Apple has released significant updates to its Final Cut Pro software, with major enhancements for both the iPad and Mac versions. The iPad version, now called Final Cut Pro for iPad 2, is optimized for the new iPad Pro with the M4 chip. This new chip provides up to twice the rendering speed and supports up to four times more streams of ProRes RAW compared to the M1 iPad Pro.
A standout feature of this update is the new Live Multicam capability, which allows users to wirelessly connect and preview up to four cameras simultaneously. These cameras can be a mix of iPhone and iPad devices, providing a director’s view of each camera along with manual control settings through the all-new Final Cut Camera app. This app, which also launches today, offers professional features such as manual focus, shutter speed, ISO control, focus peaking, and more.
Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 also introduces external drive support, a long-requested feature that allows users to create and edit projects on an external storage device without consuming internal storage space. Furthermore, this update enhances the functionality of the Apple Pencil Pro, enabling barrel roll for more precise control of Live Drawing tools and a squeeze feature to access brushes and settings quickly. Additionally, users can polish their videos with new color grading presets, dynamic glitch backgrounds, soundtracks, and text titles. The update requires iPadOS 17.4 or later and is compatible with iPad models featuring the M1 chip or later.
On the Mac side, Apple has released Final Cut Pro 10.8, which introduces AI-assisted features such as Enhance Light and Color and Smooth Slo-Mo. Enhance Light and Color uses machine learning to automatically adjust video for proper color correction, while Smooth Slo-Mo intelligently blends video frames for higher-quality slow-motion effects.
This version also improves workflow with the ability to rename color corrections and video effects in the inspector, search for and navigate to clips with missing media or effects in the timeline index, and utilize a new text-based timeline search feature that surfaces details like reel, scene, and camera angle.
Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8 requires macOS 13.5 or later, 8GB of RAM (with 16GB recommended), a Metal-capable graphics card for Intel-based Macs, and 6.5GB of available disk space. Both updates are now available as free updates for existing users. New users can subscribe to Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 for $4.99 per month or $49 per year, while Final Cut Pro for Mac 10.8 is available for purchase on the Mac App Store for $299.99.
