HD For Indies

Note: this article has been updated several times since originally published (most recently 3pm Tuesday Oct. 17, 2006), newest stuff at bottom of list. I'll keep updating it as new stuff about 5.1.2 comes in, so keep checking back on this linked article.

A few notes on upgrading to FCP 5.1.2:

1.) You must already have Final Cut 5.1.x installed - if you have 5.0.x, you're SOL - gotta pay to upgrade to Final Cut Studio 5.1 or later to get this update.

2.) Beware certain Motion plugins now that you can run FXplug stuff in Final Cut - FXplug is an OpenGL accelerated plugin architecture that has previously been used in Motion, but now can work in Final Cut Pro - I predict more of this kind of goodness with the next major release of Final Cut Studio, presumably v6 at NAB 2007 next April. Wait, back on target - so far I've heard specific complaints about the Zaxwerks ProAnimator and 3dFlag plugins - so if you're updated FCP is crashing or failing to launch, start pulling 3rd party plugings out and see if that makes a difference. Zaxwerks is a loooooongtime Mac developer and got caught off guard with this issue, they are aware of it and looking into a fix. For now, uninstall'em though.

3.) As always, if you're in the middle of a project, I'd recommend against upgrading unless it is KNOWN problem that this DEFINITELY fixes a specific and significant problem you're having. And if you DO want to upgrade, I'd recommend updating a version on another boot drive, and working on a copy of your project file and then test all the way through to see if it actually fixes your problem. The LAST thing you want to have happen is to upgrade/update in the middle of a project and find out a week or two of work later that you've created a significant problem for yourself that will require going back to your old version of project and software.

4.) But there's LOTS of little stuff they've fixed (or at least worked on) in this release, I'd highly recommend reading ALL the release notes I linked to yesterday.

5.) UPDATE: Creative Workflow Hacks � Blog Archive � New FCP-XML Version Offers Exciting Project Management Possibilities - read paragraph 2, has links to stuff on metadata management in QT files and also management of project components - sounds promising, I'll read ASAP myself.

6.) I think I forgot to mention this earlier, but QT 7 no longer plays back Flash media - probably some kind of dispute with Adobe, or a contract ran out or something I'd guess. This is a problem for some folks. UPDATE: Yes it does, just off by default. See here for instructions on how to turn it back on.

7.) I've had a couple of complaints from folks saying they couldn't get the update to work, no idea why that is so yet.

8.) It appears certain codecs may cause problems, sometimes. Avid and Sheer seem to be more likely codecs that cause trouble, but not universally. Scary and odd behaviors if the concerns pan out to be true. Read more about codec issues here..

9.) So I'd recommend waiting a week or two before updating to 5.1.2 to see how it all shakes out (banzai kamikaze that I am, I upgraded my 3 G5s and Powerbook last night...I wanna find the problems ASAP).

10.) (added 4pm CST): Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 won't open after installing Motion 2.1 - see link for the fix

11.) Official response from Apple: Final Cut Pro 5.1.2: Some third-party QuickTime components may prevent Final Cut Pro from starting

12.) More official response from Apple: Final Cut Pro 5.1.2: FxPlug Restrictions and Troubleshooting

From the article:

Only FxPlug filters and generators are supported; Final Cut Pro does not support FxPlug transitions.

Some plug-ins with custom controls are not supported.

Some plug-ins that process data other than video information are not supported.

Onscreen controls, such as control points in the Viewer and Canvas, are not supported.

Effects that result in subtle gradations (such as a Gradient generator or Gaussian Blur filter) can cause colored vertical banding after rendering. This kind of banding is likely an artifact of rendering in a low-resolution codec (such as DV) and not an issue with the filter. Try setting your sequence settings to an Uncompressed 8- or 10-bit sequence preset instead.

FxPlug plug-ins that render in RGB color space may cause clipping, especially when applied to Y'CBCR clips with high chroma or luma values. This may be particularly noticeable when applying an FxPlug filter to a range of a clip, instead of an entire clip.


...but that apparently isn't quite correct - a developer emailed me to say:

Just wanted to correct one thing on your website...

FCP 5.1.2 most definitely does support fxplug transitions, I've got several running now. They work fine.
...
We believe this mention is a mistake in Apple's documentation as actually fxplug transitions are not
supported in Motion, but they are and should be in fcp.



13.) Also just added this article, which addresses RAM usage in Final Cut Pro, as well as optimal RAM install configs for Mac Pros. Read'em both to understand how RAM works with FCP and how much you might want to get for your Mac Pro box.


14.) Both AJA and BMD have updated their drivers (AJA to 3.2, BMD to 5.7.2) for their HD cards, mostly dealing with Intel based Mac Pro stuff. Worth being up to date when you update your FCP. Check with both vendors to find out if they recommend updating/upgrading, however, to make sure there aren't any known hassles or snags.

15.) Final Cut Pro 5 may fail to open with 64 or more QuickTime components installed

16.) What's New in Final Cut 5.1.2 is a detailed, screen grab laden excellent article over on Ken Stone's website, the article is by Andrew Balis, including nifty new keyboard shortcuts, behavior changes in FCP, a TON of new effects, etc.
Handy stuff to know.

-mike