Final Cut Pro facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Final Cut Pro

A 2018 screenshot of Final Cut Pro
Original author(s)	Macromedia Inc.
Developer(s)	Apple Inc.
Initial release	April 1999
Stable release	10.7.1 / December 22, 2023; 17 months ago (2023-12-22)
Operating system	macOS (13.4 or newer) iPadOS (16.4 or newer)
Type	Video editing software
License	Proprietary

Final Cut Pro (often called FCP or FCPX) is a powerful computer program for editing videos. It was first made by Macromedia. Since 1998, Apple has developed it. Final Cut Pro is part of Apple's special collection of "pro apps."

This software lets you bring in video clips, edit them, and then save them in many different ways. In the 2000s, many people started using Final Cut Pro. This included video fans and independent filmmakers. Even professional film and TV editors began to use it. In 2007, a study showed that Final Cut Pro was used by almost half of professional editors in the United States. In 2011, Apple released a completely new version called Final Cut Pro X. It was later released for iPad in May 2023.

Key Features of Final Cut Pro

Final Cut Pro helps you edit videos in a special way. It uses "non-linear" editing. This means you can change any part of your video without affecting other parts. It works with many video types, like 4K and 8K movies. You can even bring in projects from iMovie.

The program lets you combine many video clips. You can also add lots of sound tracks. It has tools for editing videos from multiple cameras at once. This is called multi-camera editing. You can also edit 360-degree videos. Final Cut Pro offers many ways to cut, move, and speed up or slow down your clips. It also has cool video effects and sound filters. You can fix colors, add special effects, and even create test patterns.

You can make Final Cut Pro even better with special add-ons called plug-ins. These plug-ins can give you more effects, titles, and ways to switch between scenes. Apple makes it easy for others to create these plug-ins.

How the Interface Works

• Event browser: This is where all your original video clips are stored. You can search and sort them easily. You can also mark clips as favorites or rejected.
• Magnetic timeline: This is a unique way to arrange your video clips. Clips "magnetically" stick together. They move out of the way automatically to avoid bumping into each other. This helps keep your video and sound in sync.
• Roles: You can give each clip a "role" to keep your audio organized. For example, you can label clips as Dialogue, Music, or Effects. This helps you separate different sound types.
• Content auto-analysis: When you bring in new videos, Final Cut Pro can automatically check them. It can find faces, fix sound problems, and adjust colors. This helps you organize your clips faster.
• Synchronized clips: If you record video and audio separately, Final Cut Pro can put them together. It matches them up using time or sound patterns.
• Compound clips: You can group many video and audio clips into one "compound clip." This makes it easier to manage complex edits. You can also reuse these groups in other projects.
• Closed captions: You can add closed captions directly to your video timeline. These are like subtitles for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.
• Multicam editing: This feature lets you edit videos from several cameras at once. Final Cut Pro can sync the different camera angles automatically. You can then switch between them easily.
• Auditions: This lets you try out different clips in your video. You can group clips together and quickly switch between them. This helps you see which version looks best.
• 3D titles: You can create amazing 3D text for your videos. You can make the text look like it's made of different materials. This helps you create titles like those in big movies.
• 360-degree video editing: You can import and edit videos that capture everything around you. This is great for virtual reality experiences.
• Advanced color grading: This helps you make your video colors look perfect.
• High dynamic range video: This feature supports videos with very bright and very dark areas. It makes your videos look more realistic.

Technical Details

Final Cut Pro X was a completely new program. It was built to use modern computer power. It uses more than 4GB of computer memory (RAM). It also uses all parts of your computer's main processor (CPU). This makes it run very fast. It can handle video sizes from small to very large, even beyond 4K. It works with many different camera and audio formats. You can also convert videos to Apple ProRes for even better performance. Many tasks, like saving and rendering, happen in the background. This lets you keep working without interruptions. Final Cut Pro X was made only for macOS computers.

Motion 5

You can create cool titles and effects in a program called Motion 5. Then, you can use them in Final Cut Pro X. You can even change parts of these effects directly in Final Cut Pro X.

Adobe Photoshop

You can bring Adobe Photoshop projects into Final Cut Pro X. If your Photoshop project has layers, Final Cut Pro X keeps them separate. You can turn layers on or off. If you need to make bigger changes, you can do them in Photoshop. Final Cut Pro X will update automatically.

Ecosystem

Final Cut Pro can be made more powerful with special add-ons. Many companies create effects, transitions, and titles for it. These are often made using Apple Motion. Developers can also use Apple's FxPlug system to create more complex tools. Because Final Cut Pro saves projects in a special way, other developers can create tools that help with your video workflow.

History of Final Cut Pro

How It Started

A team led by Randy Ubillos first created a video editing program called KeyGrip. This team was hired by Macromedia. KeyGrip was designed to be a professional video editor. However, Macromedia couldn't release it. So, Apple bought the development team in 1998.

Apple continued to work on KeyGrip. They renamed it Final Cut. They added support for FireWire cameras. In April 1999, Apple released the program as Final Cut Pro.

Early Versions (1999-2002)

To help people learn Final Cut Pro, Apple worked with training companies. They offered free workshops around the world. This helped many people discover and start using the software.

Final Cut Pro became very popular on Mac computers. It was easy to use with new digital video (DV) cameras. The first TV show edited entirely with Final Cut Pro was Women of Wrestling in 2000. Many other shows and even movies started using it. For example, the movie The Rules of Attraction was edited with an early version. In 2002, Final Cut Pro even won an Emmy Award for its impact on TV.

Final Cut Pro 4 to 7 (2002-2011)

Final Cut Pro 4 came out in 2002. It included new programs like Compressor for changing video formats. It also had LiveType for cool animated titles and Soundtrack for royalty-free music.

In 2004, Final Cut Pro 4.5 was called "Final Cut Pro HD." This was because it could easily edit high-definition (HD) video. Final Cut Pro 5, released in 2005, added support for more HD formats.

In 2006, Apple started selling Final Cut Pro only as part of a bigger package called Final Cut Studio. Final Cut Pro 6 came out in 2007. The last version before the big change was Final Cut Pro 7, released in 2009.

Final Cut Pro X (2011-Present)

Final Cut Pro X was a completely new version. It was released in June 2011. It had a new look and new ways to edit. It was built to be much faster. Apple also stopped selling some older programs like Color and DVD Studio Pro.

At first, some professional editors were not happy. Final Cut Pro X was missing some features they used a lot. For example, it couldn't easily open projects from older versions. But Apple quickly added many of these missing features back through updates.

One big change was the "Magnetic Timeline." This was different from how other video editors worked. It took some getting used to. But it helped keep clips organized. Over time, Final Cut Pro X added many new features. These included support for Redcode Raw video and better ways to organize your projects.

In 2015, version 10.2 added 3D Titles. Version 10.3, in 2016, gave the program a new look and better audio editing. In 2017, version 10.4 added tools for 360-degree video and HDR video. In 2018, it added support for closed captioning. In November 2020, Apple dropped the "X" from the name. It is now just called Final Cut Pro again.

Release History Highlights

For all the changes, you can check Apple's official release notes.

Final Cut Pro for iPad

Final Cut Pro for iPad was released on May 23, 2023. You need an iPad with an M-series chip to use it. It is available by paying a monthly or yearly fee.

Movies and Shows Made with Final Cut Pro

Using Final Cut Pro 1 to 7

Using Final Cut Pro X

See Also

In Spanish: Final Cut Pro para niños

• Motion, a program by Apple for creating cool graphics and effects
• Compressor, another Apple program for saving videos in different ways
• Apple ProRes, a special video format for high quality
• iMovie, Apple's simpler video-editing app for everyone
• Final Cut Studio, an older collection of Apple film-editing programs (no longer sold)
• Final Cut Express, a simpler, cheaper version of Final Cut (no longer sold)