This week, Apple will announce a major update to its popular Final Cut Pro software, and the likely venue is the Final Cut Pro Creative Summit. And while we await the debut of this very awaited release, it seems likely that it’s going to bring new and advanced creative features along with the tools to the Mac and iPad versions and some first demonstrations on Apple Park. The update will bring AI-powered tools, new editing capabilities for spatial video, and better masking options, giving users the tools they need to create professional-grade videos more quickly.
Key features in the upcoming Final Cut Pro update you need to know
One big thing to note with this release is the AI-powered effects suite that lets editors apply effects instantly without a 3rd party plugin. These tools will streamline the editing process, allowing for quick, immersive, branded (of course) dynamic titles. Automatic AI-generated captions will also be available along with the effects, helping providers make videos with subtitles, a feature in high demand as short-form video grows on platforms like TikTok, YouTube shorts, and Instagram reels. Final Cut Pro hopes to keep up with user demands for fast, complete captioning right in Final Cut Pro and improve its allure as equipment for hobbyists and professional content producers.
But that’s not all — Apple is also introducing a long-requested ‘Magnetic Mask’ feature, which allows more precise object isolation in moving footage. Much like high-end tools like DaVinci Resolve, Microwave editors can get away with Magnetic Mask, grabbing any object in the frame and applying color grading or visual adjustments to it. This is a reaction to user wishes for more advanced masking and object manipulation capabilities to heighten post-production flexibility.
Spatial video editing brings a new dimension to Final Cut Pro
As is, Final Cut Pro is adding spatial video support, a feature that’s going to be useful for users of the iPhone 15 Pro and Canon’s EOS R7, whose features include the spatial video lens. This feature will enable editors to create video content for immersive viewing, taking advantage of 3D depth on Apple’s Vision Pro headset. The idea that spatial video support will provide a whole new level of creative freedom for people putting content together that people can then consume in 3D will probably become more mainstream as Apple starts to bake AR and VR into the ecosystem.
You can read all about Final Cut Pro’s history. It’s had a few updates over the last few years, but this upcoming release—the one that, after several versions, maybe 10.9 or even 11—is by far the most feature-laden version yet, just like past updates, like version 10.8, that brought new tools such as Enhance Light and Color and further advanced searches in the timeline index. While this latest update also seems to emphasize AI-driven enhancements and immersive editing for all video creators on Mac and iPad, the focus is on professional-grade tools for a wider spectrum of these types of creators.
Pricing and availability
Apple hasn’t specifically mentioned pricing for the new version, but Final Cut Pro on the Mac is currently priced at $299.99, and there’s an iPad version sold on a subscription basis for $4.99 per month or $49 per year. The goal is to take FCP up a level in terms of professional-level editing software and make it more about mobile than desktop editing so that processing on desktops also happens on mobile devices.
Images credit: Final Cut Pro
