SEATTLE, WA - Automatic Duck (www.automaticduck.com) debuted new enhancements to Pro Import FCP, its flagship import tool for Final Cut Pro users, during DV Expo West 2005 in Los Angeles. Pro Import FCP 2.0 will be generally available in Q1 2006 and now enables users to import OMF files from popular digital audio workstations, such as Digidesign Pro Tools, into Final Cut Pro.
Additionally, Pro Import FCP 2.0 adds new features to enhance the FCP workflow, such as import capability from Adobe Premiere Pro, the ability to decompose sequences during import and the ability to translate Avid Title Effects into Final Cut Pro text generators. The new release also supports 24fps sequence import from Avid editing systems.
Pro Import FCP 2.0 will be available in the first quarter of 2006 and will be priced at $495 for new customers. Existing customers can upgrade to the new version for $195.
Walter Biscardi of Biscardi Creative Media is a user of Pro Import FCP and uses the tool on work for Food Network.
"When the Food Network's Good Eats with Alton Brown made the decision to move to high definition, we faced significant challenges to not only exceed the quality standards expected, but also work quickly and efficiently to meet an aggressive program schedule,” says Biscardi. “I immediately added Automatic Duck's Pro Import FCP to the new HD Workflow as we had to include the show's current Avid Adrenaline with our FCP high def system.”
Good Eats is shot with a Varicam and edited in standard definition on an Avid Adrenaline. The show is then imported into Final Cut Pro for conforming to HD.
“And we need to do this for eight shows at a time,” says Biscardi. “With Pro Import FCP, we get this done in literally 10 seconds and we're digitizing within 30 seconds of receiving the OMF files. With a click of the mouse, we've exported the content from the Avid into Final Cut Pro, and the timeline appears with all the tracks and all the effects in tact. We're able to digitize seven or eight shows
in the span of two days. Without Automatic Duck it would take over a week.”
Biscardi adds, “The Avid Title Effect import to Final Cut Pro will be huge for our workflow. Right now I have to re-create all titles manually since I can't read the Avid titles. This new feature alone will cut at least a half day off our current workflow per episode."