Apple Updates Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and iMovie

Apple today updated a number of its video-related Mac apps, including Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and iMovie. Most of the updates are minor in scale, focusing on bug fixes and under-the-hood performance improvements.

For all four apps, Apple has added a feature that detects media files that could be incompatible with future versions of macOS after Mojave. In Final Cut Pro and iMovie, these files will be converted to a compatible format, while just highlighted in Motion and Compressor.

Apple is phasing out support for 32-bit Mac apps after Mojave, which is why this new feature has been introduced. All three software updates also include improved reliability when sharing video to YouTube.

In Final Cut Pro, Apple has also added a number of bug fixes, with the release notes listed below:

- Detects media files that may be incompatible with future versions of macOS after Mojave and converts them to a compatible format
- Fixes an issue that could cause share destinations to disappear from the share menu after quitting Final Cut Pro
- Fixes an issue that could cause the workflow extension button to disappear when resizing the interface
- Fixes an issue in which the Select Clip command could incorrectly select the clip beneath the playhead
- Fixes an issue in which a successful share notification appears after the share operation was cancelled
- Fixes an issue in which frames saved to the frame browser in the Comparison Viewer may appear differently than they do in the viewer
- Fixes an issue in which frequency information for Hum Removal may not be visible in the audio inspector
- Fixes an issue in which relinked media may appear with black thumbnails in the browser and timeline
- Fixes an issue in which the share menu may be obscured behind the viewer when using Final Cut Pro in fullscreen mode
- Improves reliability when sharing video to YouTube

Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and iMovie are all available from the Mac App Store. iMovie is a free download, while Final Cut Pro is priced at $299, Motion is priced at $49.99, and Compressor is priced at $49.99.

Top Rated Comments

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ipedro

8 months ago

Apple really needs to port FinalCutPro to iOS if they want professionals to use the iPad Pro as a full computer like they’ve been pitching.

The new iPad Pro has power to spare. What’s missing is support for direct access to external storage via USB-C. It’s clear that that’s coming, likely as early as iOS 13 with the Files app redesign. Most of Final Cut’s UI already appears ready for touch targets instead of a cursor. I think it’s a matter of when, not if.

Final Cut is the only reason why I still keep my Mac around.

Rating: 12 Votes

ipedro

8 months ago

FCPX has a long way to go before it can sit next to Avid again, but I’m loving what Apple have done to it recently!

What, in your opinion, is missing?

I really love Final Cut. It was a tough transition for old users but the pain has been so worth it, with a modern UI and workflow designed for digital files, not tapes. The magnetic timeline makes so much more sense for this type of media. I just wish Final Cut were available for iPad Pro.

Rating: 6 Votes

macrlz9

8 months ago

May be a stupid question but I didn't know media can be 32 or 64-bit? Like video and audio files? I thought only Applications or extensions mattered with dropping 32-bit support...

Rating: 4 Votes

konqerror

8 months ago

what file formats are incompatible?

See About incompatible media in Final Cut Pro X ('https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209000') (iMovie version ('https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT209029'))

It's basically due to the removal of the 32 bit Quicktime 7 frameworks.

Rating: 4 Votes

e1me5

8 months ago

I disagree. Editing video is a perfect use case for direct manipulation. Picking up and dropping clips, pinching to zoom in and out, adjusting clip lengths, dropping effects and transitions on clips, would all work well with direct manipulation on an iPad screen. The new iPads have been designed to work with an external display so the timeline and all the tools would be on the iPad screen while the preview of the video would be on the large screen.

What’s still missing is direct access to external storage. Even the largest iPad @ 1TB would fall short for some projects and nobody would want to keep multiple libraries on internal iPad storage anyway. I expect that to get corrected in iOS 13.

Try adding a numerical value on a keyframe. Or mask a shot with extreme accuracy. Edit R3Ds. Preview on a Broadcast monitor while all your footage is stored on a RAID. Roundtrip to Resolve and back. Send your audio to Logic. iPad is very limited in terms of ports and connectivity. Besides, if your storage is on a desk, why work on the iPad and not on a computer. iPad would be a great extra control board with sliders and shortcuts, but I don't believe will be easier to edit a film than a computer.

Rating: 4 Votes

Ritsuka

8 months ago

FCP no 360 support. Very sad. Premiere supports 360 a long time. 360 is more hype then AR i think. You cant even browse 360 in Apple Photos. Hello Apple, wake up

before starting a rant, at least check if the feature is actually missing or not.

Rating: 3 Votes

nfl46

8 months ago

Apple has been busy this week. Goodness.

Rating: 3 Votes

martyjmclean

8 months ago

FCPX has a long way to go before it can sit next to Avid again, but I’m loving what Apple have done to it recently!

Rating: 3 Votes

puckhead193

8 months ago

('https://www.macrumors.com/2019/03/21/apple-final-cut-pro-motion-compressor-imovie-updates/')

For all four apps, Apple has added a feature that detects media files that could be incompatible with future versions of macOS after Mojave. In Final Cut Pro and iMovie, these files will be converted to a compatible format, while just highlighted in Motion and Compressor.

what file formats are incompatible?

Rating: 3 Votes

lunarworks

8 months ago

My main concern is Aperture and how long it will run in future versions of Mac OS. Why Apple has no professional photo software anymore is really beyond me.

I miss Aperture every day, but its codebase is as ancient as iTunes and would require a rewrite like Photos and FCP X got. I guess Apple decided it wasn't worth the effort. :/

If it's 32-bit, which I think it is, it's over in 10.15.

Rating: 2 Votes

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