A few more thoughts have popped up since my blog post about what I would like to see in the next major revision of Final Cut Pro X.
So, without further ado, here are some additions to my recent list:
Integrate iCloud
Cloud services are not to the point of easily storing everything for video editing in the cloud for a professional user who might work on several projects with a lot of footage, but... I think there are some things that could be stored in iCloud that would allow Final Cut Pro X to start using the cloud. Those things could be:
- Destinations and any associated logins/passwords
- Roles
- Keyboard Groups
- The Project Library (aside from the media and render files of course)
- Custom Effects (and custom settings for effects)
Versioning of Projects
It would be great if Final Cut Pro X could utilize OS X’s versioning for files, where a user can go back in time to recover a previous version of a document. This could be valuable for editors. Maybe it could even lock down and identify specific cuts (e.g. “First Cut”, “Second Cut”)
Timecode Reader Effect
There’s a real need for professionals to have a Timecode Reader Effect, which would show the timecode from the original media that the video was recorded on. I still have a need to deliver window burns (video with burned in timecode) to clients so that they can refer to the original footage for editing notes or suggestions. Right now, I don't have a solution for this.
Custom Shape Mask
The circular mask works great for a lot of color corrections, but being able to draw a custom shape with control points and Bezier handles like in Motion would really make color correction more powerful. I believe this can be done by third party products, but it’d be great to have it built in to the software.
Setups for Window Layouts
I would love to have presets for Final Cut Pro X window layouts, just as previous versions of Final Cut Pro did. Being able to quickly move between a color correction setup, a keywording/Event setup and a Project Library/Timeline setup for editing would be great. That would make me a faster and more efficient editor. Dragging the edges of windows around to make the right layout is easy, but something I don't wish to do often.
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