Apple Updates Final Cut Pro X, Brings Back Features from Final Cut Pro 7

Apple has today issued an update for their professional video editing suite, Final Cut Pro X (FCPX). The update carries version number 10.0.3 and re-introduces some crucial elements, such as multicam editing. Multicam filming is widely used by video professionals as many scenes require multiple video angles, and it's obvious that you also need editing software that supports multicam editing in order to achieve the best outcome. Other new features include advanced chroma keying that allows color, edge and light adjustments; media relink that allows content to be modified with third party software and then be relinked to your project; import Photoshop graphics; and broadcast monitoring that allows video to be output to an external monitor using PCIe or Thunderbolt devices.

FCPX was strongly criticized by professional users when it was launched in June 2011 due to the lack of major features such as import of projects made on earlier versions of FCP, multicam support, and usage of 3rd party I/O devices for capture and output—all which were present in the earlier version of Final Cut Pro. Apple released the 10.0.1 update in September, which brought support for XML format, allowing FCP 7 and many other apps projects to be imported into FCPX. However, it took Apple more than half a year to support multicam editing, which is finally bringing FCPX more or less on-par with FCP 7 in terms of features.

FCP 7 was outdated in various areas, for example it was single-threaded, so it's evident that professionals with high-end Macs were craving for a new version but ended up being disappointed due to the lack of several essential features. This update is free for all users who have already bought Final Cut Pro X. For users who haven't, Apple offers a 30-day trial on Final Cut Pro X and the full version is priced at $299—both are available in the Mac App Store. Apple also offers Motion, an effects editor, and Compressor, a tool for project export, as complement applications and they are both priced at $49.