Apple Compressor 3.5 - Video encoding tool, now with Blu-ray support. (Commercial)

Compressor 3.5 introduces batch templates for automating end-to-end encoding workflows. For common encoding tasks, you can choose one of the preset batch templates that are similar to those in the Share window in Final Cut Pro 7 and Motion 4. For complete flexibility, create your own templates for use in Compressor, using any combination of settings and destinations, as well as a job action.

Droplets allow you to create a standalone Compressor preset that you can use on your desktop. With the new droplet architecture in Compressor 3.5, you can create a self-contained miniature Compressor application that has just the options you need for a particular encoding task. Choose alternative settings at any time by double-clicking the droplet to reveal its interface. A set of Apple-designed droplets is available at no charge. Download Apple-designed droplets

The new Job Action feature in Compressor 3.5 makes it easy to automate a variety of post-transcoding tasks. Choose a job action to have Compressor open a file, publish it to the web, or send it to your iTunes library. You can also use job actions to burn a Blu-ray disc2 or a DVD, or even trigger Automator workflows.

You can now easily burn a Blu-ray disc or a DVD directly from Compressor. Quickly add a menu to your disc by choosing one of the beautiful Apple-designed HD or SD templates included in Compressor. Because Compressor uses an open XML-based template format, you can import third-party or custom templates for a specific look.

Compressor now includes a setting that allows you to create Blu-ray–compatible H.264 files that can be imported directly into third-party Blu-ray disc authoring software.

The Apple Qmaster application for distributed encoding, included in Final Cut Studio, now greatly streamlines reference file encoding. It automatically transfers required source media to cluster nodes, eliminating the need for manual copying, and verifies that each node has the required applications and media before encoding begins.

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. Compressor 3.5 imports image sequences in standard formats including TIFF, Targa, DPX, and OpenEXR. You can specify an audio file to incorporate with the image sequence as you import it — for example, the original field-recorded audio for a clip that was converted to a sequence.

Compressor 3.5 lets you create a custom transcoding setting from an existing file with a simple drag and drop. Just drag any QuickTime file into the Settings pane to have Compressor analyze the file and instantly create a preset with matching characteristics.

Apple Qmaster now allows you to expand a cluster beyond your local Bonjour network. You can set up a node on any visible IP address within your domain and use the Batch Monitor to view encoding status on all nodes across your cluster.

Improved optical flow processing permits faster rendering of jobs that require advanced frame controls, such as de-interlacing and reverse telecine transcodes.