Apple Announces Final Cut Pro 4

MARKHAM, Ontario—April 2, 2003—Apple® today introduced Final Cut Pro® 4,a major upgrade of Apple’s Emmy award-winning editing software forfilm, HD, SD and DV. Packed with more than 300 new features, Final CutPro 4 introduces RT Extreme, for real-time composting and effects,powerful new interface customization tools, new high-quality 8- and10-bit uncompressed formats and for the first time in an editing systemcosting less than $100,000(US), full 32-bit floating point per channelvideo processing. Final Cut Pro 4 also includes three completely newintegrated applications—LiveType for advanced titling, Soundtrack formusic creation and Compressor for full featured batch transcoding.

“Final Cut Pro has revolutionized professional video editing by makingpreviously expensive and complex technology affordable and easier touse,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of WorldwideProduct Marketing. “With Final Cut Pro 4, we’re introducing moreprofessional capabilities and broadening the market by offering a moreaccessible and affordable product with innovative features that farexceed the competition.”

The revolutionary RT Extreme is an enhanced software-based, real-timeeffects architecture that scales smoothly with processor speed tosupport an increased number of simultaneous real-time video streams andhundreds of real-time effects. RT Extreme allows software effects to beviewed in real time on an external broadcast monitor when connected viaFireWire® or an external breakout box. RT Extreme is codec independentand allows editors to preview their work in real time at maximumresolution for finishing quality preview or at maximum performance forincreased simultaneous streams and effects.

Final Cut Pro 4 features high-quality, software-based 8- and 10-bituncompressed formats and 32-bit floating point processing and is theonly non-linear editing, compositing and effects package that scalessmoothly from DV through SD, HD and film. Final Cut Pro 4 includessupport for HDR render technology providing the ability to generatefilm quality output, rendering all elements in 32-bit (per channel)floating point color.

LiveType, a unique new titling application available only in Final CutPro 4, enables users to create dynamic, animated titles quickly andeasily. LiveType includes LiveFonts, a new approach to text animationin which every character of a font is a separate animated movie. Withover 8GB of media including LiveFonts, 150 pre-configured effects,customizable templates, backgrounds, animated textures and objects,LiveType enables Final Cut Pro 4 users to develop their own customizedlook, either from scratch or by modifying existing effects. Withsupport for DV, SD and HD formats, LiveType allows users to quickly andeasily create sophisticated, professional-quality animated text andgraphic effects.

Soundtrack, a breakthrough music creation tool also available only inFinal Cut Pro 4, gives editors the power to easily create high-quality,royalty-free music scores for their projects. Soundtrack automaticallymatches audio loops regardless of tempo and key, providing real-timearranging and mixing. Soundtrack is fully integrated within Final CutPro 4, supports Final Cut Pro 4’s new score markers for perfectsynchronization, includes a library of thousands of music loops andsound effects and supports AIFF, WAV and ACID files.

Compressor, a new batch transcoding tool that comes bundled with bothFinal Cut Pro 4 and DVD Studio Pro 2, lets users batch and exportdirectly to multiple formats including MPEG-2 for DVD, MPEG-4 forstreaming media or any supported QuickTime® format. Compressor includeswatermarking, real-time preview and 30 high-quality filters andeffects, providing an ideal platform for high volume or repetitiveencoding tasks. Compressor comes with a new world-class MPEG-2 softwareencoder, which provides professional controls for adjusting bit rateand selecting one- or two-pass VBR encoding. The MPEG-2 softwareencoder delivers pristine quality video rivaling the speed of hardwareand software encoders costing thousands of dollars as standaloneproducts.

Final Cut Pro 4 offers editors new customization options including over600 tools and commands, a mappable keyboard, custom interface buttons,custom window layouts and enhanced screen layout options. Customizedsettings can be saved, exported and imported onto any Mac with FinalCut Pro, making it easy to preserve all the custom settings whenswitching from one Mac to another.

With its open architecture, Final Cut Pro 4 fits into virtually anyproduction pipeline and provides incredible developer extensibilitythrough a new XML interchange format and FireWire-based I/O framework.This new standards-based composition and metadata interchange format,combined with a new import/export plug-in API, allows developers tocreate tools that integrate Final Cut Pro 4 into a wide range ofproduction workflows. In addition, the new FireWire-based I/O Frameworkallows third-party developers to build FireWire-based I/O devices forfully uncompressed 8- and 10-bit 4:2:2 broadcast video.

Additional features in Final Cut Pro 4 include:

Pricing & Availability
Final Cut Pro 4 will be available in June through The Apple Store®(102.p.syniva.es/canadastore) and Apple Authorized Resellersfor a suggested retail price of $1,499.00 (CDN). Registered Final Cut Prousers can upgrade to Final Cut Pro 4 for $599 (CDN). Full systemrequirements and more information on Final Cut Pro 4, including a listof certified, compatible hardware and software can be found at102.p.syniva.es/finalcutpro.

Apple Canada Inc. is headquartered in Markham, Ontario and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Apple Computer, Inc. Apple products are available at more than 450 Authorized Apple Canada Dealer locations across Canada.

Press Contact:
Tara Hendela
Apple Canada
(905) 513-5853
[email protected]