Video editing is getting easier and more fun for people who have never done it before, thanks to a wide range of software options and a huge amount of information and tutorials available online. There is no doubt that Final Cut Pro is one of the most popular programs for editing videos. Both professionals and amateurs use it all the time. Final Cut Pro gives professionals in the movie and TV industries more control over their projects than iMovie does.
Final Cut Pro: Description
It also lets regular people edit footage from their phones and turn everyday moments into memories they will cherish forever. Just like Avid Media Composer and Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro is a professional program for editing videos. All of these programs are pretty much the same. It is easier to learn and costs a lot less than Avid or Premiere Pro, which makes Final Cut Pro stand out. These two things make it an obvious choice for people who are just starting out as editors.
However, it’s also good for trained editors. It might not have as many features as some of its competitors, but many people who want to make a career out of editing videos like how easy it is to use, how fast it is, and how stable it is. Customers who want more video editing tools than iMovie has to offer can get what they want from Final Cut Pro. Besides that, it can meet the needs of professionals who are really into making movies.
Final Cut Pro: Pricing
One of the best things about Final Cut Pro is that you only have to pay $299.99 to buy it once. There are no extra fees for updates. As a beginner, $299.99 may seem like a huge price to pay for software. But if you use it for years and years, the price will become very reasonable compared to other pricing models. The good news is that once you buy Final Cut Pro, you can get all future updates for free. All you have to do to get the latest version of Final Cut Pro is click on the app store icon.
Obviously, the fact that you have to pay almost $300 for the program all at once could be a big problem for most people who are just starting out with Final Cut Pro. You can try Final Cut Pro for free to see how it works.
Final Cut Pro Key Features
Final Cut Pro is powerful and flexible software for editing videos that can be used by anyone, from beginning editors to seasoned pros. It lets you edit, color grade, make motion graphics, record audio, and share your work with many different features and tools.
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Magnetic, trackless timeline | Allows you to edit without having to worry about tracks or collisions. |
| Superior organization tools | Includes libraries, ratings, tagging, and auto analysis for faces and scenes. |
| Support for 360-degree footage and wide color spaces | Lets you edit and export high-quality 360-degree video and HDR footage. |
| Multicam support | Makes it easy to edit footage from multiple cameras simultaneously. |
| Fast performance | Takes advantage of the latest Apple hardware to provide fast and responsive editing. |
| Color grading tools | Includes a comprehensive set of color grading tools for creating professional-looking results. |
| Motion graphics tools | Includes a built-in motion graphics editor for creating and editing titles, transitions, and other effects. |
| Audio editing tools | Includes a variety of audio editing tools for recording, editing, and mixing audio. |
| Sharing options | Supports a wide range of sharing options, including exporting to video files, social media, and streaming services. |
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What’s New in Final Cut Pro?
The big changes in the most recent major version, 10.6, are intelligent motion tracking, support for editing videos shot in the iPhone’s Cinematic mode, voice isolation, duplicate clip detection, focus options for videos shot in the iPhone’s Cinematic mode, and better performance. The next 10.6.6 point update adds compatibility with the Final Cut for iPad app, better color management and workflow, new titles, effects, transitions, and generators, and, most importantly, a Scene Removal Mask to remove and replace a shot’s background.
Final Cut has long since added back pro-level features that were missing at first, such as the ability to edit multiple cameras at once, import XML files, and work with external monitors. And now it can do a lot more, like 3D titles, an amazing Flow transition to get rid of jump cuts, and support for HDR and HEVC (High Efficiency Video Codec, or H.265), as well as 360-degree VR content.
Final Cut Pro: Interface
From my own experience, using Apple products before Final Cut Pro X makes it much easier to understand how it works. The design is very similar to other programs that the company has made. Every menu was easy to understand, and the tools were all set up in a way that made sense. Going from one tab to the next took me only a few minutes, and it was easy to find the options I needed the next time I needed them. I also thought the process of editing videos was very easy to understand.
But because the software has so many tools and functions, I suggest taking a lot of time to play around with them and understand what effects they have. Personally, I think that the improved timeline index is very useful in this situation. It lets you easily change the layout of the timeline based on your needs by letting you drag and drop audio roles.
Additionally, professional videographers like that Multicam editing is available and that different video tracks can be changed. With the auto-save feature, you don’t have to worry about losing your work because your computer is slow or something else goes wrong. Knowing that every single frame is safely stored gave me peace of mind.
Final Cut Pro: Effects and Transitions
There are many effects and transitions in Final Cut Pro that you can use to make your videos better. You can use effects to change the color, contrast, and other things about the way your footage looks. Without a hitch, you can move from one clip to the next with transitions. What I like best about Final Cut Pro is the Color Correction effect. You can change the color, contrast, and saturation of your video with this effect. This effect is something I use a lot to make my videos look better and to make sure that all of my projects use the same colors.
| Effect/Transition | Description |
|---|---|
| Color Correction | Adjust the color, contrast, and saturation of your footage. |
| Green Screen | Remove a green screen background from your footage and replace it with another image or video. |
| Cross Dissolve | Transition between two clips by gradually fading from one to the other. |
| Wipe | Transition between two clips by pushing one clip off the screen as the other clip comes on. |
| Push | Transition between two clips by pushing one clip off the screen as the other clip slides on from the side. |
The Green Screen effect is another one I like. You can change the background of your video to something else with this effect to get rid of the green screen. This effect lets me add special effects to my videos, like making people fly or teleport. You can also get a lot of transitions in Final Cut Pro to make going from one clip to the next smooth.
The Cross Dissolve transition, the Wipe transition, and the Push transition are some of my favorites. I use these transitions to make the viewing experience smooth and interesting for my viewers. Last but not least, I’m really impressed by Final Cut Pro’s effects and transitions. I think these tools are necessary for making videos that look like they were made by professionals.
Final Cut Pro: Exporting and Sharing Projects
Final Cut Pro gives you a number of ways to send and share your finished projects. Your project can be saved as a file and shared on many websites. It can also be burned to a disc. Press Command + E or go to File > Share > Export File to save your project as a file. After that, a dialog box will appear where you can pick the export settings for your project.
The File Format setting is one of the most important ones. Finally, Final Cut Pro works with many file types, so you can pick the one that works best for you. If you want to play your project on a mobile device, for instance, you might want to choose the H.264 file format. The Video Codec is another important setting to pick. How the video is compressed is set by the video codec. Codecs vary in how much they compress and how well they work. The H.264 codec, for instance, has high compression rates and good quality, which makes it a good choice for most uses.
| Option | Description |
|---|---|
| File | Exports your project as a standalone file. You can choose from a variety of file formats, including MP4, MOV, and ProRes. |
| Apple Devices | Exports your project in a format that is optimized for playback on Apple devices, such as the iPhone, iPad, and Apple TV. |
| Social Media | Exports your project in a format that is optimized for sharing on social media platforms, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. |
| Disc | Exports your project to a DVD or Blu-ray disc. |
| Custom Destination | Allows you to create your own custom export settings. This is useful if you need to export your project in a specific format or with specific settings. |
After picking the right export settings, all you have to do is click the Export button. Then Final Cut Pro will begin sending your project to other places. How long it takes to export will depend on how long and complicated your project is and what export settings you choose. You can not only save your project as a file, but you can also share it on many websites, like Facebook, YouTube, and Vimeo. To do this, just go to File > Share and pick the site where you want to send your project.
Following that, you will be asked to enter your platform login information. You can burn your project to a disc with Final Cut Pro as well. Just go to File > Share and pick Burn Disc to do this. After that, your computer will tell you to put in a blank disc.
Keyword Tagging and Pro Collaboration
Final Cut Pro has options for automatic clip organization as well as manual keyword tagging. The video editor makes it easy to add tags that you use often, just like a good photo workflow app does. You can even use keyboard shortcuts. The keyword feature in Adobe Lightroom is still better than tagging in Final Cut Pro. But Premiere can only use tags through the separate Adobe Bridge manager, which does have a lot of metadata and face detection.
One cool thing about Final Cut’s keyword tagging is that you can only tag certain parts of a clip. There are also icons below the source tray that let you star, rate, or reject a clip. It always amazes me how few video editing apps have this basic metadata feature. Final Cut works with Apple Xsan storage for editing together, and files can be locked so that team members don’t mess up each other’s work.
You can export ProRes or H.264 content as proxy files that are 50%, 25%, or 12.5% of the original size. This makes it easier for editors in other places to work on big projects. Premiere Pro, on the other hand, has a bit more ways to work together. Its Team Projects and Productions let multiple people edit at the same time and help solve problems that come up. Premiere Pro also works with Frame.io so that you can get feedback and approvals.
Cinematic Mode Function for iPhone 13 Users
People who record videos with their iPhone 13 will love this mode. If you turn it on, you can start filming on your phone and either pull focus or track focus. This sounds really cool, but Final Cut Pro can do a lot more than that. In fact, users can change the f-stop on their macOS computers by hand, just like they can with a regular camera. Here, though, you can make all of the changes right in the editing suite. The blurriness of the background will get worse if you lower the number, and better if you raise it.
Changing it over time will change how strong an effect is. Of course, the automatic result might not be perfect, since even the smartest algorithms aren’t always better than human eyes. This mode can work well for you if you don’t care too much about how the background looks.
Final Cut Pro: Pros and Cons
Final Cut Pro is a powerful and versatile video editing software that is suitable for both beginners and professionals. It’s a bit pricey, but well worth the investment if you’re serious about video editing.
Pros
- Superior organization tools, including libraries, ratings, tagging, and auto analysis for faces and scenes
- Extremely fast and efficient
- Well suited for most scenarios
- Great new additions
Cons
- Mac only
- No monthly or yearly subscription
Final Words
Final Cut Pro is a piece of software for editing videos that is very powerful. And it’s a lot more powerful than Apple iMovie, which is free video editing software. While it may not be changing as quickly as some would like, it’s been around for a while and is very stable. The new features help it stay a strong contender.
