Final Cut Pro updated to 10.5.2, Motion to 5.5.1 and Compressor to 4.5.2

Written by Peter Wiggins Published: 04 March 2021

Category: FCP News

Top BlogReading time: 01:25

Updates to all of the Pro video Apps today -Motion looks the most interesting with a new Auto-Shrink option in text layouts.

The first update of 2021 and all three of the Pro Video Apps get an update. if you remember back in December 2020, Motion didn't get any love, so good to see a new feature in there. One note of interest here, our Intel machine saw the update before the M1.

Final Cut Pro 10.5.2

Adds support for a new Universal RED plugin enabling native RED RAW decoding and playback on both Apple silicon and Intel-based Mac computers.
Improves stability when playing back H.264 video files with corrupt data.
Fixes an issue in which text could disappear when double clicking a value field in the inspector.
Fixes an issue in which FCPXML files created from drop frame projects would import as non drop frame.
Fixes an issue that may prevent custom Motion titles stored inside the library from appearing in the Titles browser.
Improves stability when choosing the DPP/Editorial Services metadata view with MXF media.
Improves stability when using AirPlay with Final Cut Pro on a Mac computer with Apple silicon.

Motion 5.5.1

Adds a new Auto-shrink option to the Text layout tab of the Inspector to automatically reduce text size to fit in a paragraph, scroll or crawl layout.
Includes UI refinement fro macOS Big Sur
Includes stability and reliability improvements

Compressor 4.5.2

Includes HEVC Proxy Settings optimised for use in Final Cut Pro.
Fixes an issue with an incorrect preview image when using the Timecode Generator effect.
Adds a new icon for captions in the batch area.
Includes UI refinement fro macOS Big Sur
Includes stability and reliability improvements

Written by Peter Wiggins

Top BloggerThought Leader

I am the Editor-in-Chief of FCP.co and have run the website since its inception ten years ago.

I have also worked as a broadcast and corporate editor for over 30 years, starting on one inch tape, working through many formats, right up to today's NLEs.

Under the name Idustrial Revolution, I have written and sold plugins for Final Cut Pro for 13 years.

I was made a Freeman of Lichfield through The Worshipful Company of Smiths (established 1601). Though I haven't yet tried to herd a flock of sheep through the city centre!

Current Editing

great house giveaway 2020

2020 has been busy, the beginning of the year was finishing off a new property series (cut on FCP) for Channel 4 called The Great House Giveaway. I also designed and built the majority of the graphics as Motion templates. It has been a great success and the shows grabbed more viewers in the 4pm weekday slot than any previous strand. It has been recommissioned by C4 for 60 episodes, including prime-time versions and five themed programmes. The shows have also been nominated for a 2021 BAFTA.

Tour de france 2020
Although both were postponed to later in the year, I worked again on ITV's coverage of the Tour de France and La Vuelta. 2020 was my 25th year of editing the TdF and my 20th year as lead editor. The Tour was the first broadcast show to adopt FCPX working for multiple editors on shared storage.

BBC snooker the crucible

BBC's Snooker has played a big part in my life, I've been editing tournament coverage since 1997. I'm proud to be part of a very creative team that has pioneered many new ideas and workflows that are now industry standard in sports' production. This is currently an Adobe Premiere edit.

amazon kindle BF

Covid cancelled some of the regular corporate events that I edit such as trade shows & events. I was lucky however to edit, from home, on projects for Amazon Kindle, Amazon Black Friday, Mastercard and very proud to have helped local charitable trust Kendall & Wall secure lottery funding.

As for software, my weapon of choice is Final Cut Pro and Motion, but I also have a good knowledge and broadcast credits with Adobe Premiere Pro, MOGRT design and Photoshop.

Plugin Design & Development

I'm the creative force behind Idustrial Revolution, one of the oldest Final Cut Pro plugin developers. It hosts a range of commercial and free plugins on the site. One free plugin was downloaded over a thousand times within 24 hours of release.

I also take on custom work, whether it is adapting an existing plugin for a special use or designing new plugins for clients from scratch. Having a good knowledge of editing allows me to build-in flexibility and more importantly, usability.

FCP.co

Now in its 10th year and 4th redesign, running FCP.co has given me knowledge on how to run a large CMS- you are currently reading my bio from the database! Although it sounds corny, I am pretty well up on social media trends & techniques, especially in the video sector. The recent Covid restrictions has enabled live FCP.co shows online. This involves managing a Zoom Webinar through Restream.io to YouTube and Facebook.

The Future

I'm always open to new ideas and opportunities, so please get in touch at editor (at) fcp.co. I've judged film competitions, presented workflow techniques to international audiences and come up with ideas for TV shows and software programs!

Posts in discussion: Final Cut Pro updated to 10.5.2, Motion to 5.5.1 and Compressor to 4.5.2

peteramwiggins replied the topic: #113087 04 Mar 2021 19:26

The new text scaling feature in Motion looks was if it could be very handy for layouts

muddygun replied the topic: #113091 05 Mar 2021 00:23

Already tried the auto shrink. helpful for those lower 3rds that just go a little long and you have to go change the font size. Now it gets even easier! Still wish we could see something more in an update.

JoeEditor replied the topic: #113092 05 Mar 2021 01:21

Typical Motion update, bug fixes for Compressor which is about all we've had in a long time, FCP bug fixes, yay. I feel I'm getting more and more on the fence about things...

Steve McGarrigle replied the topic: #113094 05 Mar 2021 03:16

An update to Motions particle generator would be good. It's basically still the same as Combustion 3 from about 2004 which it essentially came from. Something approaching Trapcode Particular would be awesome.
Audio implementation in FCPX is still dire. They really backed themselves into a corner with applying the trackless approach to audio and don't seem to have come up with a solid alternative to not having tracks and a mixer. Logic and every other DAW is still using tracks. Why? Because tracks work really well for audio production. I have to agree with Ben. In terms of development for both Motion and FCP, it's all pretty underwhelming. It's basically my long term investment in building a large collection of third party plugins that keeps me using FCP.

realdawei replied the topic: #113095 05 Mar 2021 07:19

FCP Team seems to have lost all courage...maybe some big things are planned...but my switch to Resolve has thus far been delightful.

ebatalha replied the topic: #113102 05 Mar 2021 11:51

Yes, so much time only for basically bug fixes! I can agree with that but… as for Motion and FCP there are a bunch of third party plugins, why should Apple be working on redundancy Filters, Effects and Generators? To be accused of copying them? There’s a huge door for third party developers here.
FCP really needs improvements and I would say dupe detection and a better or rock solid integration for audio with Logic Pro in mind. Logic Pro is mainly for musicians but even though I think it could handle easily an FCP timeline. We don’t need a bloated FCP in the audio section. That’s my approach. I would even go further and would add Logic Pro the ability to load FCP Projects or Libraries. They need to develop a single exchange file, all the Pro apps, Compressor can read an FCP Project…
Motion needs a big jump too, more 3D capabilities and let’s not forget it’s a 50€ host app, most of the third party plugins are pricier than that.

JoeEditor replied the topic: #113105 05 Mar 2021 12:22

"...why should Apple be working on redundancy Filters, Effects and Generators?"
No one suggested they do that.

Roles based mixer, which they actually have a patent for, has been desperately needed from the beginning to start with.
And round-tripping to Logic won't cut it when I have to mix and master audio while working with my video edits. FCP is the only NLE that forbids you from doing that. They've failed even in legacy FCP with Logic round-trips, they need to give up that ghost and get an actual mixer.

As for 3D capabilities, there's MotionVFX's mO2 (I use it a lot), so are you contradicting yourself with that?

Standpoint Media replied the topic: #113106 05 Mar 2021 12:28

When people like Ben are worried about the future of FCP, I'm very worried. Our entire business runs on it, but it's getting to be a hassle.

Marc Lucas replied the topic: #113107 05 Mar 2021 13:03

Why do we still need a RED plugin if FCP now supports the footage natively?

I'm going to be using RED footage in a future project so I will still need to download the RED plugin?

Steve McGarrigle replied the topic: #113110 05 Mar 2021 14:04

ebatalha wrote:
We don’t need a bloated FCP in the audio section. .

I wouldn't call having basic audio production tools 'bloating'. "Sound is half of the picture" as George Lucas once said and FCPX practically has no audio mixing tools at all apart from stereo master bus meters, the effects controls found in the inspector and the ability to assign audio roles. I think we are way off of bloating and still in the area of bringing FCP up to the standards of every other pro level video editing package. While many film and broadcast editors may be round-tripping to a dedicated sound editor/engineer working with a DAW, many others aren't and will be completing projects purely within FCP itself. I'm generally accepting of FCPX's audio limitations when I'm working with a basic mix of live sound, music and voiceover but it needs more. If we could sidechain a voiceover in to a noise gate assigned to our music track, then audio ducking would be possible for instance. We shouldn't need to be doing this task manually with the range tool and keyframes.

Schwyhart replied the topic: #113117 05 Mar 2021 16:11

It is kind of disappointing that Apple hasn't done more with FCPX and Motion over the years.
FCPX was first released in 2010, I think. That's 11 years ago! Most likely they were working on it a couple of years prior to the first release.
I haven't done anything serious in almost two years. Is the transition glitch fixed at least?

All that said, I still enjoy FCPX far more than Premiere.

Fcp my bread and butter replied the topic: #113120 05 Mar 2021 16:36

This is begining to be some kind of contempt for the pro users, they know that we NEED
- Motion roundtrip
- a proper AAF export
- a mixer
- an access to IO for Motion like we had in Motion 4
- … and so many basic things

years go by , nothing comes, is there still a ProApps team ? hopeless...really feel like despise

cseeman replied the topic: #113122 05 Mar 2021 17:45

When FCPX was first released in 2011 there was mention of a "10-year plan." It seems that period is nearing its end.
It's almost as if the changes we're seeing were much like the days of FCP6 to FCP7 (minor improvements).
Perhaps we're nearing the end of FCP as we know it, about to be replaced by "the next generation NLE."
Imagine if they were to anger a whole new generation of users by requiring Apple Silicon to run it. Nah, they wouldn't do anything like that (would they?).

itzawrap replied the topic: #113130 06 Mar 2021 00:14

Additionally, Why oh why can I not get some simple, long overdue functionality like: Having my workspace save my column layout (why do I always have to 'hide' columns that I never ever use. For example: Stereoscipic, 360, Camera Angle..... If I need these I will unhide them, but no, I must always hide them......Even though I save my layouts in a dedicated workspaces. The friggin' app can't remember my column layouts so the NOTES stays where I like it. WTF? I've posted this simple request 20 times in various venues. Do these things bother anyone else out there? Some have said that the app saves their custom browser layouts yet I have never seen it stick in my settings. So that every time I relaunch FCPx I must re-arrange my columns. It remembers to distribute my browser and timeline and AV monitor across 3 screens but won't remember the damn column layout.

Also, why can't I store the fade characteristic (Ease-In/Ease-Out) without my default dissolve? Is this too much to ask for?
Every time I must re-set those parameters I typically use.

I really love editing with FCPx, after 25 years of Media Composer, but some of these 'little things' are totally annoying. Can I get a witness?

Of course there's more little nits I have to pick, but they never get addressed by the development 'engineers'. Engineers? Really?

And everything mentioned on here today are all viable gripes, reasonable requests IMO after 10 years of this product's life. Why? Why? Why?

Dupe detection......And more to bark about.....when there's so much to love here. Why can't we get married forever?

I'm going bald.

itzawrap replied the topic: #113131 06 Mar 2021 00:18

And......I would love to purchase Logic to mix with, but I don't do music so it would be just to use as a DAW for video. But no integration to warrant that purchase.

I used to export from Media Composer to mix in Soundtrack Pro. It worked well for me. But after they killed FCS, I had nowhere to go.

I have some great plug-ins from Waves, iZotope and others which I use furiously inside FCPx. But it's hard without having a bus structure to utilize.

Boo hoo, listen to me cry.

JoeEditor replied the topic: #113143 06 Mar 2021 15:14

Yes, I agree, it does seem the Pro Apps teams are getting less and less done. They're probably being pulled to other macOS and iOS projects more often. Apple needs to wake up, or we all go to Resolve. If I ever make that switch, I'll miss many of FCP's great features, but I have to make a living, time is money, and zero pro audio tools for mixing is inexcusable after 11 years (and a patent for it filed for several years now). Unless we get the big, huge, major upgrade some folks are tell me they have faith in this year, I will seriously consider going Resolve full-time as a business decision. I love FCP, but it's growth has been inexcusably slow and lacking the second half of its life.

yellowpony replied the topic: #113168 07 Mar 2021 13:16

It's so sad! I really feel like they are doing an Aperture here... FCPX was so amazing for for a period but like lots of other people I have had to move myself and my work (a university) over to Resolve. I hope they don't let FCPX die...

Fcp my bread and butter replied the topic: #113178 07 Mar 2021 15:51

When the best thing that could ever happen…… happened which is the "retirement" of Randy Ubillos, (paradoxically) I thougt there might be hope... but so little came since.

The worst is that it is probably not negligence but it seems they are happy with this stupid and dull concept of an editing software where "Uncle Henry" is not lost ...

Shouln'd we all go on " FCP STRIKE " until we get :
- the Motion roundtrip and Motion IO capability back,
- an AAF export, (and stop being the laught of the town)
- decent audio pre-mixing,
- a real sequence consolidate,
- a richer browser UI with all the missing browser columns and that we can SAVE as presets
- SOLVING THAT LOSING RENDERS ISSUES ! it's time, how can they live with that ! so stupid and unprofessional
- internal "Resolve like " tracking
- Complete that unusable "Motion Flow" with a serious way of rendering fluid Slowmotions (Avid scourge is doing WAY better)

and that is just the basic mandatory things that we need

martin.schneider-lau replied the topic: #113211 08 Mar 2021 17:48

I have the feeling that this update speeds up the workflow on my new MacPro2019. Everything is even more fluently. Thanks Apple! And thank you to Peter for giving this report!

Schwyhart replied the topic: #113220 09 Mar 2021 00:51

I'd gladly pay for another update. I bought FCPX within months of its first release. I think I've been given my money's worth.
Not that Apple needs more money, but maybe the Pro Apps department could use a boost to hire a couple more devs?

Steve McGarrigle replied the topic: #113236 09 Mar 2021 11:10

Schwyhart wrote:
I'd gladly pay for another update. I bought FCPX within months of its first release. I think I've been given my money's worth.

I'd pay for an update if they'd go to FCP11, change the awful brand icons and sort out the issues listed in this thread. I wouldn't subscribe.

Marc Lucas replied the topic: #113237 09 Mar 2021 13:17

Can't believe the way this thread has gone. So many negative FCP users out there.

JoeEditor replied the topic: #113238 09 Mar 2021 14:31

I love FCP, but after this many years, there are things it really should have. And Resolve has been updating with really nice tools much more aggressively. But for now, FCP is what we all prefer to use... for now...

Yes, lots of mixed feelings about FCP... hello Apple, are y'all listening?

cseeman replied the topic: #113241 09 Mar 2021 15:14

I think when Apple introduced FCPX, once people wrapped their heads around the magnetic timeline, connected clips and storylines, and the amazing keyword organizing, it set expectations for ongoing innovation. Instead, as the years wore on we slowly got features back other NLEs already head, albeit sometimes with nice improvements. Innovation slowed though. Many long-needed features, some already in other NLEs, some needed to handle FCP's specific workflow, haven't materialized.

Meanwhile, Resolve is developing at a speed some of us had hoped to see in FCP. While FCP still has its advantages it is most certainly dwindling over time. Resolve adds features we doubt we'll ever see in FCP. A popular camera format (obviously due to a popular series of cameras) Blackmagic's BRaw simply can't be used in FCP. Going from FCP to Resolve became more common and, for more and more it makes more sense to work end to end in Resolve. There's an air of inevitability in Resolve's feature advancements whereas there's omnipresent stagnation in FCP's.

As time goes on for some of us the waiting ends and we move to Resolve. Moving to Resolve opens the door to Windows and perhaps Apple's answer is to make Apple Silicon too attractive for that switch rather than continue to invest in FCP development. As people move to Resolve and become more comfortable with it, there's a declining need to wait and very likely a declining interest to shift back to FCP even with the next innovation.

Apple's silence on FCP development exacerbates this with no new mention of their "10-year plan" with at least a promise of a "next big thing" in their video post products (FCP, Motion, Compressor).

Learning Resolve may no longer be a choice but a professional obligation if we are to deliver for our clients and that should be a great concern to Apple.

JoeEditor replied the topic: #113277 10 Mar 2021 14:14

Well put.