Qmaster

Qmaster is a former distributed processing framework developed by Apple to enable network rendering for video production applications. It coordinates rendering tasks across multiple Macs on a local area network, allowing scenes or frames to be rendered in parallel to speed up production workflows.

The system works with a central master service on a designated machine and worker agents on participating Macs. A host application such as Final Cut Pro submits a render job to the master, which partitions the work into tasks and allocates them to available workers. As tasks complete, results are collected and assembled into the final render. Configuration and operation can be managed through the host application's render settings or a dedicated control panel, requiring compatible software versions across machines, a shared storage location for assets, and reliable network connectivity. The system includes basic fault tolerance by reassigning failed tasks to other workers when possible.

History and status: Qmaster played a role in earlier Final Cut Studio workflows by enabling LAN-based render farms to accelerate rendering. Over time, Apple shifted toward newer rendering approaches, and Qmaster was deprecated and is not a supported component in modern macOS and Final Cut environments. Some legacy pipelines may still reference or rely on Qmaster, but contemporary video production workflows typically use alternative render management solutions or built-in rendering features.

See also: render farm, distributed rendering, Final Cut Pro.