Hedge, a software company, has taken ownership of the Final Cut Library Manager, a tool initially launched by Vincent Zorzi and Timothy Arms in 2014 to enhance media storage management in Final Cut Pro (FCP).
This tool, renamed Arctic, was designed to address challenges associated with storing media and various file types generated by FCP, including optimized, proxy, and cache files. Despite its popularity, financial sustainability was a challenge for the original creators, leading to its acquisition by Hedge.
Commitment to the FCP Community
Under Hedge’s stewardship, Arctic is not aimed at generating profit. Instead, the focus is on supporting the Final Cut Pro community by continuing the development and maintenance of the tool. Hedge has employed Chris Hocking, who will dedicate more of his time to enhance Arctic and work on other FCP-related projects like CommandPost. This initiative is intended to benefit the FCP user base significantly.
Licensing Model and User Benefits
Arctic will adhere to Hedge’s licensing framework, which provides a fully functional perpetual license. This approach includes one year of updates and support with each new license purchase, covering all necessary updates for macOS and Final Cut Pro released within that timeframe. Users can extend their license annually for a nominal fee to continue receiving updates.
Special Offers for Existing Users
The rebranding to Arctic serves as a tribute to the original developers’ company, Arctic Whiteness, and signifies the software’s focus on archiving. Hedge plans to introduce enhancements and explore new features envisioned by the original developers. A new license is priced at $49 USD, with special discounts available for existing users. Those who purchased Final Cut Library Manager in the year prior to the acquisition are eligible for a 100% discount, while all other existing users can avail of a 60% discount until the end of May.
Upgrade Policy and Activation
Upgrading to Arctic is recommended for users requiring compatibility with future versions of macOS and FCP. Hedge emphasizes that the upgrade is optional, especially for users on older software versions. However, the funding for ongoing maintenance relies on user upgrades. Arctic includes a single machine activation, with the option to easily add more at a discounted rate, facilitating use in team or organizational settings.
News source: https://hedge.video/arctic
