Final Cut Extreme turned out to be simply a rumor, but a crowd of 3,000 at the Venetian ballroom at NAB was wowed nonetheless as Apple introduced Final Cut Studio 2. Like Adobe's introduction of Creative Suite 3 a few weeks earlier, Final Cut Studio 2 isn't simply an update of some creative content applications but is instead an integrated bundle of software designed to form the basis of a complete media platform. Apple Final Cut Studio 2 includes Final Cut Pro 6 (with LiveType 2 and Cinema Tools 4), Motion 3, DVD Studio Pro 4, Compressor 3, Soundtrack Pro 2 and Color. Color is a new professional color grading tool based on the FinalTouch technology acquired from Silicon Color.

Although not part of the Studio package, Apple also introduced Final Cut Server, an asset management application based on the Artbox acquisition from Proximity Group. FC Server is ideal for small- and medium-sized facilities and can be used on a single machine or multiple systems connected via a standard LAN or Apple Xsan (or other) shared storage system. Here's a quick glance at what Apple's Final Cut Studio 2 has to offer.

Color
Color was the biggest surprise of the show. Final Cut Studio 2 gains an awesome professional color grading tool�suitable for feature film work�simply for the cost of the upgrade. Last year, this tool would have cost you thousands of dollars. Color works for SD, HD and 2K projects, employing GPU-accelerated, 32-bit float processing in up to 4:4:4 color space. Apple has streamlined the XML round-tripping between Final Cut Pro 6 and Color by using a single Send To command. Color was a powerful tool before�equipped with primary grading and eight secondary layers, as well as its own geometry controls (scale and positioning), plug-in effects and custom looks�but Apple has further enhanced this rebranded product with primary curves tools.

Final Cut Pro 6's biggest news is a new codec: Apple ProRes 422. Canopus, Sony, Matrox and Avid have previously offered mastering-grade compressed HD codecs, but ProRes 422 is the first such codec that is resolution independent�good for sizes from SD to 2K. It is a variable bit rate 4:2:2 codec with two HD settings: Normal (average 145Mb/s) and HQ (average 220Mb/s). Editors will appreciate the new open format timeline that allows users to freely edit a mix of codecs, formats and frame rates in real time within the same sequence. 150 real-time FxPlug filters and transitions have been brought in from Motion, as well as the SmoothCam stabilization feature from Shake. You can also edit Motion 3 master templates directly from inside Final Cut Pro 6. Audio received a number of new features, too, including surround monitoring and nondestructive Soft Normalization and gain controls.

Motion 3
Motion 3 received the biggest overhaul of all the Studio applications. Apple's real-time design engine now works in 3D, much like Autodesk Flame. Layers can be manipulated in 3D space, allowing the ability to move through camera views. SmoothCam and image stabilization/tracking tools have been brought over from Shake, and there are new vector paint tools and a category of re-timing behaviors. The latter now makes this one of the easiest applications in which to build speed ramp effects. The new 3D environment includes realistic Z-space lighting effects, so as you fly around a video object, it is properly illuminated as though by physical lights.

Soundtrack Pro 2
Soundtrack Pro 2 gains a streamlined interface and new tools, such as a spectral graph view for noise cleanup similar to the one in Adobe Audition. The biggest timesaver, though, is the automatic conform function. If you make video changes after a mix, Soundtrack Pro 2 will analyze the two sequences and do its best to intelligently rearrange the tracks and audio clips (including mix keyframes) to match the sync of clips on the new timeline. This feature works like "tracking changes" in Microsoft Word. The mixer has the option to accept or reject the automatic conform choices made by Soundtrack Pro 2.

Compressor 3
Compressor 3 was revamped with support for broadcast MPEG-2 Program Streams and the Telestream Episode Pro plug-in. It sports simplified Qmaster cluster control for distributed, multi-processor encoding. In fact, you can now elect to assign one through eight processors of a single eight-core Mac Pro from right inside the OS X preferences panel. Files, including animated Motion project files, can be encoded with embedded, burned-in timecode and watermarks.

DVD Studio Pro 4
DVD Studio Pro 4 remains unchanged for users who downloaded the most recent online software update. That last point release cleaned up issues related to HD DVD projects and provides better compatibility with common HD DVD players, like Toshiba. It is also easier to convert between SD and HD versions of the same DVD Studio Pro 4 project.

Apple Final Cut Studio 2 is one of the most powerful updates offered in the NLE space. It is a complete postproduction platform for professional users, offering needed improvements and tantalizing future technology, such as support for the REDCODE wavelet codec used by the RED ONE digital cinema camera. For most Final Cut Pro owners, the integration of a world-class color grading application will be reason alone to buy this upgrade.