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Randy Ubillos, Final Cut creator & chief of video/photo software, to leave Apple after 20 years

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Randy Ubillos has today announced his retirement from Apple. Ubillos has worked at Apple for over twenty years, leading development on Final Cut Pro and newer versions of iMovie and iPhoto, part of Apple’s iLife suite. Offically, Ubillos was Chief Architect of Photo and Video Applications. Most notably in recent years, Ubillos headed the project to bring some of the latest iMovie concepts back to Apple’s professional software suite. This resulted in Final Cut Pro X.

Ubillos also led development of Apple’s creative pursuits on iOS, with versions of iMovie and iPhoto designed for the touchscreen experiences of the phone and tablet.

Before Apple, Ubillos played a key role in creating Adobe Premier, the timeline-based video editor. Apple hired him away from Adobe to work on its digital video initiatives.

Apple’s reliance on professional apps has greatly diminished in recent years with the success of its consumer devices. Even iPhoto has been usurped by the simplified Photos app in iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite. Although Apple claims it remains dedicated to the pro market, it’s clearly not the direction of the company.

Yesterday, Apple also announced the retirement of senior PR representative Natalie Kerris, another long time employee.

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Comments

  1. Toro Volt (@torovolt) - 9 years ago

    With the departure of so many key personnel leaving Apple, it is safe to say that is the end of the Apple (iDevice era)

    • zerufos - 9 years ago

      After working at Apple for 20 years, you’d think he would start feeling a little bored. Not only that, Final Cut has been at the forefront of video editing software for a long time. This guy’s retirement is well-deserved.

      • Toro Volt (@torovolt) - 9 years ago

        Yeah Randy did incredible work. I remember installing my first copy of Adobe Premiere 1.0 it was awesome.
        I think then he left for Macromedia and Adobe Premiere devolved into then Apple.
        The iMovie this was awesome.
        So yeah well deserved.

      • Tenolian Bell Jr - 9 years ago

        Final Cut Pro X is Randy’s idea. Being out from under Apple gives him the opportunity to speak publicly about FCPX and why he believes it improves video production.

    • leftmostpudding - 9 years ago

      Not quite… He’s been traveling the world in a perpetual vacation for years and hasn’t been “key” in quite some time. You can follow his travel exploits here http://rickandrandy.com

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

        Looks like a lot of weekend and holiday stuff to me. People do have time off from work.

  2. freediverx - 9 years ago

    I feel sorry for everyone out there invested in Final Cut Pro. Wouldn’t shock me to see Apple abandon it as they did Aperture.

    • Toro Volt (@torovolt) - 9 years ago

      Moral of the story, don’t rely on Apple for Processional Software

      • Avenged110 - 9 years ago

        Which is sad because that feeds Apple’s willingness to abandon the pro market, and thus the cycle continues.

      • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

        That’s a crock. They didn’t abandon the pro market. FCPX is still one of the top NLE’s used. They just did a consolidation to get rid of FCP Express. They just had to spend more time with the pro features when they did a complete re-write. All of the complaints about missing features is long gone as they added those features as time went on. It’s just getting used to a new UI is the main thing. And those that spent time learning seemed to be benefiting from the speed in their workflow. I’ve read reviews by plenty of people that were complaining in the beginning changed their minds once they learned the UI and Apple added the missing features as they promised. I think some just need to adapt and move on.

        Personally if I was a NLE person, I’d have several apps on my computer as sometimes you have to use one or another and most professional NLE have more than one app on their system. Same goes with recording studios, they’ll typically have a variety of professional grade apps they use. Even though ProTools is side spread, they also use Logic, and others depending on the client and the client’s needs. I look at NLE as the same thing.

    • Tenolian Bell Jr - 9 years ago

      I disagree. Apple’s Pro Res is currently the dominant video delivery codec in broadcast television. The codec is used by nearly every major camera system and has to be used in all major post production workflows.

      The Mac is the best system to use Pro Res and Final Cut X is the easiest editing system to use and deliver Pro Res. In the end all of this supports the Mac sales

      Apple has every reason to continue to support its pro apps.

    • lcfbill - 9 years ago

      It is not just the pro apps. If you depended on Keynote (a consumer app) for presentations, you have been ill served by the recent port of Keynote for iPad to MacOS. Lightweight apps do not serve everyone’s needs. Trying to use an iPad for serious work very quickly becomes a frustrating experience for me. Trying to use a ported iPad app on a real computer also becomes frustrating.
      It is sad to see a company that has unique expertise in creating usable/powerful apps abandon their users to bloatware from other companies.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      No, they could abandon Aperture because they are turning it into a different type of Photos app that can leverage their on-line setup. They are just simplifying iPhoto and Aperture into Photos and they’ll be adding more features into Photos as time goes on and it’ll get closer to what Aperture did or what people in the pro arena want. It makes sense for Apple to consolidate apps like they are doing.

      They already did their consolidation with Final Cut Pro and they aren’t going to abandon it. Just because one main guy left doesn’t mean they are abandoning it. There are plenty of others that can be hired to replace him. It’s not like there is only one person in the entire world that can do what he did. Sure, he was instrumental, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be replaced with someone that has experience and wants the gig.

      • piotrwyszynski - 9 years ago

        yeah you are completely wrong. With video editing software they clearly separate pro from amatour.
        With photo app they made something which is unusable for pro user. I don’t need face recognition in library or special b/w effect. I can’t use online service for storage couse it is 260 euro per year and it’s only compatible with apple software. Take a look on capture one 8, this is how pro photo app should look like.
        Or you might watch old aperture promo video.

      • Adam C (@AdamChew1) - 9 years ago

        @piotrwyszynski

        Give it time the Photo app will be great.

        You don’t expect the first iteration to be the best and then nothing. Better features will be added on to make it better.

        Capture One has been around for a long time for the pros and Photo app is not even in its first year.

        Mac users have the best choices they can either go with Apple apps or third party ones.

  3. thefinite - 9 years ago

    Randy is definitely one of the most under-appreciated developers (of any kind, for any product) of the last 30 years. There’s so much about editing video on a device that we take for granted now, but for which he and his teams were pioneers. I’m glad to see the news sites giving him some recognition.

  4. Vicente Perez (@vpermar) - 9 years ago

    There goes the neighborhood…

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      I’m sure there are people at any of the other NLE application developers that would jump at the chance. What happens if they get one of the top guys from Avid, Adobe, Sony, etc.? Heck, Avid isn’t doing so well in the Net Profits department, do you not think that people with Apple’s competitors wouldn’t want to jump ship and head up FCP? Apple Stock and Stock Options changes people’s minds VERY QUICKLY. I’m sure they have a bunch of qualified people to take the gig.

      • Vicente Perez (@vpermar) - 9 years ago

        I hope you are right. I guess we just have to wait and see how they reestructure the department. Unfortunately, from my experience as an editor working with a number of companies and postproduction facilities, Apple’s reputation compared to other professional NLE systems is in free fall.

  5. Dafty Punk - 9 years ago

    Good fucking riddance! Maybe now we can get some sanity put back into the Apple Pro App market.

  6. Po-Tau Fan - 9 years ago

    People who know what’s really going on at Apple know it’s time to leave.

    • Rich Davis (@RichDavis9) - 9 years ago

      I don’t know if it’s that for all of them. I think what’s going on is that a long time employees that have been in their positions are time for retirement. They are all wealthy enough to want a change. Not everyone wants to work for their entire lives at one company. And, some people have left only to come back, Steve did. Some of them have enough money to begin a new chapter in their lives. 20 years is a long time with the same company, there aren’t many people that can say they’ve worked for the same company for 20 years, let alone 14, or 10. Most people stay with a company for only a couple of years.

  7. Nixon (@votenixon) - 9 years ago

    Despite some folk getting upset about their own use of Final Cut Pro X vs FCP 7 or how iMovie changed, there is no denying what an immense impact Randy has had on professional nonlinear editing.

    From his time at SuperMac creating ReelTime, then Adobe Premiere Versions 1-3, then Macromedia with KeyGrip and Final Cut and finally all of the Final Cut Pro releases at Apple post -1999, Ubillos’ work has empowered millions of editors and broadly helped democratised a once closed club

    There’s a good history of all of this at the Timeline Analog books on Amazon or iTunes

    http://tinyurl.com/ubillos1

    http://tinyurl.com/ubillos2

    As for Apple abandoning Final Cut X or professional products? They sell a lot of MacPros to those editing folk

Author

Avatar for Benjamin Mayo Benjamin Mayo

Benjamin develops iOS apps professionally and covers Apple news and rumors for 9to5Mac. Listen to Benjamin, every week, on the Happy Hour podcast. Check out his personal blog. Message Benjamin over email or Twitter.