14 DAY TRIAL // Two separate sites seem to be in consistency with a rumor on Final Cut Studio 3 being released shortly. However, Apple is said to initially release a 32-bit version of the suite testing updates to the video software. Soon after, a 64-bit Final Cut Studio 3 will allegedly be compatible only with Snow Leopard due to system requirements.
AppleInsider has picked up on a story over at Hardmac, which “appears to be corroborating AppleInsider's report of a Final Cut Studio 3 release in the near term, but adds a twist.” Apple is said to "start to re-examine its range of video software" with the initial 32-bit release, followed by a 64-bit version “compatible only with Snow Leopard due to a QuickTime X requirement,” the report says.
As Hardmac indicates, Shake will see an update "soon," with Logic also receiving enhancements, but won't be refreshed until sometime this fall. According to Apple, Shake is the industry-standard compositing and effects solution for film and HD, which comes with an unlimited network rendering on Mac OS X. AppleInsider, for its part, predicted updates to a series of other Pro applications, such as ProRes, Color, Final Cut Server, Motion, and Xsan.
Final Cut Studio was introduced at the National Association of Broadcasters in April 2005. It is the successor to Production Suite, and added fresh versions of all the Production Suite applications, as well as Soundtrack Pro, a 'new' program, which is really just an improved version of Soundtrack, formerly included with Final Cut Pro. Final Cut Studio later became the only way to purchase any of the individual major applications. Final Cut Studio 2 contains six main applications and several smaller ones used in editing video.
Major applications are Final Cut Pro 6 - "real-time editing for DV, SD, HD and film;" Motion 3 - "real-time motion graphics design;" Soundtrack Pro 2 - "advanced audio editing and sound design;" DVD Studio Pro 4 - encoding, authoring and burning; Color - a new color grading application adapted from Silicon Color's FinalTouch and Compressor 3 - a video encoding tool for outputting projects in different formats. Additional applications include LiveType 2 (a text animation program), Cinema Tools 3 (tools specific to film processing) and Qmaster 2 (a distributed processing tool).
Users can update their Final Cut apps by downloading Pro Applications Update 2008-05.