With the recent release of both Final Cut Pro 10.4.7 and Catalina, editors are faced with multiple decisions: do I update to Final Cut Pro? Do I update to Catalina? Do I do both? What are the benefits of each?

My recommendation is this:

First, go ahead and update to Final Cut Pro 10.4.7 if and only if you are already using or comfortable upgrading your OS to Mojave (it won’t run on High Sierra). Why? Even though there aren’t a whole lot of feature improvements in 10.4.7, you should see noticeable performance improvement in playback, rendering, and exporting because 10.4.7 has been completely rewritten with the Metal API.

To understand more about what that means, check out the video on FCP X and Metal below. Before you upgrade FCP X, make sure to watch the video about upgrading, also included below. At a minimum, zip up youe 10.4.6 version so you have the option of going back if need be.

And there are a few new features you’ll get access to as well, including great new HSL controls for color masks and advanced HDR workflows. Check out both videos below for more on these features.

Second, do not upgrade your OS to Catalina just yet. If you do, you will no longer have access to any 32-bit applications, and certain older media formats will no longer work in Final Cut Pro X. To figure out if you have an important 32-apps on your system, check out this article. And here is a help article that explains what video formats will and will not work in Final Cut Pro X running on Catalina (hint: scroll to the bottom).

Once you’re sure you are ok with your apps and you have transcoded any old video formats, you can consider moving to Catalina – but take your time on this one, it’s a big transition.