October 9, 2023

Apple's Final Cut Pro upgrade to version 10.6.10 fixed the bug that caused all kinds of chaos last week. (Motion was also upgraded.) Here are the details:

Link: Final Cut Pro v. 10.6.10 Fixes Major Bugs

I was leafing through some older newsletter articles and came across a review of the incomparable Broom Cam. Now, don't brush this off. This low-angle beauty easily handles shots that leave other cameras in the dust. Best of all, you won't bristle at the price tag.

Link: The Incredible Broom Cam!

In the news:

There are reports of upgrade problems to macOS 13.6 on the MacRumors forum. I don't know how extensive these problems are. Here's a link to learn more, along with a potential solution. (Thanks, Eric, for the heads up.)

Link: Potential problems upgrading to macOS 13.6

Ian Anderson just released a massive (797 pages) new edition of his Final Cut Pro: Efficient Editing book. Ian is a trainer and freelance editor based in Brisbane, Australia. This highly-illustrated book is comprehensive and written in an understandable fashion. I was pleased to be the tech editor on portions of it.

Link: FCP Efficient Editing by Ian Anderson

Hedge renamed and "evolved" Hedge to OffShoot. It's a comprehensive solution that handles copying, verifying, organizing, and reporting. It is designed to guarantee media security during video production.

Link: https://blog.hedge.video/meet-offshoot/

I have two interesting tutorials this week, both related to visualizing a production. The first shows how to use FCP placeholders to create flexible storyboards. I never considered placeholders very useful ... until I discovered this technique.

Link: Use Final Cut Pro Placeholders to Create Useful Storyboards

A second tutorial explores a way to bring in over-the-shoulder graphics using 3D rotation in Motion. Final Cut supports rotating text in 3D, but not stills or video. As well, FCP doesn't support keyframing 3D rotation. This tutorial shows what's possible in Motion and provides a short movie of the results. 

Link: Rotate a Composite Image in 3D in Apple Motion

I'm traveling this month, webinars will return in early November.

I was exploring the web and came across Maxine Hong Kingston. She is an award-winning American novelist who has written three novels about the experience of being Chinese American by blending fact with fiction. In one of her books, she wrote: "In a time of destruction, create something." That struck a chord with me, because that's what we do. We create - sometimes building on what's gone before and other times spinning purely out of whole cloth. That's our gift. Our job is not to tear down, but to build up. That's pretty amazing when you think about it.

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

TUTORIALS & REVIEWS

» Final Cut Pro 10.6.10 Fixes Major Bugs (News)

  » Latest upgrade to FCP and Motion resolves major issues

» Use Final Cut Pro Placeholders to Create Useful Storyboards (Tutorial)

  » This starts with placeholders, but ends up in a very interesting place.

» Rotate a Composite Image in 3D in Apple Motion (Tutorial)

  » Motion fully supports movement in 3D. Here's how to make use of it.

» The Incredible Broom Cam! (Review?)

  » The camera technology may be old, but the concept is a clean sweep!

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