Raw files from still cameras are a draw for consumers, as evidenced by Apple making them available starting with iOS 10, but video producers are also fair game for the rich editing possibilities that raw video offers.
Launching in time for this year's NAB Show, the 10.4.1 update of Final Cut Pro X features new support for raw video content as well as for closed captioning. The update falls on the heels of the big 10.4 update in December, which featured lots of 360-degree VR support.
The extended lighting and color ranges accessible in raw formats is desirable when you're working toward HDR output. Apple's new ProRes Raw format yields smaller file sizes than actual raw footage, which makes working with that greater editing latitude more practical, thanks to lossless compression.
Apple is working with hardware vendors to make ProRes Raw accessible to video producers. This includes planned support from monitor/recorder maker Atamos, whose Sumo and Shogun Inferno devices will receive firmware updates with ProRes Raw support.
Additionally, the DJI Inspire 2 drone and Zenmuse X7 Super 35mm camera system will receive similar capabilities via a firmware update.
Apple claims ProRes RAW and ProRes RAW HQ render projects faster, exporting to H.264 nearly six times as fast as comparable versions of REDCODE RAW 3:1 and about twice as fast as with Canon Cinema RAW Light. The speed improvements are even slightly better for exporting HEVC.
Closed Caption Support
Until this latest release, Premiere Pro has had the upper hand when it comes to captions for your movie. With the update, Final Cut Pro X adds the ability to create, import, and edit captions.
It can output to industry-standard CEA-608 and iTT formats for export, and the captions can be part of the output file or live in a separate sidecar file. You can edit, spellcheck, move, and set colors for captions, which can be attached to audio or video clips.
Roles have been an important concept in Final Cut Pro X, and, logically, captions are designated with their own Role. Which brings us to another new feature of the update: The Share (or export) panel now shows Roles, so you can add or remove tracks based on their Roles to your export project.
Though it had a rocky start, Final Cut Pro X now has over 2.5 million users. It's also been used for hit productions like Oscar-winning short The Silent Child, the Emmy-winning Challenger Disaster: Lost Tapes, and the most-watched YouTube video ever, Despacito.
For more on Apple's professional-level video editing software, read PCMag's head-to-head comparison of Final Cut Pro X with Adobe Premiere Pro.