Apple Announces Final Cut Pro X with 64-bit Support
Apple announced the next version of its popular video editing software, Final Cut, and demonstrated a beta of the program at the National Association of Broadcasters' annual trade show in Las Vegas.
Randy Ubillos, Apple's chief architect of video applications, said at a NAB media conference that Apple started over with Final Cut Pro X and rebuilt it to suit the needs of modern consumers. Final Cut Pro X has been designed specifically to work with modern hardware . This includes 64-bit support, meaning it can take advantage of more than 4GB of RAM, and compatibility with Grand Central Dispatch, making it capable of using multi-core processors to get the job done faster.
One of the biggest innovations of Final Cut Pro X is instant rendering in the background. This feature allows users to edit instantly and see the results without needing to render the final product. It's similar to how iMovie works .
The comparison isn't that far-fetched: Many fans of previous iterations of Final Cut are accusing Apple of dumbing down the editing suite when the average consumer would use iMovie anyway.
Apple has thrown in a few new interface designs, including a "magnetic timeline," and a face detection feature found in other Apple software. Final Cut Pro X also introduces color matching between clips, editing before media ingest, auto image stabilization, and media collection based on keywords.
Apple announced that Final Cut Pro X would sell for $299 and be available for download from the Mac App Store in June.
The NAB Show concludes tomorrow (April 14).
