By Prince McLean and Kasper Jade at AppleInsider. Not much news on After Effects yet, but we're keeping an eye out!

"The fifth major release of Adobe's Creative Suite package (CS5) for graphic, video and web design professionals will finally see Photoshop for Mac emerge as a 64-bit application while several of suite's other component applications adopt Flash tie-ins aimed at keeping content developers reliant on the company's embattled multimedia platform."

Read the Full Article at AppleInsider.
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Labels: Adobe CS5, Apple, Dreamweaver, Flash, Mac OS X Snow Leopard, News, Photoshop

You've taken a great shot. Now you're ready to make it even better. Apple's Aperture v3 gives you all the tools you need to turn your photography into so much more.

While the files are importing, Aperture 3 grabs data like shutter speed, aperture, lens, and focus points and starts sorting it right away. You can even add your own keywords and automatically apply an adjustment preset on import.

Over 200 New Features in Aperture 3

Faces and Places. Brushes for precision retouching. Dozens of adjustment presets. True full-screen browsing and editing. And that's just part of the perfect picture.

Top New Features in Aperture 3

• Organize photos by the people in them using Faces.
• Use Places to find photos based on where they were taken.
• Perfect images with nondestructive, edge-aware brushes.
• Use adjustment presets to apply imaging effects.
• Browse your entire library with the new full-screen Browser.
• Create stunning multimedia slideshows that weave together HD video, audio tracks, and custom titles.

Learn More/Purchase in our Store | Upgrade for $99

Labels: Apple, Apple Aperture, New Product

Mark Spencer shows you how to use Cinema 4D with Motion. Watch it here.

Labels: Apple, Maxon Cinema 4D, Motion

Roger Bolton from CoreMelt sent me this very important infomration:

Mac OS X 10.6.2 contains a critical fix for a problem that was preventing CoreMelt plugins from working for After Effects CS3/CS4 users on Snow Leopard. The problem was caused by a Library conflict in earlier versions of Snow Leopard. CoreMelt has been working with both Apple and Adobe to get this problem resolved, we apologise for the delay.

Installing Mac OS X 10.6.2 restores normal functionality for all CoreMelt plugins for After Effects CS3 and CS4 Users.

Please also make sure you have the latest version of our V2 plugins V2 2.3a released on 7/11/09 which contains other bugfixes and licensing improvements.

• All CoreMelt updates
• Release notes on 10.6.2
• Download 10.6.2 update
• Download 10.6.2 combo update

Labels: Apple, CoreMelt, Mac OS X Snow Leopard

A guide to aspect ratios, bit rates and optimum export settings for Apple TV and iPhone video at iLounge.

Labels: Apple, Tip

Matt Jeppsen of FreshDV talks about the new iFrame codec and what it means for video professionals. More...

Labels: Apple

There was an update to Pro Applications Update 2009-01, a revision to Final Cut Studio (2009), if you missed it. This includes updates to the following versions:

• FCP 7.0.1
• Apple Motion 4.0.1
• SoundTrack Pro 3.0.1
• Color 1.5.1
• Compressor 3.5.1

Labels: Apple, Apple Color, Compressor, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio, Motion, Soundtrack Pro

You may have heard Peter's name around here when referring to his fantastic idustrial revolution plug-ins, but Peter's is also a master editor. He's very well-known in the UK as an editor of sporting video. Last year at IBC we talked about his snooker tournament work which was up next on his schedule, but I had no idea he edited the Tour de France, a yachting competition and more. He has such a strong eye for seeing where the cuts fit together and shares tidbits about working with sporting footage on a tight deadlines, editing to audio, and so on. It's a very interesting video and interview (which streamed live yesterday). Watch it here.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Pro, idustrial revolution

Sign up to "Meet the Expert" Peter Wiggins, programmer and video editor who you may know best from his idustrial revolution plug-ins (or his snooker tournament videos perhaps.)

Meet the expert: Peter Wiggins, Pro Video Editor. 15 October 2009. 11:00 - 12:00 PST. Join renowned broadcast video editor Peter Wiggins for a live web seminar and interactive Q&A session.

Peter uses a Mac-based editing suite and real time graphics software to produce stunning video for sports TV and online. Learn how the tools he uses help him create broadcast quality content to tight deadlines.

Sign up here

Labels: Apple, Event, idustrial revolution, Noise Industries

As the next major release of the leading video post-production suite, the new Final Cut Studio offers powerful new features, dramatically improved performance, and tighter integration. Its six applications give video editors all the tools they need to edit, animate, mix, grade, and deliver- at a price that's more affordable than ever.

• Apple Final Cut Studio 3: Now $999


• Apple Final Cut Sudio 3 Upgrade from Prior Versions of Final Cut Studio, Production Suite, or Final Cut Pro: Now $299

Applications included in Final Cut Studio 3:

• Final Cut Pro 7 for video and film editing
• Motion 4 for motion graphics and animation
• Soundtrack Pro 3 for audio post-production
• Color 1.5 for color grading and finishing
• Compressor 3.5 and DVD Studio Pro 4 for digital delivery virtually anywhere- Apple devices, the web, and disc

Final Cut Studio 3: What's New:

An expanded ProRes family. Powerful new ways to collaborate. Even tighter integration between applications. The leading post-production suite just got better.

With more than 100 new features, the new Final Cut Studio advances the art and technology of filmmaking with innovations that help you work faster, collaborate more efficiently, and finish brilliantly.

Final Cut Pro 7
Final Cut Pro 7 lets you do more - and do it faster - with new ProRes codec options, time-saving interface improvements, and easy collaboration tools.

Expanded ProRes Family
New versions of the Apple ProRes codec let you edit faster and at higher quality across a wide variety of workflows. The family now includes ProRes 422 (Proxy), ProRes 422 (LT) and ProRes 4444, in addition to the original ProRes 422 and ProRes 422 (HQ).

Easy Export
Delivery to your Apple devices, the web, and disc is just a click away. Choose your output format in the Share window, then keep working while your projects are rendered, compressed, and even published to the web in the background.

iChat Theater Support
Now you can work with clients or collaborators as if they were in the room with you — in real time, from anywhere in the world.

New Speed Change Tools
Change clip speeds with ease in the redesigned Change Speed window, which includes presets that ease in and ease out retimed clips.

Alpha Transitions
It's now easier than ever to create dramatic transitions with moving mattes. Apply a matte instantly by choosing one of the beautiful Apple-designed transitions, available through a free download. You can also bring in a third-party transition (sold separately), or create a custom transition using a motion graphics or animation program, such as Motion 4.

Improved Markers
Color-code clip and sequence markers and use them to search or jump directly to important locations. You can add marker notes and metadata while the clip is playing, create a custom name for each marker color, and control whether markers of a specific color are visible in the Timeline.

Automatic Transfer
When you're working under deadline, every second counts. Final Cut Pro now saves you setup time when you transfer clips from a wide range of file-based cameras including Panasonic P2 and Sony XDCAM. The files are automatically copied to your media storage volumes the moment your media is mounted. A new Log and Transfer option allows you to set up custom metadata and add it to all your assets in a single step.

New Timecode Window
Now you can see the timecode up close or from across the room. The floating, resizable window is easily visible when you’re working with clients and can be quickly adjusted for your own logging and note-taking.

Native AVC-Intra Support
Final Cut Pro 7 makes it easy to work with the latest high-quality cameras from Panasonic. Native support for the AVC-Intra format means you can ingest footage directly into Final Cut Pro at high speeds — without transcoding. Work with real-time effects and edit with multiple streams, thanks to ultrafast decoding of both 50-Mbps and 100-Mbps formats.

Closed Captioning Support
Final Cut Pro 7 offers expanded support for closed captioning - including both Line 21 for SD and VANC for HD video. You can preserve captioning data when you capture tape sources, and use popular third-party captioning software to create new captions as needed. New options let you output video with captioning to tape as well as to formats for web playback.

Improved Tabs
Final Cut Pro editors use tabs to quickly and easily organize material as they work. In Final Cut Pro 7, tabs are even more flexible and convenient to use - which is particularly helpful for editors working on larger projects.

Background Exporting
Now you can keep editing in Final Cut Pro while using Compressor to render, export, and publish in the background - whether you choose a template in the new Share window or use the Send to Compressor option in the File menu. To render in the background at maximum speed, use the Apple Qmaster QuickCluster feature.

Global Transitions
Save time by applying a single transition to multiple cut points in one step. Just select a range — either a set of clips or the entire sequence — then add a transition. Final Cut Pro automatically inserts the effect at every cut point and resizes the transitions to use available media. Easily substitute different transitions until you get just the look you want.

Cinema Tools 4.5
Streamline your digital cinema workflows with the improved film management features in Cinema Tools 4.5, an application included in Final Cut Studio. Now you can create new databases simply by dragging files into Cinema Tools, and produce change lists with ease using XML files that describe the original version and the new version. Use Cinema Tools as part of a digital cinema workflow to track DPX files created during high-resolution film transfers or files from 4K cameras such as the RED ONE.

Faster Media Reconnecting for Workgroups
Final Cut Pro now uses the Spotlight engine to speed up media searches. The increased speed produces significantly faster media reconnecting as well as better media management for an entire workgroup using a high-speed network such as Xsan.

Improved Render Management
Render management enhancements reduce the need to re-render as you trim clips, move media, and perform a wide range of other functions. This means you can work more efficiently as you experiment with creative options.

Markers in Multicam
You can now prepare multicam projects faster thanks to new support for markers. Retain markers on multiclips when you switch angles and add marker notes to make multicam projects more efficient when you’re working with multiple editors.

Comprehensive Matchframe and Reveal Options
New matchframe options make it easy to find original frames or source files that are used in a sequence. If you're working with subclips, you can choose to matchframe to the subclip or to the original clip. Matchframing now works with freeze frames as well as nested sequences, which are treated like a true master clip.

Use the new Reveal Affiliate Clips feature to automatically select every instance of a clip in a sequence, so you can apply a color correction or efficiently move or delete all instances in a single step. You can also find the project file without digging through your drives. Just right-click an empty space in the Final Cut Browser and choose Reveal Project in Finder.

Multi-Touch Gesture Support
Work quickly when you're on the set or on the road by using the Multi-Touch trackpad on your MacBook Pro. Navigate faster with gestures: Pinch to zoom horizontally within the Timeline; rotate to scrub the Timeline, Viewer, or Canvas; and use a three-finger swipe to advance the playhead across edit points.

Display SD Safe Title Area Inside HD
If you're working in HD but need to deliver in SD, it can be challenging to position titles and graphics. Now you can display tick marks that show where graphics will be cut off on standard-definition displays based on the broadcast safe title area.

Improved XML Interchange
Final Cut Pro XML Version 5 supports greater interoperability with third-party software by preserving additional settings and metadata during round-trip file interchange.

Improved Media Management
Use the Media Manager to archive media and projects with confidence. It's been optimized to improve media trimming, especially for clips with speed changes, multicam clips, and anamorphic media.

Log and Transfer Improvements
Improvements to the Log and Transfer interface make handling of file-based media even more robust in Final Cut Pro 7.

Timeline Improvements
Numerous improvements to the Timeline make it more intuitive to edit and navigate (see website for more info).

Optimized Codec Performance
Final Cut Pro 7 renders four popular formats faster than ever: XDCAM HD, XDCAM EX, interlaced HDV, and interlaced XDCAM HD 422. This lets you work faster and experiment with greater freedom when you’re creating complex, multilayered sequences.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio, Motion

Fresh gossip about Final Cut Studio 3. Final Cut Pro Studio 3 to allow realtime editing of 1080P H.264 video? It will be released in the next couple of weeks at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), taking place June 8-12 in San Francisco. See Mac Soda for more info.

Confirmed features:

• Native RED and XDCAM support
• Major UI overhaul in Color
• New Motion/Shake

What else have you heard? Fill us in!

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Studio

Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks: Desert sunrise, Arctic tundra, nighttime urban streets: the look of your footage defines the mood. Now you can define the style of your video or film, regardless of on-set conditions, with powerful imaging tools. Choose from more than a hundred Look presets, all neatly organized into 10 categories, to help set the mood for everything from a wedding to the next Sundance original.

You also get Magic Bullet LooksBuilder, a stand-alone application that lets you pre-visualize looks on set or anywhere, using a JPEG or TIFF image. Look presets are portable and load into any of the editing hosts, so the same Looks you create on set are the ones you finish with in the editorial suite. It's no longer necessary to have an expensive finishing system. Magic Bullet Looks provides hundreds of options with one click.

Through May 2009, buy any Adobe product or Apple Final Cut Studio, including upgrades, and you can add Magic Bullet Looks for just $99! Looks normally retails for $399. Offer expires May 31, 2009. View Details.

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Final Cut Pro, Magic Bullet Looks, Red Giant, Sale

Word on the street is that Final Cut Studio 3 will be available next Wednesday, March 24. I've been following this for the past few weeks and the blog-o-sphere is abuzz. Will Phenomenon, the alleged Shake/Motion hybrid, be included?. How about that storyboarding app that we blogged about in February? How about the Final Cut Pro, Color, Soundtrack Pro, etc. being combined into a single app? How big would that be?!

It has been 2 years since FCS2 was out. I demoed the beta of Motion at NAB07 with beta plug-ins... oh, fun times! Seriously, it was a lot of fun.

Labels: Apple, Apple Color, Final Cut Pro, Motion, NAB, Shake, Soundtrack Pro

NAB is just around the corner, it seems. Are you going this year? Is the economy making it difficult for you to take trips like this? Is the absence of Apple and other companies a reason that you would not attend? Is it an event that you wouldn't miss? How do the parties and things like the FCP Supermeet influence your decision to go? Please tell us your thoughts about the NAB conference. We're curious.

Labels: Apple, NAB, Poll

Apple's Patent for Storyboarding

Josh at DVCreators.net posted something interesting to their blog: Apple may add storyboarding to Final Cut Pro? Josh says, "I remember heading to dinner 6 or 7 years ago with Randy Ubillos, creator of Final Cut Pro, telling him my vision for a future FCP update - incorporating some pre-production elements like storyboarding, in which the user would link captured clips to a storyboard frame, then FCP would rough cut the project together automatically, with multiple takes being multiclips so they could be easily compared."

Read the full article about the patent at InformationWeek.com

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Pro

My friend Matt of WMAEUG.net sent me this. I don't think he's talking about pirating, but about being able to get Blu-Ray support in Pro Apps and other software.

I would like to recommend anyone interested in being able to author 'replicatable' Blu-Ray titles to sign this petition that hopes to simplify the licensing and especially reduce the cost of AACS copy protection implementation. It's the only way we'll ever see Blu-Ray support 'officially' in Apple's Pro Apps, or in Adobe Encore DVD.

http://www.dvda.org/petition/

I'm behind disk authoring because I'm a movie lover who eats up the hours of extras on special edition releases - the same documentaries that are glaringly missing from digital downloads.

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Apple DVD Studio Pro, Blu-Ray, Encore

Apple will post the list of required elements for entries in the 2008 Insomnia Film Festival. Then you and your team will have the next 24 hours to make and upload your 3-minute movie. That's the easy part.

Register by November 13 to participate. The Festival begins November 15.

Labels: Apple, Contest, Festival

Join Boris for a free webinar and discover the power of Boris plug-ins...

• Wednesday, September 10th: Apple Final Cut Pro with Boris Plug-ins
• Wednesday, September 17th: Adobe After Effects with Boris Plug-ins
• Thursday, September 18th: Avid Editing Systems with Boris Plug-ins
• Wednesday, September 24th: Apple Final Cut Pro with Boris Plug-ins
• Wednesday, October 1st: Adobe After Effects with Boris Plug-ins
• Thursday, October 2nd: Avid Editing Systems with Boris Plug-ins

Space is limited. Register Now!

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Boris, Webinar

From JimG on his Final Cut User blog:

About Apple ProRes QuickTime Decoder 1.0 for Mac
The Apple ProRes QuickTime Decoder software allows both Mac and Windows users to play Apple ProRes files through QuickTime. Apple ProRes is a visually lossless format that provides uncompressed HD quality at SD data rates.

It is an excellent choice for mastering and can easily be transcoded to distribution formats like H.264. With new support for playback on both Mac and Windows computers, Apple ProRes can also be used for review and approval of Final Cut Studio sequences.

About Apple ProRes QuickTime Decoder 1.0 for Windows
The Apple ProRes QuickTime Decoder software allows both Mac and Windows users to play Apple ProRes files through QuickTime. Apple ProRes is a visually lossless format that provides uncompressed HD quality at SD data rates.

It is an excellent choice for mastering and can easily be transcoded to distribution formats like H.264. With new support for playback on both Mac and Windows computers, Apple ProRes can also be used for review and approval of Final Cut Studio sequences.

So now we have ProRes as cross platform for playback and review this also must have been sparked from Final Cut Server being released as well earlier this summer.Will ProRes one day be able to be written from the PC/Windows side of things only time will tell…..still this a very nice step in the right direction for Apple and the Pro user market working cross platform.For those without FCP on the system another answer to viewing ProRes files without the FCP install.

ProRes QT Decoder for Windows

ProRes QT Decoder for Mac

Labels: Apple

Apple is holding a free News and Sports Editing Seminar, so if you want to edit out those cutaways of Michael Phelps mother, this should help :-) I kid, I kid!

Hosted by industry pioneer Joe Torelli, this two-part seminar series will show you the steps to quickly mastering Final Cut Pro in the fast-paced news and sports editing environment.

Register here for the seminar.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Pro, Training

The Pro Applications Update 2008-02 (138MB) are now available directly through Mac OS X's 'Software Update' feature or from Apple's website.

Pro Applications Updates improve reliability for Apple's professional applications and are recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Server, and Logic Studio.

Pro Applications Update 2008-02 addresses installation issues, compatibility updates, and general performance issues and improves overall stability.

Applications included in the update: Final Cut Pro 6.0.4 & Compressor 3.0.3

Apple Final Cut Pro Server 1.1 (50.1MB) has also been updated.

Labels: Apple, Compressor, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio

Users of Adobe's Photoshop and inDesign are reporting that the Leopard 10.5.3 update causes their files to be corrupted when loaded from and then saved back to network volumes. Downgrading to 10.5.2 seems to solve this problem. Adobe advises against saving directly to servers, and recommends saving locally and then transferring to the server. More information can be found at the Macworld website.

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Bug, Leopard, Photoshop, Update

David Basulto shows how he used multiple keyers in Apple Motion, including Red Giant Software Primatte Keyer Pro 4. He cuts in FCP and brings it into Motion. His footage is shot over a green sheet and pretty badly lit. He shows several keyers, but Primatte Pro takes care of the job the best.

• Download a free demo of Primatte Keyer Pro
• More on Primatte Keyer Pro in our Plug-in Finder
• Buy Primatte Keyer Pro

One awesome thing about Red Giant plug-ins are that you buy a single license and it will work in multiple host apps on the same computer! It supports After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion and Avid.

Labels: Apple, Motion, Primatte Keyer, Red Giant

Hey... Rumor guys... Apple Professional Apps are here to stay.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio, Motion

Guests include Robert Sharp, President of Digieffects; Michael Horton, founder of the LA FCP User Group; and Carey Dissmore & Steve Griffiths of IMUG and the Media Motion Ball 2008 in Las Vegas at NAB.

Philip Hodgetts, President, Open Television Network discusses Avid's new customer outreach strategy and what he's cooking up himself for NAB.

Michele Yamazki, VP Marketing/Web Develpment Czarina at Toolfarm.com talks about the latest Toolfarm news and other happenings.

Robert Sharp, President of Digieffects discusses his acquisiton of DigiEffects and why it's "not your father's Digieffects"

Michael Horton, Founder, Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group talks to Plugged-in. You might know him as Grady Fletcher, Lt. Daniels, or even Rick Jones, but we know him as the 'Godfather' of User Groups and Michael is here to tell us about the FCPUGNetwork NAB Supermeet 7.

Carey Dissmore & Steve Griffiths, Founders,iMug Online & Co-Chair, Media Motion Ball 2008, stop by and talk about the classiest dinner event at NAB now in its 11th year.

CALL US TOLL FREE: 877-809-8145

Listen now!

Labels: Apple, DigiEffects, Final Cut Pro, NAB, Podcast, User Group

This update to Plugin Manager improves reliability for Apple's professional applications and is recommended for all users of Final Cut Studio, Final Cut Express, Aperture, Logic Studio and related SDKs.

Labels: Apple, Apple Aperture, Apple Logic Studio, Final Cut Express, Final Cut Pro

I wouldn't miss it for the world! The IMUG Media Motion Ball and meeting up with our vendors and customers for a couple of days is worth the trip. It's a shame Apple won't be there. Last year I demo'd FxPlug plug-ins at their booth and had a great time. I'll miss them, but I can imagine it must be crazy expensive to rent booth space and pay for transportation and hotel rooms for all of their employees. I can't blame them. They'll be missed but I'll still be there.

Labels: Apple, Avid, Event, NAB

Guests: Philip Hodgetts, Michele Yamazaki, Michael Mongillo and Daren Dochterman Listen now

Show 18 highlights include:

Philip Hodgetts, President, Open Television Network
Philip discusses the NAB pull outs by Avid & Apple and investigates the rumors that Apple may be selling the Pro Apps.

Michele Yamazaki, VP of Marketing/Content Creator and Web Czarina @ Toolfarm
Michele talks about the killer new MyToolfarm

Michael Mongillo, Director, Mean Time Productions
Indy Director from Connecticut, Michael talks about making a movie with Michael Madsen and how to get your productions off the ground.
ORIGINALLY AIRED ON CONNECTICUT PRODUCTION SCENE--JULY 2006

Daren Dochterman
Conceptual Artist, 2D & 3D Animator, BetaFive
Daren discusses updating Star Trek: The Motion Picture and his role on other major motion pictures.
ORIGINALLY AIRED ON CREATIVE COW'S RED HOT ROUND-UP--JANUARY 2007

CALL US TOLL FREE: 877-809-8145

TRT: 88 min.

Labels: Apple, Avid, Event, MyToolfarm, NAB, Podcast

Need we say more.

Labels: After Effects, Apple, QuickTime

Time for Show 17! MacWorld Part Deux. Live from the CalDigit Booth #S-2610 at MACWORLD 2008 in San Francisco!

Thank You Jon Schilling & CalDigit!

Show 17 highlights include:

• Jon Thorn Macintosh Product Manager, AJA
• Shane Ross, Editor
• Neil Bauman, Founder-Insight Cruises
• Ned Soltz, Writer

Labels: After Effects, Apple, Final Cut Pro, Podcast

Noise Industries FxFactory 2.0.2

The latest update to FxFactory brings five new plug-ins to existing FxFactory Pro 2 customers and improved versions of the CoreMelt Motion and Editing Packs with high-precision rendering, contextual parameter UI and a redesigned masking system.

There is a new demo available for FxFactory 2.0.2.

idustrial revolution SupaWipe

SupaWipe is a brand new plug-in by idustrial revolution, and quite simply the coolest object transition for Final Cut Pro 6 and Final Cut Express 4. Effects that would require manual keyframing, multiple layers and lots of setup time can now be accomplished with a few clicks.

SUGARfx World Cup

The jaw-dropping 3D theme by SUGARfx has been completely redesigned for Mac OS X Leopard and Final Cut Studio 2, with plenty of options to adapt the theme to your projects.

The new World Cup is available in two flavors: World Cup 1.6 LC, a simpler version (a free update for current customers) and SUGARfx World Cup 2.0 Studio, the advanced version with more theme elements and parameters.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Pro, FxPlug, Leopard, Motion, Noise Industries, Universal

The Videoguys rated the top 10 video products of 1007.

1. Adobe Production Premium CS3
2. Apple Final Cut Studio 2
3. Matrox RT.X2 with Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and Encore CS3
4. Sony Vegas Pro 8
5. Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks & Colorista
6. Newtek TriCaster Studio
7. Pinnacle Studio 11 MovieBox Ultimate
8. Black Magic Intensity Pro
9. Pioneer BDR-202 Blu-Ray Disc Burner
10. Canon HV20 HDV Camcorder

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Colorista, Final Cut Studio, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Red Giant, Sony Vegas

The 7th annual FCPUG Macworld SuperMeet January, 16, 2008 from 7:00PM - 10:00PM (doors open at 5PM) at the Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco, CA.

Join LAFCPUG and the Boston, SF Cutters and FCP UGs from around the world at Macworld for the largest gathering of FCP users and Gurus on the Planet.

Labels: Apple, Event, SF Cutters

Customers purchasing Sapphire v2 for FCP now will also receive the FxPlug version when released

Cambridge, MA. January 8, 2008 -- GenArts, Inc., a leading provider of visual effects plug-ins for the film, broadcast and video industries, today announced an upcoming version of Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple FxPlug products including Final Cut Pro and Motion.

GenArts is offering the new FxPlug version at no additional charge to customers who purchase or upgrade to Sapphire v2 for After Effects and compatible products. Currently Sapphire Plug-ins supports Final Cut Pro through the After Effects API, but the FxPlug version will provide additional features such as drag-on Transition effects for FCP, support for Motion, and effects categorized as Generators, Filters and Transitions. The forthcoming version for FxPlug products will contain over 200 image processing and synthesis effects, including the latest effects in the Sapphire Plug-ins suite such as FilmDamage, ZDefocus, Cartoon, BleachBypass, GradientMulti, SwishPan, Light3D, Deband and Vignette.

A preview of the new version can be seen at the Macworld FCPUG SuperMeet on January 16th at the Mission Bay Conference Center in San Francisco. The FxPlug version of Sapphire Plug-ins is planned for release in the first half of 2008.

About GenArts, Inc.

Founded in 1996 in Cambridge, Mass., GenArts, Inc. is the premier provider of digital visual effects plug-ins for the film, broadcast and video industries. Their product, Sapphire Plug-ins, equips digital artists with a collection of over 200 state-of-the-art image processing and synthesis effects such as: Glows, EdgeRays, LensFlare, Lightning, FilmEffect, Warps and Textures. The effects seamlessly integrate into a number of editing and compositing systems including: Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro and Premiere Elements; Apple Final Cut Pro and Shake; Avid AVX Products; Autodesk Compositing & Editing Systems and Combustion; Eyeon Fusion; and Quantel generationQ products.

Sapphire Plug-ins have become the industry standard for high-end visual effects creation by providing unrivaled image quality, a unique organic look, and ease of use. They have been used extensively in an array of television programs, music videos and feature films, including: Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, and 3, Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3, Superman Returns, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars Episode I, II and III, Sin City, The Matrix trilogy, X-Men 1, 2 and 3, Titanic, Lost and CSI.

Additional GenArts product information can be found at www.genarts.com.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Studio, FxPlug, GenArts, Motion

Posted by Ko Maruyama to the AE List:

The next MGLA - well, it's no longer MGLA. It's a group that meets every third Tuesday of the month to talk about Motion Graphics and other digital graphics creation and content. As Chris explained to the group in December's meeting, the name "MGLA" was originally intended for the continuation of the group, but there'll be a new name for the group soon.

The user group continues in 2008 with a kickoff meeting by our two major sponsors. Adobe Systems and MAXON Computer are coming to give the Power Integration Tour presentation. It promises to be a big one, with several of the CINEMA 4D users from the Hollywood community spreading the word around and to be in attendance.

Chris is graciously giving us time to keep the same format on the web pages - until Warren can figure out how to flick the switch to the new site design, and more importantly what the new name is going to be! :) For now, the sites appear the same on http://www.mgla.org and http://www.mgla2.org.

The next meeting will be on January 15, 2008 from 7:00 - 10:00pm (yes, the night of the first day of the MacWorld Expo, so there'll be plenty to talk about).

It's the same spot - Barnsdall Art Gallery Theater in Hollywood, California. If you need directions, they're still on the website. We'll have prizes from both MAXON and Adobe, as well as other prize sponsors! (Including Toolfarm!)

Okay, so what's the new name going to be, Ko?

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Maxon Cinema 4D, MGLA

Oh, this is a fun one! Keith Larsen & Alan Spaulding of Plugged-In talk to loads of people. Check out this crazy guest list!

• Greg Clarke, Intelligent Assistance
• Michele Yamazaki, Toolfarm
• Jim Kanter, Digital Film Institute
• Michael Horton, LAFCPUG
• Frank Capria, XProve & KingPin Interactive
• Andrew Marcus, Buck & Buck
• Anne Renehan, Apple
• Gary Adcock, Studio37
• Mik Vitti, VittiPhoto Productions
• Chuck Whitlock, AJA Video Systems
• Jon Thorn, AJA Video Systems
• Nick Rashby, AJA Video Systems
• Dan Berube, BOSFCPUG
• Brian Maffitt, Total Training
• Steve Martin, Ripple Training
• Ben Kozuch, Future Media Concepts
• Christopher Phrommayon, Apple
• Gene Czarnecki, CZAR Productions
• Daren Dochterman, BetaFive.com
  
• Stephanie Joyce, SmartSound
• Rob Birnholz, Absolute Motion Graphics
• Don Peebles, Apple
• Bob Donlon, Adobe
• Terry Curren, AlphaDogs
• Anita Engleman, Adobe
• Douglas Spotted Eagle, VASST
• Larry Jordan, Larry Jordan Associates
• Jerry Hofmann, JLH Productions
• John Dickinson, Motionworks
• Ko Maruyama, MGLA
• Chris & Trish Meyer, Cybermotion
• Kiki Stockhammer, NewTek
• Rich Lenoce, Middlesex Community College
• Ramy Katrib, Digital Film Tree
• Carey Dissmore, Carey Dissmore Productions
• Kevin Monahan, SF Cutters
• Steve Jobs, Apple
• Jon Higgins, Northeast Utilities Corporate Communications
• Lacey Girard, Northeast Utilities Corporate Communications
• Daina Dodge, Northeast Utilities Corporate Communications

Labels: Adobe, Apple, John Dickinson, Ko Maruyama, Podcast, SF Cutters, Total Training

San Francisco, CA, December 4, 2007 - Red Giant Software Magic Bullet Looks was recently awarded a 2007 Vanguard Award by Digital Content Producer. Vanguard Awards go to the most groundbreaking new products for video production professionals that are released in the calendar year.

Magic Bullet Looks is a revolutionary, new color correction tool. Looks' powerful tools can be used on-set or in the edit suite to subtly adjust tone, color and focus to simulate the appearance of classic films or duplicate specific production conditions. Users can choose from more than a hundred Look presets, all neatly organized into 10 categories, to help set the mood for anything from a wedding video to the next Sundance original. For more information, please visit Magic Bullet Looks in our Plug-in Finder.

Other Vanguard winners include:

• Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium
• Adobe Flash Player 9
• AJA Video Systems Io HD
• Apple Final Cut Studio 2
• Blackmagic Design Intensity Pro
• Ciprico MediaVault 5100 series
• Microsoft Silverlight
• Panasonic AVC-Intra
• Panasonic BT-LH80W
• Red Digital Cinema Red One
• Sony BVM-L230
• Sony PMW-EX1 and SxS flash memory card

About Red Giant Software

Red Giant Software LLC (http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/) is a San Francisco-based company that develops professional tools for digital video production. Products are available as plug-ins for popular video editing and effects applications including After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, and Avid. All tools are based on production-proven technology developed by visual effects veterans.

All product and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Creative Suite, Final Cut Studio, Magic Bullet Looks, Red Giant

Here's the official press release:

Noise Industries released FxFactory 2 with support for Final Cut Express 4 as well as Final Cut Studio applications and Mac OS X Leopard and Tiger. It also FxFactory Pro has been completely redesigned with better rendering quality, better performance, contextual parameter interface, better compositing features and much more.

FxFactory 2 supports Final Cut Express 4 as well as Final Cut Studio. A single product will let you use the same plug-ins in three hosts: Final Cut Pro, Motion and Final Cut Express.

FxFactory 2 runs on Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard as well as Mac OS X 10.4 Tiger. Look for improved performance and new, exclusive plug-ins when running under the new version of Mac OS X. FxFactory sports a new plug-in management interface which lets you browse installed plug-ins and see thumbnail previews of all the visual effects on your system.

The new effect browser displays relevant status information and lets you search, for example, for all transitions available in a given plug-in package. A quick look to the effect categories can help you determine where each plug-in is found inside Final Cut Pro, Motion and Final Cut Express.

The new version of FxFactory is fully compatible with your existing plug-in collection. Look for updated versions of your favorite plug-ins by CoreMelt, idustrial revolution, SUGARfx and Futurismo Zugakousaku to take full advantage of the new features in FxFactory 2.

What's new in FxFactory Pro?

• FxFactory Pro 2.0 includes 122 filters, generators and transitions. 50 plug-ins are new to this release. All FxFactory Pro plug-ins now support high-precision rendering and are fully customizable.
• Contextual parameter UI. When running FxFactory Pro plug-ins inside Final Cut Studio 2 and Final Cut Express, users can now enjoy a simplified parameter interface: parameters will be disabled and/or hidden when they are not relevant to the current effect configuration.
• Masking. A new masking engine is now part of many FxFactory Pro plug-ins. This advanced functionality saves an extra compositing step without sacrificing performance
• Better quality. Many plug-ins in FxFactory Pro are now capable of field-based rendering, a technique which provides better performance and better quality by avoiding filtering artifacts. The improved plug-ins require Final Cut Studio 2 applications and Final Cut Express.
• Super-fast glows. A new, completely redesigned "NI Glow" category sports a series of highly optimized glow and light spill variants. The ubiquitous "Glow" effect is fast, flexible yet simple to use, and capable of high-precision rendering.
• Improved classics. Some of our most popular plug-ins were improved or completely redesigned according to your feedback. For instance, new versions of Perspective Reflection and Videoconference sport a much easier configuration. New options and features make many old favorites better than ever.
• Better development features. This new version brings dozens of improvements for plug-in developers: an improved editing interface, new Core Image units for Quartz Composer, new or improved custom parameters and access to the latest features available with Final Cut Studio 2 applications and Final Cut Express (such as contextual parameter UI and field-based rendering techniques).

Upgrading from FxFactory Pro 1.0
Current FxFactory Pro 1.0 customers may upgrade to FxFactory Pro 2.0 for only $129. Upgrade pricing is available at our online store.

Please note that if you purchased FxFactory Pro 1.0 on or after September 15th, 2007 you are entitled to a free upgrade. Please email sales@noiseindustries.com to request your registration code.

FxFactory Pro no longer bundles the Motion and Editing Packs. Although the Motion and Editing packs are now available separately from CoreMelt, this change does not affect users upgrading from FxFactory Pro 1.0, who will retain their license to the Motion and Editing Packs acquired when purchasing FxFactory Pro 1.0. The CoreMelt Motion and Editing Pack plug-ins may now be found under the effect categories that begin with "CM" (e.g. CM Glow).

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Pro, FxFactory, FxPlug, Motion, Noise Industries

Apple released Mac OS 10.4.11 Update, an update to DVD Studio Pro, Color, Compressor, Cinema Tools and Motion. Check out HD for Indies for all of the details.

Labels: Apple, Apple Cinema Tools, Apple Color, Apple DVD Studio Pro, Compressor, Final Cut Studio, Motion

Apple today released Final Cut Express 4, a significant upgrade to its powerful video editing software based on Apple's award-winning Final Cut Pro 6, with a new low price of $199. Final Cut Express 4 adds support for the latest AVCHD cameras, allows mixing of standard and high definition content on a single timeline, includes the ability to import iMovie '08 projects, and gives users access to hundreds of sophisticated FxPlug cinematic effects and filters.
"Almost a million digital filmmakers have made Final Cut their editing application of choice," said Rob Schoeben, Apple's vice president of Applications Product Marketing. "With the introduction of Final Cut Express 4, Apple makes it easy for anyone to join the rapidly growing community of Final Cut editors worldwide."

The new Open Format Timeline in Final Cut Express 4 allows users to mix and match DV, HDV and AVCHD material*, all in realtime using the same industry-leading editing and trimming tools found in Final Cut Pro. Supporting both 1080i and 720p HD resolutions, Final Cut Express 4 automatically performs the necessary scaling, cropping and frame rate adjustments. When starting projects from scratch, the new simplified setup automatically configures everything based on the first clip dropped on the Timeline.

Final Cut Express 4 makes it easy to import iMovie '08 projects and enhance them with advanced editing capabilities such as multiple layers of video and graphics, picture in picture effects and animated titles. It includes over 50 new FxPlug filters, including Soft Focus, Vignette and Light Rays, with hundreds more available from a rapidly expanding FxPlug developer community. With enhanced audio controls, users can automatically raise any clip to its maximum level without distortion using the new Soft Normalize and Gain controls. Final Cut Express 4 also features LiveType 2, which provides an intuitive environment for creating dynamic and fun animated titles and includes an extensive library of animated fonts, textures, templates and effects.

Pricing & Availability
Final Cut Express 4 is available immediately for a suggested retail price of $199 (US) through the Apple Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores and Apple Authorized Resellers. Owners of previous versions of Final Cut Express can upgrade to Final Cut Express 4 for just $99 (US). Full system requirements and more information on Final Cut Express 4 can be found at Toolfarm.com.

*AVCHD is only supported on Intel-based Macs.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Express, Universal

LME's 102 Innovative transitions for Apple Motion easily applied to footage layers. The collection includes flashes, light bursts, color and time distortions, zoom blurs, halftone grunge, implosions, color thresholds, funhouse mirror extremes, circular zooms, pixel distortions, broadcast mutations and dozens of others.

These transition presets are not available with Apple's Motion application. They are crafted using dozens of the available Motion effect plug-ins that come with the application.

LME did the experimenting so you don't have to, with 102 innovative transitions not available in any other collection. Some look like the transitions you see on television, commericals and other broadcast design, plus dozens of dazzling original ones never seen before.

Labels: Apple, LME, Motion, Preset

Winning Software Solution Will be Announced October 25 in London

San Antonio, Texas - October 24, 2007 - NewTek, Inc., manufacturer of industry-leading video and 3D animation products, announced today that its LightWave v9 has been nominated as one of five finalists for the 3D Software of the Year Award by MacUser, a leading European computer trade publication. The latest version of LightWave 3D, designed to provide optimized speed and 3D graphics performance to users of the latest generation of Intel®-based Macs as well as PCs, takes full advantage of the advancements in Apple's operating system and development environment. The 3D Software of the Year will be determined by the publication's readers and unveiled at a gala event at The Hurlingham Club in Ranelagh Gardens in London on October 25.

"This recognition by the editorial staff of MacUser reflects the overall positive response we've received among the Mac audience for the faster rendering speeds, multi-core support and overall increased performance of our Universal application of LightWave v9 offers," said Jay Roth, President, NewTek 3D Division. "Mac users are at the forefront of pushing the limits, and setting new standards, for graphics hardware and software. We're confident we'll do well in the end-user voting for this award."

Pricing and Availability
LightWave v9 is available now from resellers and distributors worldwide for a suggested retail price of $895US for full units and $395US for upgrades from previous versions of LightWave. The Universal Binary version of LightWave is available to registered owners of LightWave v9 at no additional charge.

About NewTek
With headquarters in San Antonio, Texas, NewTek is an Emmy® Award-winning and leading provider of full-featured video editing, live production, presentation, animation and special effects tools including TriCaster, TriCaster PRO, TriCaster STUDIO, VT[4], SpeedEDIT, 3D Arsenal, and LightWave 3D®.

About MacUser
For 22 years MacUser has dominated the Macintosh publishing sector, and it is now the longest-standing Apple title in the world. Its unique fortnightly frequency allows MacUser to be first to market with the latest, and frequently exclusive, news and reviews. The magazine boasts the largest and most experienced editorial team in the UK market, and its rigorous approach to product-testing ensures the highest-quality Mac product reviews available anywhere in the UK. MacUser educates its professional readers to make the right buying decisions and inspires them to stretch their knowledge and enjoyment of Mac computing.

Labels: Apple, LightWave, NewTek

Final Cut Server is server software designed to run on Mac OS X, with concurrent-use licenses for client computers. The client software runs on both Mac and Windows computers. Final Cut Server will be available by early 2008.

This looks awesome! Check out our other Apple products.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Studio

Download this PDF about Adobe's support for Leopard and which need patches.

Labels: Adobe, Apple

From John Nack's Blog

Does Adobe recommend running Production Premium or Master Collection before its updates are available?

A. Yes, we are comfortable recommending this. Our testing revealed a few issues in specific workflows when running the video professional applications on Mac OS X Leopard. Many video professionals would not encounter these issues on a day-to-day basis, but we want to provide updates in December 2007 to address these issues and meet our standards of quality. You can evaluate the issues by visiting www.adobe.com/go/support and searching the online knowledgebase for more information.

What about older versions of Adobe software? The FAQ says,

While older Adobe applications may install and run on Mac OS X Leopard, they were designed, tested, and released to the public several years before this new operating system became available. You may, therefore, experience a variety of installation, stability, and reliability issues for which there is no resolution. Older versions of our creative software will not be updated to support Mac OS X.

I can't speak for other app teams, but while we naturally concentrated our testing on Photoshop CS3 (and beyond), we also tested CS2 a fair bit. The only significant problem we discovered is that Photoshop's Web Photo Gallery module can crash while running under Leopard. We plan to post an updated version that fixes the crash, but that won't go up until Monday. In case you're impatient, I've attached the file here/ (link should be live in a minute).

Also, check out Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard: Information to collect before an Erase and Install

Labels: Adobe, Apple

This is a poll I've been running at AE Freemart and I thought we could get some more input by Toolfarm visitors.

more at twiigs.com...

Labels: Apple, Motion, Poll

Darrin Cardani held a Introduction to FxPlug session on how to write an FxPlug plug-in for the Los Angeles CocoaHeads on September 13, 2007. For any plug-in developers who are interested in writing plug-ins for Final Cut Pro and/or Motion (including porting your After Effects plug-ins), this is a must watch.

Learn more about FxPlug in our Plug-in Finder.

Labels: Apple, Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Studio, FxPlug, Motion

Michael Horton posted to our forum about the next LAFCPUG meeting... that's Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group for anyone unschooled in acronyms (laugh-ka-pug?)

This seriously looks like a "Don't Miss" event... Next Wednesday, September 26. All of the details are in Michael's forum post.

Michael was recently interviewed on our podcast, Plugged-in and ditor and co-host of Digital Production BuZZ.

Labels: Adobe, After Effects, Apple, Motion

Apple Logic Studio is a complete suite of professional tools for musicians to create, produce, and perform in the studio and on the stage. It includes Logic Pro 8, MainStage, Soundtrack Pro 2, Studio Instruments, Studio Effects, Studio Sound Library, Compressor 3, and Waveburner.
Upgrades: Apple Logic Studio Upgrade from Logic Pro 6/7 or Logic Platinum/Gold 5/6 | Apple Logic Studio Upgrade from Logic Express


Logic Express 8 is a full-featured yet easy-to-use tool that provides musicians a powerful and approachable way to make music at an incredibly attractive price. Logic Express also includes 100 instruments and effects from Logic Studio.
Upgrade: Apple Logic Express Upgrade from Logic Express 7, Logic Express 6, Logic Audio 6, or Logic Audio 5

Labels: Apple, Apple Logic Express, Apple Logic Studio

Jim says, "Everyone loves growing vectors, lighting and grunge textures so I made a preset/project for Motion 3"

Download the project file (Motion 3 only, zipped)

View a Quicktime Sample (pops)

Labels: Apple, Free, Jim Geduldick, Motion, Preset

Company to demonstrate their VFX plug-ins on a wide range of products in booth 321

Cambridge, MA. July 17, 2007 - GenArts, Inc., a leading provider of visual effects plug-ins for the film, broadcast and video industries, will be exhibiting at SIGGRAPH 2007, being held August 7-9 at the San Diego Convention Center. GenArts will feature Sapphire Plug-ins, a collection of over 200 image processing and synthesis effects, on a wide range of host platforms in the Plug-in Pavilion, booth 321. For over a decade, GenArts Sapphire Plug-ins have set the standard for sophisticated, organic visual effects which natively integrate with the industry's leading editing and compositing systems. Visitors to the booth will be given demonstrations of the latest Sapphire Plug-ins releases for: Adobe After Effects & Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro & Shake, Avid AVX Products, and Autodesk Combustion.

About GenArts, Inc.
Founded in 1996 in Cambridge, Mass., GenArts, Inc. is the premier provider of digital visual effects plug-ins for the film, broadcast and video industries. Their product, Sapphire Plug-ins, equips digital artists with a collection of over 200 state-of-the-art image processing and synthesis effects such as: Glows, EdgeRays, LensFlare, Lightning, FilmEffect, Warps and Textures. The effects seamlessly integrate into a number of editing and compositing systems including: Adobe® After Effects® and Premiere® Pro; Apple® Final Cut Pro® and Shake®; Avid® AVX Products; Autodesk® Compositing & Editing Systems and Combustion®; Eyeon® Fusion®; Sony® XPRI®; and Quantel® generationQ products.

Sapphire Plug-ins have become the industry standard for high-end visual effects creation by providing unrivaled image quality, a unique organic look, and ease of use. They have been used extensively in an array of television programs, music videos and feature films, including: Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, and 3, Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3, Superman Returns, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Star Wars – Episode I, II and III, Sin City, The Matrix trilogy, X-Men 1, 2 and 3, Titanic, Lost and CSI.

Labels: Adobe, After Effects, Apple, Avid, Combustion, Event, Final Cut Pro, GenArts, Premiere Pro, Sapphire, Shake