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

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