Final Cut Server can now create edit proxies automatically using the new ProRes 422 (Proxy) format. Because ProRes 422 (Proxy) offers high quality at greatly reduced file sizes, it is ideal for use on notebook computers or over local area networks. Also, the variable frame size of ProRes lets you edit footage from a wide range of source formats, without repositioning text or graphics as you round-trip changes.

After you ingest your footage in Final Cut Pro, save the project to Final Cut Server. Final Cut Server automatically generates proxy files and links them to the project, so you can either edit with original footage over a high-speed network or choose the smaller proxy files for editing on a notebook or over a slower network.

Graphics compositing applications and film workflows often use an image sequence format for cross-platform compatibility as well as to keep quality high. Image sequences treat each video or film source frame as a still image, which means that one clip may be converted to hundreds of separate files.

Final Cut Server makes it easy to manage image sequences by cataloging each image sequence as a single asset, with a single video proxy, a thumbnail, and a reference link that gives you direct access to the source files.

Productions in Final Cut Server allow you and other users to organize the same assets in different ways, without making copies. Final Cut Server 1.5 lets you organize Productions using a folder-style hierarchy, so you can now organize your media the same way you would in the Finder. You can search an entire Production hierarchy, a particular level of the hierarchy, or a specific Production.