Evidence of XML Importer Found in Final Cut Pro X

[MacRumors]

While Apple has received significant criticism for stripping out a number of features from its professional-level video production software in the transition to Final Cut Pro X, the company has said that it will be updating the new application on a regular basis, and has acknowledged that it is working on restoring some of the lost features.

One of those missing features is compatibility for XML projects, a popular open format that Apple had embraced in Final Cut Pro for several years before eliminating it in Final Cut Pro X. According to Philip Hodgetts, Apple has apparently stated that it is working on a replacement for the XML workflow, as well as the ability to import XML from older projects into Final Cut Pro X.

That XML import support may in fact be coming relatively soon, as some digging by MacMagazine.com.br [Google translation] reveals that the XML importer is already present in Final Cut Pro X in some form, but has not been turned on.

MacMagazine.com.br's source not only found references to an "importFinalCutXML" function within the code, but also was able to run the function to bring up an "Import XML" window that is unfortunately not yet functional.

Article Link: Evidence of XML Importer Found in Final Cut Pro X

 

[gmcalpin]

Ouch. Just having this in the shipping FCPX 1.0 product would have made the release A LOT smoother for Apple.

Not "smooth," by a longshot, but smoother. Apple's getting torn apart by its best friends (Pogue, Gruber, etc.) over this.

 

[winston1236]

such a sloppy release

 

[Jerome Morrow]

Ouch. Just having this in the shipping FCPX 1.0 product would have made the release A LOT smoother for Apple.

Not "smooth," by a longshot, but smoother. Apple's getting torn apart by its best friends (Pogue, Gruber, etc.) over this.

I think they know better.

 

[AriX]

importFinalCutXML is a method, not a function. And you don't "run" a function, you call it. (Just nitpicking here, but what was written looks kinda weird to a programmer.)

 

[iphonepiephone]

importFinalCutXML is a method, not a function. And you don't "run" a function, you call it. (Just nitpicking here, but what was written looks kinda weird to a programmer.)

You got what they meant though, right? Don't be so pedantic - noone cares the exact terminology for headers and includes - these are VIDEO EDITORS, not nerds.

 

[Sander]

You got what they meant though, right? Don't be so pedantic - noone cares the exact terminology for headers and includes - these are VIDEO EDITORS, not nerds.

AriX offered the MacRumors bot a chance to fix the text. Exact terminology does matter in a written article, or I might as well post that Final Cut Pro X does offer multicam (oh I meant you can import from different kinds of cameras).

Cheers,
a proud nerd.

 

[K.B.]

terminology be damned--- if this had been included in the release it would have quieted at least 10% of the outcry over FCPX.

I don't understand... were they working on a deadline for release? I sure never heard one and it didn't seem 'overdue' to me. Why not take another week and get this working?

Another needle in their ass because someone pulled the trigger too soon on releasing this product.

 

[insidegui]

Update

I'm the guy who discovered all that stuff about XML inside FCPX.

AN UPDATE:

Unfortunately It seems like the methods I've found aren't for importing of old FCP7 XML files, but a new kind of XML called "AXEL", which stands for "Apple eXchange Editing Language". The original blog post about It has screenshots of this thing actually working: http://mcmgz.in/1wf

Two interesting factoids:
- The new interface is internally called "AquaPro"
- FCPX is ready for Lion and has some frameworks built in specially for the new feline

ANOTHER UPDATE:
I just wanted to let you know that I've also found some stuff in there about making the media browser and the video preview fullscreen, and It works just fine, even in Snow Leopard. I don't understand why Apple leave all that good stuff out even when It's perfectly functional, It seems like they want to keep It out of the first version just so they can come a few months later with a new release and make a lot of buzz about It.

There are two screenshots of the method calls found inside the code: http://migre.me/58z5A

When I called the method "toggleFullscreenOrganizer" I was running with two monitors and the media organizer went fullscreen on my secondary monitor. The same happend with "toggleFullscreenDisplayArea", but this time the video preview went fullscreen.

 

[chrono1081]

You got what they meant though, right? Don't be so pedantic - noone cares the exact terminology for headers and includes - these are VIDEO EDITORS, not nerds.

Actually in programming exact terminology is very important. Not to mention those "nerds" are what make your video editing possible.

 

[meetpriya]

thanks for information

 

[Nostromo]

I'm the guy who discovered all that stuff about XML inside FCPX.

AN UPDATE:

Unfortunately It seems like the methods I've found aren't for importing of old FCP7 XML files, but a new kind of XML called "AXEL", which stands for "Apple eXchange Editing Language". The original blog post about It has screenshots of this thing actually working: http://mcmgz.in/1wf

Two interesting factoids:
- The new interface is internally called "AquaPro"
- FCPX is ready for Lion and has some frameworks built in specially for the new feline

ANOTHER UPDATE:
I just wanted to let you know that I've also found some stuff in there about making the media browser and the video preview fullscreen, and It works just fine, even in Snow Leopard. I don't understand why Apple leave all that good stuff out even when It's perfectly functional, It seems like they want to keep It out of the first version just so they can come a few months later with a new release and make a lot of buzz about It.

There are two screenshots of the method calls found inside the code: http://migre.me/58z5A

When I called the method "toggleFullscreenOrganizer" I was running with two monitors and the media organizer went fullscreen on my secondary monitor. The same happend with "toggleFullscreenDisplayArea", but this time the video preview went fullscreen.

This sounds like a lot of new things are coming at us in updates to Final Cut X.

Apple said it had to evaluate how to implement certain features (including user feedback), and we can see in your discovery that this was not just a PR statement.

 

[paulbuhl]

NO XML is a DISASTER for FEATURE FILM users.

I use FCP to cut features, them use XML to get that cut into finishing environments like Smoke, Flame, Lustre, using formats like DPX and EXR. In the case of NuCoda, we'll at least use EDL. Not having a common language tool to interact with REAL conform and finishing environments is a DISASTER for feature film work. I assume OMF for audio is gone as well? The idea that Apple will someday release it's own version of XML is not comforting at all if the other environments are not on board as well.

 

[DrAIR]

Sad farewell to Final Cut Pro

I've been using Final Cut for 10 years since version 1. I've always loved it. Unfortunately the new version as most editors feel, is a kick in the teeth to all of us... When trying out adobe premiere I found it amazing that I could import a final cut pro project into premiere with great ease... Its astounding to me that IMovie Pro, sorry FCPX, doesn't support importing older FCP projects. I read somewhere that because the new program was so different it would NEVER be able to open older projects. This is surely nonsense because isn't adobe premiere a completely different program to FCP7 but yet still manages to open the old projects. A lot of the new X features do look really good but I have zero faith in apples commitment to the pro market any more and as such will likely be buying adobe production premium, (half price to FCP users till September). A really sad time, will miss FCP but is as much use as a chocolate fireguard to me for now. If and when they sort it out I may come back but Im not holding my breath...