Apple just released amazing new updates to the MacBook Pro, and unsurprisingly, the company’s pro apps team has corresponding updates to Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro ready to go. Particularly of interest are the new updates to Final Cut Pro, which focus heavily on 8K video workflows and bring new native support for tracked motion graphics, along with compatibility with Cinematic mode videos shot on the iPhone 13.
Final Cut Pro 10.6
The latest update to Final Cut Pro, version 10.6, brings forth the ability to play a whopping seven streams of 8K ProRes at full resolution, as well as exporting ProRes videos over 5 times faster than before. These performance gains are made possible by the new M1 Pro and M1 Max chips in the just-announced 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
For someone like myself, who’s been working more with 8K video lately, this update is music to my ears. Perhaps more impressive is the new motion graphics tracking functionality, which is now a native part of the Final Cut Pro experience.
Object Tracker is a tool that lets users create animated graphics that follow the movement of faces and other objects in the frame. The object-tracking analysis is up to 5 times faster on the updated 16-inch MacBook Pro and takes full advantage of the M1 Pro and M1 Max 16-core Neural Engine’s machine learning capabilities.
In addition to the exciting new Object Tracker update, full support for editing Cinematic Mode videos shot on the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro is now available. The Final Cut Pro 10.6 update allows users to adjust Cinematic mode depth of field and edit keyframes directly.
As expected, both Compressor and Motion, two highly-important Final Cut Pro companion applications, have received corresponding updates to support the new changes. Most notably, Compressor can transcode HEVC video up to two times faster, and ProRes video up to 10 times faster.
Logic Pro 10.7
Apple has updated the new version of Logic Pro with a complete set of rendering and mixing tools to support spatial audio. Logic Pro users can author songs as Apple Music-compatible Dolby Atmos mixes. New mixer and panner controls allow audio engineers and mixers to expand stereo projects into Dolby Atmos-compatible surround channels. In addition, essential plugins like Limiter, Loudness Meter, Space Designer, and more have been updated with spatial audio support.
The new Logic Pro update also comes with the Producer Packs that Apple introduced in GarageBand earlier this year. These packs feature beats, samples, and loops from some of the music industry’s top musicians, including Mark Ronson, TRAKGIRL, and others. The updates give Logic users access to over 2,800 new royalty-free loops, 50 new kits, and over 100 new patches from which to build their music.
Available today
Both Final Cut Pro 10.6 – along with its Compressor and Motion companion apps – and Logic Pro 10.7 will be available on the App Store today. The updates are free for those that already own the apps, while new customers can purchase Final Cut Pro for $299.99, Compressor and Motion for $49.99, and Logic Pro for $199.99.
As someone who has owned all four of these apps for years, it’s kind of ridiculous that I’ve never had to pay a dollar extra, yet they continue to receive big new updates year after year. What a contrast to Adobe’s business model of charging a continuous subscription fee for access. These Pro apps are some of the best value out there, hands-down.
What are your thoughts on the Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro updates? Sound off down below in the comments.
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