What’s It Like to Use Apple's Final Cut Pro on an iPad?

2 weeks ago

Today, Apple’s launching some Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for nan iPad, pinch nan erstwhile only moving connected M1 chips and later and nan second moving connected models pinch nan A12 Bionic and later. Gizmodo sewage immoderate lead clip pinch these apps, and while I’m nary master video editor, I person stitched together nan occasional euphony video, video review, and feline meme successful nan past. As Apple’s sent maine a fancy caller M2 iPad Pro for testing (which will beryllium going backmost to them successful a fewer weeks, successful lawsuit anyone is funny really this worldly works), I took nan clip to trial retired really earthy it feels to trim together videos connected a tablet. Given my level of experience, though, expect much of a hands-on than a review.

While I’m not judge professionals will instantly migrate to nan “editing connected a tablet” experience, nan powerfulness surely seems to beryllium location for it. Which is good. As much creators go independent documentarians successful their ain right, being capable to quickly trim together master videos connected nan spell successful a afloat featured suite is becoming much important.

The iPad Air pinch M1 Is nan Tablet to Buy

One note: I, unfortunately, didn’t walk overmuch clip successful Logic, arsenic I don’t person overmuch acquisition producing music. But I will opportunity that immoderate UI aliases touch interface observations I make for Final Cut mostly use to Logic arsenic well.

Screenshot of Final Cut Pro connected iPad

You request a subscription to usage Final Cut Pro for iPad

Perhaps nan biggest quality betwixt Final Cut Pro connected iPad vs Mac, and what you’ll announcement correct distant erstwhile you unfastened nan app, is its pricing structure. While Final Cut Pro connected Mac is simply a one-time acquisition of $300, nan mobile app operates connected a subscription model–$5 for a period and $50 for a year. Subscription models for imaginative apps, from Adobe Creative Cloud to Microsoft 365, person go a arguable norm complete nan past decade, though it is worthy pointing retired that you’d person to usage this type of Final Cut Pro for six years earlier it costs arsenic overmuch arsenic nan Mac version. For a casual user, this could upwind up redeeming them money, though professionals who intend to support utilizing it for longer will salary much successful nan agelong run.

Is it comfortable to video edit pinch your finger?

The adjacent biggest difference, and nan astir obvious, is nan shape facet of some nan instrumentality and app. While you tin link a keyboard and rodent to nan iPad, which will springiness you a akin acquisition to what you’d get connected Mac, nan full app has been reworked to run pinch touch controls. This intends that you long-press-and-drag to click-and-drag, you long-press to participate nan inspect menu, and you property a virtual fastener to undo.

Aside from that, nan basics run likewise to really they activity connected Mac, speech from nan added use of being capable to comfortably and easy edit successful bed, aliases wherever you mightiness usage your tablet. The app is compatible pinch Apple Pencil, though for astir functions, I recovered my digit much comfortable, and amazingly natural. That said, Apple Pencil connected M2 iPad Pros tin usage its “hover” function to show you a preview of wherever you’re astir to pat nan surface earlier you do, which tin beryllium adjuvant for much precisely cutting aliases extending clips. This was mostly helpful, though Apple Pencil hover will besides scrub crossed nan timeline moreover if you don’t make beingness interaction pinch nan tablet, which publication arsenic a small fierce to me. For nan astir part, I was impressed astatine nan level of precision I could get pinch digit alone, which was usually enough.

If you’re personification who likes to usage a dial erstwhile editing, you tin besides entree a virtual dial successful Final Cut Pro for iPad, which will let you to much cautiously scrub done nan timeline than Apple Pencil, and possibly your finger, mightiness allow.

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Live drafting successful Final Cut Pro

When you footwear up Final Cut Pro for iPad, you person nan action to motorboat correct into a demo task of a Lunar New Year ceremony to get yourself situated pinch nan app, and it’s present that I discovered 1 of my favourite caller Final Cut features, exclusive to this version. By clicking a pen icon astatine nan apical of nan screen, you tin make a “live drawing” connected nan clip you person selected, which will past play retired successful real-time during your video. While nan app still has entree to its accustomed action of transitions, titles, backgrounds, and effects, I recovered that making a title paper pinch a unrecorded drafting complete a photograph gave my edits a much individual touch.

I discovered this while putting together a video of my cat, successful which my title paper was simply a photograph of her accentuated by a unrecorded drafting of maine penning retired “Meow!” and drafting a mini smiling kitty face. While you surely don’t request an editor arsenic analyzable arsenic Final Cut Pro to put together a speedy feline video, it was surely up to nan task. Also, because of nan iPad Pro’s 10MP outer camera, I was capable to conveniently seizure my footage and edit it connected nan aforesaid device, which you tin do consecutive from nan app. If you for illustration to usage an iPhone aliases different camera to seizure footage, Final Cut Pro for iPad is besides capable to entree thing successful your photograph library, truthful you tin simply sync up footage complete iCloud for it.

Still excessively difficult to usage aggregate apps astatine erstwhile connected an iPad

With nan convenience of being capable to seizure and edit connected nan aforesaid instrumentality unluckily besides comes immoderate inconvenience. Because Final Cut Pro for iPad uses a tablet interface, you can’t yet propulsion up aggregate free-moving windows astatine erstwhile while moving connected a project. The champion you tin do is unfastened Stage Manager, which will let you to easy move apps without going to nan location surface each time. Unfortunately, this makes it difficult to spot a afloat position of, say, your notes, your net browser, your files, and your task each astatine once. I recovered myself, arsenic a Final Cut Pro noob, often dipping retired of my task to look things up, and it’s this benignant of workflow impedance that I deliberation mightiness support professionals distant from nan app. That, and a rodent still being a much precise measurement to make cuts.

Is Final Cut Pro for iPad worthy it?

In astir ways, though, this genuinely seems to beryllium Final Cut Pro, conscionable connected an iPad. I’m much of an Adobe user, but it’s worthy noting that while Final Cut Pro for iPad is mostly afloat featured, nan only type of Adobe Premiere for mobile users is nan stripped-down “Adobe Premiere Rush.” As a erstwhile student of a publicity schoolhouse that had america utilizing Snapseed to trim together Instagram Stories connected our phones truthful that we would beryllium fresh for “the future,” I’m gladsome to spot much desktop level suites making their measurement to folks who mightiness request to edit connected nan fly. You won’t spot nan adjacent Avengers being made connected an iPad, but for young videographers putting together speedy man-on-the-street style documentaries, aliases moreover for folks who want to dainty their task much for illustration a debased stress, nosy hobby than a “sit down astatine your desk” activity, Final Cut Pro for iPad fills a niche that’s been near woefully absent until now.

Source Technology