Another new feature explored in the 10.0.6 FCPX update from Steve Martin and Mark Spencer on this week's MacBreak Studio. This time they look at flexible clip connections.

***Winners announced***

Hot off the press is longtime FCP guru Rick Young's The Focal Easy Guide to Final Cut Pro X. Should you need to brush up on your FCPX skills or just need a last minute stocking filler for Christmas, this graphic heavy publication might fit the bill. We have three to giveaway too.

There are many looks packages out there for FCPX, but they don't tackle some of the trickier colour correction problems that editors face. The new $25 HyColour colour grading utility plugin concentrates on getting the colours right.

A slightly unexpected but welcome early Christmas present, Apple have updated FCPX, Motion and Compressor. No new features though, mainly just bug fixes.

If there was one feature that caused the most moaning due to its absence at the launch of FCPX, it had to be dual viewers. The 10.0.6 update has brought the familiar two up layout back and the usual team of Mark & Steve take a look.

***Updated with machine stats***

As FCPX matures, we are seeing more and more features being cut on the software. The Precipice is a low budget Australian indie that chose to post on FCPX for flexibility and speed.

***Updated with promo price for Optics plugin***

The latest update to Noise Industries' FxFactory 4.0.1 brings a new plugin called Optics from Ripple Training and updates for XEffects 3D Transitions from Idustrial Revolution, Defocus from PHYX and Stereo 3D Toolbox from Dashwood Cinema Solutions.

User stories of Final Cut Pro X in action always get the most hits on FCP.co. So when Nick Militello contacted us with the information that his DSLR short ScFi thriller 'The Sphere' made the most of FCPX, we had to know more.

We continue the look through the new features in the recent 10.0.6 update to Final Cut Pro X. This week our normal duo of Steve and Mark take a look at new functionality with compound clips.

One of the oldest plugin writers for FCP, Boris FX, has updated Continuum Complete for Final Cut Pro X. You can download and use the free beta for 30 days, but there is a sting in the tail. (Or wallet!)

If you have any cash left over from buying Macs, iPads and iPhones on Black Friday, then you might like to check out the discounts on plugins from Cineflare

Not an advert for the latest bottle of skin care products, but an electronic alternative instead. This $39 plugin will hopefully take years off your subjects!

***Update on FCP7 driver news from Matrox***

Matrox have announced that a unified driver is available for Avid Media Composer & Adobe CS6 Production Premium for the PC. They will also add FCPX support in January for the Mac!

Pixel Film Studios have released another three new plugins for Final Cut Pro X this month. We take a look at all three and offer our registered users a chance to buy the products at a discount. We all love discount codes don't we?

If you were impressed by the last tutorial from Steve and Mark on audio editing in Final Cut Pro X 10.0.6, just take a look at this new episode. This time they look at the very cool new audio features in multicam editing.

The latest 10.0.6 update to FCPX brought sophisticated support for media shot on the RED cameras. This new white paper details different workflows with FCPX and also suggests one very handy tip for changing the resolution of your projects once editing has been finished.

The tutorials from Steve Martin and Mark Spencer are always good, but this one is excellent. The duo explore some of the new audio features in the 10.0.6 FCPX update. Essential viewing.

Everybody loves free plugins, especially when they offer a lot of functionality for no Dollars! Idustrial Revolution have just updated their popular plugin called CoverFlux which now brings iTunes style slideshows to Final Cut Pro X and Adobe Premiere Pro.

***Updated with new information from Sony***

We love finding new things at tradeshows and that's exactly what we did when we broke the news from NAB last year about the Sony XDCAM import plugin for FCPX. We couldn't get to Japan to discover the new FCPX XAVC import plugin that is on show at InterBEE 2012, but we know somebody who did.

***Updated with more information from developers***

You will have to bear with us for this one, but it does look like you can control the color board in FCPX by using gestures on a trackpad.

Apple have updated their ProRes White Paper and tucked away are some interesting performance figures for Final Cut Pro X on a Retina Macbook Pro. A great read with some great explanations.

The plugin management system FxFactory from Boston based company Noise Industries has been updated to version 4. The big news is plugin compatibility with Adobe's Premiere Pro CS6 for the Mac, but more plugins  have been upgraded for Final Cut Pro X as well.

The recent Protune update that increases the bit rate on GoPro cameras has led to sharper, more saturated pictures. CrumplePop has released HDR for GoPro, a $49 plugin for Final Cut Pro X that can use all the extra data to give footage that high dynamic range look.

It's been a quiet few days for FCP news this week in the shadow of the US election. This gave us time to dream about our ideal FCPX edit suite if money was no object.

Forget clunky keyboards, forget jogwheels and forget vaporware iPad apps on Kickstarter, what we all want to do is control FCPX like Tom Cruise. Could this Glove Mouse be there already?

It's Bonfire Night, or the day before the US elections or if you don't live in the UK or the States, November the fifth. Five days in and we feature our first plugin roundup for the month.

Pinch, punch, first of the month and straight out of the trap is a new plugin from Coremelt that offers advanced masking tools in FCPX. It's also on special offer for a limited time.

Normally we are posting filters for skin smoothing and not making people look uglier! Just in time for Halloween, Digital Anarchy have kindly let loose Ugly Box, a filter for enhancing bad skin.

A double dose of the duo this morning! At the recent Los Angeles Creative Pro User Group, Steve Martin and Mark Spencer took to the stage to present the latest features in the 10.0.6 FCPX update.

The easiest way to bill this episode of MacBreak Studio would be to say that it's pretty essential viewing if you import media from cards or cameras into FCPX. (Who doesn't?) Many tips from Mark & Steve in this one.

We all love free tutorials and new producer We Make Movies has wasted no time after the 10.0.6 update in publishing these eight. Get yourself a large coffee and enjoy some free training!

This week's Final Cut Pro X upgrade to 10.0.6 brought some excellent new features and some much requested old features back. But under the hood there have been more changes, one of them turbo boosting rendering on the timeline by a massive 3200%!

A new plugin from MotionVFX that adds custom distortion effects to video and graphics. Shakes, prisms, blurs, distorts, flickers, grain and pixelation all for just $49.

We sat down to watch the Apple presentation from San Jose today in glorious HD on our Apple TV. Mac Mini and iPad Mini were no big deal for us, we were completely sold on the new iMac. From December this could be the fastest Final Cut Pro X machine you can buy.

***Essential Apple update information now posted***

It was a day that started with with a few faux pas on tutorial videos and ended with not only new hardware, but the the update to FCPX we have all been waiting for. And what an update it is.

***Winners Announced***

Hot off the heels of their lo-fi photography plugin Carousel, CrumplePop has released their second set of FCPX plugins in partnership with Red Giant. Called Retrograde the pack gives that 8 & 16 mm look to to video. They have also very kindly given us five copies to give away.

When we wrote the previous plugin roundup, we didn't expect to be writing another so soon! Three more plugins from different people including a free pack of 24 customised Apple templates.

Want more horsepower for your Mac Pro to run Final Cut Pro X and other GPU heavy applications faster? This tutorial shows you how to install a beefy PC GeForce GTX570 HD 2560MB graphics card into your Mac. Adobe fans take note, the CUDA drivers will help speed up Premiere and After Effects.

When we said October, we really should have said in the last few days. New plugins for FCPX are coming thick and fast so we thought we would combine them into a roundup. Freebies too.

Using adjustment layers in Final Cut Pro X allows editors to apply a grade across clips. In this tutorial we will look at how to build one in Motion and apply it in FCPX.

Are your transitions in FCPX looking a bit flat? Idustrial Revolution has launched a pack of 24 transitions built in 3D space which means variable focal length, depth of field, lighting and adjustable reflections. We've also got five copies to give away.

Boy did we touch a nerve when we suggested that Apple wasn't interested in keeping Quartz Composer alive. What we didn't realise at the time was Kosada had already spent two years working on a replacement! So why is this news to FCPX editors?

***Winners Posted***

Hot on the Mac App Store is the new professional version of X2Pro, so we thought we would catch up with the guys behind the successful audio conversion tool for FCPX and find out a little bit more. We have also got 5 copies each worth $149 to give away.

Another day, another new company to the market with plugins for Final Cut Pro X. Pixel Film Studios have three new plugins to add custom looks to your footage.

One of the lesser known editing features of FCPX is the secondary storyline. So what are they and how and when would you want to use one? Our usual duo are on the case.

***Updated with FCPX news***

A plugin that will appeal to event videographers, Flash Remover Pro will repair those annoying half frame flashes that can mar a special moment.

Something we haven't had for a while and that's a brand new book. The Craft of the Cut is billed as the Final Cut Pro X Editor's handbook.

A lot has been said about the media organisation tools in FCPX, but it is always good to see real life examples in action. In this new episode of Macbreak Studio, we take a look at how quick it can be to get your footage organised.

We know what you are thinking - "Hasn't FCPX got built in stabilisation?' The answer is of course yes, but is has limitations. Lock & Load from Coremelt can give better results, faster.

Want an easy way to do custom picture in picture effects in FCPX? Mark Spencer shows Steve Martin how their Callouts plugin gives editors a lot of options for overlaying video in boxes.

This week Apple won a patent that specifically details various collaborative media production processes. There's a lot of detail in the document too - could this be a hint of what is to come for Final Cut Pro X?

The popular Final Cut Pro guru has got right up to date and launched an iPhone and iPad app for training on FCPX. The downloadable app is free with more tutorials available for purchase.

Crikey these guys don't half crank out the mini tutorials! In the second visit to MacBreak Studio this week, the subject is retiming or time stretching audio in Final Cut Pro X without changing the pitch. Also posted is the recent recording of MacBreak Studio Live.

FCPX handles text in a completely different way to Final Cut Pro 7, the old tried and trusted text generator died with the new release. Ripple Training has produced a new tutorial showing you how to get the titles you want in FCPX.

How could we resist a Final Cut Pro X user story when the production company decides to celebrate FCPX's first birthday with a cake? Danish company Metronome are using FCPX to cut the popular broadcast documentary series Razzia for TV2.

Another episode of MacBreak Studio and this time the duo of Steve Martin and Mark Spencer tackle the problem of removing an unwanted piece of audio and replacing it with room tone.

***Winners Announced***

On the starting grid today is a new plugin for Final Cut Pro X called HySky. Hy-FX have very kindly given us three copies of the bundled HySky and HyGear plugin packs to giveaway and for this competition we're trying something different!

We are normally quite good at picking up articles from Apple as they are released, but we missed this one. Many thanks to the eagle eyed Marcin Zwolski for spotting this latest documentation and sending us the link.

Simon Ubsdell has been a regular contributor to our free FCPX effects list here on FCP.co. This is his first commercial product, a split screen building tool that goes far beyond your average split screen plugin.

Another useful plugin from the husband and wife team of Graeme & Wendy Nattress. This $49 plugin makes animating 'video scrapbooks' from still images.

This week on the 21st of June, Final Cut Pro X wil be one year old. We take a look back at that eventful year and take a look forward to the next 12 months of FCPX's life.

So here is the scenario. After a long week editing, you are having a well deserved drink at your local and you get a call from a producer who can't work FCPX. How do you guide them through the buttons & menus from memory? Don't worry, you have the Navigator app on your iPhone.

Whilst we were all watching the keynote speech text blog on Monday, RE:Vision effects released the pro version of Twixtor for FCPX. Many thanks to Michael Horton at LAFCPUG for the tip.

If like us you didn't make WWC this year, you can watch the whole of the keynote presentation from Moscone West last Monday morning right here. You still won't see any new MacPros though!

Another day, another light leak. This new $89 plugin from MotionVFX is worth a look though as it does more than just the ubiquitous light flashes we have seen so much of.

They say it can't be done, sharing FCPX projects that is. In this new episode of MacBreak Studio, our regular duo set out to bust the myth.

Before you reach for the download button, these are all minor updates to add resolution to the apps for the new retina display MacBook Pros. No new features so if you are mid-project then maybe not a good idea.

A mix of excitement and disappointment after this year's Worldwide Developer Conference in San Francisco this year. The new MacBook Pro with a retina display running an updated Final Cut Pro looks gorgeous, but same form factor MacPros without Thunderbolt are a bit of a letdown.

We're not really the site for rumours, but we can't not mention that this Monday at the World Wide Developers Conference in San Francisco everybody is expecting new hardware. And yes that means new Mac Pros. (Hopefully!)

If there is one question that gets asked the most often on our busy FCPX forum, it's "When will Neat Video release their noise reduction plugin for Final Cut Pro X" Now we know the answer, you can buy it today.

***Winners Posted***

Idustrial Revolution have updated their popular Volumetrix light spill plugin to give full compatibility with Final Cut Pro X. They have also given us five copies of their popular $49 plugin to give away.

Possibly the shortest ever article on FCP.co this year. Apple have published a FAQ document that not unsurprisingly gives a whole raft of answers to FCPX frequently asked questions.

FCPX accepts a lot of formats for editing, one thing it won't do out of the box is allow you to edit in 3D. The newly released Version 4 of the Stereo3D Toolbox plugin from Dashwood Cinema Solutions brings 3D editing with custom onscreen controls to Final Cut Pro X.

A bit of a shock, but this information from Apple cleared up the question from NAB about why some media can't be optimised within FCPX.

The first word that springs to mind when we saw this new $35 pack of pre-keyed and animation capable elements & characters was 'original.' Released now for Final Cut Pro X & Motion, you can add these cartoon elements to your videos.

Yes you read the title right, the color square. Which of course should be the color board, but we have a feeling that Steve's new name for the tool just might stick! Whatever it's called, good Final Cut Pro X color correction tips from the duo.

The options for getting clips and projects from Final Cut Pro X into After Effects are decreasing. Foolcut won't work wih versions above 10.0.2 and Automatic Duck is only for Final Cut Pro 7. The new ClipExporter version 1.1 from MindTransplant fills that gap.

We have had the problem, people on our Forum have had the problem: blue frames in Final Cut Pro X when using custom video effects. Apple have acknowledged the problem and posted a fix.

The UK BBC TV show TopGear has been using custom transitions to get a very stylised feel to their VT inserts. HyGear is a $49 pack of FCPX transitions that replicate the look.

We're pretty sure we've used the London bus analogy here on FCP.co before, but products from different manufacturers do seem to be released in batches. This time it's Tiffen with an FCPX friendly upgrade to their award winning pack of filters.

In this new episode of MacBreak Studio, Mark Spencer and Steve Martin talk about basic compositing in FCPX. You might not have a send to Motion feature, so can great greenscreen compositing be done directly in Final Cut Pro X?

***Winners posted***

Previewed at this year's NAB, CrumplePop has released ColorKit Suite, a new collection of color and film tool plugins for Final Cut Pro X. Each suite is worth $499 and we have 5 to giveaway in our largest ever competition.

Longtime plugin producer SugarFX has upgraded two of its plugins to work with FCPX. MagiMoto and Bubble Buddy are now fully compatible with Final Cut Pro X.

With camera resolutions growing by thousands of pixels every NAB, it means that every slight imperfection of an actress or actors skin now gets captured with pin sharp clarity. Beauty Box 2 is a plugin that softens those minor blemishes and it now works in Final Cut Pro X too.

There are loads of tutorials out there about editing video within Final Cut Pro X, not so many about audio. Ripple Training have released a whole course dedicated to getting your audio sounding the best it can in FCPX. We've also got a money off coupon code.

When the Final Cut Studio version of Pan & Zoom was released, it gave great Ken Burns style effects in Final Cut Pro 7 and was easy to use too. Noise Industries has now upgraded the free plugin to work with FCPX.

When Steve Martin describes a new feature as 'huge' then it's definitely worth a look. More great tips from the MacBreak guys, this time on searching meta data.

Yes you read the title right, how to colour correct in FCPX with a roundtrip via Aperture. It's a very long trip, a very, very long trip, but if you must go...

***Winners Announced***

The Autosave Vault in FCP 7 has saved our bacon many times, but what about wanting to go back to older versions of your edit in Final Cut Pro X? We have 2 copies of Pro Versioner from Digital Rebellion to give away that allow you to step back in time on any NLE.

It's not Minority Report, but it's a stage nearer. Jason Chong is controlling Final Cut Pro X with custom gestures on an Apple Magic Trackpad. Can he edit without resorting to the mouse?

At the recent meeting of the LAFCPUG (CPUG?) Micheal Wohl gave a twenty minute presentation on the advanced audio features in FCPX. Lots of good tips in there and maybe some features you've yet to discover.

With the big debate about Final Cut Pro X still alight, it was refreshing to get a new and unbiased view. Chris Gatewood, a young filmmaker has been using FCPX to post produce his latest film.

Introduced in the 10.0.3 update, FCPX now supports layered Photoshop files. An unmissable 10 minutes from the MacBreak Studio guys on using those files in Final Cut Pro X.

Plugin producer SugarFX has launched two new products for Final Cut Pro X. Rolling Credits has many different styles of movie credit templates and Patterns is a pack of transitions.

The guys at Ripple Training have branched out from their excellent tutorials and released Callouts, a $49 FxFactory based plugin for Final Cut Pro X. If you need to make a graphic point onscreen, a few clicks of Callouts will make sure it's seen.

Using the restore function in Final Cut Pro 7 saved many a bad file, but what happens when you get a corrupted FCPX file? In this unmissable episode of MacBreak Studio, you'll learn how to repair a file that stops FCPX from opening.

When Google Drive was announced yesterday, everybody just thought it was just a similar product to Dropbox with competitive pricing. For us video editors, there's a lot more to it than just file sharing. Is this the future?

Two recent presentations that both talk about Final Cut Pro X. One from industry guru Evan Schectmann in the US, the other from Mark Richard Adams of Doghouse Productions in the UK.

We think this is one of those apps where you won't see the large potential workflow possibilities until you start using it. Imagenharia has launched Editoid, an app that lets you make FCPX template timelines.

MOTO Inc is a relative stranger to the capture and playback market for video, so we thought we'd take a look at the new Thunderbolt equipped HDX-SDI.