FCPX 10.1.4 PRE-RELEASE DISCUSSION

From Larry Jordan's most recent blog post on Adobe CC updates-

I am very impressed with the speed with which Adobe is updating all their software – more than 1,000 new features across all their applications since the Creative Cloud was introduced last year. I’m also impressed with the integration between the different applications, though the amount of integration varies between apps.

There is a lot here to like – and much to write about for the future. I am very curious to see how Apple responds because Adobe is moving at blinding speed at the moment.

Only quoted for context in this discussion. While adding a number of features in and of themselves shouldn't be the goal, the rapid development is a sure sign of Adobe's investment. I'd be more worried if I were AVID, though...

As for FCP X, I know Apple's team is committed to the product. I know they work closely with valued prospects. I guess I just find myself thinking what things would look like if all Apple's ProApps had a development track and PR and Beta strategy like Xcode does for iOS developers.

I would be really interested to know if Adobe's subscription experiment is working.
I've only seen a handful of adopters and that's mostly for After Effects.
Haven't spoken to anyone who thinks its a good idea.

But yes AVID are looking more vulnerable. Especially is someone can nail collaboration.
Then they're gone.

"Especially is someone can nail collaboration."

CatDV has had that covered for some time now.
And with Focalpoint Server?
Game over.

Focalpoint is very expensive and I am sure small "shops" simply cannot justify the costs involved.
What is needed is a middle ground expandable system, that takes into account the various needs of users.

For example you might have a small camera crew on location, think TV news, that film something, they need to get the footage out, to get it edited, as they are busy uploading the full resolution material, they need to also get the proxy files sent, to be edited far away..

Once the project is edited, or the upload finished of the full res video files, the XML or whatever workflow is used, going live to air, only that footage that is used in the edit is flighted, and the rest archived.

Focalpoint it seems is aimed at fixed point office based systems, like the BBC, 1 place with access points, as happens in sporting events you have a media village that is the hub of the action for broadcasters/journalist/creative types.

Proxy files and XML needs to be improved, proxy files could be used in some cases, think war in Ukraine, camera crew have footage deleted, if there was a simple shoot/upload a great quality copy of the material, then this would suffice..Not ideal, we all need 24k footage, all the time, and we are blind to 1080p video!!

• Trim with JKL (to see and hear what i'm expanding
  
• double windows when i trim with keyboard shortcut
  
• A sort of watch folder to have automatic import of file we put in this folder i.e. for my render motion folder
  
• roles colors
  
• fixing the traduction problems : in F consolidate hasn't the same name in file menu and in properties of the library, lot of other exemples
  
• Users setting and configuration settings
  
• relink proxy and relink optimized medias
• collaborative cloud workflow

Dmitri,

you should honestly consider to change your internet provider. I'm in Berlin, too. Using VDSL I don't get 100mbit upload for sure, but it gets fast enough to send a couple of GBs per hour. The server you're uploading to makes a big difference, too. For example I find Dropbox to be extremely slow but I get awesome speed with WeTransfer.

Good luck!

I would like to see the ability to directly import iMovieMobile projects that have been uploaded to iCloud Drive

Justine, TV news room will have the money for a system like CatDV or FocalPoint Server. If not, they'll use a simple central storage solution with External Media, and work just fine.

A smaller production facility, with only 2 or 3 folks, can simply use central storage with External Media, just fine.

A one man band has no need for any of this.

Then there is XML and proxies via automated FTP services like DropBox.

Ponponpostprod wrote:

• roles colors
  

This is a easy one!
But I think there hasn't been that many "feedback" for this.
I would suggest to yell it out. www.apple.com/feedback/finalcutpro.html

I'm working up two follow up blog posts to my original Roles article.

disproportionatepictures.blogspot.ca/2014/05/roles.html

The first will be on what can be done to make Roles tagging faster and easier. The second will take another look at Roles to organize the Project timeline. I received a lot of feedback on that one- and so I'm going to take a more detailed look at what it might look like.

Apple has announced the date for its second Fall Event, just next Thursday October 16th.

9to5mac.com/2014/10/08/its-been-way-too-...16th-ipad-mac-event/

Of particular interest to FCP X users will of course be Yosemite, which should be launched shortly after the event.

Whether we should expect this to mean any imminent FCP X release is unclear, though 9to5mac has previously rumoured updates to both iMovie and FCP X to tie into Retina iMacs; though as I've said before I'm not sure what additional Retina/4K support Final Cut requires, since it's be 4K capable since the start, and Retina ready since 10.0.5 in July 2012.

Also rumoured for the event:

New iPads
Mac Mini refresh
Retina iMac
Retina MacBook Air
Updated iWork
Retina Thunderbolt Display

also rumoured but not likely-
12" iPad Pro
New AppleTV

Regarding the earlier post talking about the PR strategy, this is why I think Apple most likely has stopped doing public PR for their ProApps.

A director I work with a lot directed one of the very last iTunes/iPod spots in 2007. A year later, Apple pulled out of both NAB and Macworld.

When Steve Jobs returned to apple in '96, they were publicly pushing that they are foremost a hardware company that also makes the software that runs said hardware. My guess is that somewhere around the iPhone launch they pulled the plug on doing PR for their software. Once iTunes became the dominant online music store, only being outsold by Wal-Mart and Target in 2007, they had all the pieces needed to focus their PR solely on hardware.

The iPhone was the first portable device that you could buy content without needing a computer. As Steve said about FCP being so inexpensive and easy to pirate, he quipped "Yeah but you need a really expensive dongle to run it."

My guess is that around 2007, Apple made a decision to eliminate all software advertising company-wide and this is really hindering turning around the negative public perception of FCP X.

I have been fortunate to attend a couple of Apple 'invite only' events, but no photography or recording of any kind is allowed. The presenters are as you would expect amazing, but it feels like they are telling secrets that they really want to shout from the mountaintop.

If I'm right, it makes sense that even though FCP 7 was still leaps and bounds better than PP in summer 2011, Adobe struck when the wound was fresh and isn't letting up. (Remember the Flash war of 2007? This is personal for them.)

If this is indeed the case, I hope that Apple will treat their ProApps as an exception to their no software PR rule.

I entirely agree with your assessment, Darren.

And it is correct that Adobe struck when the wound was fresh. If they hadn't made the stupid mistake of forcing people to perpetually rent their software right at the same time that many people were pissed with Apple, they could have caused great damage to FCP X. But the subscription model turned off a lot of potential switchers, allowing FCP X to grow and to make huge steps forward. Now that the anger about the subscription-only system seems to slowly calm down FCP X has reached such an important adoption rate that it seems Adobe has lost the momentum. If you read the Premiere forums there still are a lot of things that don't work properly in Premiere CC, so if Apple comes up with a really decent update for FCP X by the end of this year I have no doubt FCP X will continue to attract many new users coming from FCP7 or Premiere or even from Avid in 2015.

I don't think Apple will change its position regarding Pro Apps PR, and I'm even quite confident that this won't be necessary. FCP X is promoted so intensively by its own user base that no marketing campaign could ever beat this. In the near future we will gradually get more news about some major features that are being cut right now or that have been cut on FCP X, and about some major players that are switching to X. What we have seen until now was just for starters

- Ronny

Hi Ronny,

I can say from how fast this showed up, your much better written response was composed much quicker than my post.

In the US, specifically LA, many of the the major post facilities that would benefit most from FCP X, their management still live and die by what their engineers say, which is that FCP X is a disaster, Apple could abandon it at any second, they don't support their pro software, you know all the rest. We all know that none of these arguments have a shred of truth.

Occasionally they let out a nugget like FCP X has a ten year development cycle commitment. Interpreting that negatively, that still means it has at least seven years of support left. If they could occasionally set the record straight on the misinformation that is being used effectively against them, it would help the advocates back up the facts with statements.

I agree with you Ronny that eventually this will gain more studio acceptance, but it could have happened much faster. I also agree that it would take a major orbital shift for Apple to change their mind about ProApps PR. I can see how advertising Safari as being the fastest browser to use, or iWork being able to do 90% of what Office can do, just easier to use being a waste of resources to advertise since they are basically free. (Remember when they charged for iPod touch iOS updates? That happened once.)

None of those apps can make or break getting a massive investment like getting a feature film finished, this is why FCP X alone should get a pass for this blanket no software PR rule, but I agree it probably won't.

I'm sure you and I agree that the remaining 'reasons' it still has a negative stigma can all be lumped together as the irrational fear of the unknown. The at minimum seven year development cycle statement has been very effective in discussions with decision makers, but it would be nice to have a couple more.

Focus
Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon
BBC News
Scripps Media
@radical.media
etc, etc, etc...

I'm steadily teaching larger and larger classes, more and more often.

Seriously, what PR is needed?

I think it just sets the tone.

As I mentioned above, ProApps are actually stand out now in relation to Apple's other software offerings in how they interact with its users.

OSX, iOS, Xcode- all have public preview events with functional roadmaps and beta programs. Swift (Apple's new programming language) has a blog.

Again, I have to emphasize as Darren says above- the passion is undeniably there. And those who are working at a certain level get to see an interaction and level of commitment that most don't. I'm just not sure there's a DOWNSIDE to a heavier investment in FCPX promotion. Apple will never beat Adobe at this game, but information, promotion, and interaction promote good will.

And success stories are great- but even better when they take the form like these gems-









Will we see something like this for FOCUS?

One of the things I would like to see is better control over secondary story lines and connected clips. 80% of the time I love how they interact with the primary storyline, but I think there are somethings missing. (Maybe I am missing some modifier key) I want to be able select a range and delete anything within that range, similar to legacy versions or FCP. Maybe this can be implemented through Roles?

The ~ key overrides clip connections. Hold it while moving a primary storyline clip, and all connected clips/storylines remain in place.

Using the range tool (R), select a range in a storyline, hit "delete", everything in that range is gone (even if it cuts a clip or two in half) via ripple-delete. Hold the shift key, and they're all replaced with a gap clip.

I would like to see Timeline Ruler in/out points, as that could have a lot of use, including deleting everything between those points, not just what's in the primary storyline.

Thanks Ben, I am familiar with the ~ key and and replace with gap. I was talking about what you called the ruler. I can see a lot of value in being able to delete things in a range that lay outside the primary. Blading and deleting seems very unintuitive in an otherwise fast environment.

Apple not having PR for there ProApps is there PR.
Isn't the Final Cut Pro X the most discussed NLE on the net.