Final Cut Pro Libraries let you keep assets together for use in multiple projects. They combine the previously discrete Events and Projects panels. Libraries are similar to the Catalogs in Adobe Lightroom in that they are databases that you can back up to a separate drive and receive automatic backups. Luckily, you don’t have to worry about projects you created before this Library arrangement: Final Cut gives you a simple update option to get them working with the program.
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Libraries are a major part of organizing your assets, but you must first import media before you can use them. Each import session places media into an Event in the source area. At import, you can tell Final Cut to copy the event media to a specific Library. You can also have the program analyze video for color balance, excessive noise, stabilization, and the presence of one or more people. The app auto-tags content based on this analysis.
Final Cut Pro can automatically tone-match SDR and HDR files so that you can work with both types in the same project. It can also fix audio issues. However, Premiere Pro makes the import (and export) process clearer for novices.
(Credit: Apple/PCMag)
Final Cut Pro supports expanded color spaces like those that approach Rec. 2020, including the DCI-P3, which current iPhones and iMacs use. It also accepts the H.265 codec (aka HEVC), which minimizes the file size of 4K and 360-degree footage while maintaining resolution. That’s in addition to standard video formats such as AVCHD, HDV, MPEG-4 H.264, and XAVC. However, Final Cut Pro doesn’t work with the open-source MKV and OGG formats.
Of course, the app supports Apple’s ProRes Raw format, which is analogous to Adobe’s DNG raw still camera file format. It gives you access to all sensor data and allows for more leeway in adjusting lighting and colors compared with compressed formats. Atomos recorders support the format, as does the DJI Mavic 3 Pro drone. Controls in the Inspector panel let you adjust the color temperature, exposure offset, and ISO of ProRes Raw content.
If you’ve chosen to analyze the clips, the program can create Smart Collections based on type of shot (long, close, or medium) or whether the shot is stable or unstable. In my quick test, it created a People folder, with Group, Medium Shot, and Wide Shot Smart Collections below it, and a Stabilization folder with Excessive Shake and Steady Shot groups.
Final Cut Pro can import and export both projects and events in XML format. This means professional video editors can roundtrip their work between video editing software and other apps, such as DaVinci Resolve, a standard in pro video color correction. The same holds for organizing projects in Square Box System’s CatDV, which lets teams of professionals organize clips. On the other end of the spectrum, you have the ability to import iMovie projects you started on a mobile device.
Importing From Final Cut Pro for iPad
You can now import projects you started in the Final Cut Pro iPad app. Doing so is somewhat counterintuitive, however, since you have to export the project as a Final Cut for iPad Project from the Share menu. After you create the export file, you can then send the project (with or without all the assets it uses) via Airdrop or your iCloud Drive storage.
Oddly, if you choose to send it to Final Cut Pro, you just get another copy of it in the iPad app. When you include assets, you see an .fcpbundle file as well as an .fcpproj file on the receiving Mac. I managed to get a project from Final Cut on the iPad to the program on a Mac, but the process could be more straightforward.
Easy Keyword Tagging
In addition to its automatic clip organization options, Final Cut Pro includes manual keyword tagging. Much like a good photo workflow app, the video editor makes entering frequently used tags simple—you can even use keyboard shortcuts. Tagging in Final Cut Pro still isn’t as sophisticated as in Adobe Lightroom, but Premiere Pro can use tags only through the separate Adobe Bridge manager (though it does offer lots of metadata fields along with face detection). One very cool keyword tagging option in Final Cut is the ability to apply a tag to just part of a clip. You can also rate, reject, or star a clip from icons below the source tray.
Collaboration
For collaborative editing, Final Cut Pro supports XML files and locking. You can export Final Cut Pro ProRes or H.264 content as proxy files at 50%, 25%, or 12.5% of the original size, allowing remote editors to access huge projects more efficiently. Adobe Premiere Pro, however, offers more collaboration options with its Team Projects and Productions, which enable simultaneous editing with conflict resolution features. It also sports a Share for Review feature to give non-editing stakeholders a sign-off capability. Premiere Pro also has deep Frame.io integrations for collaboration, though Frame.io also works with Final Cut Pro as a plug-in.
