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For thirteen years, Final Cut Pro was branded as Final Cut Pro X, rebuilt from the ground up from its Macromedia origins, stuck firmly at version number X (read ten).
Every major update since its launch in June 2011 has increased by just one decimal place. But last year, that all changed: Apple dropped the X, and introduced the world to Final Cut Pro 11. Does this brand new numbering system (now at 11.2) mean radical changes for Apple’s best video editing software? Let’s check it out…
Ultimate Kit Pro: Price and Availability
- You pay once, and it’s yours forever, including any future updates, big or small. That’s one heck of a deal, and it’s been that way for 14 years.
First things first, how much does it cost? By surprisingly, I mean, it’s not subscription-based, so you’re not renting your software month-to-month like Adobe Premiere Pro. But it’s also not free, like Devinkey commitment.
The Final Cut Pro sits comfortably in the middle, and will set you back $300 / £300 / €350. This may seem like a lot at first, but consider this: every single update, big or small, has been released since the original Final Cut Pro X was released. Even here I see that powerful version 11 was included in the price. This is one heck of a privilege.
Ultimate Kit Pro: Interface
- It has a small amount of customization, but you can’t move the panel around. However, they can be resized slightly. Yes, it feels like it’s Apple’s way or the highway, but at the same time, you can sit in front of any FCP interface and work without trying to figure out where everything is.
If you’re new to FCP, or wondering if you should use it over competing products, let’s take a quick look at its interface. Unlike Premiere Pro, which prides itself on its impressive traditional prowess, FCP’s interface is much stiffer. You’ve got the Libraries list on the left (where all your media is stored), your Inspector sidebar on the right (where all the changing parameters can be found), the bottom third is for the timeline, and roughly in the center is your preview window. Many editors have two preview windows, FCP has only one. It might sound confusing but it actually works pretty well: mouse over a clip in your library and it will appear in that section. Do the same in Timeline, same result.
You can’t move these sections around, but it’s possible to hide or show them, so they’re there when you need them, and disappear when you don’t. You can change the borders between these sections to a certain extent, so you can see more or less of them as you need. Useful for sure, but compared to Premiere Pro, it’s pretty anemic.
But you lose the customization, you get the familiarity: I can step in front of any FCP interface, and be up and running instantly, without wasting time trying to figure out someone else’s highly individual configuration!
One thing I want to quickly mention is the ‘Magnetic Timeline’. Usually, when you work on an edit, and delete a clip between others, you are left with a gap, after which you need to fill in a new clip, or drag to the left and drag to the right of it.
This still happens in FCP, but not when working in the main timeline. When you resize or delete a clip there, all clips to the right of it are automatically moved to the left. It can take some getting used to, especially since clips on other layers are actually tied to clips in the main timeline. Delete a clip that contains other clips, and they all play.
Because of this it requires a bit of management, but once you get used to it, you edit so quickly. Interestingly, Adobe recently released Premiere Pro for the iPhone, and guess what? It uses the magnetic timeline concept, although the desktop version of Premiere Pro does not. Apple has been ahead of the curve with this for a long time.
Ultimate Kit Pro: New Features I Love (and Hate)
- A little too small company, and yes, there are the big tentpole attractions, which are powerful and well-implemented – as long as your Mac can run them.
I could obviously go into the long list of new features in 11 and up, but I’m going to focus on the ones I’ve liked over the months. Yes, you’ve got some new effects, and a couple of fancy transitions. However, the absolute best feature – the one I still think “Why didn’t they implement this years ago?” – There is a simple keyboard shortcut that moves clips without having to drag a different layer to move them up or down.
The problem with dragging is that more often than not, the selected clip(s) can move a few frames along the timeline with you. There are ways to prevent this, but they are sadly not foolproof. And it takes time to heal. Now, all I need to do is select the clip(s) I want to move, hold down the Option key (you may know it as ALT), and press the up or down arrow key as many times as I need. That’s it. It’s saved me so much time, it’s worth the price of admission alone.
Another welcome improvement is in the library: when you clip together, or create a multicam clip, the original files are automatically hidden. Sure, you can do it manually before, but every second you save with automatic decluttering, is put to good use later in post-editing. It’s not fancy, but it’s the little things, you know.
One feature I’ve found I can’t do without is more technical: the magnetic mask. It’s oh so clever: it uses a special algorithm to analyze an object on the screen, allowing you to select it while ignoring the rest. Once you’re happy with the highlights, FCP analyzes the entire clip and tracks it over time. This works if the object (or person) moves, or even turns, and the camera doesn’t even need to be steady. You can fine-tune the results if you need to. It’s a great way to separate an object from its background, remove the background completely, do separate color corrections on both, let your imagination run wild. Goodbye manual rotoscoping! Very impressive (and on a Mac equipped with such a fast Apple silicon chip).
A cool feature I’ve used a few times is to apply color correction to an adjustment clip that’s placed on top of others in the timeline. Doing so replaces all clips below it. Fix an adjustment clip, and it affects all the clips below it at the same time. Another great time saver.
Next up is what I’ve been dying to use but can’t: Automatic transcription and captioning: FCP uses smarter algorithms to generate written words from spoken dialogue, allowing subtitles to appear on screen at the right time. Apple is seriously behind with this feature, and it’s a much-needed addition. I’ve tested it myself on a Mac other than my own, and it’s fast, and surprisingly accurate. So why can’t I use it? Because I’m still on an Intel Mac, and powerful though my machine still is, only Macs equipped with Apple Silicon can take advantage of this feature (grumble grumble).
And since I’m being rude, I might as well mention that version 11.2 removes support for FireWire devices if you’re running macOS Tahoe. It breaks my heart to see Firefire disappear like this. If you don’t know what FireWire is, it used to run a ring around USB, and can do things that USB-C still can’t. Oh well, that’s technology for you.
All in all, Final Cut Pro is a powerful video editor, and these new additions help it catch up to the competition once again. I’d easily put it in the top three – the other two being Premier Pro and Resolve. Editing with it is fluid, has many powerful features, with third-party hooks to add additional effects and transitions. The latest features definitely make it that much better, especially if you have an Apple Silicon Mac. Most of the features still work on the venerable old Intel Max, though the writing is clearly on the wall for those as well.
Final Cut Pro: The Final Verdict
I’ve always been a fan of Ultimate Cut Pro. Yes, it’s an underdog in the world of video editing – despite backing the biggest force in the creative industry. Of course. , it’s not helping that it’s limited to Mac devices — even more so since Apple now limits some of its best features to high-spec Macs and MacBooks.
But in terms of video editing, these fluid, intuitive and new features really speed up the entire workflow. Sure, it feels like Apple’s playing with the other top names in the field — especially Adobe’s Premiere Pro. However, at least those advanced editing tools are now coming online, and aren’t floating around, defunct and forgotten. Honestly, it felt like Apple had abandoned Final Cut Pro, so I’m glad to see the new support.
And I can’t beat that one-time cost with lifetime updates and upgrades. For this, no other video editor comes close.
- Final Score: ★★★★ ☆
Should I buy Ultimate Kit Pro?
If you buy it…
You’re looking for an affordable video editor for your Mac, don’t like a lot of customization, but appreciate a fancy, fluid and fast way of working, with powerful tools to make great edits.
If you don’t buy it…
You don’t appreciate new editing concepts and would rather stick to the tried and true traditional way of editing video, and if you don’t have a Mac.
For more alternatives, we’ve tested it The best free video editing softwarefor , for , for , . The best video editing software for beginnersand The best video editing apps For phones and tablets.
