CrumplePop (http://www.crumplepop.com/) has released LowerThirds, an US$69 tool for creating adjustable lower thirds in Final Cut Pro. It allows editors to add lower thirds to any FCP project by dragging and dropping.

CrumplePop LowerThirds automatically adjusts in size to fit whatever text you type in, eliminating repetitive resizing and dramatically improving workflow. With the software, you type in some text -- a name or title, for instance -- and a background box grows to match the size of your text. Then drag in color swatches, photos, or video to create almost any look for your lower third.

CrumplePop LowerThirds is based on Apple's Master Template architecture, so busy editors can use LowerThirds right inside of Final Cut Pro. It comes with 10 intro/outro animation styles and 15 high resolution ProResLT video backgrounds.

CrumplePop LowerThirds also includes a collection of contemporary color palettes, gradients, and high-resolution ProResLT animated backgrounds that you can drop into your lower thirds. You're not limited to using this content, however. Any photo or video asset on your hard drive can be dropped directly into LowerThirds to create a wide range of looks. These elements are all individually keyframeable within FCP, so you could drop in one photo as the background layer, another photo as the text layer, and keyframe them both separately -- all this while LowerThirds adjusts automatically to fit whatever text your typed in.

CrumplePop LowerThirds supports 40 different video codecs, resolutions, and framerates including XDCAMEX, XDCAMHD, DVCProHD, HDV, all varieties of ProRes, footage transcoded from the h.264 format of the Canon 5d/7d, DV, DV Anamorphic, PAL, 1080p, 1080i, 720p, 480i, 24fps, 30fps, 25fps, 50fps, and 60fps. CrumplePop LowerThirds works with both Final Cut Pro 6 and Final Cut Pro 7.