screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET

Apple updated its Final Cut Pro X software two weeks ago support footage from multiple videocameras, and now Singular Software has followed suit with its PluralEyes plug-in that's designed for just that scenario.

PluralEyes lets video editors synchronize multiple video and audio tracks by analyzing each track's sound, and it's become widely used as a way to ease the tedious, important, but sometimes difficult chore.

"The latest update of Final Cut Pro X added new multi-camera editing features, and these are now fully supported by PluralEyes," said Singular Chief Executive Bruce Sharpe in a statement yesterday.

The software costs $150--a price that might look a bit higher since multicam editing in Final Cut Pro X now also uses audio track analysis to sync clips. But Singular thinks its product is still worth paying for.

When I asked why a Final Cut Pro X user would now pay for PluralEyes, this was Sharpe's response:

We created this update in response to many requests from FCP X users who are familiar with our automatic synchronization products from other platforms. The built-in sync feature in FCP X is a start, but PluralEyes works across the entire range of projects that people want to edit in FCP X, without the need for timecode, markers or any special preparation. And it's fast too. In addition to creating synced projects and multicam clips, PluralEyes offers a "Replace Audio" capability that is especially handy for dual-system audio projects. Finally, PluralEyes offers an alternative interface that some people prefer for getting the sync done--you work in a timeline rather than in an event with added metadata. PluralEyes is the robust application that it is because it has been refined based on the feedback and data of thousands of editors using it every day for real-world projects for the three years that it has been on the market.

The PluralEyes plug-in also works with Adobe Systems' Premiere Pro, Sony's Vegas Pro, Avid's Media Composer, and Grass Valley's Edius.