Apple updates Final Cut Pro to v10.4 - 360-degree VR video editing, advanced color grading tools and support for HDR

14th December 2017

Apple has updated Final Cut Pro X to v10.4. It's available now in the App Store.

New in Version 10.4

360 VR editing:

Import and edit 360° equirectangular video in a wide range of formats and frame sizes.
Output 360° video to a connected VR headset*.
Open the 360° viewer to simultaneously monitor headset and equirectangular views while editing.
Option to track movement of a VR headset in the 360° viewer in Final Cut Pro.
Add 360° effects including blurs, glows, and more.
Share 360° video directly to YouTube, Facebook, and Vimeo.
Use the 360° patch to instantly remove cameras and rigs from the scene.
Use the Horizon overlay to easily change the orientation of 360° video right in the viewer.
Edit 360° video into a non-360° project and animate the pan, tilt, and zoom.
Place any graphic, still, or video into a 360° project, then reposition and resize to fit perfectly into the 360° scene.
Support for monoscopic and stereoscopic 360° video.

Advanced color grading:

Dedicated color tab in the inspector provides one location for all color controls.
Powerful new color wheels improve upon traditional wheels with integrated sliders to adjust hue, saturation, and brightness.
Color curves enable ultra-fine adjustments using multiple control points to change color and contrast.
Hue/saturation curves let you select a specific hue or brightness level to make adjustments while leaving other parts of the image unchanged.
Use the eye dropper in the color and hue/saturation curves to quickly sample parts of an image for adjustment.
Balance Color command includes an eye dropper for manual white balance.
Apply custom LUTs from popular color grading apps and sites.
Adjust color corrections over time with precise keyframe controls.
Speed through color correction using new keyboard shortcuts for color adjustments and role-based timeline navigation.
Color presets are now located in the effects browser for skimmable preview and fast search.

High Dynamic Range:

Import, grade, and deliver High Dynamic Range (HDR) video as Rec. 2020 HLG or Rec. 2020 PQ for HDR10.
Output video to third-party HDR monitors using third-party I/O devices.
Built-in waveform monitor indicates HDR brightness levels up to 10,000 nits.
HDR Tools effect lets you easily tone map HDR to Standard Dynamic Range (SDR) output as well as convert between PQ and HLG formats.
Option to view HDR as raw values when working without an HDR monitor.

Additional features:

Send your iMovie for iOS project directly to Final Cut Pro for advanced editing, audio work, and finishing.
Import, playback, and editing of High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC, also known as H.265) video clips and High Efficiency Image Format (HEIF) photos from Apple devices**.
Send to Compressor to export video projects in the HEVC format.
Adjust audio using effects plug-ins from Logic Pro X with redesigned, resizable interfaces.
Support for Canon Cinema RAW Light format with additional software from Canon.
Faster Optical Flow analysis using Metal 2.
Support for NFS-based libraries and media.
XML 1.7 with support for new color grading controls, 360 VR effects, and HDR.

* Requires compatible VR headset, macOS High Sierra, and SteamVR
** HEVC and HEIF support requires macOS High Sierra