Apple gave an hour and fifty minute presentation to kick of the 2021 World Wide Developer's Conference. Jam packed with iOS stuff, but what about new hardware and Final Cut Pro?
WWDC's are always interesting, there's normally the first outing of the new macOS (named Monterey from the now 'infamous crack marketing team') and new hardware. 2019 bought us the new Mac Pro and a virtual 2020 told us about the move to Apple silicon. So what did we take away from today's presentation? Two things stuck out-
1) The first half of the pre-recorded show was aimed more at consumers rather than developers.
2) There was no new hardware and no mention of any new Apple silicon.
On the plus side though, Final Cut Pro did make an appearance, briefly. It was also too small to blow up so CSI Twitter couldn't get to work looking for new buttons.
The video embedded below plays from the start.
So yes, we were slightly disappointed with the lack of hardware, but there was a lot in there, especially for iOS and iPadOS.
In the macOS section, Universal Control in Monterey allows a Mac's keyboard and mouse to control a nearby iPad, as if it was tethered. You don't get the extra screen real estate, but you do get the ability to drag and drop across devices.
The video embedded below goes straight to the macOS Monterey section.
Once Craig Federighi had walked past that astonishing bank of rack mounted Mac Pros, his demo of Universal Control is impressive with the iPad, but even more impressive when he controls another Mac with the MacBook Pro. This is where FCP manages to sneak in.
We can see Universal Control really helping when editing as we are always trying to copy or link things across machines. Yes the copy and paste from iPhone to Mac is almost magical, but this takes the ease of use to another level.
We also liked the idea of bringing the Shortcuts feature from iOS to macOS. Automator will continue to be supported, but this looks the start of a transition to the new tool. We really hope that Final Cut Pro can be addressed with Shortcuts. Off the top of our head, we can see it being used for simple things like a render notification, to more complicated workflow ideas such as the auto syncing of a media folder and a corresponding FCP event.
Lastly, (and near the end of the presentation) Object Capture looked interesting. It is a macOS API that builds 3D models by using photogrammetry. Now, before everyone gets excited thinking we can import photos into Motion and with a click make a 3D model, it isn't that simple. It looks like you need a 3D application like Maxon's Cinema 4D to do the clever stuff.
Want to know more, but haven't got the two hours to watch the presentation? No problem, Apple has just released this two and a half minute supercut of today's news.
So with no new hardware announced, will we see an Apple event dedicated to the new MacBook Pros that are rumoured to be launched soon?
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!
