Apple Introduces Final Cut Express 2

Apple today introduced FinalCut Express 2, the next major release of its digital video editing software.Based on Apple’s award-winning Final Cut Pro 4 professional video editingsoftware, Final Cut Express 2 delivers powerful new features in anaffordable, easy-to-use package for video editors who want a mid-levelapplication that delivers professional results. Fine-tuned for Mac OS Xversion 10.3 “Panther”, Final Cut Express 2 features RT Extreme forreal-time compositing and effects, an enhanced user interface, real-timecolour correction tools and enhanced audio editing capabilities.

“Final Cut Express 2 is truly professional video editing for everyone”, saidRob Schoeben, Apple’s vice president of Applications Marketing. “With its winning combination of powerful features such as RT Extreme and a simplifieduser interface, Final Cut Express 2 is the perfect product for everyone fromaspiring film makers to educators”.

Final Cut Express 2 includes some of the most popular features of Final CutPro 4 within a simplified user interface. It’s the ideal product forcreative professionals who want a high-quality video editing solution butare not full-time videographers; corporate and wedding videographers whohandle multiple projects simultaneously but do not need to work with formatsbeyond DV; teachers and students who are using video more regularly as aneducational tool; and video hobbyists who want to have fun while buildingthe skills and techniques to create Hollywood-style videos.

With its integrated editing, compositing and effects tools, Final CutExpress 2 allows users to easily take a project from start to finish withprofessional results. Now featuring RT Extreme, Final Cut Express 2 providesinstant editing gratification with real-time effects, transitions and videolayers or the ability to composite up to five simultaneous DV streams. Theenhanced user interface is more elegant with customisable buttons, dynamicwindow resizing, user-defined window layouts and a new timeline withadjustable track heights. The real-time colour correction tools allow usersto interactively adjust and correct colour balance between shots and createunique colour effects.

Featuring enhanced audio tools, Final Cut Express 2 provides multi-trackaudio support; real-time volume and audio filter adjustment; solo and mutecontrols in the timeline for auditioning individual tracks; and scoringmarkers for use with Soundtrack, Apple’s professional audio-loopingsoftware. The improved capture tool saves time by automatically capturingacross time-code breaks and incrementally naming clips when recording breaksare discovered.

Final Cut Express 2 projects can be exported for use in Soundtrack, iDVD andDVD Studio Pro 2, saved back to tape or exported to any QuickTime format,including the industry standard MPEG-4. Final Cut Express 2 offers a smoothmigration path to high-end video production because everything learned inFinal Cut Express 2 is directly transferable to Final Cut Pro 4.

Pricing & Availability:

Final Cut Express 2 is available immediately through the Apple Store and Apple Authorised Resellers for asuggested selling price of £199 (inc VAT) with an upgrade price of £69 (incVAT) for current Final Cut Express customers. Final Cut Express 2 requiresMac OS X version 10.2.5 or later, a Macintosh computer with a 350MHz orfaster PowerPC G4 processor (with AGP), built-in FireWire, 384MB of RAM(512MB required for RT Extreme), 40MB of available disk space forinstallation and QuickTime 6.4 or later.

 

Press Contacts:
Apple UK and Ireland Public Relations
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +44 (0)20 8218 1440