Many professional editors and post-production companies have great feedback about Apple’s Final Cut Pro X (FCP X) editing software. The improved software offers advantages for certain jobs and can be used effectively – at least from the author’s point of view. This article will tell you overlooked Final Cut Pro features you may not know.
1. Preferences settings Final Cut Pro X
Any clips you’re working on within Final Cut Pro X are copied straight into your project. This uses a lot of RAM and makes editing on older machines extremely sluggish. As a result, go to “Settings” at the bottom of the “Final Cut Pro” page and change to “Playback.” Choose “Rendering in the background” from the drop-down menu.
Then, under “Import,” choose “Leave media in original place” to avoid having your video clips transferred into the Final Cut library. You may leave the settings alone if you have strong hardware.
2. Sort and name clips
Before you begin editing, double-check that all of your clips are correctly categorized and named. To begin, give each clip an appropriate and relevant name.
You may turn on the “Keyword editor” in the “Mark” tab to make it easier to locate your video later. The clips are organized into folders and events in Final Cut. This option can be used to arrange your clips by location, for example.
3. Support for external graphics cards (eGPU) under macOS Mojave
To improve Final Cut Pro C graphics performance, Apple suggests connecting an external graphics card (eGPU) to the Mac. This is done via a Thunderbolt 3 connection.
You have two options. First of all, you can connect an external display to the graphics solution and then run Final Cut Pro X on the corresponding screen.
The other option on macOS Mojave is to close Final Cut Pro X on the Mac (if it’s open). Then you select Final Cut Pro X via the Finder and then click on CMD + I. In the subsequent selection window, you will see an option to determine that the external graphics card should be preferred.
If this is done, you will get improved graphics performance under macOS Mojave. Then various graphics processes are passed on to the eGPU, which leads to improved graphics performance. Apple lists the following advantages
- Improved rendering of projects with color correction and video effects
- Improved performance when working with 3D titles
- Effects like stabilization and optical flow retiming can be analyzed more quickly.
- Timelines for complicated projects may be presented more quickly.
- Complex project timelines may now be exported more quickly.
4. Optical flow
If you use FCP X for slow Motion or speed ramping, you’ve probably come across the Optical Flow option. However, you may not know how great it actually is.
Compared to Frame Blending, Optical Flow (initially carried over from Shake) enables you to slow down your video with considerably superior effects. Optical Flow interpolates the surrounding frames in a clip to generate new frames.
Roughly, it is about the visually appealing intermediate image calculation when creating an artificial slow motion. Of course, the result is extremely dependent on the input: Moving objects must be depicted as sharply as possible against a background that is as uniform as possible. And enough individual images so that a calculation of the intermediate steps is also feasible.
5. New features for social media videos
Some new features are aimed primarily at users who want to create content for social media platforms. Thanks to machine learning, Final Cut Pro X now allows you to analyze clips for conspicuous movements.
Then, according to Apple, the videos can be “intelligently cut” and converted into square or vertical formats, for example, which are enjoying some popularity on Instagram or Snapchat. During processing, it is possible at any time to check the section and adjust it if necessary.
6. Final Cut Pro templates
You can save time on your next Final Cut Pro project with Final Cut Pro templates. Final Cut Pro templates allow you to easily add professional titles, motion effects, transitions, and effects with a unified style. You can use Apple Motion software to create new templates from scratch or modify existing ones you already have installed.
7. Higher performance through new plugins
Another overlooked feature in Final Cut Pro X is to display ProRes RAW camera settings such as color temperature and exposure compensation in the Inspector. In addition, Apple has increased the performance of the software with new plugins with metal support. This means that certain transcodes are up to three times faster on a MacBook Pro.
Apple has also updated the other two media apps. Motion has been expanded to include new options for creating effects and graphics. The so-called stroke filter allows the outlines of an object to be created automatically. The new version of Compressor supports, among other things, user-defined LUT effects and also offers an improved workflow.
8. Set the start and stop timings
When editing in Final Cut Pro X, wherever possible, apply the so-called in and out points. You may now specify a start and finish time for each clip. You just enter the portion of the clip that sits between the two locations in this manner, and you may, for example, remove the flap at the beginning of a clip.
Play a clip in the media browser at the upper left and use the “I” and “O” keys to set your points. Alternatively, you may move the mouse over the clip preview, which will highlight the region between the two spots in yellow.
9. Final Cut Pro X’s iTunes integration
One of the most unknown Final Cut Pro features is iTunes integration. To add music to your project, use the iTunes integration. You may access the music library by clicking the music icon in the overview bar on the right-hand side, showing your iTunes library.
10. Color settings hacks in Final Cut Pro
You may use the Adjust Color tool to alter a clip’s color that doesn’t match the others. To do so, pick the clip and then click the center bar’s magic wand. Choose a color that is in balance. However, you should only utilize this feature in an emergency. It is still better to double-check the camera settings before recording.
Apple Final Cut Pro Features | Takeaway
As usual, Apple provides updates for the three programs free of charge in the App Store. New customers pay USD 299 for Final Cut Pro X, Motion, and Compressor. Customers from the education sector receive the bundle with all three apps for a special price of USD 199 in return for appropriate proof. A free trial version of Final Cut X is also available, which can be used for 90 days without restrictions.
If you would like to learn more about video editing software check our article: Best video editing software.
