On the same day as Final Cut Camera, Apple's creative subscription service also receives its update. The focus is on a workflow that begins with the iPhone 18 Pro and ends in the Final Cut Pro timeline. There are also updates for Pixelmator Pro on the iPad and for the office apps – not all of which are exclusive to subscribers.
Since January, Apple Creator Studio has bundled Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage into a single subscription, along with additional features for Keynote, Pages, Numbers, and Freeform. In the German App Store, it costs €12.99 per month or €129 per year; students and teachers pay €2.99 per month or €29 per year. Fixed usage limits apply to the AI features included in the subscription. The Mac versions of the professional apps are still available for a one-time purchase.
Apple announced the latest update in a brief news item on its newsroom. It is released alongside Final Cut Camera 2.4 with aperture control for the iPhone 18 Pro, and the two updates are integrated.
Key Facts at a Glance
- Final Cut Pro and Motion on Mac can apply cinematic effects to native iPhone 18 Pro videos; focus and depth of field can be changed in the timeline.
- Compressor converts such videos back to the previous cinema mode format and receives new export specifications for HEVC and MPEG-4.
- Pixelmator Pro for iPad receives "Select and Mask" from the Mac, and there are new templates available on both Mac and iPad.
- Subscribers will receive new templates in Keynote, Pages and Numbers, as well as AI images for slide creation; Apple is bringing collaboration, Screen View and new Numbers features to all users.
Cinema mode from recording to editing
Final Cut Camera now allows cinematic effects for regular videos from the iPhone 18 Pro, including ProRes and Apple Log. Final Cut Pro now provides the corresponding functionality on Macs. Focus points and depth of field can be adjusted directly in the timeline, without having to use another program.
Motion will receive the same functionality for graphics and effects projects. Compressor will convert videos with cinematic effects back to the previous cinematic format if needed. New export presets for HEVC and MPEG-4 are intended for sharing on social media.
The prerequisite is material that was natively recorded with the iPhone 18 Pro.
Pixelmator Pro for iPad is catching up in masking
Pixelmator Pro first arrived on the iPad in January, and this update brings a feature previously exclusive to the Mac. "Select and Mask" offers dedicated sliders for refining selections and masks, preserving fine details on challenging edges like hair or fur.
Two new template collections are being added for Mac and iPad: designs for sports and action projects, and templates for new ideas, business start-ups, and product launches. A new "Podcasts" category provides covers in the sizes required by major podcast platforms.
The iPad version of Pixelmator Pro is only available via subscription. Apple only offers one-time purchases for the Mac versions.
Keynote, Pages, Numbers and Freeform
Apple explicitly differentiates between its office apps in the announcement. Subscribers will receive new templates and themes in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers. Keynote's intelligent slide creation now also generates relevant images for the presentation.
The remaining new features in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers are aimed at all users. In Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, users can now request access to a shared document. Pages for Mac gets Screen View, a view for focused reading and writing, while Numbers gains new features for trigonometry, statistics, and logic.
Apple doesn't mention a subscription requirement for Freeform. The app automatically adapts boards to dark mode and organizes them into folders that can be shared. Apple Intelligence's writing tools rephrase, correct, and summarize handwritten notes. With visionOS 27, multiple elements of a board, including 3D models, can be brought into your own space and viewed as a group.
| New | For whom, according to Apple |
|---|---|
| Cinematic mode in Final Cut Pro, Motion, Compressor | Mac apps, footage from the iPhone 18 Pro |
| Select and mask in Pixelmator Pro | iPad, available only via subscription |
| New templates and themes in Keynote, Pages, Numbers | subscribers |
| Images during intelligent slide creation | subscribers |
| Request access, Screen View, Numbers functions | all users |
| Freeform: Dark mode, folder, request access | (mentioned without subscription notice) |
The subscription is used to extend the camera service
I consider the Cinema Mode workflow to be the real heart of this update, even though Apple only lists it as one point among several in the announcement. Recording in a free app, editing in Final Cut Pro, exporting via Compressor – for iPhone 18 Pro owners, this creates a seamless workflow within Apple's own tools. The camera thus becomes a compelling reason to subscribe, and vice versa.
Those who don't want a subscription won't miss out entirely. Collaboration features in Keynote, Pages, and Numbers, Screen View, and the new Numbers functions are available to everyone. Apple charges for templates and generated images, not for the basic functions.
Apple's creative subscription grows with the hardware
The update demonstrates how tightly Apple ties the subscription to current devices. The biggest new feature requires an iPhone that has only been on the market for just under two weeks and complements an app that received its own update on the same day.
Do you film with your iPhone and edit in Final Cut Pro – either through a subscription or a one-time purchase? Tell us about your workflow in the comments.
