Apple - Final Cut Server - Seamless Collaboration

With Final Cut Server, team members can share assets at every stage of the workflow and enjoy seamless handoffs from one task to the next. Intelligent asset and version controls and automatic status notifications make it easy.

Check-in/check-out protections

When a Final Cut Pro project is checked out, the project is restricted with a Check Out lock. In addition to the Check Out lock, each of the media assets associated with the project is secured with a Reference lock, which prevents other users from changing or deleting an asset that is needed for your project. The catalogue entries for the project and all associated assets are updated instantly when the project is checked back in to Final Cut Server.

Version management

Final Cut Server can track changes made to an asset from one edit session to the next. You can specify how many versions you would like it to keep. For each version, it captures the name of the person who made the change, the time the project was checked back in, and any comments made for that session. A list of all the versions lets you revert to a selected version. You can also create a new asset from a version, with the option of copying it to another device.

Automated notifications

Tracking every part of a production and letting relevant people in the workflow know when assets are ready for the next step can be an overwhelming job. Use Final Cut Server to instantly send notification email to team members. You can trigger notifications based on a metadata change (for example, a change to a status field), a change to a watched folder, automated job status or scheduled events.

Integrated review and approval tools

Set up the system to automatically notify reviewers via email when a project is ready to review. Reviewers can add clip annotations on low-resolution proxies through the Final Cut Server annotation interface, so editors can see comments displayed shot by shot. Small proxy file sizes support review and approval even over a low-bandwidth connection.

Working with ProRes 422 (Proxy)

Final Cut Server can automatically generate edit proxies using Apple’s new ProRes 422 (Proxy) format. ProRes 422 (Proxy) scales to match the source for accurate round-tripping. Check out the proxy version of the project to edit high-quality video quickly on a notebook computer in the field; when you check the project back in, Final Cut Server instantly relinks it to the full-resolution source files for finishing and output.

Offline Editing with ProRes 422 (Proxy)

Edit on a MacBook Pro, with automatic relinking to original source.

Watch the video

Workflows with Final Cut Pro

Multiple Final Cut Pro editors can work on different sections of a film or video production at the same time through Final Cut Server. Just create a separate project for each segment of the production. These projects share the same referenced assets, with no need for additional copies or storage. When the sequences are finished, the projects can be assembled into a single master project for further editing and delivery. Version management makes it easy to revert to a previous version for each defined section of the program.

Workflows with other Final Cut Studio applications

The “Send to” option in Final Cut Pro has additional advantages for parallel work when the destination is a folder that is regularly scanned by Final Cut Server. When Soundtrack Pro audio file projects or Motion projects are checked back in to Final Cut Server, the assets update instantly in your Final Cut Pro Timeline, just as they would if all the work were being done on a single workstation. You can also use Final Cut Server to catalogue XML files created by Color, so you can import the graded files into your Final Cut Pro project as soon as they are ready.