Archive notice: This article was originally published on April 8, 2003. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
More than 300 new features have found their way into Final Cut Pro 4 – including RT Extreme for real-time effects processing, the possibility of individually customizing the user interface, new high-quality uncompressed 8- and 10-bit formats and – for the first time in an editing system under 100,000 euros – full 32-bit video processing per channel. In addition, three completely new applications are integrated directly into Final Cut Pro 4 – “LiveType” for professional titling, “Soundtrack” for music accompaniment and “Compressor” for encoding in batch processing.
Further features of Final Cut Pro 4 are:
- Tools for dynamic and asymmetric trimming, Master Clips, Merged Clips and grouped playback buttons
- expanded media management
- complete Unicode support
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expanded audio processing such as Keyframe Thinning, multitrack audio mixing, multichannel output and real-time effects
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the Cinema Tools for filmmakers working with 35mm and 16mm film, previously available only separately.
Final Cut Pro 4 will be available in June from Apple specialist retailers and in the Apple Store (www.apple.com/germanstore) for 1,158.84 euros. Effective immediately, Apple is reducing the price of Final Cut Pro 3 to 1,158.84 euros.
Conceived from the ground up, DVD Studio Pro 2 has an improved user interface and a variety of innovative features. With customizable templates, a menu editor, timeline-based track editing and a software-based MPEG-2 encoder, DVD Studio Pro 2 is a good addition for every Final Cut Pro user.
DVD Studio Pro 2 is expected to be available in August from Apple specialist retailers and in the Apple Store (www.apple.com/germanstore) for 578.84 euros. Effective immediately, Apple is reducing the price of DVD Studio Pro 1.5 to 578.84 euros.
Shake 3 has new features such as Shake Qmaster Network Rendering Management Software (Mac OS X only) and unlimited network-rendering licenses in order to distribute rendering tasks easily across a cluster of Apple Xserve 1U Rack Servers or Power Macs G4 and optimize their processing in performance and efficiency. Users of Mac OS X, Linux and IRIX can now also make use of new visual effects in Shake 3, including motion tracking and real-time broadcast preview. The features for commercial postproduction have also been further refined. Support for broadcast monitors (Mac OS X only) makes it possible to output scenes in real time on a video monitor. Shake 3 can also import masked Photoshop layers.
Shake 3 is expected to be available in June for Mac OS X, Linux and IRIX through Apple-authorized Pro Film specialist retailers. Shake 3 for Mac OS X with an unlimited rendering license is available for 5,798.84 euros.
