Next Generation of Award-Winning Visual Effects Software Enables Performance and Productivity Improvements for Linux Flame, Inferno, Flint HD and Smoke HD Users
CAMBRIDGE, MA, Mar 09, 2010 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) -- GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today the availability of GenArts Sapphire(TM) v5 for Autodesk systems users. Announced in November, Sapphire 5 promises to unlock artists' creativity with marked improvements to performance and productivity, all while significantly reducing infrastructure costs.
Sapphire 5 enables a completely interactive user experience at HD resolutions, thanks to full GPU-accelerated render speeds up to 700 percent faster than version 4. Now, batch jobs once requiring overnight processing can be processed in a fraction of the time. Sapphire 5 also uses full floating point for all internal processing, which improves visual effects quality - even on 8-, 10- and 12-bit footage -- and offers photorealistic image quality with the highest possible dynamic range. Sapphire 5 can also handle 16-bit floating point footage natively on the desktop and in batch, without clamping. By removing these performance limitations of versions past, Sapphire 5 enables artists to explore the full range of their creativity without the worry of incurring additional infrastructure costs.
"I've been testing Sapphire 5, and I must say I'm impressed with the speed of the plug-ins," said Victor Wolansky, Flame artist from e3 Post. "In addition, the full float support offers a huge difference in effects like blurs or vignettes where I used to see banding. Now they're absolutely perfect, and there is no speed impact. My Flame would not be complete without them."
In addition to performance and productivity improvements, Sapphire 5 also offers 15 vibrant new effects, including TVDamage, TVChannelChange, Technicolor and many new transitions. (A full list of new effects can be found at http://www.genarts.com/product/sapphire/autodesk/whatsnew)
New parameters are also offered in this release - many from customer requests:
All Threshold controls now go beyond 1 to support high dynamic range (HDR).
ZBlur and ZDefocus support Boost Highlights to give an "HDR look" even to normal footage.
New Blur parameters are included in Glint and Glare for improved realism.
Glow now has options for Show Threshold and Combine Mode to enhance flexibility and give new looks.
"Sapphire 5 for Autodesk is a critical component of our strategy to grow GenArts via innovation, as well as through acquisitions and alliances," said Steve Bannerman, CMO of GenArts. "Sapphire has been completely re-architected to not only deliver dramatic performance, usability and image quality enhancements today, but to serve as a platform upon which we can deliver entirely new classes of innovation in the future. We're extremely pleased with the feedback we've received from our early testers, and we're confident that Sapphire 5 will empower visual effects artists in completely new ways as they push the envelope to thrill and amaze audiences around the world."
Since the company's founding in 1996, GenArts software has been utilized in thousands 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; Avatar and many more.
About GenArts GenArts, Inc. is the premier provider of specialized digital visual effects for the film, broadcast and video industries. As visual effects have become essential to the art of storytelling, GenArts' tools have emerged as the standard for creating high-end visual effects at leading studio, broadcast and post-production facilities around the world. GenArts' products have been used extensively to create an array of breathtaking effects for not only countless feature films, but television shows, commercials and music videos as well. GenArts enjoys the unique distinction of having been a key component of an Oscar-nominated film for the past 13 consecutive years.
The GenArts Sapphire(TM), Monsters(TM), Raptors(TM), Tinder(TM) and particleIllusion(TM) portfolio equips digital artists with a collection of state-of-the-art visual effects tools such as glows, light rays, lens flares, film, fire, fluid and particles that seamlessly integrate as software plug-ins into leading editing and compositing systems. GenArts was founded in 1996 in Cambridge, Mass. www.genarts.com.
Video Tutorial of the Sapphire Blur effect for Final Cut Pro. There are many kinds of blurs in the Sapphire package including Blur, BlurChroma, BlurChannels, BlurDirectional and BlurMotion.
Industry Leaders Collaborate to Enhance Nuke Market Growth
LONDON and CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - February 16, 2010 - GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, and The Foundry, the world-leading visual effects software developer, today announced they have entered into a broad strategic alliance. Under the terms of the agreement, GenArts will acquire The Foundry's Tinder and Tinderbox plug-ins business and the two companies will enter into an arrangement to collaborate closely to expand the capabilities of the Nuke platform.
A well-established suite with a loyal customer following, Tinder and Tinderbox have been stalwarts in the visual effects plug-ins market for many years. GenArts will immediately assume all development, sales, marketing and customer support of Tinder and Tinderbox as they work to breathe new life into the venerable Tinder brand.
The strategic alliance allows the development teams from The Foundry and GenArts to work closely together to fully maximize the functionality of their future products. This collaboration opens the door to more effective delivery of new technology as the host platform and plug-in development can be more synchronized.
"Both GenArts and The Foundry deliver technologies that are essential to the compositing pipeline at Method," said Janelle Croshaw, of Method Studios. "Host platform development is often independent from the features and schedules of plug-in development. We're very pleased to see that GenArts and The Foundry understand that the way we use their products is extremely intertwined. This collaboration allows us to provide more seamless solutions to clients as we continue to deliver visual effects that push the limits of our audience's imagination."
As part of the alliance, GenArts will become the flagship partner in The Foundry's new third-party partner program for Nuke. GenArts will have an exclusive co-marketing relationship with The Foundry as a provider of visual effects plug-ins for Nuke and Nuke customers will have the option to install trial versions of GenArts plug-ins on Initial installation.
"The Foundry is very pleased to have come to this new arrangement with GenArts," said Bill Collis, CEO, The Foundry. "We believe that it's in the best interest of our customers for Tinder to be looked after by GenArts, while The Foundry concentrates on developing complex, problem-solving, image-processing plug-ins including further work on its award-winning Furnace and Ocula toolsets and new products based on our 3D scene technology. We hope our new third party program, launched today, with GenArts as our first provider, will bring a variety of plug-ins to the attention of Nuke users enabling them to do even more within the platform."
"GenArts' portfolio enjoys an unquestioned pedigree as the go-to tools in the arsenal of the world's best visual effects artists and editors," said Katherine Hays, CEO of GenArts. "Our alliance with The Foundry presents a unique opportunity to deliver value to Nuke users as the platform continues to gain momentum. Customers across the film, broadcast and commercial industries tell us that they highly value the benefits of standardizing their compositing pipeline on a common toolset from a trusted partner. The GenArts portfolio including Sapphire, Monsters, Raptors, wondertouch and now Tinder offers the most comprehensive suite of visual effects in the industry for our current and future customers. This strategic alliance with the Foundry further supports Nuke's growth into markets where GenArts software is a must-have."
For additional information, please refer to our FAQ
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.
In November 2009 GenArts acquired wondertouch, an award-winning software developer specializing in particle effects. Their flagship product, particleIllusion, is considered one of the most popular solutions for particle effects creation, enabling artists to create natural effects such as smoke, fire, sparkles, fireworks and countless abstract effects. GenArts was founded in 1996 in Cambridge, Mass.
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. The Foundry has a well-established client base that includes leading visual effects facilities worldwide, such as Warner Bros., The Moving Picture Company, Weta Digital, Framestore, Sony Pictures Imageworks and Digital Domain. It is at the cutting edge of software development, marketing and sales for visual effects compositing. In June 2009, The Foundry announced a management buyout for an undisclosed sum led by Advent Venture Partners. Advent backed The Foundry's management team, led by CEO Dr Bill Collis and the original founders. The Foundry is highly profitable and has more than doubled in size in the past two years.
The Foundry's products support a wide range of award-winning host platforms including After Effects, Autodesk Media and Entertainment Systems, Avid DS, Nuke, Shake and Final Cut Pro. In 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 - and the company now holds two products with AMPAS Sci-Tech Award winning technology including high-end compositing system Nuke.
The Foundry is headquartered in London, and has offices in Los Angeles. For more information please visit: www.thefoundry.co.uk
GenArts/The Foundry Strategic Alliance FAQ
Announcement Date: Tuesday, 16 February 2010
What did GenArts and The Foundry announce?
GenArts and The Foundry today announced that they have entered into a broad strategic alliance. GenArts will acquire The Foundry's Tinder and Tinderbox plug-ins business and the two companies will enter into an arrangement to collaborate closely to expand the capabilities of the Nuke platform.
What are the components of this new strategic alliance?
There are three components to the alliance:
GenArts has acquired the Tinder and Tinderbox business from The Foundry. As such, GenArts will immediately assume all development, sales, marketing and customer support of Tinder and Tinderbox.
GenArts and The Foundry will collaborate to more closely synchronize the development of Nuke and GenArts plug-ins to fully maximize the functionality and customer value of their future products.
GenArts will become the flagship partner in The Foundry's new third-party partner program for Nuke. As such, GenArts will have an exclusive co-marketing relationship with The Foundry as a provider of visual effects plug-ins for Nuke and Nuke customers will have the option to install trial versions of GenArts plug-ins on Initial installation.
When does this alliance become effective?
The alliance is effective immediately.
Why did GenArts enter into this strategic alliance with The Foundry?
The alliance provides a means by which the development teams from GenArts and The Foundry can work closely together to fully maximize the functionality of their future products. This collaboration opens the door to more seamless technology delivery as the host platform and plug-in development can be more synchronized. In addition, we recognize that Tinder and Tinderbox are both well-established plug-in suites, with a loyal customer following, and have been stalwarts in the visual effects plug-ins market for many years. We are looking forward to revitalizing the Tinder brand and delivering new products that continue to provide great value to our customers.
How does the strategic alliance benefit customers?
Our customers have consistently told us that they are shifting their emphasis away from in-house visual effects tools development, and towards a greater reliance on standardized tools from trusted vendors. In addition, customers have said that they view their plug-ins and their host platform as two intertwined components of a single solution. GenArts' acquisition of The Foundry's Tinder and Tinderbox business allows both companies to focus on delivering best of breed product portfolios to customers. This is significant step toward facilitating our customer's ability to standardize on a more optimized portfolio of tools from their trusted vendors.
Meanwhile, the collaboration component of the alliance is designed to maximize the value of the Nuke platform by more closely aligning its development with that of GenArts' plug-ins. Customers will benefit from a more tightly integrated solution that more effectively exploits the strengths of each component. This collaboration is a natural extension of the work the two companies have done together as founding members of the Open Effects Association and creators of the OFX programming interface.
Does this mean that GenArts will be de-emphasizing support for other host platforms?
Absolutely not. GenArts has a long history of supporting all the host platforms that our customers consider important and we remain fully committed to this philosophy. This strategic alliance with The Foundry and the recent announcement of Sapphire 5 for Autodesk are both excellent examples of that commitment.
Why is selling the Tinder and Tinderbox business good for The Foundry?
The Foundry's plug-in strength has for many years been in complex research-based image-processing technology such as the award-winning Furnace and Ocula product lines. The Foundry intends to broaden its reach in this kind of plug-in technology.
But Tinder was where The Foundry started - how can you abandon it?
Yes, moving on from Tinder isn't something we do lightly. But we honestly believe it's in the best interest of our customers and an important step for future development at The Foundry.
What will The Foundry's plug-in team do now?
The Foundry's plug-in team has long been renowned for their innovation, winning an Academy Award for their Furnace product and multiple awards for their ground-breaking Ocula stereo-3D toolset. The team is hoping to continue their success in the hard science of images, expanding in size to support current products and develop entirely new ones. No staff will be moving from The Foundry to GenArts.
What will GenArts do with Tinder and Tinderbox in the future? We are very excited about the potential for innovation as a result of this alliance and our acquisition of the Tinder business and are evaluating feature and pricing options to provide customers maximum value and flexibility. Starting today, customers can go to genarts.com or Toolfarm.com to purchase Tinder or Tinderbox in their current form and at similar price points except for a few exceptions:
Tinderbox will now be sold as a full suite as opposed to individual boxes
The minimum period for all license rentals will now be 30 days
Only node locked licenses will be available for rent
Will Tinder or Tinderbox be folded into any current GenArts products such as Sapphire or Monsters?
Right now, there are no plans to combine Tinder or Tinderbox with Sapphire or Monsters to create a single product. For now, Tinder and Tinderbox will continue to be sold in their current form and at similar price points. We are continually evaluating feature as well as packaging and pricing options to provide our customers maximum value and flexibility.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - December 23, 2009 - wondertouch by GenArts announced today the immediate availability of particleIllusion™ for After Effects (pIAE) for users of Adobe After Effects on Windows. Available as a plug-in for the first time, particleIllusion for After Effects enables artists to create gorgeous particle effects directly within After Effects, producing a more efficient workflow and significantly enhanced productivity. Like its stand-alone sibling particleIllusion 3.0, pIAE is built on the industry's most robust 2D particle generation engine. As a result, it features the same highly acclaimed speed and ease of use that have made wondertouch products so popular with more than 10,000 compositing artists around the world. In addition, pIAE provides access to the thousands of existing wondertouch emitters - downloadable presets designed to allow users to effortlessly create natural, high-quality effects such as smoke, fire, explosions, sparkles, fireworks and countless abstract effects - without ever leaving the After Effects environment.
particleIllusion for After Effects features include:
The same emitter search engine found in wondertouch particleView
Access to all top-level particle parameters, including size, life, number, velocity, etc. to further customize the particles for each project
OpenGL-accelerated rendering
Full support for HD content
The ability to load most of the more than 2,800 existing particleIllusion emitters in After Effects, including the popular “Pro Emitters”
"particleIllusion for After Effects is the particles solution we've been waiting for," said Ernest Chan, Post Production CG Supervisor at Nickelodeon Animation Studios. "We are huge fans of the incredible ease of use and high-quality output that wondertouch products have delivered for years. Now, we get all those benefits in a more streamlined workflow that maximizes our creativity while minimizing our support costs. particleIllusion for After Effects is the right product at just the right time."
Artists using particleIllusion for After Effects can gain even greater control by using it in conjunction with particleIllusion 3.0. An excellent companion to pIAE, particleIllusion 3.0 grants access to all emitter settings and lower-level parameters such as color gradients, particle images, initial angle settings, and so on. Artists can also create new emitters and libraries, or move emitters between libraries using particleIllusion 3.0.
"particleIllusion 3.0 as a standalone application has earned its reputation by allowing customers to create stunning, natural effects that they would never have the time or resources to accomplish with other tools," said Alan Lorence, creator of particleIllusion. "particleIllusion for After Effects further enhances artists' creativity by offering convenient, intuitive access to our amazing preset library without having to leave the After Effects environment." Pricing and Availability
particleIllusion for After Effects is available immediately for Windows users, and will be available in Q1 2010 for Macintosh users. About wondertouch by GenArts
wondertouch by GenArts is an award-winning software developer specializing in particle effects for the visual effects industry. The company's flagship product particleIllusion, a sprite-based particle effects application, is designed to provide the most comprehensive effects creation tool and efficient workflow. Considered one of the most popular solutions for effects creation, particleIllusion is now used worldwide by creative professionals working in film post-production and pre-visualization, standard and HD video, commercial broadcast, motion graphics and game content creation.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – December 17, 2009 -- GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, today announced pricing for its GenArts Sapphir 5 licenses for Autodesk systems. A new Sapphire 5 license for Linux Flame, Inferno, Flint HD and Smoke HD will be priced at $8,499. This price represents a $1,500 decrease from Sapphire 4. Upgrades from Sapphire version 4 to Sapphire 5 will be priced at $3,499. In addition, new Sapphire 5 burn licenses have been reduced 50% from version 4 to $450.
Announced in November, Sapphire 5 will offer GPU-accelerated render speeds up to 700 percent faster than version 4, as well as support for full floating point workflows, enabling true photorealistic image quality with the highest dynamic range available. This increase in performance will dramatically change the complexion of the visual effects pipeline by lifting barriers to artists' creativity, while significantly reducing infrastructure costs.
Sapphire 5 is scheduled to ship in the first quarter of 2010 for Autodesk users. Please visit www.genarts.com/5 for more information.
GenArts Specialized Visual Effects Software: magic in every frame.
Unprecedented Performance and Quality Gains to Reshape Compositing Workflows
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - November 23, 2009 - GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today GenArts Sapphire 5. The latest software upgrade is fully GPU-enabled to provide artists a completely interactive user experience at HD resolutions, while accelerating render speeds up to 700 percent. In addition, support for full floating point workflows will deliver true photorealistic image quality with the highest possible dynamic range. Sapphire 5 is scheduled to ship in the first quarter of 2010 for Autodesk users.
Sapphire 5 promises to markedly change the visual effects pipeline by stripping away the barriers to artists' creativity, while significantly reducing infrastructure costs. Featuring a completely interactive user experience at HD resolutions, Sapphire 5 will enable artists -- even in client-attended sessions -- to push the bounds of their imagination without intrusive pauses for screen refresh. In addition, full floating point support offers photorealistic image quality with the highest possible dynamic range, so artists can faithfully recreate looks that exist only in nature - or even beyond nature - with no loss in color information.
Sapphire 5 render times have been slashed dramatically so that batch jobs once requiring overnight processing are now merely "over lunch." Such performance gains can considerably extend the life of the nodes in a render farm or even reduce the number of nodes required to process a project.
"GenArts Sap"phire has long established itself as the must-have element in the compositor's or editor's toolbox," said Steve Bannerman, CMO of GenArts. "More and more customers are telling us that the opportunity cost of porting and optimizing in-house effects to new technologies like GPU is just too high. Sapphire 5 represents another huge step in supporting the rapidly growing trend away from this expensive development toward standardization on tools from their trusted vendor."
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.
The sale includes the DVD versions only, no downloads. Class On Demand will give the users free updates to Final Cut Pro 7 and Final Cut Studio 3 Training when they buy Final Cut Studio 2 or Final Cut Pro 6 training. All you need to do is peel off the sticker on the DVD and send it in to Class on Demand and they will send you the new training for free, released in about 6 weeks. You'll have to pay for shipping, but you'll get 2 sets of training for half the price of one!
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Get the After Effects compatible or FxPlug version of GenArts Sapphire for only $999! Save $700 only at Toolfarm.com
On November 18, 2009, only from 12:00am to 11:59pm PST, get GenArts Sapphire for just $999, regularly $1699. No orders will be taken after that time. Please see our contact page for the current time at our headquarters in San Francisco, CA.
The sale is for the node-locked version only of the Adobe After Effects compatible and FxPlug versions of Sapphire only. FxPlug works in Apple Final Cut Pro and Motion.
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Get Boris Continuum Chroma Key 6.0 for 50% off on Thursday. This suite of keying tools includes the Chroma Key, Matte Choker and Light Wrap tools, which for this suite have been re-engineered to run in real-time - even on HD clips.
Not only that, it comes with BCS Chroma Key Studio, exclusively for users of Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Final Cut Express we offer Chroma Key Studio, which is included in the Chroma Key Unit. Regularly $299, get it for just $149.50 on November 19.
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
We're still getting all of the details together for you but plan on a BIG SALE next Wednesday, November 18, on GenArts Sapphire. It will be just $999, so submit your requests to whoever you need to ask (your boss, your board, your spouse perhaps?). The sale will include the versions for After Effects compatible, and FxPlug (FCP/Motion) Node-Lock licenses only. This is an incredible deal that won't be around again anytime soon!
GenArts Demo Reel
GenArts Sapphire for After Effects Before and After
Acquisition Underscores Company's Aggressive Growth Strategy and Broadens GenArts' Product Offering to Include Particles Engine
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - November 3, 2009 -- GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today a definitive agreement to acquire particleIllusion and all related products and technologies from wondertouch LLC. The acquisition includes particleIllusion SE, all Emitters and Pro Emitters, particleIllusion for AE, and all additional intellectual property from wondertouch LLC. As part of the acquisition, Alan Lorence, the former CEO of wondertouch and creator of particleIllusion, will join GenArts as a full-time developer.
Listen
wondertouch and particleIllusion will continue to operate as stand-alone brands, separate from GenArts Sapphire, Monsters and Raptors. Customers can continue to obtain wondertouch products and support exactly as they have in the past by visiting Wondertouch. In addition, particleIllusion will be sold through the same reseller channels as before and new emitters will continue to be delivered on their customary regular basis.
Separately, GenArts has announced that the highly anticipated wondertouch plug-ins for Adobe After Effects will be called particleIllusion for After Effects, and will ship in December 2009. Please visit wondertouch.com for more information about particleIllusion for After Effects.
"In 2008, we laid out a vision to accelerate GenArts' growth via acquisition, innovation and strategic partnerships," said Katherine Hays, CEO of GenArts. "We chose this path to align the company more fully with our customers who are shifting their emphasis away from in-house visual effects tools development, and toward a greater reliance on standardized tools from trusted vendors. This acquisition is another key step toward achieving that vision. The addition of particleIllusion not only provides GenArts a well respected product today, but its core particles technology offers an important foundation upon which we can further develop the types of new and innovative products that our customers require from their trusted vendor. We're extremely excited about this acquisition, and we welcome Alan to the GenArts family."
Created by Lorence, particleIllusion is a sprite-based particle effects application designed to provide the most comprehensive and efficient particle effects creation workflow. Utilizing hardware-accelerated rendering, it is now used worldwide by creative professionals working in film post-production and pre-visualization, standard and HD video, commercial broadcast, motion graphics, and game content creation. With particleIllusion, visual effects artists have access to thousands of presets that they can use to create innumerable effects such as smoke, fire, explosions, watery ripples, sparkles, colorful artistic fantasies and more.
"I am thrilled to join the world-class GenArts development team and return to my passion of continuing to evolve particleIllusion," said Lorence. "I look forward to the support and backing of such a creative organization as we explore ways to advance the state of the art of visual effects, and inspire film and video artists to bring their stories to life."
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.
Update 2.091 brings improved support for Nucleo Pro background renders. v2.09 added support for floating licenses on Windows and on Mac, support for Mac OS 10.6 Snow Leopard and floating licenses, plus it fixed a problem with Glare on HD footage . You can update or download a demo here.
Michele Yamazaki from Toolfarm is out on the West Coast today to present Boris Continuum Complete at Editor's Lounge tonight, Oct 30, 6:30pm. The topic du jour is Plug-ins, Pixels and Pumpkins: Compositing, Tracking and More. Featured guests will include Boris FX, Digital Film Tools, GenArts and Imagineer Systems. RSVP here for the event.
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.
A Look at Tools that Take Your NLE to the Next Level... and Then Some
Just in time for the Halloween witches and spooks, the next Editors' Lounge is shaping up to be ghoulishly great. We are featuring a full lineup of plug-ins that can extend your NLE and add polish and pizzaz to your projects. Come spend an evening with demos of composting, tracking and image manipulating toolkits that will knock your scary wigs right off.
Featured guests will include Boris FX, Digital Film Tools, GenArts and Imagineer Systems. Stay tuned for more details about the specific products that will be shown. Michele Yamazaki from Toolfarm will be there, demoing Boris Continuum Complete!
As always, be sure to RSVP at http://www.editorslounge.com/register.html as soon as possible. If you can't make it, please notify us right away so that we can give your spot to someone else.
Entry to the event is on a first-come, first-served basis, and priority is given to those who RSVP. Please be prompt and don't forget to bring a beverage of your choice- we'll provide the canapés! Take some time to check out our past Editors' lounges http://editorsloungearchive.blogspot.com/
When: October 30th, @ 6:30PM
Where: 1612 W. Olive Ave Suite 200, Burbank 91506 (Intersection of Olive and Verdugo) Parking is available under the building behind Olive Ave and street parking is free after 6PM!
New Resources Make GenArts Tools Even Easier to Learn, With Minimal Time Investment
GenArts announced today that of new training DVDs are now shipping. Complete Training for GenArts Sapphire from Class on Demand. First announced at NAB in April 2009, this title features more than four hours of in-depth, hands-on training for GenArts Sapphire on Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Pro. The title, designed for both novice and experienced users, guides artists through the many effects and transitions found in Sapphire so they can harness the full power of the suite with a minimal time investment. Users learn how to apply effects in every Sapphire category, and conclude by building a complete broadcast-ready promo spot. All footage and project files are included. The product retails for $129 USD and is available as a digital download or as a DVD from Toolfarm.
New Resources Make GenArts Tools Even Easier to Learn, With Minimal Time Investment
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - August 25, 2009 - GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today the availability of new training videos and tutorials for GenArts Sapphire and Monsters users. Available immediately, these new resources include:
Complete Training for GenArts Sapphire from Class on Demand. First announced at NAB in April 2009, this title features more than four hours of in-depth, hands-on training for GenArts Sapphire on Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Pro. The title, designed for both novice and experienced users, guides artists through the many effects and transitions found in Sapphire so they can harness the full power of the suite with a minimal time investment. Users learn how to apply effects in every Sapphire category, and conclude by building a complete broadcast-ready promo spot. All footage and project files are included. The product retails for $129 USD and is available as a digital download or as a DVD from Toolfarm.
Fifteen tutorials for GenArts Sapphire for Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Pro. These new free tutorials offer helpful tips and tricks for many of Sapphire's most popular effects such as LensFlare, RackDefocus and FilmDamage. These tutorials are available as free digital downloads. After Effects users should visit http://genarts.com/product/tutorials/sapphire/ae, and Final Cut Pro users should visit http://genarts.com/product/tutorials/sapphire/fcp. Check in frequently as we are always adding more.
The Monsters Companion Pack for Autodesk systems Reviewer's Guide. This tutorial offers a comprehensive 10-minute overview of many of the sparks in the Monsters Companion Pack for Autodesk Flame and Smoke users. The tutorial includes demos of Flare, PixFly, TV, Brush and Smoke. Ideal for use alongside the free Monsters trial version, Autodesk artists can leverage this tutorial to quickly see professional results in a limited amount of time. The reviewer's guide is available as a free digital download at http://www.genarts.com/product/tutorials/monsters/companion.
"Since my work is always tied to a tight deadline, I seldom have extra time to explore in depth the tools I use to create visual effects," said Jim Geduldick, Sr. DI Artist at Offhollywood NY. "As a result, I know I'm missing out on some incredible features GenArts Sapphire has to offer. The Complete Training for GenArts Sapphire from Class on Demand gives me an easy way to learn how to tap into the depth of Sapphire's features and dramatically enhance my productivity."
"GenArts provides the powerful tools that the world's best artists use every day to bring the world's greatest stories to life," said Steve Bannerman, CMO of GenArts. "The availability of these new training resources will help ensure that both long-time GenArts customers, as well as new users exploring a trial, have the opportunity to experience the full potential of Sapphire and Monsters and feel the inspiration that brings magic to every frame."
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.
Institutional Users On Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Pro Can Now Enjoy Significantly Reduced Support Costs While Maximizing Resource Allocation
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - August 25, 2009 - GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today a floating licensing option for institutional users of GenArts Sapphire on After Effects and Final Cut Pro host systems. The eagerly awaited floating license option offers significant flexibility, along with reduced support costs and more efficient resource allocation.
The new floating license option - supported via the Reprise License Manager (RLM) - allows customers to maintain licenses on a centralized server and "check them in and out" to users on a local area network as they are needed. This new Sapphire licensing option provides the following benefits:
Lower support costs. Since licenses can be seamlessly moved from one machine to another, managing licenses is far easier and machine downtime is minimized.
Greater flexibility. Customers can now easily support the dynamic requirements of freelance and temporary artists.
Efficient resource allocation. Customers can gain visibility into artist usage patterns and budget license purchases as their concurrency needs grow.
"GenArts Sapphire's new floating license option is essential in helping us keep our artist productivity high and our support costs low," said Saker Klippsten, Head of Engineering, Zoic Studios. "If a machine fails, we can have another one up and licensed immediately, keeping our artists working. In addition, floating licenses allow us to easily configure temporary workstations for freelance artists as they come and go. This new licensing option really saves us money while giving us much more freedom."
"Post-production houses rely on GenArts Sapphire every single day to ensure stellar visual effects results in feature films, commercials and television shows", said Steve Bannerman, CMO of GenArts. "Our new floating license option comes as a result of our continuing efforts to listen to our customers and deliver Sapphire in all the ways that meet their needs. We realize that our customers' businesses have changed and larger facilities need flexible options for keeping costs low and productivity high. Whether it's floating licenses, rentals or Web-activated serial numbers, GenArts delivers."
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.
License Rental Option Brings Benefits of Sapphire to Broader Range of Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro Users
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - July 7, 2009 -- GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today a monthly license rental option for its flagship GenArts SapphireTM visual effects software for Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Pro. The program is designed to offer Sapphire's entire suite of industry-leading visual effects plug-ins at an extremely affordable cost of entry, thereby providing access to a much broader range of users.
Available immediately, the Sapphire rental program is priced monthly at $169 for the full suite. Customers can prepay an unlimited number of months, and the minimum rental period is one month. Users can also apply up to two months of their rental fees as a credit toward the purchase of a permanent license.
"The Sapphire rental program is ideal for independent artists who work on a project basis. I no longer have to make compromises in my work because of the price of the tools," said Rob Birnholz of Absolute Motion Graphics, an independent digital media creation studio in Orlando. "Not only do I get access to the highest quality visual effects software used by the world's best artists, but the flexibility of the rental model makes it far easier for me to assign the cost directly to a particular job."
Recognized by top studios and post-production houses for its image quality, organic look, speed and intuitive controls, GenArts Sapphire provides more than 200 state-of-the-art image processing and synthesis effects plug-ins. It has been used to create some of the most exciting visual effects in countless blockbuster and Oscar-nominated films. Now, these high-quality visual effects are within reach of many independent filmmakers, freelancers, rental houses, videographers, and even students and hobbyists.
"Visual effects have become essential to the art of communicating and modern-day storytelling. Oscar-winning features such as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button illustrate how the role of visual effects has evolved from pure action and fantasy sequences to becoming a core component of the story itself," said Steve Bannerman, CMO of GenArts. "Sapphire is widely recognized as a mission-critical tool in the arsenal of many of the world's best artists and editors, and we're thrilled to be able to offer its capabilities to a significantly wider range of customers by dramatically lowering the cost of entry."
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.
Lee Stranahan will be talking about techniques and wages for visual effects artists with Star Trek / Pirates Of The Caribbean FX compositor Aruna Inversin. Also, discussing the GenArts / LucasFilm deal with Steve Bannerman of GenArts.
I just spoke with Steve this afternoon on the phone about some other unrelated topic. There are some interesting things in the pipeline for GenArts, but I can't divulge those details quite yet!
Anyway, the show is on tonight at 6/16/2009 10:00 PM EST. Lee and his guests are taking calls - call-in Number: (347) 945-5235.
Tell them you saw it at Toolfarm and give us some free advertising, okay ;-)
The votes are tallied for the Toolfarm 2009 Plug-in Awards. Thank you for your input!
Congratulations to Trapcode Particular for being the most prized plug-in for After Effects, winning by a landslide! Congratulations also to the winner of the Drobo giveaway - Dan Owen of Ensightful.
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.
So you just bought a fast new computer and dread the process of having to transfer your licenses to your new computer. It can be a hassle, but here is a guide for a few products you may own, to help things go a bit more smoothly. If you have questions, please post a comment below.
Adobe:
If you want to uninstall your product and reinstall it on a different computer, then you must first deactivate it. In the program, click Help > Deactivate, and then follow the instructions in the wizard to deactivate the program. If you have installed a suite product, you can deactivate the entire suite by deactivating any one of the point products included in that suite.
Automatic Duck:
After installing again on the new system, you will get a new Product ID to use for a new Activation Key. DO NOT try to activate the old Product ID on the new system.
Reset your serial number on the registration server so that you will be permitted to activate again. Please reset your serial number at this web page.
Register using your email address that you used to activate and you'll be able to log in and reset your serial number.
Quit After Effects, trash your plug-in's key file, click here to find it. Now you'll need to go through the activation process again.
BorisFX:
Requires a license transfer. Send license transfer request to us with your new Unique Product ID to obtain a new permanent code. Follow your original install instructions to obtain your Unique ID.
Digieffects:
Just reinstall on the new machine. Your serial number will work on either Mac or Windows, and does not require uninstalling your previous system's version.
The Foundry:
To obtain a new license, first fill out the license transfer form. You cannot transfer any of The Foundry products to a different host system.
GenArts Sapphire:
First uninstall the plugin: On Windows: go to Start->Control Panel->Add or Remove Programs. Find 'GenArts Sapphire Plug-ins' in the list, and press the Change/Remove button. On Mac: go to the /Applications/GenArtsSapphireAE folder and double click on Uninstall Sapphire.
During the uninstall, select the option to register that uninstall via the web. As long as the uninstall is successfully registered, you should then be able to install your serial number on the new machine. The license is cross-platform so you can transfer a serial number between Windows and Mac systems in this way.
GridIron:
Requires a license deactivation. Send your old serial number and the MAC Address of the new machine to us.
First uninstall from the old machine by launching the FxFactory application and choose the "Uninstall FxFactory..." command under the Actions menu: Then install as normal on the new machine.
If you uninstall FxFactory, it will uninstall everything, including all the FxPacks.
Furthermore you can also deactivate and remove individual FxPacks. This can be done by launching the FxFactory application.
To turn FxPacks on/off simply click the checkbox to the left of each FxPack in the FxFactory Application interface.
To completely remove an FxPack simply drag it out of the FxFactory application and into the trash.
Red Giant Software:
Just reinstall on the new machine. Your serial number will work on either Mac or Windows, and does not require uninstalling your previous system's version.
Re:Vision Effects:
Request a License Transfer. Delete plug-ins from the old machine, and send an email with serial number requesting a transfer. Note: License transfer fees may apply for certain hosts.
Tiffen Dfx:
First deactvate your license on the old computer by opening the licensing Menu and clicking "Internet Deactivate". On the new computer, select "Activate Dfx" and follow the instructions.
Trapcode:
Just reinstall on the new machine. Your serial number will work on either Mac or Windows, and does not require uninstalling your previous system's version.
GenArts Sapphire 2.07 for After Effects and compatible products is released and available for download. This is a free maintenance release for v2 customers, and should work with your existing v2 serial number.
New in Sapphire 2.07 for After Effects and Compatible Products:
A problem with thresholds in Glow, Glint, Glare and Convolve is fixed, giving improved but slightly different results from 2.06 and making the results compatible with Sapphire v1
An issue with rendering text layers on fields in AE CS4 is fixed
An issue with WarpBubble in AE CS4 is fixed
If you are still running Sapphire v1... what are you waiting for? Upgrade Now!
The Cambridge Motion Graphics Festival begins March 5th, 2009 in Harvard Square with 4 days of Workshops & Art Showcases by internationally recognized artists, including: Shepard Fairey, Nine Inch Nails, Addictive TV (Slumdog Millionaire), The Mill, Digital Kitchen, Dvein, Trollback & Co, Robert Rich, Passion Pictures, Animal Logic, David Lobser, Peter Kirn, superDraw and more.
This 4-day conference in the fast moving field of design technology has opened it's Art & Entertainment events for only $7. Rather than charging the typical $500-$1500 conference fee, the Cambridge Motion Graphics Festival encourages participants to spend their money on new books, DVDs and software, offered at a discount rate during the events.
Festival Sponsors include: Create Digital Motion, Oat Creative, Maxon, Lumen Eclipse, Future Media Concepts, GenArts, Stash DVD Magazine, DigiEffects, VidVox, Boris FX, Livid Instruments, Toolfarm.com, The Chicago Convergence, All City Technology, Sterling Ledet, Resolume, Garage Cube, Lift Motion Design, The Brattle Theater & Clif Bar.
Sapphire was used in Iron Man (see article from Studio Daily) and also in Benjamin Button (which I have yet to see, but its high on my list). Below is a press release about GenArts Sapphire use in Academy Award nominated films.
Leading Visual Effects Software Utilized in Many Oscar Nominated Films Including This Year's The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Iron Man
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Feb. 2 /PRNewswire/ -- GenArts, the leading provider of visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, said today it has logged yet another banner year at the Oscars. The company said artists working on two of the three films nominated in 2009 to receive the Visual Effects Oscar created effects using GenArts Sapphire software. This marks 12 consecutive years that GenArts Sapphire has been used in films recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding visual effects.
"We look back with a great deal of pride at the role our customers have played in some of these truly great films," said Karl Sims, the company's founder. Sims launched GenArts 12 years ago out of his barn in Cambridge, MA and just a year later saw his visual effects software used in the making of Titanic, the first Oscar winner in the decade-long streak. "We send warm congratulations to all of this year's Visual Effects nominees. For those of us who supply the software tricks and tools behind the scenes, it's a thrill to see the work we played a role in receive this prestigious recognition."
This year, the Oscar nominees that employed GenArts Sapphire include The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and Iron Man.
"GenArts Sapphire plug-ins are the core of our tool-set for finishing every shot at Hydraulx," said Colin Strause, owner of Hydraulx. "Their speed and effectiveness were paramount to us finalizing our complex shots on The Curious Case of Benjamin Button."
Since the company's founding in 1996, GenArts software has been utilized in hundreds of films and in more than 20 Oscar nominated pieces, including 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 the 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 digital visual effects for the film, broadcast and video industries. The GenArts Sapphire, Monsters and Raptors family equip 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.
Join GenArts and Toolfarm in celebrating the 12th consecutive year that Sapphire has been used in films recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding visual effects. Enjoy blockbuster savings on the GenArts Sapphire Entire Package, on sale for one day only, February 24, 2009! Save $700 and get all of the Sapphire plug-ins for After Effects and Final Cut Pro, exclusively at Toolfarm. This once-in-a-lifetime sale ends at Midnight EST on February 24.
Afraid the sale will slip your mind after a late night of Oscar watching? Sign up for Toolfarm's Sales Alert. It's free and we'll send a text message reminder to your mobile phone or email on the morning of the sale.
Join GenArts and Toolfarm in celebrating the 12th consecutive year that Sapphire has been used in films recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for outstanding visual effects. Enjoy blockbuster savings on the GenArts Sapphire Entire Package, on sale for one day only, February 24, 2009!
Save $700 and get all of the Sapphire plug-ins for After Effects and Final Cut Pro, exclusively at Toolfarm. This once-in-a-lifetime sale ends at Midnight EST on February 24.
Afraid the sale will slip your mind after a late night of Oscar watching? Sign up for Toolfarm's sales alert. It's free and we'll send a text message reminder to your mobile phone or email on the morning of the sale.
Acquisition is Key Component of GenArts' Aggressive Growth Strategy
Cambridge, MA. January 20, 2009 - GenArts Inc., the leading provider of digital visual effects software for the film, broadcast and video industries, announced today it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SpeedSix Software Limited. As of today, all SpeedSix employees will join the GenArts team and remain in the UK. In addition, SpeedSix's renowned Monsters and Raptors visual effects will be sold and supported in their current form alongside GenArts Sapphire, creating the industry's most compelling family of state-of-the-art image processing and synthesis effects software.
The acquisition is part of GenArts' aggressive growth strategy fueled by last year's investment from Insight Venture Partners of New York. CEO Katherine Hays took the reins in June, 2008 and announced her intent to accelerate the company's growth via acquisitions and strategic partnerships.
"We're excited to announce the acquisition of SpeedSix as an initial step in our growth plan," Hays said. "For over 12 years, GenArts has built a reputation for visual effects that inspire our customers to create the Academy Award-winning magic that has thrilled and delighted audiences around the world. We believe that the creativity and passion of our combined company will allow us to achieve new heights with our technology while leveraging our complementary businesses to create unequalled value for our customers in the years to come."
SpeedSix's Monsters and Raptors plug-ins feature powerful tools including retiming, particle effects, lens distortion matching, fire, and organic fluid backgrounds. Monsters and Raptors have been used throughout the film and video industry to create effects for some of the most popular movies, television and advertising produced in the industry.
Steve Hayes, Director of SpeedSix commented, "We've always admired GenArts and the outstanding reputation they have built over the last decade. We share their commitment to deliver the highest quality, most organic and most original visual effects tools in the world. We're proud to be joining the GenArts family and look forward to working together to create exciting new products that allow filmmakers and video artists to explore the limits of their imagination and create the entertainment experiences that continue to amaze us all."
About GenArts
Founded in 1996 in Cambridge, Mass., GenArts, Inc. is the premier provider of digital visual effects for the film, broadcast and video industries. GenArts Sapphire 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 as software plug-ins into leading editing and compositing systems from Adobe, Apple, Avid, Autodesk, Assimilate, Digital Vision, Eyeon, FilmLight, The Foundry, Quantel and SGO.
Sapphire has 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. www.genarts.com.
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.
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CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - November 23, 2009 - GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today GenArts Sapphire 5. The latest software upgrade is fully GPU-enabled to provide artists a completely interactive user experience at HD resolutions, while accelerating render speeds up to 700 percent. In addition, support for full floating point workflows will deliver true photorealistic image quality with the highest possible dynamic range. Sapphire 5 is scheduled to ship in the first quarter of 2010 for Autodesk users.
Get the After Effects compatible or FxPlug version of GenArts Sapphire for only $999! Save $700 only at Toolfarm.com
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. - November 3, 2009 -- GenArts Inc., the premier provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced today a definitive agreement to acquire particleIllusion and all related products and technologies from wondertouch LLC. The acquisition includes particleIllusion SE, all Emitters and Pro Emitters, particleIllusion for AE, and all additional intellectual property from wondertouch LLC. As part of the acquisition, Alan Lorence, the former CEO of wondertouch and creator of particleIllusion, will join GenArts as a full-time developer.
