It’s been 13 years since Apple released Final Cut X. That’s just over half of the video-editing software’s entire lifespan, having celebrated its 25th birthday this April. It’s several lifetimes in the world of consumer software, leading some to wonder whether the company had quietly washed its hands of the offering.
After 13 years of waiting, Final Cut Pro finally goes up to 11, and now Apple is no longer mucking about. The software is available to download Wednesday. Existing users will get Final Cut Pro 11 as a free update, while new customers will have to shell out $300 to download it from the Mac App Store, following a 90-day trial period.
So, what, precisely, warranted the long-awaited jump to 11? Two letters: AI. Weeks after delivering Apple Intelligence to iOS, iPadOS, and MacOS, the company is tapping AI to power new features.
At the top of the list is Magnetic Mask, which easily crops people and objects out of video without having to rely on a green screen.
“This powerful and precise automatic analysis provides additional flexibility to customize backgrounds and environments,” Apple notes. “Editors can also combine Magnetic Mask with color correction and video effects, allowing them to precisely control and stylize each project.”
The other top AI-based feature here is Transcribe to Captions, which essentially does what it says on the box, adding text to Final Cut’s timeline. That feature is powered by an in-house large language model (LLM), according to the company.
The other big topline feature here is focused on Apple’s struggling mixed-reality headset. After adding the ability to capture Spatial Video on the latest iPhones, that content can now be edited with Final Cut. The footage can be color corrected, effects can be added, and the depth positioning of titles can be adjusted.
While CEO Tim Cook has admitted that the $3,500 headset isn’t the mainstream consumer product the company wanted, Apple is reported to be working on a more affordable model. The Vision Pro itself is capable of capturing Spatial video, along with the iPhone 15 Pro and all iPhone 16 models. Canon also recently released a new dual lens that will shoot the format on an R7 camera.
The new Final Cut introduces some time-saving features, as well. Magnetic Timeline, for instance, is a way to rearrange clips quickly, while keeping the audio in sync with video.
Apple says Final Cut Pro 11 was built specifically for its first-party silicon, the M-series of chips. That includes the ability to play back more simultaneous 4K and 8K ProRes video streams.
Along with the long-awaited arrival of Pro 11, Apple is releasing Final Cut Pro for iPad 2.1. The touched-based interface is getting enhancements to light and color, as well as an improved workflow experience. That’s also available starting Wednesday as a free download for existing users.
