Apple releases Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad
Earlier this month, Apple had announced that it would release Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad. The apps are now available for download.
The iPad versions of the media editing suites come with a new interface that has been designed for touch screens. They support Apple Pencil for precise input and hover functionality. You can import projects from iMovie or record videos from scratch and edit them directly on your iPad with Final Cut Pro on a frame-by-frame basis. The app features a jog wheel to quickly jump through the timeline. It supports several video formats, including ProRes RAW.
Logic Pro for iPad can be of great help for music creators who want to edit their work on the go. It allows you to import GarageBand projects and start editing them. Logic Pro has a touch-friendly navigation experience with gesture-based controls such as pinch to zoom, drag and drop regions, swipe across track header to view mixing controls, etc. The app features a Sound Library that gives you access to royalty-free loops, samples and instruments that you can use in your song. There are a variety of plugins to customize your experience and get more out of the app. You may even connect an Apple Keyboard and use it with the apps, as they support hotkeys.
Final Cut Pro for iPad is compatible with devices that are running on iPad 16.4 or newer, and have an M1 chip or above: iPad Pro 11-inch (3rd or 4th gen), iPad Air (5th gen), or 12.9-inch (5th gen or 6th gen) and Apple Pencil (2nd gen). The Logic Pro for iPad is compatible with devices that have an A12 Bionic chip or newer, i.e. iPad Mini (5th gen or later), iPad Air (3rd gen or later), iPad 8th gen or later, iPad Pro 11-inch and 12.9 inch (3rd gen or later).
Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad pricing
The media editing apps for iPad are available on a subscription based model. They cost $4.99 a month per app, or $49 each for a yearly subscription. Download Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro from the App Store for free, and opt-in for a one-month free trial before you decide to subscribe to access the full version.
You can learn more about the features of Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro on Apple's website.
Early user reviews tell us that Final Cut Pro does not support external drives, so you won't be able to use the app to edit files on your hard drive when you're on the go, unless you transfer them to your iPad. This can be a problem because the tablets have limited storage space unless you have the top-end trim, which are quite pricey. If you're looking for free alternatives to Final Cut, Apple's own iMovie (also available on iPhone and Mac) may be sufficient for most users, or you can take a look at DaVinci Resolve for iPad which is free with an optional paid upgrade (a one-time fee of $99) for DaVinci Resolve Studio.
