June 12, 2023

The big news coming out of WWDC last Monday was Apple's announcement of the revitalized Mac line, including launching the new Mac Pro. As media creators, we now have a lot of exciting hardware options to choose from. Here's my lead story.

Link: M2 Mac Mini, Mac Studio or Mac Pro? Which to Pick and How to Configure It

Apple also announced the Vision Pro headset, which intrigues me. However, the purpose of Monday's announcement was not to get us to buy - since it won't be shipping for a year - but to get developers thinking about creating software for it. High-quality software takes time to write, especially when it's for a new way of displaying images. For now, I'm simply sitting back and watching this develop.

After Apple released the 10.6.6 update to Final Cut, I got a flurry of emails alerting me that one of my favorite audio effects - Fat EQ - was missing. This was not a bug. Apple removed a number - as yet undetermined - of audio plugins. Here are the details.

Link: Apple Intentionally Removed the FAT EQ Effect From FCP 10.6.6

In the news:

Avid announced an update for its Pro Tools software that introduces track markers, expanded immersive mixing capabilities, and better interoperability with Media Composer sessions. 

Link: Avid Announces New Version of ProTools

Flanders Scientific introduced the new XMP550, a 55" UHD resolution professional HDR Mastering Monitor built around a groundbreaking new QD-OLED panel featuring 2,000nits peak luminance, 2,000,000:1 contrast, and their widest color gamut to date. I visited the Flanders booth at CineGear and continue to be impressed with their monitors.

Link: https://flandersscientific.com/XMP550/index.php

I spent a day at CineGear, located on the Paramount Studios lot, last week and was impressed at how quickly production is adopting video walls, robotic cameras and motion tracking not just for actors but cameras and lenses. With few exceptions, lighting instruments are now fully LED with incredible color accuracy - along with the ability to dial in any color via LEDs rather than gels. The use of Unreal Engine to generate real-time backgrounds for an LED volume (giant LED walls) means that actors and crew can see the actual environment for a scene, rather than try to imagine it from story-boards and verbal descriptions. Green screen isn't dead, but video walls are better - especially for reflections. Camera cranes were everywhere, while drones were less visible. For a production geek like me, walking the streets of the Paramount lot was a small taste of heaven. 

Last week's webinar on Color Tools in Final Cut Pro was fun because I got to demo the newest color tools in FCP 10.6.6, along with a detailed demos on a wide variety of ways to fix problems and improve images. It's available now in my store and Video Training Library.

Link: Color Tools in Apple Final Cut Pro                   

I will be traveling during the rest of June, so webinars will return in July.

Thinking of webinars, here's an excerpt from last week's session on working with LUTs in Final Cut. This short video tutorial explains what LUTs are, how to use them, a specific setting to avoid, and ways to create custom LUTs. These can easily be used for both SDR and HDR media.

Link: Create and Use Custom LUTs in Final Cut Pro

Over the last several weeks, I tested a variety of high-speed storage options from OWC. This final report in my series reviews the OWC Express 4M2 expandable SSD RAID. This impressive unit combines the high-speeds of an SSD RAID with expandability traditionally reserved for spinning hard disks. Here's my report.

Link: Review: OWC Express 4M2 NVMe SSD RAID - When Speed’s the Need

My commentary last week on "The Future of Apple Final Cut Pro" received thousands of views. After WWDC I realized that, while Apple's hardware is improved, FCP remains adrift. If you haven't read this article, here it is again.

Link: What’s the Future of Apple Final Cut Pro?

Apple's announcement of the Vision Pro proves that Apple is continuing to explore new worlds; which is great. I'm very curious to see what becomes the "killer app" for this device. But I live in the world of video where we are wrestling with a number of existential challenges: AI, budgets, competition and new technology. It is easy to get depressed. Remember, though, that we are not defined by the technology we use, but by the stories we tell. Our ability to communicate effectively and powerfully is not due to our gear, but our imagination and our skill.

Until next week, stay healthy, stay hopeful and edit well.

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