did not allow it to properly hand off imagery to many plug-ins [...] Over the last few months, we've worked directly with the Final Cut team to get this issue resolved and, thanks to their dedicated work, the latest build of Final Cut Pro X fixes the issue that kept Looks from working properly."

Softron

To round things off, Softron are touting their MovieRecorder and updated MovieRecorder Control as "must haves" for editing multicam projects with FCP X. Using the 'Gang record button', apparently all you have to do is start recording all the camera angles, then MovieRecorder Control will import them all, create the multicam clip and project for you, and you can start editing while it is still being recorded. The updated version will be out later this week.

- Have you seen a good FCP X resource that we've missed? Let us know in the comments box below.

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