May 29, 2023

Last week was eventful. Apple released a new version of Final Cut Pro for the iPad and updated the Mac versions of all their media applications. As well, Reuters reported surprising news about Avid Technologies.

First, Apple. As promised, Apple released a new version of Final Cut Pro for the iPad on May 23. The same day, they also updated the Mac versions of Final Cut, Logic, Motion, Compressor, and iMovie. Here are the details.

Link: Apple Updates Final Cut Pro, Compressor, Motion & Logic for the Mac

Apple also updated their Pro Video Codecs to support these new versions. The big news here was that Apple released, essentially, an API for developers to create their own plug-ins for ProRes RAW. Atomos released a very informative press release that explains the benefits of this expanded ProRes RAW format.

Link: Atomos Supports Apple’s New ProRes RAW Plug-ins

In the news:

Reuters reported that, allegedly, Avid Technologies is partnering with Goldman Sachs to explore a sale. The reason seems to be that, while Avid is making a profit, it isn't enough of a profit to keep Wall Street happy. Here's the report.

Link: Reuters Reports Avid Exploring a Sale

CineGear opens later this week on the Paramount lot in Los Angeles. I'm looking forward to wandering the streets and checking out the latest in production technology. It is always an amazing collection of production tools and toys. Registration is still open. 

Link: https://www.cinegearexpo.com

Vaudeville Sound Group announced that it has created the world’s first at-scale immersive sound asset catalog for Shutterstock, containing more than 60,000 immersive assets. Neither Vaudeville Sound or Shutterstock have posted a linkable press release about this.

Link: https://www.vaudeville.tv

Shutterstock announced that it entered into a definitive agreement to acquire GIPHY, Inc. from Meta Platforms, Inc. GIPHY is the world’s largest collection of GIFs and stickers that supplies casual conversational content.

Link: https://www.shutterstock.com/press/20490

Jay Fidell, host of Think Tech Hawaii, interviewed me last week about the power of images to attract audiences and improve visual presentations. While our conversation was more for business people than media creators, I had a fun time chatting with Jay. 

Link: https://youtu.be/MU8LYOF-ft0

The industry was saddened last week by the passing of Bryce Button. During his 14 years at AJA Video Systems Bryce was recognized as an industry expert on industry trends, broadcast standards and the myriad technical issues inherent in video. He knew everybody - and everyone who knew him liked and respected him. He will be missed.

My three-part audio series continued last week with an in-depth look at Audio Techniques in Adobe Premiere Pro. This covered the entire audio workflow from optimizing preferences to editing to mixing. This session also included specialized techniques like split edits, double-system sound and multi-channel audio. It's available today in my store.

Link: Audio Techniques in Adobe Premiere Pro

My audio series concludes this week with an in-depth showcase of audio mixing in Adobe Audition. Whether you edit using Final Cut or Premiere, Audition can make your projects sound better. This session shows how to move projects from Final Cut or Premiere into Audition, edit and mix them, then bring them back into FCP or Premiere for final output. I use Audition every week for my webinars. Once you see this session, you'll understand why you need to use it as well.

Link: FREE Registration for Larry's Wednesday Webinar

I have several tutorials this week, including one of the new features in Final Cut Pro.

Link: How to Use the New Color Conform in Apple Final Cut Pro

This is the key new feature in the latest release of Final Cut. It simplifies combining images using different color spaces into the timeline.

Link: Use the Master Track to Create Audio Fades in Premiere Pro

Hidden at the bottom of the Premiere timeline is the Master track. This allows us to create changes that are not easily possible any other way.

Link: Create and Modify Audio Transitions in Premiere Pro

Premiere supports both automatic and manual audio transitions. This quick video shows what they are and how they work.

I've thought a lot about our industry since Apple's announcement of the iPad version of Final Cut. It made me realize that the heart of media has shifted. In the past it was broadcast and feature films. Today, it's AI, mobile devices, and social media - platforms which require different tools and skills. Just as our tools need to evolve, so do we. And, for many, this evolution is painful. Let us not become like blacksmiths in the age of the automobile - offering our skills to an ever smaller market. Let us accept that technology is taking us on a new path. Let's explore it to see how we can apply our existing skills in new ways.

The world still needs stories. We can still be the ones who tell them. Until next Monday, stay hopeful and edit well.

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