Today at the Apple event, we got to see the new iPhone 13, with new features that will certainly appeal to filmmakers and mobile creators. Yes, Final Cut Pro and iMovie will be able to refocus movies recorded on an iPhone 13 Pro!
We knew some of the details as quite a bit of information had been leaked, but the presentation lived up to the billing. Yes Final Cut Pro did get a quick shot and mention, so that was encouraging. Maybe lose the DaVinci panel next time!
We always knew that the new iPhone would be at the end, so we had to enjoy the updates to AppleTV+, iPad, iPad mini, Watch and Apple Fitness first.
The Apple Event should be queued up on the iPhone section 40 minutes in below.
The iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini both feature the new A15 Bionic chip, longer battery life and a brighter Super Retina XDR display. That will give a maximum brightness of 800nits with peak brightness for HDR photos and videos of 1200 nits.
The two cameras also get an update with Sensor-shift OIS on both lenses.
The main update for us filmmakers though is Cinematic Mode, recording in Dolby Vision HDR up to 4K 60fps on both cameras.
Cinematic Mode works like an automatic focus puller, shifting the focus from objects of interest. This isn't just done on a point and focus basis (Although you can do that manually ), the Neural Engine in the phone can anticipate a person walking into frame and refocus or throw the focus to another person when a person looks away. That's really clever, the video below shows automatic focusing at about 1:40 in.
But we knew there would be a Pro version and this didn't disappoint either, the rumours about internal ProRes recording were true.
“iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max make up our most pro iPhone lineup ever with the biggest advancement for our camera system, the best battery life ever in an iPhone, and the fastest performance of any smartphone, setting a new standard for iPhone and enabling incredible experiences never before possible,” said Greg Joswiak, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “The new pro camera system offers even more pro photography capabilities like improved telephoto zoom, macro photography, Photographic Styles, Cinematic mode, as well as ProRes and Dolby Vision video. The Super Retina XDR display with ProMotion is our best display ever; it intelligently responds to the content on your screen, offers fantastic graphics performance, and is perfect for any viewing experience.”
Now for the killer line - Tucked away in the Apple Press release is this little gem. Hello Final Cut Pro 10.6 :)
This is also in the press release
For creative control, the focus can be changed during and after capture, and users can also adjust the level of bokeh in the Photos app and iMovie for iOS, and coming soon to iMovie for macOS and Final Cut Pro
Amazing, amazing.
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!
