Postlab, the collaboration tool that allows Final Cut Pro X Editors to work together has been released today. Oliver Peters takes a first look at this FCPX Library versioning, collaboration and archiving tool.
Apple developed Final Cut Pro X around single-editor workflows. As such, professional editing teams who wanted to use this tool for collaborative editing have been challenged to develop their own solutions.
One approach was Postlab, which was developed in-house at Dutch broadcaster Evanglische Omroep (EO). In order to expand the product as a commercial application, lead developer Jasper Siegers decided to move it under the Hedge umbrella. This required the app to be rebuilt with new code before it could be offered to the FCPX market. That time has come and Postlab is now available as Postlab Cloud.
As the name implies, Postlab Cloud hosts your FCPX libraries "in the cloud," i.e. on Postlab's servers. Some production companies or broadcasters are reticent to have their editing computers connected online, but it's important to note that only libraries and no media or caches are hosted by Postlab.
This keeps the transfer times fast and file sizes light. Cache and media files stay local, whether on your machine or on connected shared storage. Postlab sets up accounts based on site licenses and numbers of users. Each user is assigned a log-in based on an e-mail address and a password. This means that a production hosted by Postlab can be accessed by authorized users anywhere in the world, provided there's a viable internet connection.
The owner of the account can set up productions and organize them within folders. Each production is a collection or bundle of one or more Final Cut Pro X libraries. If you have ever worked with Final Cut Server in the FCP7 days, then the Postlab workflow is very similar.
Once a production has been created, an editor can log in, download the library (a check-out step), edit in it, and then upload the changed version (a check-in step). As part of this upload, the Postlab interface prompts you to add comments describing the work you've done.
Only one editor at a time can download a library and have write access; however, other users can still download it with read-only access.
If you have two editors ping-ponging work on the same library file, then one has to upload it (check in) before the other editor can download it (check out) for their edits.
For more Postlab tutorials, please visit this Postlab YouTube playlist.
Getting started
I decided to test Postlab Cloud in two scenarios: a) multiple workstations connected to a shared storage network, and b) two disconnected editors collaborating over long distances.
To start, once an account has been established, any editor using Postlab Cloud must install the small Postlab application. Since the app controls some of Final Cut's functions, you will be prompted to enable GUI Scripting in your privacy preferences. In order for Postlab to work properly, media and cache files need to be outside of the library bundle.
When you first download a library, you may be prompted to change your settings. In a networked environment with media on shared storage, the path to the media should be the same on each workstation. This means when Editor A finishes and checks in the production and then Editor B checks it back out, you generally will not need to relink the media files on Editor B's system. Therefore, this edit collaboration can proceed fluidly.
Once a production has been downloaded, the library file exists as a temporary file on the local machine and not the network. This means that Postlab can still work in tandem with storage solutions that don't normally perform well with FCPX libraries.
In addition to this temporary library file, the Final Cut backup library is also stored in the location you have designated. If you are working in a networked, collaborative environment, then the advantage Postlab offers is version tracking and the ability for multiple users to open a library file (only one with write access).
Long distance
The second scenario is working with other editors outside of your facility. The first step is to get the media to the outside editor. You could certainly send a drive, but that isn't efficient in time nor cost, especially across continents. If you only need creative editing and not finishing services, then low-res, proxy files are fine.
So I converted my 4K UHD ProRes HQ files to 960 x 540 H264 (3Mbps) files and used Frame.io to transfer them over the internet. The key to proper relinking when you are done is to set audio to pass-through when converting this files. This was a double-system sound shoot, so I uploaded both the H264 videos files and the sound recordist's WAV files to Frame and then downloaded them again at the other end (my home). Now I had media in both locations. The process would be the same even if it were two editors in two different countries.
The first Postlab step is to create and upload this FCPX library. Once that has been established, any authorized user with a Postlab log-in can access the production. I decided to go back and forth on this production between my home and the facility and also using different user log-ins - thus simulating a team of remote editors. Each time I did this, version changes were tracked by Postlab. If I were working with multiple editors, I would have been able to see what tasks each had performed.
It's important to note that when you collaborate in this way, each editor should be using the same effects, LUTs, and Motion templates, otherwise some things will appear offline.
Since the path to the media was different at home versus at the facility, each time I went between the two, checking in and then checking out the production, media files would appear offline. A simple relink fixed this, but it's something to be aware of. Once totally done, I could relink to the high-res camera files and "finish" the project back at the office.
Wrap-up
When you upload a library back to Postlab, that open FCPX library is closed within Final Cut Pro X on your system, because you have checked it back in. Once you log out of Postlab, the temporary library file is moved to the trash. If you need a local version of the library, then export it from the Postlab app.
Once you get the hang of it, collaboration is simple using Postlab Cloud. Library files stay light without any of the sort of corruption caused by using services like DropBox. My test project included synchronized multi-cam clips and multi-channel audio. Each time during this exchange clips, projects, and edits showed up as expected when going between the various users.
Whether or not Apple ever tackles collaboration within Final Cut Pro X is an unknown. But why wait? If you need that today, then Postlab Cloud offers a solid answer.
The relaunched Postlab Cloud includes three plans, which are priced per user/per year: Postlab, Postlab Pro, and Postlab Server. ($99, $149 and $249 per user per year). There is also a 30% launch discount until the end of the year.
The first tier only allows for library version tracking and sharing. Pro allows for a lot more libraries to be shared and comes with more features. Server is a dedicated Postlab Cloud server for larger teams or those that require IT-specific features like Active Directory. Finally, Hedge/Postlab plans to ship a local version of Postlab - designed for use within local networks - soon after launch.
