On this page
- The short answer
- The features, with menus and limits
- Search: Transcript Search and Visual Search
- Captions: Generate Captions
- Masks and color: Magnetic Mask, Auto Mask, Match Color
- Timing: Edit Detection, Beat Detection, Smooth Slo-Mo
- Do the AI features need a subscription?
- What it will not do
- Where Eddie fits next to Final Cut
- FAQ
- Sources
In Summary Final Cut Pro for Mac 12.4 finds spoken words and visual moments in your footage (Transcript Search, Visual Search), writes captions and subtitles from speech (Generate Captions), isolates people and objects (Magnetic Mask, Auto Mask), matches color between shots (Match Color), splits a finished video at its cuts (Edit Detection) and maps a song's beats (Beat Detection). Older tools like Smooth Slo-Mo, Object Tracker and Smart Conform also run on machine learning. Several need a Mac with Apple silicon, and the search and caption tools work in U.S. English only. None of them cuts a story from your footage. That part is still yours, or a job for a tool outside Final Cut.
The short answer
Final Cut Pro's AI features are search, captions, masking, color and timing tools. They save hours on the slow parts of an edit: finding the line, rotoscoping a subject, matching two cameras, cutting to a beat. Apple added most of them in 12.0 (January 2026) and 12.3 (June 2026). The current release, 12.4 (September 29, 2026), is mostly fixes plus Cinematic mode editing, which needs macOS 27.
This guide covers Final Cut Pro for Mac 12.4. Final Cut Pro for iPad is a separate app (version 3.4) with its own guide, so its features are not listed here. The table below lists the features that Apple's own pages describe with words like "AI", "machine learning" or "intelligence". It is not Apple's official list, because Apple does not publish one. Final Cut Pro 12.4 requires macOS 26.6 or later (About Apple Creator Studio, What's new).
The features, with menus and limits
| Feature | What it does | Where to find it | Requirement Apple states | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transcript Search | Finds spoken words in your clips, by exact match or related meaning | Browser search field, then Transcript: Includes or Is Related To | Mac with Apple silicon; U.S. English only | 12.0 |
| Visual Search | Finds objects and actions in your footage from a description | Browser search field | Mac with Apple silicon; U.S. English only | 12.0 |
| Generate Captions | Transcribes speech into closed captions or styled subtitles | Edit > Generate Captions (Shift-Command-C for closed captions, Shift-Command-S for subtitles) | Mac with Apple silicon; U.S. English only; downloads a language model the first time | 12.3 |
| Auto Mask | Masks recognized objects such as people, faces, hair, skin, clothing, skies, foliage and animals | Modify > Add Auto Mask (Control-Command-K) | None stated | 12.3 |
| Match Color | Matches a clip's color to a frame you pick from another clip | Modify > Match Color (Option-Command-M) | None stated | 12.3 |
| Edit Detection | Splits a rendered video into clips at its hard cuts | Trim > Detect Edits (Shift-E) | None stated | 12.3 |
| Beat Detection | Shows song parts, bars and beats as a grid you can snap edits to | Clip > Enable Beat Detection (Option-B) | None stated; Apple advises 4/4 music | 12.0 |
| Magnetic Mask | Isolates people, objects and shapes and tracks the mask through the clip | Modify > Add Magnetic Mask (Control-Command-M) | Apple silicon recommended for performance | 11.0 |
| Smooth Slo-Mo | Builds new in-between frames for slow motion | Retime pop-up menu > Smooth Slo-Mo | Mac with Apple silicon; above 4K needs M2 or later; 8K maximum | 10.8 |
| Enhance Light and Color | Sets light and color automatically, removing color casts | Color Adjustments effect, Enhance Light and Color button | None stated | 10.8 |
| Object Tracker | Tracks faces and objects so titles and effects follow them | Drag an effect, title or generator onto the viewer | None stated; analysis is accelerated by the Apple Neural Engine on Apple silicon | 10.6 |
| Smart Conform | Reframes clips for a new aspect ratio around faces and areas of interest | Modify > Smart Conform | None stated | 10.4.9 |
| Image Playground | Generates a stylized still image with Apple Intelligence | File > Import > Image Playground (Option-Shift-P) | Apple Intelligence, not in all languages or regions; usage limits may apply | 11.1 |
"None stated" means the Apple page for that feature names no hardware or language requirement. It does not promise the feature runs on every Mac. None of the Apple pages we checked marks any of these features as beta.
Search: Transcript Search and Visual Search
These two are the biggest change for anyone who cuts interviews. Final Cut analyzes speech in the background when you import. Type a phrase in the browser search field, open the field's pop-up menu and choose Transcript. Includes finds the exact words. Is Related To finds related words. Apple's example: searching "Joshua Tree National Park" might find any mention of trees or parks. Each result carries a few seconds either side for context.
Four gotchas from Apple's guide:
- Only the first audio channel is analyzed in multichannel audio. If your lav sits on channel 2, Transcript Search may miss it.
- Multicam and synced clips are not analyzed. Their active angles can still show up if the source clips were analyzed.
- Compound clips are not analyzed and never appear in Transcript or Visual Search results.
- Analysis is on by default. To stop it, choose Final Cut Pro > Settings > Import and deselect Transcribe in English.
You can also combine both searches with ratings, keywords and people detection in the Filter window, and save the result as a Smart Collection.
Captions: Generate Captions
Select clips in the timeline and choose Edit > Generate Captions. Closed Captions creates iTT captions in the captions lane. Subtitles creates title clips with animation styles (Fade, Scale, Highlight, Fill) and a Vertical Social Media Safe option for 9:16 video. The feature needs a Mac with Apple silicon and works in U.S. English only. The first run downloads a language model, so you need an internet connection once. Apple suggests Voice Isolation and Noise Removal first if music or background noise hurts accuracy. Our Generate Subtitles lesson walks through it.
Masks and color: Magnetic Mask, Auto Mask, Match Color
Magnetic Mask is the one to use for an arbitrary subject. Click it with the Add eyedropper, then press Analyze to carry the mask through the clip. Apple notes there is no measurable gain after about 20 control points. Auto Mask is faster when the subject is something Final Cut recognizes, like a face, sky or animal. Match Color puts two frames side by side. Click a frame with the look you want, then click Apply Match. Choosing Match Color again from the Modify menu replaces any existing Match Color effect on that clip.
Timing: Edit Detection, Beat Detection, Smooth Slo-Mo
Edit Detection is for re-editing a finished export when you have no project file. It splits at hard cuts and may miss fades. It does not work on titles, graphics, generators, audio clips, still images or gap clips. Beat Detection draws a grid of song parts, bars and beats, and with snapping on, edit points snap to it. Smooth Slo-Mo uses the Best (Machine Learning) video quality setting. Apple's guide says it is the highest-quality slow-motion method and also the slowest to analyze and render.
Do the AI features need a subscription?
Final Cut Pro comes two ways: in Apple Creator Studio ($12.99 a month or $129 a year) or as a $299.99 one-time purchase. Apple says some premium content is for subscribers only. Its list of intelligence features exclusive to Creator Studio subscribers names features in Keynote, Pages, Numbers, Freeform, Logic Pro and Pixelmator Pro. It does not name Final Cut Pro. Check that page before you buy, because Apple can change it.
What it will not do
- It will not build a rough cut. Transcript Search finds a line. It does not pick the soundbites or put them in order.
- It has no text-based editing. You cannot delete a sentence from a transcript and get a cut.
- Search and captions are U.S. English only. Interviews in other languages get no transcript search and no generated captions.
- Several tools need Apple silicon. On an Intel Mac, Transcript Search, Visual Search, Generate Captions and Smooth Slo-Mo are not available.
- Image Playground makes stills, not video. The image arrives in the browser as a 1024 x 1024 HEIC file.
Where Eddie fits next to Final Cut
Eddie is not a Final Cut plug-in, and you do not install an extension. You drag simple, multicam, compound and sync clips, or a whole project, from the event into Eddie. Eddie logs the interviews and b-roll, then builds the rough cut from the chat. You drag the edit back into Final Cut, and the clips relink to the media your event already uses. The full route is on the Final Cut Pro workflow page.
That covers the gaps above:
- The first cut. Describe the story and the length, and Eddie proposes the rough cut. You can also cut by hand from the transcript in the paper edit, as the transcript editing guide shows.
- Search across a project. Eddie searches a project's transcripts for a phrase, topic or speaker and returns the matching segments with timestamps. It can also search the picture for moments you describe, using credits per hour of footage searched.
- Other languages. Eddie detects the spoken language, transcribes it and captions it in its own script, in 97 languages.
- The handoff. The FCPXML carries the cut, the clip order and the timing, and points at your original media. Your own multicam clips come back switchable, and the export can write Favorites, keywords and transcript markers onto your clips.
Grading, sound and the finish stay in Final Cut.
FAQ
Does Final Cut Pro have AI features?
Yes. Final Cut Pro 12.4 for Mac includes Transcript Search, Visual Search, Generate Captions, Magnetic Mask, Auto Mask, Match Color, Edit Detection, Beat Detection and Smooth Slo-Mo, among others. Apple's Final Cut Pro page presents them as "AI features that build on Apple Intelligence".
Can Final Cut Pro transcribe interviews?
It transcribes speech in two ways. Transcript Search analyzes speech at import so you can search it, and Generate Captions turns speech into captions or subtitles. Both need a Mac with Apple silicon and work in U.S. English only. Neither gives you a transcript you can edit the cut from.
Do Final Cut Pro's AI features work on an Intel Mac?
Some do. Apple says Transcript Search, Visual Search, Generate Captions and Smooth Slo-Mo need a Mac with Apple silicon. Apple recommends Apple silicon for Magnetic Mask. For the other features in the table, the feature page states no hardware requirement.
What happened to Transcribe to Captions?
Apple's 11.0 release notes call the caption feature Transcribe to Captions. The 12.3 release notes introduce Generate Captions, and the current guide uses that name for both closed captions and subtitles. The closed caption command is Edit > Generate Captions > Closed Captions (Shift-Command-C).
Does Final Cut Pro have generative video like Generative Extend?
Not on any of the Apple pages listed under Sources. The one feature in the table that generates new content from a prompt is Image Playground, and it makes still images. Smooth Slo-Mo builds in-between frames, but only from your own footage.
Is Final Cut Pro for iPad the same?
No. The iPad app is a separate product (version 3.4) with its own feature set and guide. For example, Apple's Final Cut Pro page lists Montage Maker, which picks visual highlights and cuts them to the beat of a song, under the iPad app. This page covers the Mac app only.
Sources
- Apple Support: Final Cut Pro release notes (12.4, 12.3, 12.0, 11.1, 11.0, 10.8, 10.6, 10.4.9)
- Apple: Final Cut Pro (features, footnotes and pricing)
- Apple Support: Find clips and projects in Final Cut Pro for Mac
- Apple Support: Generate subtitles automatically and Create closed captions
- Apple Support: Use the Auto Mask and Add Magnetic Masks
- Apple Support: Match color between clips in the timeline
- Apple Support: Detect and restore edits and Edit to the beat
- Apple Support: Change clip speed (Smooth Slo-Mo) and Use the Color Adjustments effect
- Apple Support: Adjust framing with Smart Conform and Import from Image Playground
- Apple Support: What's new in Final Cut Pro for Mac, About Apple Creator Studio and About the intelligence features in Apple Creator Studio
Want the first cut done before you open Final Cut? Start a project for free, or read the Final Cut Pro workflow first.
