Apple update Final Cut Pro X to 10.2, Motion to 5.2 and Compressor to 4.2

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Details: Written by Peter Wiggins; Published: 11 April 2015

Apple has released updates to Final Cut Pro X to version 10.2, Motion to version 5.2 and Compressor to version 4.2. A lot of new eye-candy, some much needed new features and some large speed gains. Their 15th update to FCPX is still free and available for download now.

Apple update Final Cut Pro X to 10.2, Motion to 5.2 and Compressor to 4.2

Apple have surprised us again by releasing updates to the three professional video applications on the first day of NAB 2015. All the updates are free, which is a huge feature increase from when FCPX was first released.

Yes, the icons have had a makeover, looking a bit flatter than before!

We will look at the applications one by one, picking out the new main features, starting with FCPX. Don't forget to backup before you install!

(Please not all images are Digimarked)

Final Cut Pro X 10.2

3D Titles

Fully featured 3D titles.Control 3D text parameters directly in FCPX. You can change materials, lighting and edges all in the inspector. Open up effects in Motion to customise further. Many cinematic templates provided. 2D titles can be converted into 3D with one click. This would explain the price cuts of similar 3D 3rd party plugins!

Smart Collections

Smart Collections at the Library level. 5 supplied as a start such as projects and stills, but you can delete them and make your own.

Draw Mask

You can now draw a mask with linear, bezier or B Splines smoothing. The mask can have unlimited control points and the the points can be animated over time. The masks can be used on any built-in effect or third party product.

Color Correction is now an Effect.

Reorder the correction in the inspector to make sure the correct sequence of operation (like applying a broadcast safe filter) You can also drag & drop and save a multilayer effect as a preset.

New Scope Display Options

Up to 4 Video Scopes on the screen at once. Graders rejoice at the choice from the pull-down menu.

New Import Window

Now consolidated onto one page. The sidebar means you don't have to go to a second page to access the import preferences.

Improved Processing of Waveforms

Caching of waveforms to improve performance over a network. (No word on if this will fix the growing file problem)

New XML Version 1.5

Also an option to export previous XML versions to improve third party compatibility.

Faster RED Workflow

Red Raw GPU-accelerated playback, rendering, and transcoding—including support for dual GPUs on Mac Pro. FCPX now reads the anamorphic flag for the correct widescreen display. Expect a 3.2x improvement on render times and a 2.4x improvement on optimisation to ProRes than 10.1.4. The latest RED plugin needs it be installed.

Send to Compressor

Now uses GPU Rendering. Expect up to a 3.3x increase when encoding ProRes 422. Support for dual GPUs on the MacPro and integrated graphics cards on laptops.

More Video Formats Supported

Now no need to install Sony's plugin for XAVC and XDCAM. Panasonic AVC-Ultra, Sony XAVC S, and JVC H.264 Long GOP files now supported. We believe XAVC L to be supported, but only when importing from a camera card or archive. This is great news for Sony FS7 owners. (Yes you Philip!)

Other Improvements, Features 7 Bug Fixes

Enhanced Optical Flow with new algorithms and more format compatibility.
Instantly display the alpha channel for any effect mask
Improved keyframing with better motion smoothing
CABAC entropy mode for multi-pass encoding
Transform controls work correctly with photos in a secondary storyline
Resizable Filter window for searching
Slo-mo video clips from iPhone appear in the Browser with a badge
Full-screen playback does not automatically superimpose transport controls
Improved performance when skimming Long GOP video including AVCHD
Exporting a Master File using i-Frame codecs like ProRes can play in QuickTime Player before the export completes
Support for XAVC S video recorded at 120 fps and 240 fps
MXF-wrapped AVC-Intra and Uncompressed files export faster

Final Cut Pro X is $299.99 on the Mac App Store and requires Yosemite 10.10.2. Free update for current users.

MOTION 5.2

3D Titles

Build 3D titles from scratch with easy-to-use templates, or open any existing title from Final Cut Pro. Customize the look of your 3D text with organic and artificial materials, or create your own materials that you can save and use later.

You can also take advantage of powerful surface-shading options in Motion, including texture maps, diffuse and specular reflection, and bump mapping. Cast shadows from any 3D title onto itself and other objects in a 3D scene, or add multiple lights, cameras, and tracking shots to create epic designs.

Only text can be in 3D, shapes are not supported. This does offer quite a bit of flexibility, the Jurassic World logo is an example.

Twelve New Generators

Customisable patterned backgrounds

Support for More Video Formats

Work natively with Panasonic AVC-Ultra, Sony XAVC S, and JVC H.264 Long GOP files.

Other Improvements, Features & Bug Fixes

Improved keyframing, including copy and paste in the Timeline
Improved mask and shape creation plus conversion to bezier shape for more control
Background Share monitoring from within Motion
Improved performance on Intel-based GPUs
Better performance of FxPlug plug-ins and built-in effects that use multiple frames like Echo and Trails
Improved stability when loading projects with missing filters or fonts
Choosing a smooth option on an already smooth point no longer changes the curve
Checkbox parameters display in the curve editor
Double-clicking to add a new keyframe in the Curve Editor no longer changes interpolation of subsequent keyframes
The Keyframe Editor vertical scroll bar displays the entire graph
Keyframe Editor time scale is consistent

Motion 5.2 is $49.99 on the Mac App Store and requires Yosemite 10.10.2. Free update for current users.

COMPRESSOR 4.2

iTunes Store Package

Compressor makes it simple to create an iTunes Store Package for submission to the iTunes Store. Easily add your movie, trailer, closed captions, and subtitles to your iTunes Store Package. You can even identify language tracks and regions and add other required metadata right in Compressor.

Once you’ve created your package, send it to an Apple-certified iTunes delivery partner for fast delivery to the iTunes Store.

The Charles Lloyd documentary is the first film on the iTunes Store to have been delivered using the Compressor 4.2. It's the fastest way to get your film on the store. Don't get excited however, this is not a one click publish to iTunes and make money scenario, you still have to go through an approved delivery partner such as ZOO Digital.

Preview Closed Captions and Subtitles

View closed captions and subtitles in real time, right in the Preview window. Simply click the CC button to enable text overlays. You can even customize the look of your text in the Accessibility pane within OS X System Preferences.

Hardware-Accelerated, Multipass H.264 Encoding

Export using high-quality, multipass H.264 encoding at speeds nearly 3x faster than before on supported hardware.

Other New features

Zoom in the Preview window to watch content with true pixel accuracy
Automatic bit-rate calculation for MPEG-4 and H.264 QuickTime movie settings
Channels can be assigned to QuickTime audio tracks prior to processing
Optional matrix stereo down-mix when processing surround sound for QuickTime output
CABAC entropy mode for multipass encoding
Jobs submitted via Droplet now appear in the Active and Completed tabs
Improved stability when using Apple AES3 Audio format with ProRes 422 HQ

Compressor 4.2 is $49.99 on the Mac App Store and requires Yosemite 10.10.2. Free update for current users.