Apple Brings Logic Pro and Final Cut to iPad

Good news - pro Apps, bad news - subscriptions   09-May-23

The latest iPads have processors to rival some desktop or laptop Apple silicon machines, but so far there's not been all that much in the way of Pro apps to take advantage of this power. (yes, OK: Luma Fusion, Davinci Resolve, Cubase)

Today though, Apple  launched Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro for iPad, which will be available on the App Store as subscriptions from Tuesday, May 23. This does represent a change as previously the "pro" apps were a one-off purchase when running on the regular OS X platform. Now with the subscriptions it seems that even the mighty Apple has succumbed to the subs model. Though if this means the development is accelerated (tbh, they sort of need to catch up with Davinci Resolve) then perhaps this is inevitable.

Logic Pro for iPad features an all-new sound browser, with over 100 instruments and effects plug-ins, a set of beat making and production tools, and a full-featured mixer, all of which can be controlled using a Smart Keyboard Folio or Magic Keyboard or the multi-touch UI. 

Logic Pro for iPad supports roundtrip capabilities and allows users to export their finished songs in a variety of compressed and lossless audio formats, as well as individual audio track stems.

This is all pretty impressive and will no doubt be ideal for a compact but powerful writing setup. However,  the  app will be subscription based on the App Store for $4.99 (US) per month or $49 (US) per year with a one-month free trial and requires iPadOS 16.4.

The new touch interface in Final Cut Pro for iPad provides intuitive tools, such as a jog wheel and multi-touch gestures, that allow video creators to edit, finish, and share videos from one device. It also features Live Drawing that allows users to draw and write directly on top of video content with Apple Pencil. Logic Pro for iPad puts professional music creation tools in the hands of music creators, allowing them to write songs, make beats, record, edit, and mix music with a complete collection of sophisticated tools.

Final Cut Pro also features Pro Camera Mode that allows creators to shoot high-quality videos in portrait or landscape orientation, monitor audio and recording time, and manually control settings like focus, exposure, and white balance. With multicam video editing, clips can be synchronized and edited together, and users can switch angles in a multicam clip with just the touch of a finger. Final Cut Pro for iPad also harnesses the power of Apple silicon and machine learning to speed up time-consuming editing tasks.

Video creators can choose from a library of professional graphics. Editors can import supported media from Files or Photos, and save it directly inside a Final Cut Pro project. Final Cut Pro for iPad also supports the ability to import projects created in iMovie for iOS, and iPad users can export their Final Cut Pro projects to Mac.

The subscriptions will be available on the App Store starting at $19.99 per month for Final Cut Pro