Apple Final Cut Studio Upgrade from Final Cut Pro (Mac DVD) [OLD VERSION]

by Apple

Product Features

• Edit with Final Cut Pro -- the scalability, performance, and workflow of Final Cut Pro make it the first choice of professional editors everywhere
• Create audio with Soundtrack Pro -- Soundtrack Pro revolutionizes the way audio and video professionals edit and design sound
• Make motion graphics with Motion -- Apple's real-time motion graphics software is the easiest way for artists and editors to animate text, movies, and graphics
• Output with DVD Studio Pro -- From DVD dailies to highly interactive commercial titles, DVD Studio Pro is the easiest and most popular way for professionals to author SD and HD DVDs
• This upgrade is for purchasers of previous versions of Apple Final Cut Pro

Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 18 x 18 x 18 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S. and to APO/FPO addresses. For APO/FPO shipments, please check with the manufacturer regarding warranty and support issues.
• ASIN: B0009319NK
• Item model number: M9912Z/A
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 17, 2005
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,691 in Software (See Top 100 in Software)

Product Description

Amazon.com

You know the benefits of keeping all your production under one roof. Why not keep all your production tools in one box? Final Cut Studio combines the industry-standard Final Cut Pro 5, including powerful SD, DV and HD editing capability with the real-time design engine of Motion 2 for stunning motion graphics, the flexible audio creation and control tools of Soundtrack Pro and the sophisticated SD and HD DVD authoring features of DVD Studio Pro 4.

Elevate production values with powerful editing tools, revolutionary sound design, real-time motion graphics and next-generation DVD authoring, all in one affordable package. Edit virtually any format, from film to DV and native HDV to fully uncompressed HD--complete with simultaneous multicamera playback--in real time. Create, manipulate and fix audio. Create eye-popping motion graphics with GPU-accelerated, 32-bit float rendering. Then author your finished product to DVD, complete with highly interactive titles and fast, distributed encoding. Do it all with Final Cut Studio and its integrated, state-of-the-art applications.

Final Cut Pro 5
The first choice for professional editors everywhere, Final Cut Pro 5 delivers powerful and precise editing tools that work with virtually any format, from DV and native HDV to fully uncompressed HD. With a real-time multistream effects architecture, multicam editing tools, advanced color correction and intuitive integration with other Apple professional video and audio applications, Final Cut Pro gives you more creative options and technical control than ever before. See the Final Cut Pro 5 interface.

From SD to HD, Final Cut Pro 5 is designed to handle just about any format you can throw at it.

Working with multi-camera footage has never been easier.

Dynamic real-time effects processing means you have more time to experiment and perfect your transitions and other effects.

• Edit Anything: With native support for virtually any video format all in one application, Final Cut Pro 5 lets you edit everything from DV and SD to to DVCPRO HD and uncompressed high-definition video. Work with new formats like native HDV (long-GOP MPEG-2) and 50-Mbps IMX.
• Native HDV Support: Unlike other solutions, Final Cut Pro 5 acquires HDV media via FireWire and keeps it in the original format, transferring it into the system without any generation loss. Output via FireWire back to an HDV camera or deck, or transfer your native HDV to DVD Studio Pro 4 for an end-to-end native HDV workflow.
• Tapeless Workflow: Capture and output video frames accurately using professional decks, or go tapeless with built-in Panasonic P2 media support. View and browse P2 devices, then transfer the files you need directly into the Final Cut Pro 5 Browser.
• Multicam Editing: Simultaneously view and cut from multiple sources in real time, thanks to new multicam editing for DV, SD and HD. Group up to 128 sources together into multi-clips, then add or subtract cameras at any time for maximum flexibility. Switch from shot to shot, with or without effects, and auto-assemble sequences based on time-of-day timecode.
• RT Extreme with Dynamic RT: Save time with real-time effects processing on everything from DV to fully uncompressed HD. New Dynamic RT adjusts image quality and frame rate on the fly for optimal playback and scales performance as CPU power increases. You define Dynamic RT preferences for total control.
• Multichannel Audio: Capture and output up to 24 channels of high resolution 24-bit, 96kHz audio in a single pass with Final Cut Pro 5. Fully compatible with MCP (Mackie Control Protocol) devices, Final Cut Pro 5 lets you use external audio control surfaces to mix and record multiple fader automations simultaneously. Mix and record multiple fader automation simultaneously and enjoy two-way communication between your system and the control surface.
• Improved Xsan Support: Capture once, save time and share media with multiple editors using a consolidated storage pool powered by Xsan. Improved Media Management Tools provide support for reconnecting and managing files across large Xsan environments, budgeting your real-time effects according to available Xsan bandwidth.

Soundtrack Pro
Meet the next indispensable addition to your professional workflow. Sample-accurate and nondestructive editing in an intuitive interface make Soundtrack Pro the must-have tool for pro audio engineers and sound designers alike. Enjoy more than 50 effects from Logic Pro and over 5,000 Apple Loops. See the Soundtrack Pro interface.

The new Soundtrack Pro waveform editor makes it easier than ever to edit with extreme accuracy.

Thousands of effects and loops are just a few clicks away.

• Precise Audio Control: Manipulate audio in a breakthrough nondestructive, sample-accurate, action-based waveform editor. Reorder, suspend, modify and delete any edit, effect or process. Quickly identify, preview and fix common audio problems such as background noise, pops, clicks and hum. Stretch audio without affecting pitch.
• Advanced Sound Design: Use more than 50 professional effect plug-ins from Logic Pro to enhance a dialog track, recreate the reverberant ambience of any space, create sound effects or design new music sounds and samples. Select the perfect audio bed for your project from more than 5,000 sound effects and music files using the intuitive Apple Loops browser.
• Comprehensive Toolset: Get all the features you would expect from an advanced audio application including multitrack arranging and a console-style mixer with control surface support. What's more, you can use AppleScript to create batch processes for tasks you perform frequently, such as format conversions, noise reduction and normalization.
• Integrated Workflow: Move back and forth between other Final Cut Studio applications for quick and easy audio touch-up or creation. Send entire sequences from Final Cut Pro 5 directly into the Soundtrack Pro multitrack editor or round-trip individual clips between Final Cut Pro and the Soundtrack Pro Waveform Editor. Record director's commentary for a DVD Studio Pro project or add a sound effect or transition audio to a Motion project. Or use Soundtrack Pro as a powerful waveform editor and sound design tool with Logic Pro, Logic Express or other digital audio workstation.

Motion 2
Nothing like your old-school motion graphics system, Motion 2 ushers in a new paradigm, offering true film-quality output, GPU accelerated real-time performance and an astounding tool set that lets you create advanced motion graphics with drag-and-drop ease, startling clarity and unprecedented color fidelity. See the Motion 2 interface.

Motion can tap your graphics card's GPU to deliver 32-bit float rendering for true film-quality motion graphics.

The new Replicator makes it easy to create more robust actions from a single graphic.

• GPU Accelerated 32-Bit Rendering: Motion is the world's first motion graphics software with GPU accelerated 32-bit float rendering for true film quality. 32-bit float rendering produces extremely fine color accuracy, eliminates banding artifacts and even improves quality when rendering to 8-bit formats. You get great detail, quality and range of color that automatically scales with new generations of GPUs and CPUs.
• Replicator: An amazing new design tool, Replicator allows you to generate multiple copies of a single graphic, shape or movie and animate them in mesmerizing patterns. Just drag and drop the Sequence behavior to produce wave-like animations along grids, swirls, burst shapes or any user-defined layout.
• New Filters and Effects: Motion 2 offers more than 500 filters, effects and particle presets, each and every one designed to take advantage of the stunning quality produced by 16 and 32-bit float rendering. Apply filters such as 3D Rotate, Extrude and Vignette that are fundamental to almost every project; explore unique Caustics and Membrane Generators or apply and modify dozens of new particle presets to produce animations that will stand out.
• MIDI Behavior: Move beyond a single hand on a mouse or pen to enjoy the flexibility of multiple fingers on a MIDI control surface. With Motion 2, you can assign any number of filters or transform parameters to a MIDI knob, fader or pad with "Learn" mode. Because you get real-time, dynamic response to simultaneous inputs, you can even "play" Motion like a musical instrument for spontaneous live performances.
• Integrated Workflow: You can now use Motion in conjunction with Adobe After Effects. All of the particle effects, Replicator designs and animations in Motion can be added to an After Effects "comp" without rendering. Making a change is as simple as selecting "Open in Editor" from the After Effects edit menu.

DVD Studio Pro 4
Showcase your HD content in HD resolution with DVD Studio Pro 4. Distributed network encoding allows you to quickly convert your source materials to a wide range of industry formats. Create professional-quality DVDs right away, developing more sophisticated commercial projects as your expertise grows. See the DVD Studio Pro 4 interface.

DVD Studio Pro 4 builds on the already outstanding DVD-authoring capabilities of past versions.

Dramatically streamline the authoring process by using context-sensitive drop palettes.

• Author in SD or HD: Showcase your HD content with integrated, scalable H.264 encoding that allows you to fit HD content on DVDs using existing drives and existing media. Create HD on DVD versions from existing SD projects. Go from native HDV to HD on DVD with no recompression from Final Cut Pro and save time by encoding HD and SD in one Compressor batch.
• Distributed Encoding: Dramatically increase your HD and SD encoding speed by sharing the encoding workload over multiple computers. Offload encoding tasks to another machine and add encoding notes at no extra cost.
• Integrated Dolby Encoder: Encode Dolby Digital Professional (AC-3) surround sound audio, reduce uncompressed PCM audio file size without compromising quality--and display the Dolby logo on your final DVD.
• VTS Allocation: Increase playback performance with VTS editing by allocating menus throughout VTS folders to overcome 1GB menu limitations.
• GPRM Partitioning: GPRM partitioning gives you advanced scripting control options for highly interactive DVDs. And improved script commands allow jumps to motion menu loops so you avoid repeating introduction transitions.
• Real-Time HD Preview: Preview color and surround sound on a second Digital Cinema Desktop while you work. Audition surround sound using S/PDIF (digital audio) out to an external DTS or Dolby Digital (AC-3) decoder.

Product Description

Final Cut Studio allows professional editors to elevate production values with powerful editing tools, revolutionary sound design, real-time motion graphics and next generation DVD authoring. Final Cut Pro 5 edits virtually any video format, even multicam, in real-time. Create, control and fix audio with the revolutionary Soundtrack Pro. Tap into the real-time design engine of Motion, now with GPU accelerated 32-bit float rendering, to make your motion graphics pop. DVD Studio Pro delivers sophisticated SD and HD DVD authoring, fast distributed encoding and more to create stunning DVDs. When it comes to producing professional video, Final Cut Studio completes the picture.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding, especially if upgrading from very old versions of FCP., September 18, 2005

By 

Malignate (Ashburn, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Final Cut Studio Upgrade from Final Cut Pro (Mac DVD) [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

The short and sweet of it is that every upgrade in this package seems like an improvement. From Final Cut Pro's multicamera editing addition to Soundtrack Pro's audio cleanup tools, I've found an abundance of tools and features that will soon become essentials for me in an editing package. The package seems to need a fairly high end computer with a fair amount of RAM and OS X Tiger to really utilize of lot of it's new features such as the Core Image/Video features to their fullest extent, but renderless previews are worth it. I'd recommend it to anyone seeking to upgrade FCP and add all the other programs incredible functions.

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Final Cut Studio-Bleeding Edge for HD, January 31, 2006

By 

B. Self (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apple Final Cut Studio Upgrade from Final Cut Pro (Mac DVD) [OLD VERSION] (CD-ROM)

I purchased the Final Cut Studio upgrade for the sole purpose of edit high-definition video from an HDR-HC1 Sony camcorder. For editing standard definition, I was quite content to stick with version 4.0 indefinitely.

Once installed, it became apparent that 5.0.4 was bearly ready for high-definition primetime. Inexplicable bugs remained with the all important "Print to Video" command. Apple's free--but unwilling and useless--"Installation Support" team would not/could not answer my questions. Most of these support representatives couldn't answer even the most basic questions, and were in some instance flat out insulting. A bit odd for Apple.

Buyer beware: "Installation Support" is NOT tech support. They WILL NOT help you get it working. Make sense? Me either.

I digress. If I bought a new car, drove it off the lot, got home and experienced transmission trouble, I would expect the automaker to fix it under warranty. Right? No-brainer. Of course. But instead what if I call the dealer and they ask:

"Is the car running?"

Yes.

"Then we've done our job. We only help you get the car running, we don't make it ready to drive." Crazy right?

Well welcome to Apple's so-called "Installation Support". Once the splash screen whizzes by and the menus are up. They're done. Period. Doesn't work. Too bad.

REAL tech support costs $199 and up for ANY question beyond installing the program running on your machine.

So the fact that I bought Final Cut 5.0 for the specific purpose of editing high definition video and having already spent $650, and the camcorder is on the Apple supported devices list, but it doesn't work, doesn't matter. I get to pay an additional $200 to get to ask ONE question of Apple Tech support, when I'm not sure they even know the answer themselves. This is complete nonsense.

(One "Installation Support" member seemed at liberty to imply that since Final Cut is a "professional" product and since most users will probably be making millions on their Indie films, that "professionals" can pony up my royalty payment... er... ah ... tech support fee for Tech Support. Nevermind that Final Cut Express users are considered equally "professional" paying $199 at Tech Support too.)

After consulting the "tribal knowledge" being shared on all the forums I discovered that dozens of other users were experiencing the same problem with the "Print to Video" command not exporting to the Sony HDR-HC1. After discovering that one user found a way to make it work, I did some additional trial-and-error experimentation of my own and got it to finally work. A single checkbox in "Edit to Tape" dialog box which has nothing to do with "Print to Video" enabled this function. This took 3 days off-and-on. Clearly there is an actual bug in Final Cut 5.0. But Apple perhaps has found it profitable NOT to fix it. Nice try Apple. I'll keep my $199.

(Alienating Apple users who've purchased Apple products for 17 years doesn't exactly create good will.)

Apple should offer complimentary 90-day REAL tech support on all it's software products like it used to. Good customer service used to be what differentiated Apple from its competitors. Evidently, not any more.

Additionally, don't use Compressor unless you believe in reincarnation (I don't) because your life isn't long enough to wait for it to finish compressing files. Because of the estimated completion times, I moved the project to my slow but trusty iMac 800Mhz where it could whir away for days if need be. Unfortunately, need be.

A 20 minute high-def video sampling down to standard DVD is scheduled to take 55 hours to compress to 6.2Mb/sec DVD. It started a day ago and will finish sometime tomorrow--unless the wind blows the power out for a minute--then I start over.

OK you're thinking what do I expect from an iMac of all things? But even with a machine 4-5 times faster, you're still looking at 10 hours for 20 minutes of finished material. That's still a bit ridiculous, bordering on useless if you have a deadline, or have multiple projects to finish.

Soundtrack Pro was an unexpected surprise. Thinking it to be a slouch piece of software just tossed into the bundle, the program actually rescued otherwise unuseable soundtracks on some key videos. The noise reduction features when dialed in are no less than amazing.

Motion is still in the box, thought I'd like to learn it. I haven't switched over from After Effects yet.

Overall Studio works, but was a bit of a disappointment. You may feel like you've done some trailblazing through the brambles by the time you get it working. (Your actual scars may vary.) If Studio is a must-have and you don't mind the bleeding edge, keep those hundred dollar bills handy in case you need to call Apple to bail you out.

Recommendation: The Universal Code version is coming out in March, 2006. Apple plans to charge a gotcha-$50 "crossgrade" fee for users who upgrade now and later want to migrate to the Intel-based machines. Unless you need it right away, or the $50 is incidental to your annual budget, wait. Maybe Apple will fix some of the bugs too. We can only hope they throw in 90 days of real tech support.