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    RoughCut

    Mac · Final Cut Pro companion

    Stop scrubbing hours of interview just to find the line you need.

    RoughCut is a text-based video editing companion for Final Cut Pro that lets you search transcripts, assemble interview selects, and turn them into an editable Final Cut Pro project.

    Story first. Timeline next.

    Download on the Mac App Store — coming soonSupport

    Free forever to search and build. One-time in-app purchase. No subscription.
    Requires macOS 15.6 or later. Final Cut Pro required for project creation and the Workflow Extension.

    How RoughCut works

    01

    Search every transcript

    Type a phrase and jump straight to the moment it was said, across every transcribed clip in your Final Cut Pro libraries.

    02

    Build a Rough Cut

    Collect the lines that matter into one ordered assembly. Reorder beats, trim in and out points, and save it as a .roughcut document.

    03

    Create a Final Cut Pro project

    Turn the assembly into an editable Final Cut Pro project — your clips, your order, real in and out points on a real timeline.

    Build the story before you touch the timeline.

    RoughCut showing the library sidebar with events and 43 clips, the centre transcript column in Text mode with several phrases selected, and a Rough Cut panel on the right containing six ordered segments totalling fifty-one seconds across four clips.
    Six segments, 0:51, four clips — each with its source clip and in and out points, reorderable before anything reaches a timeline.
    • Built for macOSmacOS 15.6 or later
    • Works with Final Cut ProLibraries, transcripts and projects
    • Processing stays on your MacTranscripts are read locally
    • One-time purchaseNo subscription

    The part markers can't do

    Not markers. An actual project.

    An editable Final Cut Pro project with your clips already assembled in story order — real in and out points, ready to trim and grade. Your original media is never touched.

    Final Cut Pro open beside the RoughCut window. The Final Cut timeline holds a project named Rough Cut with three connected clips and audio waveforms, and the RoughCut status bar reads that the Rough Cut .fcpxml was exported.
    The created project open in Final Cut Pro, clips in the assembled order.
    See how it works

    Text-based editing built around your Final Cut Pro library

    Cards & Script views

    Read the edit as story beats or as continuous script text, whichever way you think about structure.

    FCPXML handoff

    Part of the paid project unlock: import and export FCPXML when the assembly has to move to another system or editor.

    Copy for AI

    Copy a clean, structured transcript block to paste into the assistant of your choice. Nothing leaves your Mac unless you paste it.

    Pricing

    One-time in-app purchase. No subscription.

    Free forever

    • Browse Final Cut Pro libraries
    • Search every transcript
    • Build and edit Rough Cuts
    • Cards and Script views
    • Save .roughcut documents

    One-time unlock

    Create Final Cut Projects unlocks project creation. A 7-day trial starts the first time you successfully create a Final Cut Pro project. The current price in your local currency is shown in the app and on the Mac App Store listing before you buy. Introductory pricing may apply at launch.

    Pricing details

    Common questions

    What is text-based video editing?

    It's an approach to editing that starts with the words in a transcript rather than the timeline. You search and select dialogue, build the story in text form, and then generate a real video project — in RoughCut's case, an editable Final Cut Pro project.

    Does RoughCut upload my footage?

    No. Libraries are read and processed locally on your Mac. Diagnostics are never transmitted automatically — you can optionally export a report and send it to support yourself.

    Does RoughCut modify my Final Cut Pro library?

    No. RoughCut reads your libraries and their existing transcriptions. Rough Cuts live in their own .roughcut documents, and creating a Final Cut Pro project adds a new project rather than changing anything you already have.

    Does RoughCut require Final Cut Pro?

    Final Cut Pro required for project creation and the Workflow Extension. Browsing, transcript search, Rough Cut assembly and the Cards and Script views all read libraries Final Cut Pro created, so it is the assumed companion.

    What happens to my original media?

    Nothing. The workflow is non-destructive: your source clips are never moved, re-encoded or trimmed. A created project references the same media with in and out points, exactly as Final Cut Pro does.

    What is free?

    Free forever: Browse Final Cut Pro libraries; Search every transcript; Build and edit Rough Cuts; Cards and Script views; Save .roughcut documents.

    What do I pay for?

    A one-time in-app purchase, Create Final Cut Projects, unlocks project creation. A 7-day trial starts the first time you successfully create a Final Cut Pro project. One-time in-app purchase. No subscription. The current price in your local currency is shown in the app and on the Mac App Store listing before you buy. Introductory pricing may apply at launch.

    Still stuck? Email support@livup.app or visit Support.