Apple Refocusing Final Cut Pro? Jobs says "Next Release Will Be Awesome"

[boonme]

This is the worst possible news that I've read in a long time...

 

[snowboarder]

The Shake replacement rumors centered around a home-grown app known as "Phenomenon". Allegedly, it was to be based around the same engine and design as Motion, only as a node-based, VFX focused app, as a complement to the layer-based, graphics-focused Motion. It was said to be released around 2008, and people swear they know folks who interviewed to work on it. No one knows what happened to it. Ron Brinkmann apparently believes it was killed off several years ago. It possible Apple eventually plans to build some of what it would do into Motion, who knows?

Ron worked at Apple at this time so he doesn't "believe", he knows.
Apple is done with the pro apps. They are not gonna keep the support
necessary. It's much easier to have geniuses at the Apple stores wearing
funky jeans and knowing nothing. It's hip. It's trendy or should I say
iTrendy...

 

[Atkins]

How am I going to keep my job if any schmuck off the street can use my tools?!

Nobody is worried about that.

But nobody said anything about dropping features, so I don't understand the hubbub.

Interesting then how exactly they are going to refocus to prosumers. FCP's interface couldn't be more easy.

Anyway, if you're truly a pro-- easier tools are a good thing.

Of course.

 

[AidenShaw]

.... and then Aperture 3 blew the doors off the expectations?

All that Aperture 3 did was to push the people on the fence over to Lightroom.

Aperture is a joke compared to Lightroom.

 

[J the Ninja]

Nobody is worried about that.


Interesting then how exactly they are going to refocus to prosumers. FCP's interface couldn't be more easy.


Of course.

Once you know what you are doing it's easy. If you don't, it is incredibly vague and overwhelming. Lots of very long menus and tiny, unlabeled, almost-monochromatic icons. Compared to the other pro apps and their standard panes-and-HUDs ProKit layout, yes it is hard to use.

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

I've got a bad feeling about this.

This does sound like a disaster in the making. Final Cut could use a thorough debugging. It doesn't need to be dumbed down. What is Steve thinking ?!?!??!?! The Pro Apps are a huge asset to Apple.

 

[spillproof]

All I have to say is that iMovie 08 sucks WORSE than Windows Movie Maker from 2005 2002.

 

[neutrino23]

I've got a bad feeling about this.

+1

 

[neutrino23]

I just made the transition from iMovie to FCE to get away from the changes made to iMovie.

 

[Atkins]

Aperture is a joke compared to Lightroom.

I beg to differ here. Even Aperture 2 with all its issues isn't a joke compared to Lightroom. And Aperture 3 is great. What does Lightroom has so much over it?

 

[Policar]

Apple's recent history hints at targeting the high-end consumer market but its recent history with FCP has been pushing it toward the high-end (with Color, Prores 4444, and limited support for high-end acquisition codecs).

I'm curious to see what becomes of Color and Soundtrack. FCP has an admittedly daunting interface given how easy it ultimately is to use--but Color is like super unintuitive.

 

[Atkins]

Once you know what you are doing it's easy. If you don't, it is incredibly vague and overwhelming. Lots of very long menus and tiny, unlabeled, almost-monochromatic icons. Compared to the other pro apps and their standard panes-and-HUDs ProKit layout, yes it is hard to use.

Fair enough. Still, I doubt they'll just limit themselves to streamlining the interface. I hope they do. But between Shake, iPad and some other things, I see Apple leaving the professional market.

 

[sizzlingbadger]

As long as they add a corkboard background in there somewhere I don't care what they do

 

[xjames]

If they dumb it down, there's always avid. But it will raise the cost of editing for post houses. eh. it is what it is. It'd mean one less item on my resume..

AND FCP 6 and 7 will still be around for some years.

 

[J the Ninja]

As long as they add a corkboard background in there somewhere I don't care what they do

That should be an option for the transparent sections in all media apps from now on. Black, white, checkerboard, and corkboard.

 

[ranReloaded]

SWEET! I can't wait for it now. Hopefully it will be 64bit and really powerful. I emailed Jobs a little bit back about FCP, but never got anything back. I'm a media and video production student and hopefully the next FCS will be epic (and cheaper)

It's funny how we've come to a point where everyone expects a reply to their e-mails to Steve! He has been responding to so many individuals that you are actually entitled to disappointment when the CEO of one of the biggest corporations just "never wrote you back"!

 

[coldplaysucks.]

If they dumb it down, there's always avid. But it will raise the cost of editing for post houses. eh. it is what it is. It'd mean one less item on my resume..

AND FCP 6 and 7 will still be around for some years.

As an editor I imagine they will make the editing process more guided as an option. With final cut such a developed product I can't possibly see them cutting the pro features for users.

I remember when I first switched to final cut the app seemed very mysterious since I didn't know what to do with it, where to begin, despite knowing what I wanted to edit.

I think if anything Apple will be trying to give video editing skills to anybody who has a vision to cut a video, rather than just an editor.

 

[calsci]

I really hope it is awesome because the build up is really getting to me. The apple propaganda machine is doing its wonders.

 

[Kar98]

What? Just "awesome"? Not "magic"? Well, boo.

 

[ranReloaded]

Fair enough. Still, I doubt they'll just limit themselves to streamlining the interface. I hope they do. But between Shake, iPad and some other things, I see Apple leaving the professional market.

I hope the UI becomes 400% customizable, a la Maya, and they drop some "UI Configuration Templates" for newbies, so you can configure it more consumer oriented, but also available to keep the PRO interface.

Too much to ask for something unrelated to raw performance/functionality?

 

[Darkroom]

first developers, now filmmakers... who's next?

 

[J the Ninja]

http://www.philiphodgetts.com/2010/05/18/why-apple-insider-couldnt-be-more-wrong/

 

[jnpy!$4g3cwk]

I'm a certified FCP editor and if they dumb down FCP, I'm going Avid.

I haven't looked at Avid for a while, but, isn't it at least twice as much as FCS? Even if the new FCS is not great, the price differential will keep a lot of folks from jumping ship. I'm still hopeful. The original article from Apple Insider just sounded like generic marketingspeak. FCS needs to make the 64-bit/Cocoa transition anyway; if they use the opportunity to squash all the bugs they can and make a really clean release, this could be a good thing.

 

[Garrus]

Seriously, im sure Apple is only revamping final cut express to make it more user-friendly, not final cut pro...

 

[MorphingDragon]

I swear the words that come form the email address is sound like they came from a 13-year old.

Apple's support team maybe?