AVID Media Composer 2020.4 update moves to 64-bit, delivering support for latest macOS and Mac Pro

AVID has released a new update for AVID Media Composer, its popular video editing software. The new version, AVID Media Composer 2020.4, includes numerous new features, but the biggest one for Mac users is that the software is finally 64-bit.

Apple's macOS Mojave was the last version of Apple's operating system to support 32-bit apps. Apple warned software developers for a couple of years that 32-bit apps would no longer be supported with macOS Catalina. As photographers and videographers alike have upgraded to macOS Catalina or purchased new computers such as Apple's latest Mac Pro which ships with Catalina, they have had to deal with outdated software no longer being supported. Until AVID Media Composer 2020.4, that list of inoperable software included Media Composer.

In addition to being 64-bit, AVID Media Composer 2020.4 also includes a new Universal Media Engine (UME). This new UME speeds up the entire workflow, right from file ingest, by removing reliance on QuickTime. AVID promises that the new UME will be felt via improved performance during importing, playback, editing and exporting files.

Windows users can now create, edit, collaborate on and export Apple ProRes media natively. This includes full encoding and decoding support. However, per Cinema5D, it appears that this may not include support for ProRes RAW files. On AVID's latest blog post detailing Media Composer 2020.4, there is no mention of ProRes RAW.

"Get a birds-eye view of an entire 128-track sequence with the Timeline Sequence Map, enabling faster navigation without scrolling or changing the view size." Image and text credit: AVID

The updates in AVID Media Composer 2020.4 are not limited to under-the-hood improvements, the team has also worked on improving the user interface and making the software more efficient. Additions and improvements include a Timeline Sequence Map, which allows for a full view of 128-track sequence, color coding for bin tabs, Titler+ improvements, bulk editing capabilities, multi-select tools, faster sound separation, new 9x16 and 1:1 aspect ratio mask margins, new color space support, additional workspace customization options and much more.

AVID Media Composer 2020.4 includes new bulk edit capabilities. Image credit: AVID

AVID Media Composer 2020.4 is a free update for all existing Media Composer users. If you are a first-time user, perhaps someone who is looking for video editing software for your new macOS Catalina machine, the software is available via a subscription model. You can subscribe on a per-month basis for $23.99/month or for a full year for $239.00. By opting for an annual subscription, you save just under $50. For more information on AVID Media Composer, click here.