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How the Latest Updates to Final Cut Pro on iPad Revolutionize Filmmaking for Professionals: Exclusive Review by a Cinematic Visionary

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Final Cut Pro is about to get some major updates when version 10.8 becomes available. One of the biggest updates comes by way of Final Cut Pro for iPad, which will unleash some very impressive (and useful) features for creatives. One feature that many creators working within the Apple ecosystem will appreciate is the new Live Multicam option, which allows you to connect and preview up to four cameras all in one place.

That feature is enabled with the help of Final Cut Camera, which is an all-new video-capturing app for both iPhone and iPad that allows creators to connect and remotely direct with powerful controls.

Also: Everything Apple announced at its iPad event: iPad Pro, Air, Pencil, M4, and more

Each live camera feed can be controlled directly from Final Cut Pro for iPad to change things like exposure settings, focus, ISO, white balance, and zoom. You’ll even gain access to manual focus, which can be a real game-changer. Those features alone make this new version worth considering.

I’ve worked on enough film projects to understand how important it is to be able to control focus remotely. Instead of having to manually adjust the focus on each camera, you can do it all from a single device. Doing that with cinema cameras requires expensive hardware and a considerable learning curve. This should make it exponentially easier.

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The one caveat to the Live Multicam option is that it does seem to be limited to iPhones and iPads, so if you use cinema cameras or DSLRs for your shoots, you probably won’t be able to work with the new feature. If, however, you shoot with iPhones or iPads, you’re in luck.

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Final Cut Camera will also serve as a video capture app on iPhone and iPad and even allows you to open and edit projects directly from an external drive, thanks to the iPad Pro’s Thunderbolt connection.

With the help of the M4 chip on the iPad Pro, you’ll not only be able to use the Live Multicam feature, but also be able to do color grading (with up to 12 new color-grading presets), choose from eight basic text titles, score with 20 new soundtracks, apply effects to clips, render complex timelines, and more… without having to first migrate your project to an Mac or MacBook.

The upcoming version of Final Cut Pro for MacOS will also leverage AI to give editors the ability to quickly customize the look of videos, real time visuals, have better control over color correction and effects, and enjoy easier navigation of timelines.

Also: iPad Pro (2024) vs. iPad Air (2024): Which Apple tablet should you buy?

Post-production gets a boost with the ability to name workflows, color corrections, and video effects, which can then be dragged from the inspector to clips in the timeline.

As for availability:

Final Cut Pro for iPad 2 will be available later this spring as a free update for existing users or available in the App Store for $4.99 per month or $49 per year.
Final Cut Camera will be available for free later this spring.
Final Cut Pro for MacOS (version 10.8) will be available as a free update for existing users and for $299 for new users on the Mac App Store.

Read more about the exciting new features and updates coming to Apple products on the official announcement .