Postlab has expanded. Today we have the launch of the collaborative media tool Postlab Drive that takes advantage of the new proxy capabilities of Final Cut Pro X.
The original Postlab allowed FCPX editors to share Libraries via the cloud, checking them in and out so no one got confused about who had the latest version.
Postlab Drive is one step further and now incorporates media, obviously helped by the new proxy features in the Final Cut Pro 10.4.9 update.
This gives you shared storage in the cloud, allowing editors to edit with footage directly without having to download it first.
With all the Covid restrictions at the moment, this will allow an editor to edit from home without ever having to go into the office or take delivery of a media drive from the friendly DHL delivery person again.
No demo video on this one yet, Felipe Baez is working on one and we will insert it into the article when ready. We will also have a review from Oliver Petes in the next couple of weeks, however the response is already positive from users who have been testing Postlab Drive Out.
Postlab Drive is like a no-nonsense remote server aimed at editors, and I had no idea how badly I needed it. Says Steven Moyer - Editor, La Leyenda Negra. Once I realized what it really was, I couldn't stop thinking about the collaborative possibilities it opened up. It instantly became indispensable to me. Postlab Drive behaves like a local disk and that truly makes a world of difference in how I can communicate with collaborators."
Paul Matthjis, the CEO of Hedge and Postlab Drive goes even further and calls it a game changer. You can read more about Postlab Drive and the cloud technology it uses in his excellent blog here.
Postlab Drive also gives users and clients the ability to upload and download files. Drop Off and Pickup allow clients to send and download footage and assets directly via a URL so they don't have to have run PostLab Drive on their computers.
The cloud infrastructure for PostLab Drive is powered by wasabi, whose low latency servers allow Postlab Drive to offer the speeds needed for editing and quick data transfers. In the diagram below you can see that Postlab Drive easily outperforms Google Drive and Dropbox.
It also interfaces with high-speed transfer app MASV, media management app Kyno and cloud-based media tool Iconik.
So what about price? If you already subscribe to Postlab, good news. Pro users will get 100GB of space and Teams 1000GB. For more space, plans start at $30 a month or $300 a year for 1 TB.
Want to know more about just sharing libraries? You can read Oliver Peter's review of Postlab here.
I am the Editor-in-Chief of FCP.co and have run the website since its inception ten years ago.
I have also worked as a broadcast and corporate editor for over 30 years, starting on one inch tape, working through many formats, right up to today's NLEs.
Under the name Idustrial Revolution, I have written and sold plugins for Final Cut Pro for 13 years.
I was made a Freeman of Lichfield through The Worshipful Company of Smiths (established 1601). Though I haven't yet tried to herd a flock of sheep through the city centre!
Current Editing
2020 has been busy, the beginning of the year was finishing off a new property series (cut on FCP) for Channel 4 called The Great House Giveaway. I also designed and built the majority of the graphics as Motion templates. It has been a great success and the shows grabbed more viewers in the 4pm weekday slot than any previous strand. It has been recommissioned by C4 for 60 episodes, including prime-time versions and five themed programmes. The shows have also been nominated for a 2021 BAFTA.
Although both were postponed to later in the year, I worked again on ITV's coverage of the Tour de France and La Vuelta. 2020 was my 25th year of editing the TdF and my 20th year as lead editor. The Tour was the first broadcast show to adopt FCPX working for multiple editors on shared storage.
BBC's Snooker has played a big part in my life, I've been editing tournament coverage since 1997. I'm proud to be part of a very creative team that has pioneered many new ideas and workflows that are now industry standard in sports' production. This is currently an Adobe Premiere edit.
Covid cancelled some of the regular corporate events that I edit such as trade shows & events. I was lucky however to edit, from home, on projects for Amazon Kindle, Amazon Black Friday, Mastercard and very proud to have helped local charitable trust Kendall & Wall secure lottery funding.
As for software, my weapon of choice is Final Cut Pro and Motion, but I also have a good knowledge and broadcast credits with Adobe Premiere Pro, MOGRT design and Photoshop.
Plugin Design & Development
I'm the creative force behind Idustrial Revolution, one of the oldest Final Cut Pro plugin developers. It hosts a range of commercial and free plugins on the site. One free plugin was downloaded over a thousand times within 24 hours of release.
I also take on custom work, whether it is adapting an existing plugin for a special use or designing new plugins for clients from scratch. Having a good knowledge of editing allows me to build-in flexibility and more importantly, usability.
FCP.co
Now in its 10th year and 4th redesign, running FCP.co has given me knowledge on how to run a large CMS- you are currently reading my bio from the database! Although it sounds corny, I am pretty well up on social media trends & techniques, especially in the video sector. The recent Covid restrictions has enabled live FCP.co shows online. This involves managing a Zoom Webinar through Restream.io to YouTube and Facebook.
The Future
I'm always open to new ideas and opportunities, so please get in touch at editor (at) fcp.co. I've judged film competitions, presented workflow techniques to international audiences and come up with ideas for TV shows and software programs!
