Apple Says MultiCam Support is "Top Priority" in FCP X and More

[MacRumors]

It's been three days since Apple released Final Cut Pro X, a complete redesign of its flagship video editing suite. Early reaction has been mixed at best, with users giving poor marks to the software on the Mac App Store and in reviews. Even Conan O'Brien poked fun at the new release.

Apple seems to be addressing concerns through David Pogue's column at the New York Times, assisting David with an extensive Q&A covering what's missing from FCPX and giving some workarounds as well. One of the biggest complaints in FCPX was the lack of multicamera editing. Apple promises many more features and fixes, and notes that adding multicam is a "top priority":

<strong>Complaint</strong>: There’s no multicamera editing. In the old FCP, you could import the footage from various cameras that covered an event (say, a concert) from different angles simultaneously, and then easily cut back and forth between them while editing. It was a star feature of Final Cut, and it’s gone from FCP X.

<strong>Answer</strong>: Apple intends to restore this feature in an update, calling it “a top priority.” Until it does, here’s a stopgap facsimile of multicam editing: If you drag two clips into parallel timeline tracks, you can choose Clip->Synchronize Clips. By comparing their audio tracks, the program aligns the clips exactly. Now, each time you select a piece of the upper video track and press the V key (“disable”), you are effectively cutting to what’s on the lower video track.

The Q&A goes on for quite a while, and those FCPX users who have concerns would do well to give it a read.

Before the software came out, Final Cut Pro guru Larry Jordan warned against adopting Final Cut Pro X too quickly:

Whenever you've got something which is that big a re-write, stuff gets changed, stuff gets left out, stuff gets added later because they can't get it all re-written and I guarantee you that on day one when the dot zero release ships it will not be ready for professional use.

His advice seems especially prescient in the aftermath of the Final Cut Pro X launch.

Article Link: Apple Says MultiCam Support is "Top Priority" in FCP X and More

 

[Basibo1]

Glad to see they're working on it. Too bad they didn't have MultiCam support from the beginning.

 

[tarproductions]

Glad to see that they're officially responding to user's concerns, thoughts and feedback.

 

[Nicky G]

By far and away the thing that's killing the user base is that they stopped selling Final Cut Studio on the same day that they released a very, very hobbled version of the "upgrade" (which as we know is a whole new application, missing a huge number of features FInal Cut users rely on).

I think we will see them back-peddle, and they re-release Final Cut Studio in the next couple of weeks. If not, well, I think most pro users will move away from the package and move to Avid or Adobe.

 

[pimentoLoaf]

As someone who never used iMovie and only rarely fired up Final Cut Express to experiment with a few things, it doesn't phase me that FCP-x is lacking stuff that professionals take for granted.

I have more fun writing screenplays than figuring how they make 'em into a completed film, though I'm (perpetually) starting to figure out that end of the business. Nice to know Apple is working to make the package more complete.

 

[milo]

Here's an idea for Apple - let anyone who buys FCX (or buys all three apps) to have a copy of FCS as well if they want it. For people setting up a new editing station now to do high end work, they don't even sell FCS any more so I'm not sure what options there are in that situation.

And it's great that they're finally speaking up, but they should have announced all this information the moment FCX was released, if not before that.

 

[RoboCop001]

By far and away the thing that's killing the user base is that they stopped selling Final Cut Studio on the same day that they released a very, very hobbled version of the "upgrade" (which as we know is a whole new application, missing a huge number of features FInal Cut users rely on).

I think we will see them back-peddle, and they re-release Final Cut Studio in the next couple of weeks. If not, well, I think most pro users will move away from the package and move to Avid or Adobe.

Couldn't they just stick with their current FCP until FCPX gets the restored features?

 

[Duluth Baptist]

By far and away the thing that's killing the user base is that they stopped selling Final Cut Studio on the same day that they released a very, very hobbled version of the "upgrade" (which as we know is a whole new application, missing a huge number of features FInal Cut users rely on).

I think we will see them back-peddle, and they re-release Final Cut Studio in the next couple of weeks. If not, well, I think most pro users will move away from the package and move to Avid or Adobe.

I think most pro users are rational enough not to spend thousands of dollars on a new package just to spite Apple, if they have working versions of FC7 that are still perfectly usable. "A few weeks" is a very short timeline; I think, as Larry Jordan has said, the real evaluation on the new software is months away. Apple has clearly indicated that they are aggressively pursuing updates to make the program pro-ready. This is the direction they are pursuing, and they will make it work.

That said, they can't wait a year to have these upgrades up. When Conan dishes niche software like that (and the clip was hilarious), you know Apple has a serious image problem with the release. There are no "soft launches" with Apple anymore. You can't take a year to get it right, there is too much scrutiny.

Apple's price for success. I'd be interested to be a fly on the wall of a team meeting that Jobs visits this morning after Conan's segment went viral.

 

[tarproductions]

Couldn't they just stick with their current FCP until FCPX gets the restored features?

For the first time with Final Cut Pro, you can have two versions installed on the same machine without partitioning a drive. I have FCS3 while I'm testing, getting used to, waiting for full feature set on FCPx.

 

[Duluth Baptist]

Couldn't they just stick with their current FCP until FCPX gets the restored features?

Yes. They can also be installed separately on one computer. Apple probably should have made this more clear, however, as board evidence suggests some people simply installed and overwrote on day one and feel a big singed.

 

[portishead]

Video & audio track assignments are killing me the most. There should be an option to disable magnetic timeline and work normally. Although I do like the magnetic timeline for certain projects that only need stereo audio output.

 

[Duluth Baptist]

I think Apple's major problem is not the program itself, but the communication surrounding it. It seems to me that they wanted this to be kind of a soft launch. There was very little promotion, and the release date itself was a surprise. The problem is that Apple did not manage expectations very well.

They seem to believe that they have a solid, high-tech, revolutionary video editor that is ready for hobby and prosumer use *right now* and worth selling to those people. People like me, who will consider FCX when it was previously inaccessible to me due to price or hardware capability. They want it to become a pro-level app like FCS is, but they are adding those features over time and didn't want to delay the release. Also, they wanted pro users an opportunity to try it out and get used to it, with the idea that it will be pro level in a few months or a year at most.

That is a sensible position. The problem is that, from what we see with the virulent feedback on this board, the App Store, and now on major cable television, Apple did not properly manage their expectations. Pros expected a pro-level app, and now wonder if Apple has abandoned them entirely. I think that's a silly idea, but Apple's error was giving this idea any grounds at all.

It's one thing to have Larry Jordan say that it won't be ready for prime-time for a few months after release. It's another if Apple itself produces a press release that says "we're releasing it now, it's ready for many uses, but some key pro features are coming later."

They are coming later, but Apple is losing some prestige in the industry over this. Some damage can't be undone.

 

[jackhdev]

If Final Cut Studio is no longer available, how are users supposed to buy Color, DVD Studio Pro, and Soundtrack Pro (without buying Logic)? These are great programs, and thank goodness I have them. It wouldn't make sense that they just stopped selling them, so do they have a future plan for these products?

 

[Westacular]

Here's an idea for Apple - let anyone who buys FCX (or buys all three apps) to have a copy of FCS as well if they want it. For people setting up a new editing station now to do high end work, they don't even sell FCS any more so I'm not sure what options there are in that situation.

It seems like something along these lines would be a sensible response. The outcry from some of the professionals seems overblown, when you consider that installing FCPX doesn't do anything to replace their pre-existing FC installs.

The only issue that would "force" them to consider switching in the near term is if they need to set up additional stations, and these stations will require features not yet FCPX, and will also have to coordinate a workflow with existing FCP7 editing stations. The inability to get new FCP7 licenses means that the obvious-but-costly solution to that scenario is to migrate entirely away from Final Cut.

Yeah, that's a bad position to be stuck in... but I really don't think Apple is going to be that callous.

The sort of deal like you suggest would turn this around, and offer a great incentive for sticking with Final Cut: it would be like they're paying less to set up the new station than previously, and they're getting the new version as a free bonus -- giving them opportunity to experiment with it, see the value of its new ways of doing things, and freely migrate that station once enough of their missing must-have features are added in upcoming point releases.

 

[tk421]

So that $299 price point that on the face value seems like a better deal is, in reality, more expensive.

Complaint: Can’t specify QuickTime export settings. In FCP7, you could export your project as a QuickTime movie, with full control over the frame size, compression scheme, frame rate and so on. In FCP X, you have a few presets, but not the full range of control.

Answer: FCP’s companion program, Compressor, has a full range of compression schemes. It’s a separate $50 purchase, and its presets can be installed in FCP X directly.

Complaint: Can’t export AAF or OMF files. These formats are successors to EDL. They let you export your project to other programs, like Avid, Quantel or Pro Tools, for more sophisticated editing.

Answer: Automatic Duck ProExport 5.0 adds AAF and OMF exporting to FCP X. There will be other companies offering similar export plugins (including EDL, by the way), once Apple publishes its XML programming guidelines (API). NOTE: This costs $495.

Complaint: Can’t output to tape. Videotape is on the way out — you would be hard pressed even to find a camcorder that takes tape anymore — so it’s not built into FCP X. This is one of several ways that FCP X is clearly a program designed more for the future than the past.

Answer: You can buy tape-deck control programs like AJA VTR Exchange and Black Magic Media Express. AJA and Black Magic are two major makers of add-on circuit boards for professional video editing. These apps work with their boards.

And remember there's no upgrade pricing!

If you have to invest this much money AND learn a new interface AND can't open your old projects, you may as well investigate competing software. Oh, and the competing software does multicam and RED and external monitors right now.

The whole thing seems very un-Apple. They're all about integrating things as much as possible because it works better. So much for that...

 

[Truffy]

I think we will see them back-peddle, and they re-release Final Cut Studio in the next couple of weeks. If not, well, I think most pro users will move away from the package and move to Avid or Adobe.

Or perhaps they just assume that most pros will already have FCS?

As someone who never used iMovie and only rarely fired up Final Cut Express to experiment with a few things, it doesn't phase me that FCP-x is lacking stuff that professionals take for granted.

It never ceases to amaze me how people unaffected by some event need to express their lack of interest.

You know, I really couldn't give a **** about the superbowel.

 

[brianbobcat]

By far and away the thing that's killing the user base is that they stopped selling Final Cut Studio on the same day that they released a very, very hobbled version of the "upgrade" (which as we know is a whole new application, missing a huge number of features FInal Cut users rely on).

I think we will see them back-peddle, and they re-release Final Cut Studio in the next couple of weeks. If not, well, I think most pro users will move away from the package and move to Avid or Adobe.

Why wouldn't users already have FCP7? Who is right now in the market for 7? This wasn't out of no where, for once Apple gave us a preview of the new pro app. Any users not on 7 should've seen the new interface as it was demoed at NAB and gone out and bought the Studio then. You snooze, you loose.

 

[dethmaShine]

I think most pro users are rational enough not to spend thousands of dollars on a new package just to spite Apple, if they have working versions of FC7 that are still perfectly usable. "A few weeks" is a very short timeline; I think, as Larry Jordan has said, the real evaluation on the new software is months away. Apple has clearly indicated that they are aggressively pursuing updates to make the program pro-ready. This is the direction they are pursuing, and they will make it work.

That said, they can't wait a year to have these upgrades up. When Conan dishes niche software like that (and the clip was hilarious), you know Apple has a serious image problem with the release. There are no "soft launches" with Apple anymore. You can't take a year to get it right, there is too much scrutiny.

Apple's price for success. I'd be interested to be a fly on the wall of a team meeting that Jobs visits this morning after Conan's segment went viral.

I absolutely agree to what you said.

And yes, it shouldn't take a year or so to get those features. A quarter is a well enough experimental time for an angry mob.
Apple shouldn't mess with these pros as they realise that a good sum of the money they earn on high specced hardware is from these smart industry experts and just cannot afford to see them unhappy.

But all in all, I am pretty sure Apple knew all of this was coming as they know what software people were expecting and what software they'd shipped.
I'd be a mad person if Apple knew nothing about the backlash as they have dealt with these situations in the past as well.

 

[*LTD*]

As someone who never used iMovie and only rarely fired up Final Cut Express to experiment with a few things, it doesn't phase me that FCP-x is lacking stuff that professionals take for granted.

I have more fun writing screenplays than figuring how they make 'em into a completed film, though I'm (perpetually) starting to figure out that end of the business. Nice to know Apple is working to make the package more complete.

Apple empowering non-Pro users. Enjoy the journey.

 

[TeaZy]

Why can't apple just give us more information in advance? A timeline for when features are getting added would help stop all the bad feeling surrounding the new version.

Lion had a page detailing the new features months ago... and then updated again more recently.

Also as far as I can tell they used some Arri alexa footage in the demo and prerelease screen shoots, but if you shoot alexa footage in LOG there is no way to apply a LUT. Another missing feature that no one has really mentioned (unless I being really stupid and its hiding somewhere?).

 

[Skika]

Its really interesting to follow all this, as a Logic user myself, i am really wondering what Apple has in store for Logic.

 

[Nicky G]

Why wouldn't users already have FCP7? Who is right now in the market for 7? This wasn't out of no where, for once Apple gave us a preview of the new pro app. Any users not on 7 should've seen the new interface as it was demoed at NAB and gone out and bought the Studio then. You snooze, you loose.

Are you a teenager? Do you work in the pro video industry, for a corporation? Say, at a broadcaster? Maybe you're familiar with the notion that corporations prepare budgets months in advance, and have stringent purchasing cycles? Crazy notion, but people actually buy copies of Final Cut Studio EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR. Some companies have HUNDREDS of FInal Cut workstations, and if they want to buy ten more, today, that work JUST like all the others, they have NO WAY to do that today. THIS is why keeping the older version of Studio available for sale is important, and the pro users are pissed off. It's not that FCPX is lacking features. It's that the version that worked fine for people CAN NO LONGER BE HAD. Trust me, many of Apple's large broadcast customers are VERY ticked off right now, and for good reason. Apple could have VERY easily handled this in a much, much better fashion.

 

[bonehead]

The title of this is inaccurate. The response is from David Pogue of the New York Times. Apple hasn't officially said anything since the release.

 

[baryon]

It's always the pros who complain the most, as they are used to certain workflows and they have made huge investments in money and time to adapt to them. Any amount of change will make them angry, and it makes sense.

However, I don't think FCP X really lacks anything that will prevent you from making the same great edits as before. I'm not a pro so I can't say this for sure, but judging from most Apple releases, many people will be furious at first, and as time goes by and people buy new hardware and change their workflows accordingly, they will simply adapt to it as they did to anything else.

Apple isn't trying to please anyone now, they are just doing what they think is the future. This has been said at SuperMeet (skate to where the puck will be) and it has been said in other contexts too. Think outside the box and be flexible, and wait for the promised features to be released (multi cam) and you'll love it.

This is the next step in non linear editing, and it makes it a hell of a lot easier. You lose some things in the process but it will be worth it when you can get around that.

 

[arn]

The title of this is inaccurate. The response is from David Pogue of the New York Times. Apple hasn't officially said anything since the release.

Apple product managers told David Pogue. Relevant quote:

"The information here comes from consultation with Final Cut Pro X's product managers at Apple."

....

re: MultiCam:

"Apple intends to restore this feature in an update, calling it “a top priority."