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Apple releases Final Cut Pro 10.6.2 featuring Duplicate Detection, Voice Isolation, and optimized Mac Studio performance

Apple has released the latest version of Final Cut Pro, version 10.6.2. The FCP update includes two primary new features – Duplicate Detection and Voice Isolation. Duplicate Detection is a feature that will be much appreciated for those editing long-form content and documentaries, while Voice Isolation wields machine learning to help isolate voice frequencies.

Final Cut Pro 10.6.2 and updates to its companion apps – Motion and Compressor – are now available for download on the Mac App Store right now.

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MotionVFX is the best plugin resource for Final Cut Pro X [Video]

One of the things that make Final Cut Pro X so great is its support for third-party plugins. MotionVFX, with over 25 years of experience in visual effects, provides many plugin options for FCPX and Apple Motion.

In this post, I’ll highlight some of the key features of MotionVFX that make it the premier destination for enhancing your Final Cut Pro X and Apple Motion experience.

For a limited time, we’ve teamed up with MotionVFX to give you 10% off everything when using code 9to5Mac at checkout. Watch our hands-on video walkthrough for the details.
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Final Cut Friday: How to create reusable, customizable title cards using Motion 5 [Video]

Last week we discussed how to create one-off title cards for FCP X on a per-project basis. This week, we’ll show you how to create title cards that can be reused and customized — handy if you often use title cards in your projects.

By enlisting Motion 5, Apple’s $50 motion graphics application, you can shave off precious time from your editing sessions. Watch our brief hands-on video for more details.
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Patent application reveals possible new Apple Watch gestures – even sign language

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A patent application spotted by Patently Apple suggests that the Apple Watch turning on its display as you raise your wrist could be just the first of many supported gestures. Pointing, waving and even extending pinky and thumb in a ‘phone me’ gesture could all be used to initiate actions on either the Watch itself or a paired iPhone.

While voice and touch input can be an effective way to control a device, there may be situations where the user’s ability to speak the verbal command or perform the touch gesture may be limited.

This [patent] relates to a device that detects a user’s motion and gesture input through the movement of one or more of the user’s hand, arm, wrist, and fingers, for example, to provide commands to the device or to other devices […] The device can interpret the gesture as an input command, and the device can perform an operation.

Apple gives a number of illustrative examples of such gestures …


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iPhone 6S will animate UI with Apple Watch-like Motion wallpapers

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Apple is preparing to bring some motion from the Apple Watch to the iPhone 6S. One of the new device’s differentiators over its predecessor will likely be a spiced up set of animated wallpapers, according to three sources who have used internal iPhone 6S prototypes within Apple. The new animated wallpapers come from the same family as the set of “Motion” watch faces that dominate the main screen of the Apple Watch, where the user can choose from jellyfish, multi-colored butterflies, or brightly colored flowers.


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Apple releases Final Cut Pro 10.2, Motion 5.2 with 3D titles, Compressor 4.2 with iTunes publishing

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Apple has pushed out an update to its suite of pro video editing tools for Mac today, including new versions of Final Cut Pro X, Motion, and Compressor.

Final Cut has been upgraded to version 10.2, which adds support for 3D titles, improved color grading and effects tools, support for additional camera formats, and GPU-accelerated processing of RAW footage from RED cameras.


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Apple releases updates for Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage

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Shortly after announcing that its pro photography app Aperture is being discontinued, Apple released a number of updates to its remaining professional desktop applications. Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage on OS X all received updates via the Mac App Store today. See the changes for each professional desktop application below:
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Fitbit app taps into iPhone 5s M7 motion processor for new MobileTrack feature

Fitbit-app-01The Fitbit iPhone app received a notable update today that brings basic tracking features directly to the iPhone 5s without the need of one of FitBit’s tracking watches. The new “MobileTracker” feature, which takes advantage of Apple’s new M7 motion co-processor, provides some of FitBit’s basic activity tracking features right on the device. The new feature, due to the new M7 motion co-processor, is currently only available on the iPhone 5s. The company is yet to make an official announcement, but with CES right around the corner we’d expect to hear more about the update soon.

As noted by the Fitbit employee in the tweet below, the update will allow iPhone 5s users to try basic features of the app before investing in the hardware.

The app also receives a number of other new features today including redesigned silent alarms, the ability to a set a custom water goal, and a revamped profile editor, tracker settings, and sign-up screen. A full list of what’s new in version 2.1 of the Fitbit app is below:

What’s New in Version 2.1

The Fitbit app now features MobileTrack which offers basic Fitbit activity tracking directly using your iPhone 5s.
Redesigned Silent Alarms settings. Set, switch, edit, and remove alarms faster than ever.
Set your own custom water goal.
Redesigned profile editor.
Redesigned tracker settings.
Redesigned sign-up and sign-in.
Tap on people in Friend Finder to see their profile.
Swipe on friends on your leaderboard to Cheer, Taunt, or Message.
Tap on tabs to auto-scroll to the top.

[tweet https://twitter.com/barrycburton/status/417710071804489728]

Extreme Reality SDK gives any iOS game Kinect-like motion control, now open to all devs

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Extreme Reality, a company that has been developing motion capture technology that Sega and others have used in PC & mobile games, today announced it is opening up its SDK to all developers. The software works with any 2D camera and allows devs to easily capture and analyze motion for games and apps. Think Microsoft’s Kinect, but with Extreme Reality motion is captured with an iOS device’s built-in FaceTime camera rather than bulky, expensive external hardware:
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New Apple TV in development, could arrive as soon as next month

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Apple is working on a new version of the Apple TV, and according to MG Siegler, it could arrive as soon as next month. We have independently heard that a new version of the Apple TV is in development, but our sources have not provided a clear picture in terms of a launch timeframe.

Siegler says that the launch could occur in October, which is the month that we’re expecting new versions of the iPad arrive. It would make sense for Apple to launch the new Apple TV and iPads in tandem as this is a launch combination that it has done in the past (iPad 3 + Apple TV 3 in 2012)…


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Key Nike FuelBand developer and fitness expert Jay Blahnik confirmed to join Apple, likely working on iWatch

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Jay Blahnik, a globally recognized fitness expert and instrumental consultant in the development of several Nike fitness products, has confirmed his new role at Apple. In July, we reported on unconfirmed whispers out of the fitness industry that Blahnik had been hired at Apple, likely to work on the iWatch. We’ve also since confirmed with additional sources that he has joined Apple, and these people say that Blahnik will be working on the iWatch team


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Apple updates Final Cut Pro X with new features as part of campaign to win back pros

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Final-Cut-Pro-XFollowing reports this morning that Apple was preparing to a launch a new campaign on its website to lure skeptical professionals back to Final Cut Pro X, Apple has now pushed out updates to the app in addition to smaller updates to its Motion and Compressor apps.

Version 10.0.8 of the ‘Final Cut Pro’ Mac App Store app brings a number of new features and enhancements, many of which focus on improvements for professional users. Among the updates is support for Sony XAVC codec up to 4K, the ability to view “ProRes Log C files from ARRI ALEXA cameras with standard Rec. 709 color and contrast levels,” and a long list of editing fixes, tweaks and enhancements that have been highly requested by pro users.

Apple has now updated its website with the new Final Cut Pro campaign we mentioned earlier. It includes a feature with acclaimed director Tsui Hark and Canada’s largest newspaper The Globe and Mail. The ‘What’s New’ Final Cut Pro product page was also updated to show off some of the new features in today’s update such as support for the Sony XAVC codec.

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Apple also updated Compressor and Motion today with minor updates that include fixes.

A full list of what’s new in Final Cut Pro X, Compressor, and Motion is below:

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Leap Motion controller shipping May 13, Pre-order now at Best Buy

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Leap, creators of the Mac and PC 3D motion-tracking device, announced this morning that it will begin shipping its Leap Motion on May 13. Last May, Leap announced it would open up pre-orders for the device for $69.99.

With today’s announcement, Leap raised the price of the controller $10 dollars; $79.99 is the new retail price. Leap also announced that starting today Best Buy would take pre-orders for the device with a May 19 delivery date


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Apple updates Final Cut Pro X & iBooks Author with new features

Apple is releasing updates to a few of its apps following its media event earlier today. The biggest update goes to Final Cut Pro X, because, on top of RED camera support, it received a ton of new features. iBooks Author, as Apple briefly touched on during the event, also got updates today for some of the new iBooks features and Retina Mac displays. Smaller updates to Apple’s Motion and Compressor apps were also released.

Final Cut Pro X: Other than RED camera support, withnative REDCODE RAW editing and optional background transcode to Apple ProRes,” FCPX also got a new unified import window, MXF plug-in support, and much more:

What’s New in Version 10.0.6

• Expand multichannel audio files directly in the timeline for precise editing of individual audio channels
• Unified import window for transferring media from both file-based cameras and folders of files
• Redesigned Share interface for exporting projects and range selections to one or more destinations
• RED camera support with native REDCODE RAW editing and optional background transcode to Apple ProRes
• MXF plug-in support that allows you to work natively with MXF files from import through delivery using third-party plug-ins
• Dual viewers, each with a video scope display, let you compare shots to match action and color
• Option to add chapter markers in the timeline for export to video files, DVD, and Blu-ray disc
• Range selection now preserves start and end points in the Event Browser and allows you to create multiple range selections on a single clip
• Paste attributes window lets you choose specific effects to copy between clips
• Flexible Clip Connections allow you to keep Connected Clips in place when slipping, sliding or moving clips in the Primary Storyline
• Add a freeze frame to your timeline with a single keystroke
• Drop shadow effect with intuitive onscreen controls to adjust position, edge falloff, angle, and more
• New controls for combining audio from multiple angles within a Multicam Clip
• Compound Clip creation in the timeline now saves the clip in the Event Browser for re-use in other projects
• XML 1.2 featuring metadata import and export for richer integration with third-party apps

iBooks author: In line with some of the updates to iBooks that Apple talked about today, the iBooks Author app has been updated to include custom fonts, new portrait-only books, new scrolling sidebar, pop-over widgets, and support for mathematical expressions and embedded audio:

What’s New in Version 2.0

• Create new gorgeous portrait-only books
• Embed custom fonts into books for complete control over text appearance
• Add even more interactivity with new Scrolling Sidebar and Pop-Over widgets
• Support for mathematical expressions with new native equation editing using both LaTeX and MathML notation
• Automatic optimization of media for iPad
• Improved support for embedded audio, including the ability to play an audio file by tapping an image
• Improved publishing workflow, including automatic sample book creation and pre-publish checking
• Additional Apple-designed templates
• Version numbering for books
• Enhanced to take advantage of the Retina display on the new MacBook Pro
• Performance improvements
• Usability improvements

Motion:

What’s New in Version 5.0.5

• Improved anti-aliasing increases text sharpness for enhanced legibility
• Open multiple projects simultaneously to easily switch, copy and paste between them
• Accelerated loading of complex projects

Compressor:

What’s New in Version 4.0.5

• Improved cluster setup eliminates the need to have Compressor open on all cluster nodes
• Activate additional encoding clusters without re-authentication
• Addresses an issue related to third-party QuickTime components that could prevent Compressor from opening