Yes, we are a site about Final Cut Pro, but it doesn't do any harm to look at other NLEs out there. Especially when an update comes out with new features.
Tuesday the 15th of June brought the latest update to the range of Adobe applications that come under the Creative Cloud subscription. From Photoshop to Premiere, they've all had new features added. We are of course more interested in Premiere so we thought that we would put the new edition up against FCPX.
'Dramatically simplified color workflows The new Lumetri Color panel provides powerful color corrections using intuitive sliders and other simple controls.'
We like the new look of the colour controls in Premiere. Although there are a few third-party plugins that give control of curves within FCPX, they don't match up to having this depth of colour correction built into the application. Adobe look to have spent quite a bit of time redesigning the functionality. Out of the big three, FCPX has probably now got the weakest set of colour tools.
Apple also need to implement the importing of LUTs. Again, there are some very successful third party LUT tools, but this functionality needs to be within the application.
'Smooth out jump cuts in interviews Morph Cut makes it easier to deliver polished interview content by smoothing out jump cuts in talking-head shots to create a cohesive, polished sequence.'
A clever way of getting around a jump cut in an interview although it does open up the possibility of completely rearranging somebody's words on screen. Not too sure what would happen if the background moved subtly or if you morph between one interviewee and another.
A nice trick, can't see how often we would use this and we know that some news outlets would frown on making 'frankenquotes' If you do a lot of corporate interviews then this could be a lifesaver.
FCPX doesn't have any morphing facility and the two frame optical flow trick in Motion cannot be published as a transition.
'Creative Cloud Libraries integration Premiere Pro now has Creative Cloud Libraries, giving you in-app access to all of your assets.'
Not too sure of having to be connected to the internet to get your assets. We have trouble uploading to YouTube sometimes let alone doing a 10GB WeTransfer.
'Enhanced Premiere Clip support Capture and assemble video wherever inspiration strikes you using Adobe Premiere Clip, then step up to the full creative power of Adobe Premiere Pro. Clip projects now open directly in Premiere Pro, a seamless transition from your mobile editing experience to the power of a professional desktop NLE.'
iMovie on the iPad or iPhone and iMovie projects on the Mac can be imported into FCPX. For a few years now as well, so nothing new here, just Adobe catching up.
'Time Tuner Deliver content that is the right duration without time-consuming micro-editing. Adjust the length of your video with new Adobe magic that automatically adds or removes frames at scene changes, in sections with still images, or low visual activity, or during quiet audio passages. Time Tuner is a feature of Adobe Media Encoder, which is included with Adobe Premiere Pro.'
Again, not too sure about this one. Will there be any visual artefacts in the shortened clip? Also you will see in the video below that the demo guy never does a render so we don't get to see how long shrinking that timeline down to a minute actually takes.
So, some great new features and a few 'meh' ones from an FCPX editor's standpoint. A few things to take away from the Adobe video below that demonstrated the new version Premiere & After Effects.
Jason keeps mentioning 'Uninterrupted Preview' This is where FCPX and Motion scores. never mind toggling a colour effect on and off, in FCPX you can move a file right under the play cursor without stopping playback! We also have 'track fright.' Looking at his timeline, although Premiere seems to have some good tools, we have said goodbye to tracks a long time ago.
As an FCP.co contributor keeps saying 'they all cut pictures and sound together.' He's right and everybody has their favourite tool. Certainly in the colour section, Adobe has just sharpened theirs.
Checkout more on the Adobe blog when it gets published here and the official press release 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!
