In this article, you'll learn how to use Apple Final Cut Pro to edit Dolby Vision camera sources and export the content to Dolby Vision for instant upload to social media platforms. 

• Apple Final Cut Pro project setup for Dolby Vision
• Key settings in Apple Final Cut Pro
• Monitoring HDR from Apple Final Cut Pro
• Share Dolby Vision exports directly from Apple Final Cut Pro
• Share Dolby Vision exports from Apple Compressor

Apple Final Cut Pro supports importing, editing, and exporting Dolby Vision files. You can also use it to edit other HDR sources and encode the final cut in Dolby Vision. Support for Dolby Vision encoding is available when using:

• Apple Final Cut Pro version 10.5.3 or above
• macOS 11.0 (Big Sur) or above – although some earlier versions feature Dolby Vision playback support only

Final Cut Pro project setup for Dolby Vision

The options presented in this video and in the following article cover a commonly used configuration. However, other options and workflows are also possible.

 

 

 

Key settings in Apple Final Cut Pro

Color Processing setting in the Library Properties

• This should be set to "Wide Gamut HDR". This will put Final Cut Pro into HDR processing mode
  
  
  
   

Color Space setting in the Project Properties window

• This should be set to ‘Wide Gamut HDR – Rec. 2020 PQ’.  This is easiest to configure when setting up a new project where you also have the option to ‘Use Automatic Settings’ which will configure this setting based on the first source file you import.  Once you have set up your project this can be accessed from the Project Properties options as shown below

 


 

Monitoring HDR from Apple Final Cut Pro

There are two main options for previewing HDR content when editing in Apple Final Cut Pro.

• Monitor on a built-in or other HDR display connected via standard Apple Mac Display connectivity and managed via Display Properties in macOS.
  • In this case, you should select "Show HDR as Tone Mapped" in the View settings.

• Monitor on an Apple Pro Display XDR or an HDR monitor connected via an external I/O interface, such as those available from AJA or Blackmagic Design. 
  • These monitors can be selected via the A/V Output option in Preferences -> Playback Settings.
    For more information see View HDR video in the Final Cut Pro viewer on the Apple Support website
     

Export in Dolby Vision directly from Apple Final Cut Pro

There are a number of options for exporting in Dolby Vision.  The simplest is to select the "HEVC 10-bit (HLG with Dolby Vision 8.4)" option in the "Apple Devices 4K" sharing settings.  To do this, go to "File > Sharing > Apple Devices 4K...".

 

Export in Dolby Vision using Apple Compressor

If you need more control over encoding settings, such as the data rate or encoding speed, we recommend using Apple Compressor. Please refer to this article on how to export Dolby Vision with Apple Compressor.