Sale Pricing (Note: Prices have been revised to reflect 30% discount)
Tiffen Dfx Digital Filter Suite for AE, FCP, or Avid - $419.97 (reg. $599.95) Hosts to choose from: After Effects v2, Final Cut Pro v2, Avid Editing Systems
Tiffen Dfx Plug-in for Photoshop or Aperture - $209.97 (reg. $299.95) Hosts to choose from: Photoshop v2, Apple Aperture v2
Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid DS brings nearly 200 filters to Avid DS Version 10.2.1 and higher. BCC AVX is bundled with all Avid Media Composer and Symphony systems. With a BCC AVX for DS license, Avid facilities are now able to conform sequences with AVX 2.0-based BCC effects for finishing in Avid DS. Learn More about BCC AVX for Avid DS | Free Trial
Planning on attending the San Francisco SuperMeet on Friday, February 5th?
Today (Monday, January 4th) is the last day to get Early Bird $10 pricing on SuperMeet tickets. Earlybird pricing ends Tuesday morning Jan 5, 2010 at 2:00AM PST.
After that, it goes up to $15.00, or $20 at Door. Get your tickets now!
The San Francisco SuperMeet promises to be the single largest Bay Area social gathering of digital filmmakers, content creators, Final Cut Studio, Adobe and Avid Gurus and users in all of 2010.
SPEND THE DAY WITH US IN SAN FRANCISCO Sign up for Free SuperWorkshops during the day by Canon, Adobe, Autodesk & Red Giant, some sessions almost filled & your choices will be narrowing soon!
WORLD FAMOUS RAFFLE Don't forget! We will be raffling away tens of thousands of dollars in prizes at the SuperMeet. Prizes include:
Canon 5D Mark II HDSLR (with 2010 Firmware Update) and 24mm-105mm F4 L IS lense ($3,499 value)
AJA KiPro ProRes Recorder ($4,495 value)
Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium ($1,700 value)
Avid Media Composer 4 w/ Production Suite ($2,295 value)
AND A WHOLE LOT MORE!
Complete details and links to purchase tickets and sign up for workshops at: supermeet.com.
Thanks! Dan ---- Daniel Berube Co-Producer, SuperMeets BOSFCPUG
Conform Avid Media Composer Sequences with BCC Effects in Avid DS
Marlborough MA - November 30, 2009 - Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, today announced that Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid DS (BCC 6 AVX for DS) is now available for Avid's AVX 2.0 plug-in architecture. BCC 6 AVX for DS brings nearly 200 filters to Avid DS Version 10.2.1 and higher. BCC AVX is bundled with all Avid Media Composer and Symphony systems. With a BCC AVX for DS license, Avid facilities are now able to conform sequences with AVX 2.0-based BCC effects for finishing in Avid DS.
In addition to AVX 2.0 support, BCC 6 AVX for DS introduces all-new Lens Blur, Lens Transition, and Lens Shape filters that emulate lens blur or rack defocus effects as well as a suite of time-based effects such as Optical Flow, Optical Stabilizer, and Motion Key.
"Five years ago, Avid selected Boris Continuum Complete AVX as the bundled effects package for Avid Media Composer and Symphony systems – based on the versatility and image quality of the filters. Thousands of Avid editors rely on BCC AVX every day," commented Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder, Boris FX. "With the release of the AVX 2.0 version of BCC 6 AVX for DS, offline and online sequences with AVX 2.0-based BCC effects can now be conformed in Avid DS, extending Avid's Total Conform capabilities. BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS also introduces highly sought after Lens Blur, Lens Shape, and time-based effects."
New Feature Highlights
Conform Offline and Online BCC Effects. BCC AVX is bundled with all Avid Media Composer and Symphony systems. With a BCC 6 AVX for DS license, Avid facilities are now able to conform sequences with AVX 2.0-based BCC effects for finishing in Avid DS.
Lens Blur Filter. BCC Lens Blur emulates a lens blur or rack defocus effect where out-of-focus highlights of an image clip take on the shape of the lens.
Lens Shape Filter. Like BCC Lens Blur, BCC Lens Shape emulates a lens blur or rack defocus effect where out of focus highlights of an image clip take on the shape of the lens. However, the Lens Shape filter uses an image input for the highlight shape.
Lens Transition Filter. The BCC Lens Transition wipe filter applies a lens blur or rack defocus effect to the specular highlights of outgoing and incoming image clips.
Motion Key Filter. BCC Motion Key is a "magical" effect that removes moving cars or other objects from a scene by automatically painting them out with Optical Flow technology.
Optical Stabilizer Filter. Remove camera shake from a hand-held shot, lock a shot as if it was taken from a tripod, or smooth the motion of a panning or rolling shot. Image resizing and cropping is automatically calculated and rendered with high-quality up-scale methods.
Optical Flow Filter. BCC Optical Flow facilitates high-quality speed-up or slow-down of footage in forward or reverse direction, accurately constructing synthetic frames of video that would correspond to an over-cranked film camera shot. Missing frames of video are reconstructed based on “motion vector” fields.
DeInterlace Filter. BCC DeInterlace is a high-quality de-interlacing filter that blends high-motion parts of an image while keeping low-motion areas sharp.
Motion Blur Filter. Based on Optical Flow motion vectors, BCC Motion Blur creates an in-camera motion blur effect from video shot with normal shutter speed.
Other New Time-based Effects include Jitter, Jitter Basic, Looper, Posterize Time, Sequencer, Temporal Blur, Time Displacement, Trails, Trails Basic, and Velocity Remap.
32-bit Float Image Format. BCC 6 AVX's OpenGL filters now render images in 32-bit float.
Pricing and Availability
BCC 6 AVX for DS is immediately available through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct from the Boris FX web site at www.borisfx.com for an MSRP of $2,495 USD. BCC 6 AVX for DS users can download a free upgrade to the new AVX 2.0-based version. Owners of previous versions of BCC AVX for DS can upgrade for an MSRP of $599 USD. The AVX 2.0 version of BCC 6 AVX for DS supports Avid DS Version 10.2.1 and higher under Windows XP Professional v64 Edition. A full-functioning 14-day trial version is available as a free download.
About Boris FX
Founded in 1995, Boris FX is the leading developer of integrated graphics and effects technology, delivering 3D compositing and vector graphic products for broadcast, post-production, film, and multimedia. Boris products have grown to serve millions of artists worldwide. The company's success lies in its ability to integrate and leverage technologies through strong partnerships with industry-leading developers such as Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Grass Valley, and Sony.
Sale Pricing (Note: Prices have been revised to reflect 30% discount)
Tiffen Dfx Digital Filter Suite for AE, FCP, or Avid - $419.97 (reg. $599.95) Hosts to choose from: After Effects v2, Final Cut Pro v2, Avid Editing Systems
Tiffen Dfx Plug-in for Photoshop or Aperture - $209.97 (reg. $299.95) Hosts to choose from: Photoshop v2, Apple Aperture v2
The Video Editor's Wish List of Tools & Techniques in One Package
La Jolla, CA - November 04, 2009 - NewBlue, Inc. today launched Video Essentials III, the third and latest offering in its best-selling Video Essentials series of video effects and transitions plugins. NewBlue Video Essentials III provides highly-practical video tools designed to solve everyday production issues. The collection includes Rolling Shutter, Image Mapper, Edge Smoother, Split Screen, Gradient Tint, Spotlight and three additional video effects plugins.
Available for all major video editing software platforms, including Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Premiere Elements, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Final Cut Express, Avid Media Composer, Avid NewsCutter, Avid Symphony, Avid Xpress, Avid Liquid, Corel (formerly Ulead) VideoStudio, Pinnacle Studio, Sony Vegas, Sony Vegas Movie Studio and Canopus EDIUS, NewBlue Video Essentials III improves and enhances video footage while reducing overall project time.
Who says the sequel can't be as good as the original?, says Todor Fay, NewBlue's chief technology officer. "We built NewBlue Video Essentials III in response to the incredible feedback we received regarding our original Video Essentials effects plugins products. Video Essentials III represents the best-of-the-best of these wishlists."
Using NewBlue Video Essentials III, video editors and enthusiasts can easily fix motion distortion from CMOS cameras, soften jagged edges on text and graphics, effortlessly map the four corners of a video insert over a scene, selectively strengthen color and manipulate atmosphere and easily perform dozens of other tasks designed to optimize workflow.
NewBlue Video Essentials III joins the company's highly-regarded product line of nearly 20 exclusive video plugins collections and is value-priced at $79.95.
Included in NewBlue Video Essentials III are:
Image Mapper, which makes it easy to superimpose a smaller image within the scene, including curving the edges for flexible shapes.
Auto Contrast, which dynamically adjusts contrast and vibrance, helping achieve well-balanced visuals without tedious keyframing.
Edge Smoother, which selectively softens jaggy edges on text and graphics to blend the scenes together - the next best thing to true anti-aliasing.
Proportion Helper, which assists the scene composition and balance by providing practical guidelines to arrange elements.
Rolling Shutter, which repairs the common wobble and skew damage that affects many video cameras using CMOS sensors.
Split Screen, which elegantly divides the image in a few clicks for compositing - no messy math required.
Diffusion, which makes the clips bloom in seconds, whether it's giving a soft glow to wedding footage or an otherworldly aura to the next sci-fi epic.
Gradient Tint, which gives the power to bring out blue skies, selectively affect color ranges, and more, an invaluable evolution of a key photographer's filter.
Spotlight, which provides a versatile way to bring focus to the subjects and apply finishing touches such background blur.
Dual Booster, which provides an innovative way to independently affect darker and lighter parts of an image, going from subtle enhancements to artistic expression.
NewBlue, Inc. develops innovative audio, video and multimedia technologies for leading companies throughout the world. Founded in early 2002, NewBlue creates and licenses a range of proprietary technologies, including a series of NewBlueFX video technologies, the NewBlue Audio Engine and Audiomatrix technology platform, that meet the varied multimedia needs of mid-and large-sized companies. Experienced developers, musicians, artists, and software professionals with a unique and commanding set of skills, experience and talent comprise the NewBlue team.
The company unveiled its NewBlueFX product line in 2006 to meet the needs of digital video editing enthusiasts. The NewBlueFX collection of software plug-ins includes special audio and video effects, such as audio filters, noise reduction, equalization, compression and dozens of sophisticated graphic filters and transitions. To date, the NewBlueFX line includes 5 audio-oriented plug-in collections and 15 video-oriented effects and transitions collections for the Adobe Premiere, Avid Liquid, Avid Media Composer, Avid Xpress Pro, Pinnacle Studio and Sony Vegas desktop video product lines, as well as AVCHD UpShift, an AVCHD conversion utility.
Sapphire Version 3.02 Supports Avid's AVX2 Plug-In Interface on DS Systems and New Floating and Rental Licensing Options
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - October 20, 2009 - GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today GenArts Sapphire™ version 3.02 (v3.02) for Avid Systems. The upgrade extends support for Avid’s AVX2 plug-in interface to Avid DS v10.2.1 and later. This improves conform compatibility with effects generated from offline and online editing systems, allowing all Avid systems to seamlessly conform to DS and Symphony systems. GenArts Sapphire v3.02 also supports floating licenses and license rentals for all Avid systems.
While the prospect of creating sophisticated visual effects on Avid Media Composer and Symphony made the AVX2 plug-in interface popular among offline editors, it also created frustration for online editors using Avid DS systems, which only supported AVX1. Now, with Avid's recent release of DS v10.2.1 supporting AVX2 effects, GenArts Sapphire v3.02 for Avid makes it possible for the Sapphire effects used in any Avid project to work on any Avid system. Visit http://community.avid.com/forums/p/76089/425464.aspx for more details on the Avid DS v10.2.1 update.
With GenArts Sapphire v3.02, Avid DS users can:
Conform from Avid offline projects using AVX2. Online editors are now able to finish Avid projects without worrying which AVX version offline editors are working from; conversely, offline editors can now always use AVX2 (and the temporal Sapphire effects that go with it) to do their initial edits, since it is also available to online editors.
Take full advantage of effects that leverage alternate frame access. An additional 15 Sapphire plug-ins that are only supported on AVX2 are now available to DS users. These effects include the popular Feedback/Trails, TimeWarpRGB and TimeDisplace effects.
Open Avid project files that contain any version of Sapphire effects back to version 1, and automatically promote them to the latest version.
"Full AVX2 support makes it easier than ever to conform projects using the latest GenArts Sapphire plug-ins with Avid DS," said Derek Herr, Lead Compositing Editor at The Post Group. "We're thrilled that we no longer have to worry about AVX version issues between our offline and online editors. I've been waiting for this for a long time. Bravo!"
GenArts Sapphire v3.02 for Avid also supports floating licensing (via RLM servers) and license rentals for all Avid systems. For floating license users, this means maximum flexibility to support the dynamic requirements of temporary and freelance editors; lower support costs and less system downtime by seamlessly moving licenses from one machine to another; and visibility into license and upgrade budgets. License renters can take advantage of lower cost of entry for Avid users and maximum flexibility to assign the cost of using Sapphire licenses directly to a given project. Please visit www.genarts.com/product/sapphire/rent for more information on the Sapphire Rental Program and visit www.genarts.com/product/sapphire/float for more information on the advantages of a Sapphire floating license.
"GenArts Sapphire has become the specialized VFX software of choice for offline Avid editors around the world," said Steve Bannerman, CMO of GenArts. "Version 3 has enjoyed a tremendous adoption rate driven by the measurable productivity enhancements it delivers. Full support for AVX2 and the new licensing options available in v3.02 will raise the productivity bar even higher, offering the seamless support for DS systems that online artists have been hungry for."
Since the company's founding in 1996, GenArts software has been utilized in hundreds of films, television broadcasts and commercials, including more than 20 Oscar-nominated pieces such as Titanic; I, Robot; Armageddon; Star Wars Episode I, II and III; The Matrix trilogy; The Lord of the Rings trilogy; Pearl Harbor; Spider Man; Pirates of the Caribbean; Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban; Transformers; The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe; and many more.
About GenArts GenArts, Inc. is the premier provider of specialized digital visual effects for the film, broadcast and video industries. The GenArts Sapphire, Monsters and Raptors portfolio equips digital artists with a collection of state-of-the-art image processing and synthesis effects such as glows, light rays, lens flares, lightning, film damage, fire and fluid effects. The effects seamlessly integrate as software plug-ins into leading editing and compositing systems from Adobe, Apple, Avid, Autodesk, Assimilate, Eyeon, FilmLight, The Foundry, Quantel and SGO. The company was founded in 1996 in Cambridge, Mass. www.genarts.com.
Discover storytelling on the cutting edge. With the new Avid Media Composer 4 non-linear editing software, you get the speed, flexibility, and confidence you need to achieve your creative vision and deliver compelling content—on time and on budget. Media Composer 4 goes where other editors leave off, giving you the strongest editorial tools, the most dependable media management, and innovative features that let you do the unimaginable. That’s why the best and most successful producers, directors, and editors trust Media Composer software to create the world’s most watched, most loved films, TV shows, and commercials.
Boris Continuum Complete 6.0.5 AVX features new Animated Presets for 3D Objects, a revamped Optical Stabilizer filter, a new Swish Pan transition filter, and official support for Avid Media Composer 4, Avid Symphony 4, and Avid NewsCutter 8.
Revamped Optical Stabilizer Filter
BCC Optical Stabilizer, which automatically smooths or completely eliminates shaky camera motion, now provides more feedback during the image analysis process. In addition, a new Autoscale option automatically transform scales a locked down clip so that it fills the frame or composite window.
New Swish Pan Transition Filter
BCC Swish Pan lets you create fast, camera pan-style transitions between clips. The filter is fully automated and includes controls for the velocity of the pan with on-screen display of the ease-in and ease-out curve.
Animated Presets for 3D Objects
BCC 6 AVX's Animated Presets option has been extended to include the BCC 3D Objects category of filters. This powerful feature lets you save animated effects for use in other projects or BCC hosts.
Toolfarm is a sponsor of the fantastic Postapalooza conference! Here are some of the workshops in central lower Michigan. Trish Meyer is coming out for the conference, so get in on some of her sessions.
Introduction to Final Cut Pro 7.0
Ready to take on non-linear editing? Final Cut Pro is quickly becoming the editing standard and this workshop will get you up and running fast. Topics include interface basics, understanding the basic editing on FCP, capturing media and making changes quickly. You'll also learn the core shortcuts you'll need to get started working on that first project.
After Effects: The Rendering Order
Creating complex animations is easy in After Effects - once you master nesting, precomposing, track mattes, compound effects, collapsing transformations, continuously rasterizating layers, plus parenting and behaviors. Many of these features manipulate or change the default rendering order - and when you run into a visual problem in After Effects, the problem is often caused by the way the program renders.
After Effects Essentials
Creating a Simple Project: Don't put it off any longer. Start learning the most used motion graphics application in the industry. This workshop will get you up and running quickly. In fact you'll be launching AE the minute you get back to the edit suite! Topics include starting a project, project files, working with assets, navigating the interface and understanding the Timeline.
Advanced Editing Techniques in FCP
Time to take your skills to the next level. Final Cut Pro has a lot of tools many editors simply don't use because they simply don't understand them. Here's your chance to separate yourself from the pack. In this workshop you'll see the benefits of sub-clipping, markers, mapping the keyboard and using FCP's multicam features. Don't ignore FCP's advanced features - master them.on that first project.
Motion: Get a Grip on 3D
If you're using Motion to create great motion graphics and program opens, you'll love transforming your skills to the next level - 3D. But isn't 3D confusing? It was, until now. In this workshop you'll never see your workspace the same. In this workshop you'll learn how to navigate and manage the 3D world with cameras and lights.
Color Correction in Final Cut Pro
Scopes, adjusting gain, fixing saturation, crushing blacks, what's it all mean? In this workshop you'll be color correcting video footage in no time. You'll even learn how to insure the color and luminance levels are correct and ready for broadcast. Color correcting footage can be an easy process once you understand how.
Photoshop for Video Editors
If there is one program you need to know besides an NLE system, this is it. The more you edit, the more you'll understand the need to know Adobe Photoshop. While mastering such an application could take years, here's your chance to learn exactly what an editor needs to know. You'll learn how to resize pictures for video, understand the basics of Alpha Channels and how to prep graphics for your NLE system.
Introduction to Motion
Introduction to Motion: Are you ready to unleash your creative side? Then look no further than Apple's Motion. If you're editing with Final Cut Pro it's time to embrace the power of Motion. Don't spend hours trying to figure out the in's and out's of the application - sign-up for this workshop and be up and running with Motion the minute you get back to your workstation.
AE: Beyond the Transparency
The core of compositing graphics is managing the transparency of multiple layers and objects. However, dealing with opacity just scratches the surface. There are plenty of tricks in After Effects for compositing layers in much more interesting ways, such as blending modes, track mattes, masks, stencils, preserve transparency, and even plug-ins. As a result, you will learn to create far more interesting composite imagery.
Apple: Working with Color
Color is Apple's newest program to be folded into the suite. Here's your chance to get a full understanding of Color's capabilities. While FCP's color correction tools are great, wait until you see Color's! Topics include navigating Color's interface, how to make primary and secondary corrections, how to fix noise, roundtripping and how to deal with color discrepancies.
Avid: Introduction to the Media Composer
Tired of turning down those high paying gigs that are looking for an Avid editor? In this workshop you'll be up and running on the world's most popular editing system in no time. Learn how Avid captures media, makes editing a snap and how easy it is to make changes. Don't turn down those leads, embrace them by learning the Avid Media Composer.
FCP: 3rd Party Plug-ins
Ever since Final Cut Pro was created, there have always been 3rd party companies creating filters for editors and motion graphic designers. But when Final Cut Pro and Motion starting sharing filters, the world of 3rd party filters changed. This workshop won't only cover the filters you need to add to your system today but why and how to use them. Ready to kill the competition? Using these 3rd party filters may be the answer.
Compression 101
Get ready to conquer the world of bites, bytes and pixels. So you finished the job and now your client wants you to compress it. Enroll in this workshop to learn the terms, technology and choices you have when compressing media. Don't let compression be a mystery. Here's the chance to embrace the technology and use what you've learned the minute you get back to your edit station.
AE: Basic Text Effects
After Effects has one of the most powerful, flexible text animation engines available - but it is far from intuitive. Learn how to professionally typeset text in After Effects, and then animate it in a wide variety of ways, from elegant to random, in 2D and 3D, by delving into the myriad options in the Text Animators.
Registration includes: - Access to any session - Access to the Meet and Greet - All conference materials - Lunch and cont. breakfast each day - A chance to win a great prize - Discount hotel code
Standard Registration Fee: $399.00 Register before Oct. 1st: $349.00 Alumni, MAB, student, education rate, conference alumni, MCAI: $299.00 Register a group of three or more: $249.00 Click Here to Register!
New versions of Media Composer, Symphony, NewsCutter and Interplay enable customers to lower production costs, increase productivity and shatter collaboration barriers
IBC (Stand #7.J20), AMSTERDAM, September 10, 2009 - Avid® (NASDAQ: AVID) today introduced new versions of its Media Composer® (4.0), Symphony™ (4.0), NewsCutter® (8.0) professional editing software and Interplay® (2.0) production asset management system. Reinforcing Avid’s commitment to providing open and flexible solutions, these new offerings enable broadcast and post production professionals to lower production costs and enhance their productivity by:
Eliminating timely transcode processes with the capability to mix and match different frame rates and resolutions in an open timeline within the same project.
Expanding native support for file-based media with the addition of industry-leading formats such as Panasonic AVC-I and Ikegami GFCAM. GFCAM support is a result of Avid Media Access (AMA).
Empowering production teams to become more efficient by extending workgroup capabilities to the Wide Area Network (WAN) - allowing journalists, producers and assistants to work with media at any time, from any location.
What Customers are Saying
Emmy® and A.C.E. Eddie winning editor Steve Cohen has beta tested Media Composer 4.0 and said, "My first experience with AMA was eye-opening, largely because it's so trivially simple: no logging, no digitizing, no importing is required. Clips appear in a bin magically, with all the metadata available and ready for cutting. The fact that it's possible on a laptop with no extra hardware is also very impressive. And Avid's Mix and Match is one of those features that's so well designed that it's completely transparent. You simply edit as you would with any other material and the Media Composer does the right thing automatically, adjusting the speed as needed, without rendering."
Industry Standard Editing Tools - Fast, Reliable, More Native Formats Media Composer (named the preferred tool for acclaimed editors by the American Cinema Editors (A.C.E.)), Symphony and NewsCutter software now offer customers a wide array of new features designed to streamline the production process including:
Improved Stereoscopic 3D editing: Enables customers to view 3D material side by side in addition to over/under - ensuring greater accuracy of editing decisions and a wider choice of cost-effective monitors for stereoscopic viewing.
Monitoring HD and SD cross-and-down converted formats from 1080p24 masters: Enables customers using Mojo DX or Nitris® DX hardware to view HD material on an SD monitor, eliminating the need to incur additional hardware costs.
Panasonic AVC-I encoding support: Allows customers to deliver final masters in Panasonic’s AVC-I format while working natively in the Avid editing system from acquisition to final delivery.
Mac support for Pro Tools® Video Satellite: Offers customers the ability to work with Mac or PC when using Media Composer as a video satellite with Pro Tools systems to deliver frame-accurate, synchronized and full resolution monitoring of video.
Mix and Match capabilities: Provides customers with the flexibility to use media sources of different frame rates and resolutions (SD and HD) in the same timeline - eliminating external transcoding and time-consuming frame-rate conversions.
Avid Media Access (AMA) enhancements: Delivers native support for the popular Ikegami GFCAM 100 mb/s format. Customers can now directly access GFCAM media, including full metadata, and begin their work immediately without transcoding, copying or re-wrapping the material.
New Production Suite updates: Include new versions of Boris Continuum Complete, Sorenson Squeeze and SmartSound SonicFire Pro to provide customers with more creative possibilities and media delivery options.
Production Asset Management – Extending Flexible Anytime, Anywhere Collaboration With more than 600 Interplay sites deployed worldwide, Avid has enhanced its industry-leading production asset management solution by delivering the most significant update of the product to date: Interplay 2.0. The new version empowers broadcasters and post facilities to extend collaborative productions beyond the four walls of a facility - enabling customers to consolidate production operations as well as manage and contribute to projects when working remotely. Lower bandwidth streaming proxies enable Interplay workgroup members to work with media at anytime from anywhere, using a qualified Mac or PC with a 1Mb/s Internet connection.
Highlights of Interplay 2.0 include:
WAN Workflow with Interplay Access: Enables journalists, producers and editors to remotely search and work with media assets across multiple workgroups – no longer requiring them to return to the edit suite/news station to assemble stories. A new streamlined interface allows users to browse, log and shot list media in three unique viewing modes, via a single screen, and easily toggle between views -ultimately offering more time savings and reduced production costs. Additionally, station groups will now be able to consolidate functions by increasing the range of material available for users to share across geographically-dispersed newsrooms.
Final Cut Pro (FCP) workflow support: Offers check-in and check-out of FCP media with project links as well as media and metadata conversion of FCP-to-Avid and Avid-to-FCP projects - providing customers with more platform flexibility.
Interplay Delivery: Simplifies a previously time-intensive process of media transfer by offering a one-step transfer of materials such as subclips and shot lists.
Interplay Transcode with new mixdown capability: Enables users to mixdown full audio and video sequences while transcoding to a specified output format, simplifying downstream processes such as archiving or publishing to formats such as mobile, the Web or digital signage.
Pricing and Availability Media Composer, Symphony and NewsCutter systems will be available on September 30. Interplay 2.0 will be available on September 16. Media Composer 4.0 is just $295 USMSRP for educational institutions and students. Beginning September 30, 2009, students with academic versions of Media Composer software (versions 3.5 through 4.0 purchased on or after March 1, 2009) will qualify for complementary upgrades for four years from the date of software activation. For more information on qualifications and availability, please visit www.avid.com.
Because the Motion Blends transitions correctly work with alpha transparency, the same motion oriented transitions from Motion Blends that twist, roll, shake, or otherwise mutate one scene to another can be applied to text letters, with stunning results.
Save a whopping 50% on Wednesday September 23 only. The sale will run from Midnight to 11:59pm EST. The cost of each bundle will be $997.50 (plus applicable tax and shipping).
We wanted to give you ample warning about our upcoming One Day Sale - plenty of time to submit the paperwork for approval or time to beg your boss :-) But seriously, this is an incredible set of plug-ins that is already deeply discounted in the bundle.
Note: The sale includes only the full versions, not cross-grades, upgrades or academic.
Try the Boris Plug-ins before the sale - Dowload free 14 day trials of Boris Continuum Complete, Final Effects Complete, Red, Blue, Title Toolkit and more right here.
Nearly 180 Visual Effects Filters for 64-bit Versions of Avid DS
Marlborough MA - July 6, 2009 - Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, announced that Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid DS (BCC 6 AVX for DS) is now available. Based on Avid's AVX 1 plug-in architecture, BCC 6 AVX for DS brings nearly 180 filters to 64-bit versions of Avid DS. The release features over 30 new filters including Pixel Fixer, DV Fixer, and Smooth Tone tools; Swish Pan, Cartoon Look, Pencil Sketch, and Water Color effects; and OpenGL-accelerated effects such as 3D Extruded Image Shatter, Damaged TV, Glint, Glare, Glitter, LED, Lens Flare, Lightning, Prism, Scanline, and Tile Mosaic. New BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS Feature Highlights:
64-bit OS Support. Based on Avid's AVX 1 plug-in architecture, BCC 6 AVX for DS supports 64-bit versions of Avid DS, including Version 10 and higher.
New Fast-rendering OpenGL Filters such as 3D Extruded Image Shatter, Damaged TV, Glint, Glare, Glitter, LED, Lens Flare, Lightning, Prism, Scanline, and Tile Mosaic.
Pixel Fixer removes bad pixels resulting from a faulty digital camera sensor or dust on a camera lens. Up to ten bad spots can be repaired with a single filter application - without any degradation of image quality or sharpness.
Smooth Tone smooths or softens an image while preserving detail contrast, making skin tones silky-smooth without loss of sharpness in the image.
Other New Effects include Charcoal Sketch, Pencil Sketch, Water Color, Cartoon Look, a Swish Pan transition filter, and DV Fixer for removal of jaggies from an image clip.
Significant Performance Gains. Every BCC 6 AVX for DS filter is either OpenGL-based or multiprocessor-accelerated for ultimate rendering speed.
Pricing and Availability:
BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS is immediately available for an MSRP $2,495 USD. Owners of previous versions of BCC AVX for DS may upgrade for an MSRP of $599 USD. BCC 6 AVX for DS is based on Avid’s AVX 1 plug-in architecture. An AVX 2 version will be released as a free update for BCC 6 AVX for DS users as soon as AVX 2 support becomes available in Avid DS. A fully-functioning 14-day Trial Version is also available.
About Boris FX:
Founded in 1995, Boris FX is the leading developer of integrated graphics and effects technology, delivering 3D compositing and vector graphic products for the broadcast, post production, film and multimedia markets. Boris products have grown to serve over 200,000 artists worldwide. The company's success lies in its ability to tightly integrate and leverage technologies through strong partnerships with industry-leading manufacturers such as Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Grass Valley, Media 100, and Sony. For more information, visit www.borisfx.com
15 New Filters, New 3D Objects, Exchange Keyframe Animation with Adobe After Effects
Marlborough MA - June 22, 2009 - Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, announced that Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX (BCC 6 AVX) for Avid editing and finishing systems is now available. BCC 6 AVX is based on Avid's AVX 2 plug-in architecture with support for Avid Media Composer, Avid NewsCutter and Avid Symphony. A special AVX 1 version of BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS will be released in the near future.
BCC 6 AVX adds nearly 200 plug-in filters to Avid editing and finishing systems. The new release features 15 new effects including Extruded Text, Extruded EPS, Layer Deformer, Cartoon Look, Lightning, and Swish Pan. In addition, BCC 6 AVX delivers unique workflow enhancements such as the ability to animate BCC filters in Adobe After Effects and transfer the animation to the Avid timeline - while preserving After Effects keyframes.
"BCC 6 AVX shows our strong commitment to Avid plug-in development. We are thrilled to bring OpenGL-accelerated 3D filters to Avid editors via Avid's AVX real-time plug-in architecture," commented Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder, Boris FX. "With BCC 6 AVX, Avid editors can edit extruded text, warp 2D layers in 3D space, and import and extrude EPS files within Avid's native editing interface - without needing to render in another application. In addition, for the first time, Avid editors can animate BCC filters in Adobe After Effects and transfer the animation to the Avid timeline while preserving After Effects keyframes."
New BCC 6 AVX Feature Highlights
15 New Filters range from realistic 3D vector graphics extrusions to painting and image restoration. The new 3D Objects category includes Extruded Text, Extruded EPS, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, and Layer Deformer. New image restoration filters include DV Fixer, Smooth Tone, and Pixel Fixer. New image painting filters consist of Charcoal Sketch, Pencil Sketch, Water Color, and Cartoon Look. New OpenGL filters include Lightning and Tile Mosaic. A new Swish Pan transition filter is also included.
BCC Extruded Text - OpenGL-accelerated 3D text generator with built-in 3D shatters and a warp deformer. Multiple 3D materials can be created from external image files featuring texture and bump maps as well as reflections. Each material can be individually saved as a preset and applied to the front, back, bevel, or extrusion surface of the text object. The text object can be further deformed and animated with a number of innovative deformers such as Bend, Taper, Twist, Shatter, Ripple, Pulse, or Curl.
BCC Extruded EPS - provides an easy way to import and extrude Adobe Illustrator layered vector logos and graphics in Avid editing and finishing systems.BCC Type-On Text - 3D extruded text can be animated in true 3D space in a type-on or type-off fashion with each letter precisely interacting with the rest of the text in 3D. All 3D properties of the BCC Extruded Text filter are available in the Type-On effect.BCC Extruded Spline - based on built-in primitives such as a medallion or heart. Create 3D extruded objects fully-modeled with bevels and spline-based extrusion profiles.BCC Layer Deformer - warp any 2D layer in 3D space with built-in 3D shatters and bend deformers. Create 3D shapes such as fully or partially wrapped spheres and cylinders with multiple layers mapped onto the surfaces.BCC Pixel Fixer - remove bad pixels resulting from a faulty digital camera sensor or dust on a camera lens. Up to 10 bad spots can be repaired with a single filter application - without any degradation of image quality or sharpness.BCC DV Fixer - soften or remove diagonal stair-step lines (aka jaggies) from a clip captured with a lower-quality camera. Repair compression artifacts without degrading image sharpness or quality. BCC Smooth Tone - smoothes or softens an image while preserving detail contrast, making skin tones silky-smooth without loss of sharpness in the image. A great tool for working with "talking heads" and on-camera interview footage.BCC Swish Pan - simulates panning a camera very quickly in a 180 degree arc, creating the look of a fast blur between outgoing and incoming clips.BCC Charcoal Sketch - simulates the painterly look of an image that was created using charcoals.BCC Pencil Sketch - simulates the look of a hand-drawn pencil-sketched image.BCC Water Color - simulates the wash look of a watercolor painting.BCC Cartoon Look - simulates a rotoscope toon-animation look.BCC Tile Mosaic - simulates the look of hand-cut opaque tiles.BCC Lightning - generates simulated lightning bolts and plasma arcs.
Significant Performance Gains. Every filter is either OpenGL-based or multiprocessor-accelerated for ultimate rendering speed on modern computing and graphics platforms.Custom Animated Presets. This unique feature lets users save and re-use every parameter animation in every BCC filter - even across host applications and platforms. For the first time, users may animate BCC filters in Adobe After Effects and transfer the animation to the Avid timeline while preserving After Effects keyframes. BCC 6 AVX includes hundreds of factory-installed animated presets. Animated presets are now saved in industry-standard XML format and can be edited by any XML-compliant text editor.Single-Click Custom Preset Navigation Tool lets users easily browse presets without opening a pop-up window. Presets are immediately applied and the host preview window is automatically updated to reflect the selected preset.Built-In Motion Tracker Enhancements are found in almost every filter. Users may now save motion tracker data from one filter and load the saved data in another filter.
About Boris FX Founded in 1995, Boris FX is the leading developer of integrated graphics and effects technology, delivering 3D compositing and vector graphic products for the broadcast, post production, film and multimedia markets. Boris products have grown to serve over 200,000 artists worldwide. The company's success lies in its ability to tightly integrate and leverage technologies through strong partnerships with industry-leading manufacturers such as Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Avid, Grass Valley, Media 100, and Sony.
A public beta of BCC 6 AVX for Avid editing and finishing systems is now available!Get It Now
BCC 6 AVX brings nearly 200 filters to Avid Media Composer, Avid NewsCutter, and Avid Symphony. The new release features 15 new filters including Extruded Spline, Layer Deformer, Cartoon Look, Lightning, and Swish Pan. In addition, BCC 6 AVX delivers unique workflow enhancements such as the ability to animate a BCC filter in Adobe After Effects and transfer the animation to the Avid timeline – while preserving After Effects keyframes.
Dave Helmly, North American DMO Technical Sales Manager at Adobe, emailed us about the new Adobe CS4 video updates: After Effects 9.02, Premiere Pro 4.1, Media Encoder 4.1
The new CS4 video updates will be available late tonight/Friday morning and contain several new updates and several critical fixes for After Effects.
Some of the new features are:
Major Speed improvements for Media Encoder (new support for RED)
New RED R3D workflow & Raw setting panel
Avid Import & Export (We are currently testing FCP Export)
DVD/VOB support (edit directly off the DVD !)
Faster/smooth AVCHD playback
Faster project loading
New Frame Export
And more......
Adobe also showed several things at NAB 2009 that they have cooking in the Adobe Labs and are planning to beta test a few of these new features this summer. The plan is to make these available on the Adobe Labs site.
May 18, 2009 - LA JOLLA, CA - Following its acclaimed release of the original Video Essentials effects plugin collection, NewBlue, Inc. is back with NewBlue Video Essentials II. Featuring an indispensable toolbox of 10 distinct video effects plugins, NewBlue Video Essentials II aids video professionals and enthusiasts in restoring, refining and enhancing their video.
With features such as chromakey, picture-in-picture, noise reducer and rack focus, NewBlue Video Essentials II joins the company's highly-regarded product line of 18 exclusive video effects plugins collections. The product is available for all major video editing software platforms, including Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere, Adobe Premiere Elements, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Apple Final Cut Express, Avid Media Composer, Avid NewsCutter, Avid Symphony, Avid Xpress, Avid Liquid, Corel (formerly Ulead) VideoStudio, Pinnacle Studio, Sony Vegas, Sony Vegas Movie Studio and Thomson Grass Valley EDIUS. The collection is value-priced at $79.95.
"We created NewBlue Video Essentials II in response to the incredible feedback we received regarding our original Video Essentials collection," explains Chief Technology Officer, Todor J. Fay. "This collection represents the best-of-the-best of these ideas and suggestions."
Included in NewBlue Video Essentials II are:
Chroma Key, which mixes two shots together by converting a selected color in the source shot into transparency.
Color EQ, which adjusts the color characteristics of a selected color range in the scene.
Color Swap, which replaces a selected color range in the scene with a different color.
Lens Correction, which both corrects camera distortion to improve image quality and introduces distortion for an aesthetic effect.
Letterbox, which translates film shot in a different aspect ratio by stretching the source material back to its original shape and filling in the borders appropriately.
Noise Reducer, which removes noise in the image, particularly useful with old analog video or scenes shot in low light.
Picture-In-Picture, which provides a very thorough picture in picture effect that includes full 3D geometry, border, shadow, and reflection features.
Rack Focus, which creates an artificial focus blur that mimics camera depth of field.
Shadows and Highlights, which helps correct lighting problems, providing a software fill light for underexposed areas and a dampener for overexposed highlights.
Users can purchase NewBlue Video Essentials directly from the company's website at http://www.newbluefx.com/video-essentials-ii.html. A fully-functional trial version is available for download, as well.
About NewBlue, Inc.
NewBlue, Inc. develops innovative audio, video and multimedia technologies for leading companies throughout the world. Founded in early 2002, NewBlue creates and licenses a range of proprietary technologies - including a series of NewBlueFX video technologies, the NewBlue Audio Engine and Audiomatrix technology platform-- that meet the varied multimedia needs of mid-and large-sized companies. Experienced developers, musicians, artists, and software professionals with a unique and commanding set of skills, experience and talent comprise the NewBlue team.
The company unveiled its NewBlueFX (http://www.newbluefx.com) product line in 2006 to meet the needs of digital video editing enthusiasts. The NewBlueFX collection of software plug-ins includes special audio and video effects, such as audio filters, noise reduction, equalization, compression and dozens of sophisticated graphic filters and transitions. To date, the NewBlueFX line includes 5 audio-oriented plug-in collections and 13 video-oriented effects and transitions collections for the Adobe Premiere, Avid Liquid, Avid Media Composer, Avid Xpress Pro, Pinnacle Studio and Sony Vegas desktop video product lines, as well as AVCHD UpShift, an AVCHD conversion utility created in conjunction with VASST.
For further information on NewBlueFX, please see http://www.newbluefx.com/media-kit.html.
Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 4.1 offers further RED camera compatibility, Avid interoperability and improved performance
Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 version 4.1 provides a host of updated compatibility that advances Adobe's leadership in enabling open, flexible post-production workflows, including improved interoperability with RED camera and Avid software workflows and broader support for leading post-production hardware such as AJA, Blackmagic and Matrox video cards. This new, faster version of Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 will be available in late May 2009 via the Adobe updater and from adobe.com at no charge for customers of Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, CS4 Production Premium, and CS4 Master Collection software. Learn more here.
Seven companies joined forces at NAB last month to launch The Open Effects Association. This non-profit, UK-based company aims to develop and promote open standards across the visual effects community. Founding members are Assimilate, Autodesk®, Digieffects, FilmLight, The Foundry, GenArts® and RE:Vision Effects. These companies have helped artists create ground-breaking VFX shots on just about everything that hits cinema screens.
The Association's initial focus is to improve the OFX image processing plug-in standard launched by The Foundry in 2004. The goal for the OpenFX API is to reduce the level of development and support required for plug-ins across different compositing and editing host platforms. The OpenFX API has, to date, been adopted by:
Assimilate® SCRATCH®
Autodesk® ToxikTM software
FilmLight's Baselight
GenArts® Sapphire® plug-ins
The Foundry's Nuke compositor and Tinder, Keylight and Furnace plug-ins
RE:Vision Effects' ReelSmartTM Motion Blur and DE:Noise plug-ins
Digital Vision's FilmMaster
Grass Valley's Bones
Eyeon Fusion
Avid DS
Photron's Primatte Keyer
The Association hopes that as a new, independent organization, it will encourage increasingly open communication and collaboration between hosts and plug-in developers and establish a uniform specification to benefit everyone involved, starting with the artists.
Bruno Nicoletti, Chief Technical Officer at The Foundry and main creator of the original OpenFX API comments: "It was always The Foundry's aim to make life easier for everyone. I'm reinvigorated by the formation of this new independent body, delighted to have been appointed to the board and am looking forward to collaborating with the other members and encouraging uptake of OpenFX API as a standard."
Gary Oberbrunner, Chief Scientist, Vice President of Engineering at GenArts and newly appointed Director of the OFX Association adds, "GenArts Sapphire has a well-earned reputation for supporting a wide range of host platforms. We've been supportive of the OpenFX premise since its inception, and Sapphire runs on all major OpenFX hosts. We at GenArts are excited about the OFX Association, and we believe this new approach will enable the industry to advance our common goals more quickly."
If you are interested in learning more or joining the OFX Association, please contact Bruno Nicoletti, bruno@thefoundry.co.uk.
There are several specials that are ending by April 30 (I know, can you believe April is almost over! Wow, how time flies!) Here's the list:
Red Giant and Trapcode NAB Specials - Save 30% on all products including bundles, upgrades and even academic. Ends Midnight PST April 29. That's tonight, folks!
Digieffects NAB Deals - Digieffects MegaSuite Half off and Save $100 on New Digieffects Freeform! Expires April 30, 2009.
Imagineer NAB Deals - Save 25% on all Imagineer Products Through April 30th!
Next Limit RealFlow 4: - Through April 30, 2009, upgrade your Academic version to the full standard version for 50% Off!
Zaxwerks 3D Invigorator for Photoshop - 3D Invigorator is available for an introductory price of $149 USD through April 30, 2009. It is regularly priced at $199 USD.
San Francisco, CA, April 7, 2009 - Red Giant Software (http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/), publisher of the popular Magic Bullet and Trapcode plug-ins, will show four new and updated products at the upcoming NAB Show in Las Vegas, NV (April 20-23, 2009).
All purchases of Toonit and Particular from today will receive a free upgrade to v2 when it ships.
Red Giant Software offers a vast range of visual effects plug-ins, with over 30 packages designed for Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Avid
The product line features industry leading effects for designing realistic fire, rain, and water; adding popular looks; and creating perfect keys
Red Giant effects have enhanced feature films such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Mummy 3, and Grindhouse, and add sparkle to cable and broadcast content from NBC Universal, Food Network, ESPN, Disney, CNN, Comedy Central, MTV, and TNT.
New Products at NAB 2009
Visit the Red Giant Software booth SL2529H at NAB in Las Vegas, Nevada (April 20-23, 2008) to see demonstrations of four new products
This set of 15 plug-ins can be in used in combination with any keyer to soften alpha channels, match foreground and background colors, fix outlines, and clean up noise
Generate perfects keys to ensure seamless compositing within Final Cut Pro, eliminating the need for extra compositing tools.
For just $99, Quick Looks is a light version of our full Looks tool (Magic Bullet Looks) with the same speed and quality, but without the editing tools
In just two clicks, users can choose from more than 100 presets from classic films, television shows, or music videos.
Red Giant TV Tuesdays
Be sure to tune in on Tuesdays to catch the next free tutorial on Red Giant's range of motion graphics, compositing and effects plug-ins
The shows feature one or more Red Giant products used in combination with the tools built into After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, and more
Host Aharon Rabinowitz shares his tried-and-true techniques for producing higher quality work in less time
Each episode also offers a corresponding product discount available for a short time after the episode airs
Red Giant Software LLC 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
Oak Park, CA March 31, 2009 - Digital Film Tools releases zMatte v3, a full featured blue and green screen keyer for Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, Apple Final Cut Pro and Avid Editing Systems.
zMatte is a full-featured keyer that is the result of our experience in creating countless successful blue and green screen composites. Using proprietary matte extraction techniques, zMatte quickly and simply creates mattes with minimal parameters even if you are dealing with fine hair detail, smoke, or reflections. It is easy to use, yet provides the needed tools when faced with good, bad, or ugly shots -- tools such as multiple matte creation, automatic spill suppression, sophisticated matte and edge manipulation, and color correction.
zMatte includes a complete set of keying plug-ins comprised of: Color Suppress for removing blue or green spill light; DeArtifact to clean up compression artifacts in DV and HD footage; Edge Composite to color correct, blur or mix only the edge of the key; Framer Averager for smoothing out film grain and video noise; Holdout Composite to matte the usually problematic smoke, fire and explosions; the zMatte Keyer to handle the heavy keying tasks; Light Wrap to bring background color into the foreground element; a Matte Generator used to key images not meant to be keyed; Matte Repair to fix common matte problems; Matte Wrap for retaining the definition of the matte edges while creating a smooth blend of transparency starting at the edge of the matte changing to fully opaque moving inward; and Screen Smoother to smooth out unevenly lit blue and green screens.
Digital Film Tools brings together the unbeatable combination of superior software designers, motion picture visual effects veterans, video editors and photographers. Add three Emmy Awards and experience in creating visual effects for hundreds of feature films, commercials and television shows and you have a recipe for success. Created for rigorous production demands by digital artists for digital artists, zMatte is available for download or purchase at:
London, UK. March 26th 2009 Much has changed at leading VFX software developer, The Foundry, during the last twelve months. This will be reflected on the show floor at NAB 2009, as the company plays host to a series of exciting 'behind the scenes' demos and product announcements at its booth #SL326 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Continuing the development and support of its Academy Award®-winning compositing and plug-in technologies has necessitated the addition of 15 staff globally. The company now has offices in Los Angeles, a local presence in southeast Asia and has expanded into two additional floors at its HQ in Soho, London.
Blockbuster VFX demos on Nuke: At NAB 2009, The Foundry will let its customers do the most of the talking. Leading visual effects professionals will treat visitors to a series of behind-the-scenes looks at how Nuke was used to great effects on the international blockbusters Iron Man and Watchmen as well as the game World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.
New Nuke products: The Foundry team will showcase Nuke 5.2, the latest release of its acclaimed compositing software, featuring new pre-comp tools, Python UI and metadata improvements, plus support for 3D LUTs and OpenGL GLSL shaders, video output cards and a RED R3D Redcode format-reader enabling full 32-bit floating point processing. RED Digital Cinema will be represented on The Foundry's booth on 21st, 22nd and 23rd April demonstrating the new RED-to-Nuke workflow.
Visitors can take a look at Nuke 6.0 (due for release in Q3), which promises a new Paint and Roto toolset. The release of 6.0 is set to coincide with the launch of NukePro, a brand new product offering incorporating lens tools, a camera tracker, FurnaceCore and Keylight all in one compositing package. All Nuke 5.2 orders with maintenance taken before the end of NAB 2009 will receive NukePro automatically as it becomes available later in the year, delivering a saving of over $2,500 on list price.
Plug-in developments: The Foundry has reinforced its commitment to the development of industry-leading creative and image-processing plug-ins with the recent appointment of Tom Cowland as plug-in product manager. Brand new products on show at NAB are FurnaceCore for Fusion (also integral to NukePro) and Tinderbox 4 for Nuke. Future releases planned for later in 2009 include a new keyer for Autodesk and Adobe and some exciting tools for Final Cut Pro.
Ocula 3D stereo toolset: The Foundry is also continuing development of Ocula, its range of stereoscopic plug-ins, with the release of new tools driven by production feedback later in the year. Ocula was used by Digital Domain on a stereo 3D commercial spot for SoBe broadcast to 96million viewers during SuperBowl XLIII, and is currently being put through its paces by Weta Digital on James Cameron's Avatar.
FXGuide and FCP: During NAB 2009 The Foundry is also sponsoring FX Guide's Bar Camp on 20th April at the Renaissance Hotel and is again supporting the FCP Supermeet on the 21st at the Rio Hotel. To attend please visit www.lafcpug.org/nab_2009.html.
About The Foundry The Foundry is a world-leading innovator of visual effects and image processing technologies that boost productivity in motion picture and video post production. On February 10th 2007, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded a Sci-Tech Award® to The Foundry's development team for the Furnace image processing suite. The company now has two Academy Award® winning technologies including the high-end compositing system Nuke.
The Foundry's products support a wide range of host platforms including After Effects, Autodesk® Media and Entertainment Systems, Avid DS, Baselight, Film Master, Nuke, Scratch and Shake. The company has also driven OpenFX, an open standard for visual effects plug-ins, now broadly adopted by host and plug-in developers such as Autodesk®, Assimilate, FilmLight, Digital Vision, Eyeon Software Inc, Grass Valley, Soluciones Graficas por Ordenador (S.G.O.), Photron, Final Cut Pro and others.
Customers benefit from simplified ingest process and full offline to online Advanced RED Conform Workflow
TEWKSBURY, Mass., March 5, 2009 - Avid Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ: AVID) today announced that Avid® DS now offers native support for the RED R3D file format, delivering customers increased efficiencies in the editorial and finishing process of RED-originated projects.
With native support for RED, Avid customers will benefit from:
A speedier ingest of RED footage;
The ability to apply RLX color intent data to the footage in the Avid system; and
Capabilities to preset project and sequence settings for RED projects at 2k, 3k, and 4k resolutions.
In addition to handling native R3D footage, Avid DS customers will now be able to create HD RGB 4:4:4 proxies from high-resolution RED source material, which will provide real-time program monitoring and result in faster system response time - enabling artists to stay focused on the creative editorial aspects of a project.
Avid will also offer native RED support for the offline editing process via MetaFuze®, a tool that automates the conversion of formats such as RED and DPX to Avid DNxHD® media for HD offline workflows in Avid Media Composer® and HD finishing in Symphony systems. As a result, customers are able to take advantage of the Avid Advanced Conform workflow for RED and seamlessly move their projects from offline to online.
"We are very excited about the new Avid and RED integration", said Ted Schilowitz of RED Digital Cinema. "The ability to use the MetaFuze tool to turn RED files into true native MXF files at the various offline and online resolutions is a very powerful step that will enable a more streamlined workflow for the many RED projects around the world that are cutting on Avid. The DS integration of RED files for online color grading and finishing is another important development on making offline to online very cost-effective. Fewer workflow steps and tape layoffs for finishing with RED files is the most effective and efficient way to deliver projects."
Kirk Arnold, EVP and GM of Customer Operations at Avid said, "We strive to make the technology seamless for customers to allow them to keep focused on unleashing the creative talents that continue to entertain millions. We also understand that our customers want freedom and flexibility to work with whichever format they choose, and our effort to offer native RED support is the latest example of how we continue to evolve our solutions and meet customers' needs."
Native support for R3D files is available in Avid DS. version 10.1.1. For customers looking to upgrade, visit the Avid download center. About Avid Technology, Inc.
Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio, and broadcast professionals -- as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid, Digidesign®, M-Audio®, Pinnacle Systems®, Sibelius® and Sundance Digital® The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid's products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. Avid received an Oscar® statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid Film Composer® system for motion picture editing. For more information about the company's Oscar, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, visit www.avid.com, del.icio.us, Flickr, twitter and YouTube; connect with Avid on Facebook or subscribe to Avid Industry Buzz.
I've been following Editblog (aka Scott Simmons) on Twitter and he's been posting links to Quicktips each day on his blog. The tips are mainly for Avid and Final Cut Pro (though I'm a Premiere Pro user, primarily, when it comes to editing.) Check out his great tips here.
New Light Version of Looks Offers 100+ Presets with One Click
San Francisco, CA, January 12, 2009 - Red Giant Software, with popular products including Magic Bullet Suite, Knoll Light Factory and Trapcode Suite, today introduced a new color correction tool suited for budget conscious film makers that want professional quality tools. Magic Bullet Quick Looks, a light version of Magic Bullet Looks) offers the fastest way to give clips a classic film look. Users can choose from 100+ presets to get the look of popular films including: The Matrix, Bad Boys, Saving Private Ryan, or TV shows like CSI.
Highlights
100-Look Library More than one hundred unique Looks, conveniently organized by category in the Look Library, are a great starting point for defining the mood of any scene. The presets range from simple exposure and film process emulation to radical color changes. Best of all users can use the Look Theater to browse through the library using their own images - finding a look couldn't be easier.
Professional Looks quickly - and on a budget Quick Looks offers the same professional presets as the more expensive Magic Bullet Looks tool, but offers a streamlined interface without the tools to create custom Looks. Instead, choose a Look from the library, adjust a single Strength control. It's that simple.
Blazing speed with DeepColor RT Maximize performance with the power of the DeepColor RT engine. Play back SD and HD (720p) projects in real-time by efficiently using the system's graphics processing power. The next-generation DeepColor RT engine preserves quality in every application host so that 10-bit projects remain 10-bit.
Add warmth to wedding videos, even when shot on cloudy days
Pricing and Availability Magic Bullet Quick Looks is a light version of the full Magic Bullet Looks tool with the same speed and quality but without editing tools for $99 USD. Quick Looks is a plug-in for both Mac OS X and Windows users running Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, or Avid Xpress Pro/Media Composer. The product is available now for purchase at http://toolfarm.stores.yahoo.net/redgimabuqul.html
About Red Giant Software Red Giant Software LLC 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.
Available immediately, new version features 36 new effects and many enhancements
Cambridge, MA. December 2, 2008 -- GenArts, Inc., a leading provider of visual effects software for the film, broadcast and video industries, today announced the release of version 3 of its Sapphire Plug-ins for the Avid® AVXTM architecture. The new version includes several new features to help editors working on Avid Media Composer®, Symphony™ or NewsCutter® systems to enhance their content with powerful visual effects tools.
With this announcement, GenArts is responding to demand and strengthening its offering to the Avid community by adding 36 new effects, dozens of improvements to existing effects and expanded options. These additions allow for deeper integration and support for Avid solutions and give the Avid community even more stunning visual effects and simplified processes. For example, many Avid editors previously built transitions using a series of Sapphire effects that have now been reworked into 13 new single-step, drag and drop Transitions. There are also new innovative effects such as TVDamage, which simulates various artifacts of television broadcast and display such as static, ghosting and interference, and Technicolor 2Strip and 3Strip, which give the look of 1930-1955 Technicolor film. Other new practical additions include Deband, which removes banding artifacts from a clip by diffusing pixels across the banded areas while keeping the original edges intact.
Ken Miles, director of business development at Avid Technology, Inc. said, "GenArts has always shown a strong commitment to the Avid user community by providing high quality, innovative software that integrates seamlessly with Avid products. With today's announcement, Avid customers now have several new and improved effects that we are sure to see in more blockbuster films, TV shows and commercials."
"GenArts has seen Sapphire Plug-ins expand the workflow of Avid artists over the past eight years that it's supported the platform," said Katherine Hays, CEO of GenArts, Inc. "Taking our Avid customers' ever-changing needs into account, an important step in our ongoing innovation, we have further enhanced our product offerings to Avid's user base with this new release."
Key new features in Sapphire Plug-ins v3 for Avid:
New enhancements and options including 15 new LensFlares, Improved Glares and revamped RackDefocus.
Support for Windows Vista and 64bit systems
Supports promotion of previous Sapphire versions to v3
As with all GenArts products, version 3 offers quick and easy application of high quality, organic effects to Avid sequences, an easy to use interface with on-screen control widgets for efficient workflow, single click application of effects to titles and keys, seamless transition of effects from offline to online Avid systems, compatibility with any resolution setting, multiple options and parameters that can be adjusted and animated to create an unlimited range of unique results, online hyper-linked documentation, and RGBA support for all Avid editing products.
Availability and Pricing: Learn more/purchase Sapphire Plug-ins version 3 for Avid systems. Pricing for Sapphire 3 is: $1800 for Avid Media Composer Software-only; $2800 for Symphony, Media Composer, NewsCutter or DS Assist; and $4800 for Avid DS or DS/Symphony. Existing version 2 customers qualify for special upgrade pricing of $600, $900 and $1600, respectively. A free trial is available.
About Avid Technology, Inc. Avid is a worldwide leader in tools for film, video, audio and broadcast professionals - as well as for home audio and video enthusiasts. Avid professional and consumer brands include Avid®, Digidesign®, M-Audio®, Pinnacle Systems®, Sibelius® and Sundance Digital®. The vast majority of primetime television shows, feature films, commercials and chart-topping music hits are made using one or more Avid products. Whether used by seasoned professionals or beginning students, Avid's products and services enable customers to work more efficiently, productively and creatively. For more information about the company's Oscar®, Grammy® and Emmy® award-winning products and services, visit www.avid.com. About GenArts 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 from Adobe, Apple, Avid, Autodesk, Assimilate, Digital Vision, Eyeon, FilmLight, The Foundry, Quantel and SGO.
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 Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Hulk, Spider-Man 1, 2 and 3, The Chronicles of Narnia, 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.
Studio Daily has an interesting user story about managing multiple workflows that use FCP, Avid and After Effects!
The film, a romantic comedy called The Other End of the Line, directed by Jim Dodson, was shot in both the U.S. and India.
"We were really under the gun with this project," says Dodson. "But with Automatic Duck Pro Import AE, we were able to import 250 layers from Final Cut into After Effects with all the stacks in place and in the right order. Without the plug-in, we wouldn't have made it in time to Cannes."
The Duck also saved Dodson time when creating an HD online in Final Cut Pro of the trailer, originally created by an outside shop on the Avid. "Automatic Duck Pro Export FCP read in the Avid timeline and gave us a flawless Final Cut sequence," he says.
Matt Silverman was recently asked a question regarding unsatisfactory results with deinterlacing in After Effects. The customer's footage had the following workflow
Shot at 35mm
Telecine color correct transfered to NTSC Digibeta
Digitized to Avid Nitris DX at 1:1 MXF
Exported to 29.97 NTSC TIFF sequence
Imported into After Effects
Deinterlaced with interpret fields or with BCC Deinterlace
The customer complained about soft results with loss of detail, most apparent in hair, teeth and clothing textures. What would Matt Silverman do?
Matt: Sounds like he does not want to de-interlace, but rather remove pulldown (assuming film was shot 24fps). So, he should bring the footage into AE, go to interpret footage, and click "guess pulldown". This should find the correct pulldown cadence for the first shot and make the clip 23.976fps progressive. If he has edited the show in Avid, more than likely the pulldown cadences will vary from shot to shot, which is a huge pain in the ass to deal with. Here is how I have dealt with this.... I have only done this on TV spots, so there aren't many cuts... a longer show could take a while...
Import the footage five times into AE, rename the clips in the project window A,B,C,D,E
Go to interpret footage on each shot and choose a different pulldown cadence for each (this makes each clip 23.976fps).
Drop the "A" clip into a new 23.976fps comp.
Use the Magnum Script from aescripts.com to find the cut points and split the clip into individual layers per shot.
Drag through the clips in the timeline to see if there are any random interlaced frames. When you find an interlaced frame, it means that it is using the wrong pulldown cadence. Select this bad clip in the timeline, then grab the B version from the project window and option-drag it into the timeline to replace the bad one. Scrub through to see if there is still an interlaced frame. If so, repeat the option drag with the other versions in the project window until the interlacing disappears.
Check all of your cut points to make sure there are no half fields showing on the first or last frame.
If I did not understand and he truly wants to de-interlace, then Red Giant Magic Bullet Frames or RE:Vision Effects FieldsKit are the tickets. I usually go to FieldsKit first... they now have a motion estimation option. Sometimes it might produce a weird artifact and Bullet works better.
From Tues, Feb 9th through Tues, Feb 16th, 2010, save 30% off Tiffen individual products (no bundles, electronic download only).
Matt Silverman was recently asked a question regarding unsatisfactory results with deinterlacing in After Effects. The customer's footage had the following workflow