It's almost universal: Flow works with every common creative app, including the Adobe Creative Suite, video - and sound-editing applications from Adobe and Apple, Microsoft Office, 3D apps, AutoCAD, CorelDRAW, Painter, text files, and any other file you choose to associate with a project—just drag it onto another document in Flow’s map to connect them. Version 1 doesn't track QuarkXPress or Adobe Photoshop Lightroom files, but GridIron promises to support them soon. It works on Mac OS X 10.5 and above, and Windows XP or Vista.
Pros: Keeps projects organised, behind-the-scenes time tracking and versioning, works almost seamlessly Cons: Won't appeal to all creatives, lacks support for some applications such as QuarkXPress
If its any consolation, I haven't used QuarkXPress in years. They did give it 5 out of 5 which ain't too shabby!
Flow is a whole new way to see and manage all your project files, versions and information in one simple, elegant interface. Update includes support for Snow Leopard.
The long wait is over! Well, almost. Tuesday, August 4 at noon, Nucleo Pro 2 will be released. This is a free update for all Nucleo Pro 2 customers.
Steve Forde, CEO of GridIron says:
I do want to explain why it took us so damn long. Short answer - Flow. Flow is almost as complex as building an entire Operating System. It was a huge project - and took us much longer than we had anticipated. However, the wait was worth it. The number of users telling us how important Flow is to their workflow is more than justification in my mind for why it took so long.
I also want to post that it won't happen again. Now that Flow 1.0 is complete - the focus is on maintaining all our applications to be current with the most recent releases of the tools you use. In short - it won't happen again.
Thank you again for your patience - and please let us know how your NP2 experience in CS4 is!
I know what it is like to be spread thin over a couple of big projects. I think we can forgive them!
Stay tuned to Toolfarm.com for the latest news on GridIron and all of the plug-ins you care about!
Highly anticipated application for creative professionals has new features for workgroups and direct access from Adobe Creative Suite 4
OTTAWA, Ontario, June 29, 2009 - GridIron Software, the leading provider of workflow and performance tools for creative professionals, today announced that GridIron Flow, the first-of-its-kind visual workflow manager, is now shipping and available for immediate purchase. GridIron Flow gives creative professionals and workgroups the ability to see, access, and share all their project files in one simple, elegant interface. The product, which has been lauded by industry influencers and beta users as a "must have" productivity application, now includes even more features.
"We’ve waited a long time for this day, but the final product was worth the wait," said Steve Forde, CEO of GridIron. "Thanks to a world-class development team and the thousands of beta testers who not only thoroughly tested the software but helped shape the final version, Flow is a product that will help all creative pros, whether they work alone or as part of a group, become more streamlined and productive. No more lost files, no more accidents, no more all-nighters."
GridIron Flow has been used by thousands of creative professionals since the public beta of the product was released in February 18, 2009. Users have experienced how the software provides a unique and total understanding of each project being worked on and allows them to track all the components of a project, regardless of where the files are located. With instant access to any file or version needed, creative professionals can get a lot more done in a lot less time—without having to do anything differently.
The shipping product also debuts several new features that further expand the power of Flow. Share Maps allows groups of creative professionals using multiple computers to view the same workflow map across the network, no matter where files are stored or who created them. Another new feature, Adobe Creative Suite 4 Flow Flash Panel, provides users access to Flow directly from Adobe CS4 applications, offering yet another way to streamline the creative process.
"The ability for Flow to be accessed directly within Adobe CS4 applications via the new Flash Panel is impressive because of the value it brings users," said Johnny Loiacono, senior vice president and general manager, Creative Solutions Business Unit, Adobe Systems. "CS4 already delivers significant increases in productivity and Flow takes that to an even higher level. It is a product that most of our Creative Suite customers will find valuable."
Key features of the product include:
Workflow Maps - Visual interface shows all project files and how they are connected
Share Maps - Allows multiple users to view the same workflow map across the network
Adobe CS4 Flow Flash Panel Provides access to GridIron Flow directly in Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign or Flash
Real-time Asset Tracking - Tracks the connections between project files in real-time
Visual Versioning - Accesses the complete history of a file and allows the user to revert to any version
Visual Search - Finds any file, even if it's offline, and shows how it fits into a project
Foolproof Packaging - Gathers and updates all files automatically, keeping the package current
Time Tracking - Automatically records how much time was spent on a file or project
"We have many creative pros, working on multiple projects at any given time within Ogilvy Group UK, on a variety of different platforms and for a host of clients. From a production POV, I am always looking for technology that will improve productivity and make output more efficient," said Neil Evely, Chief Technology Officer, RedWorks Broadcast. "We were blown away when we saw GridIron Flow - it is an ideal addition to our software portfolio and is the perfect fit for our new Broadcast hub. Plus, the fact that it requires virtually no training to use means the company can start reaping the benefits immediately."
Product Availability
GridIron Flow is available for immediate purchase from GridIron's website at http://www.gridironsoftware.com/store/. A single user license is $299 USD, with a three pack also available for $399. Flow is currently available in English but will run on French, German, Italian, Spanish and Japanese operating systems. Fully translated versions of GridIron Flow will be available shortly.
For more information about the company and its products please see the links below:
For more about GridIron Flow - http://www.gridironsoftware.com/Flow/ To visit GridIron's blog - http://www.gridironsoftware.com/blog/ For additional multimedia - http://www.gridironsoftware.com/gridiron/mc.html
About GridIron Software GridIron Software is the leading provider of workflow and performance tools for creative professionals. Founded in 2002, the company’s mission is to help creative professionals be more productive while maintaining full control over the way they work. The company’s newest product, GridIron Flow, is a groundbreaking visual workflow manager that keeps creative professionals and workgroups streamlined and informed. GridIron Software’s product line also includes GridIron Nucleo and GridIron Nucleo Pro 2, tools that help users manage their After Effects workflow. For more information on the company, please visit www.gridironsoftware.com and subscribe to the GridIron Software blog at http://www.gridironsoftware.com/blog/"
Join Steve Forde, CEO of GridIron Software and John Nack, Principle Product Manager for Adobe Photoshop, LIVE - from your computer. Steve and John will be hosting a special web event next Monday, June 29th at 12pm EDT, showing something brand new - and VERY unique - between GridIron Flow 1.0 and Adobe Creative Suite 4.
Steve Forde, president of GridIron Software, said that the GridIron Flow public beta 3 will expire on July 1st. Get the GridIron Flow public beta 3 here while you can. More news to come on Flow.
Be totally organized without organizing anything. GridIron Flow is digital content management software for creative professionals working on graphic design, web, and video projects. Flow automatically tracks the design process from idea to end result and manages assets and applications for the most complex workflows.
Flow is the world's first Visual Workflow Manager, built from the ground up to keep creative professionals streamlined and informed. Flow gives you a total understanding of your project, visually and intuitively.
In one simple interface, you'll see all your project files, how they're related to each other, and where they're located- on a local drive, on a network volume, even on a DVD you burned a few months ago.
This new birds-eye-view of your project gives you instant access to any file you need- and any version of that file, even if you've overwritten it while making changes. Flow even alerts you if you try to modify or delete a file that you shouldn't. Bottom line: no more lost files, no more accidents, and no more all-nighters. You'll find yourself delivering everything right the first time- without doing anything different.
John Nack, Principal Product Manager for Adobe Photoshop, calls Flow "one of the slickest, most potentially transformative applications I've seen in years." Could it transform the way you work? Check out Flow's features to find out.
Check out the New Tutorials for Flow. Flow is still in public beta. You can download the beta here: Toolfarm Demos. Look under Standalone for the Flow Beta.
If you're in the Bay Area, check out SFMograph, San Francisco's user group for animation, design, motion graphics, and visual effects professionals.
Tonight, Mark Coleran will be presenting GridIron Flow, which just had another public beta released yesterday. We'll have info to come on that shortly. Also, Adobe's Kevan O’Brien will walk you through the latest CS4 updates released at NAB.
You must pre-register for the meeting. The meeting takes place at Adobe, 601 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94103 on Thursday, April 30, 2009 from 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM (PT).
Steve Forde, president of GridIron Software, has set up a survey regarding their new product Flow, which is still in Beta. By taking the survey, you can enter to win one of two 16GB iPod Touches. Awesome!
Steve Forde talks about GridIron Flow and shows Flow.
GridIron Flow is a whole new way to see and manage all your project files, versions and information in one simple, elegant interface. We'll be updating our Plug-in Finder tomorrow with the latest information about Flow and we'll keep you up-to-date about the release on our news blog.
GridIron Flow is a whole new way to see and manage all your project files, versions and information in one simple, elegant interface. We'll be updating our Plug-in Finder tomorrow with the latest information about Flow and we'll keep you up-to-date about the release on our news blog.
Based on the feedback, GridIron are currently in production for full Flow support of the following applications:
Maxon Cinema 4D (10, 11)
Adobe Encore (CS3, CS4)
DigiDesign Pro Tools 7.4 & 8 (M, LE, HD)
The Foundry Nuke
iWork '09
Steve Forde, President of GridIron Software said the following about application support for Flow
The list is long after that - but these are the apps you can expect before any others. As an aside - we have a team dedicated to continuously adding more applications. There is also an SDK coming that other developers may use to ensure Flow support of their application.
Steve Forde of GridIron Software says "Today we announced when you will finally be able to download a product that has been in the works for a VERY long time. It's an ambitious app - and has had its fair share of challenges to say the least. But its potential - and the way it has come together have been SO worth it."
I've seen it demo'd a few times and I don't think Steve is exaggerating a bit. We'll keep you up to date with announcements on Flow, especially when you can get it!
Workflow Management Tool Receives Best of Show Acknowledgment
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada April 29 - GridIron Software today announced that its newest product -- GridIron Flow was awarded 'Best of Show' by Videography editors at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) convention, which took place April 14-17. Flow is a revolutionary new approach to workflow management for creative pros that dramatically simplifies the design process for print, web, film, and video projects. Flow is currently in beta with a select group of creative pros. Registration for a free public beta planned for late spring is available on the Gridiron website at http://www.gridironsoftware.com.
"Gridiron Flow represents a tremendous step forward for industry professionals with its ability to work seamlessly in the background as it automatically tracks and displays the relationships of all files used within a project," explains Videography Contributing Editor Ned Soltz. "Even more impressive is its ability to create project packages for archival or shared purposes. And it's priced at a point where the power of Flow is accessible to large and small users alike."
The NAB Vidy Awards are given by Media's Broadcast & Video Group of products, which also includes DV magazine, DV Expo and the Creative Planet Community of web sites. A select panel of engineers, production and post professionals and editors joined the magazine staffs to judge the Best of Show awards for each publication.
"The Vidy Best of Show award is a great honor and wrapped-up an excellent week at NAB. It was very exciting to share Flow with our Nucleo Pro customers and the video and broadcast industry professionals who stopped by to see demonstrations at the show," said Steve Forde, CEO of GridIron Software. "We got a lot of great feedback from customers and look forward to working closer with the creative professional community when we launch the public beta of Flow."
Flow automatically tracks your work allowing you to instantly see the relationships between all your assets in your most complex projects -- all without changing the way you work. It uses sophisticated Real-Time Asset Tracking technology to record all Import/Export, Save/Save As, and Copy/Paste actions in a project. Flow understands all the assets used in a project regardless of application; and maintains the relationships between stills, movies, sound clips, fonts, plug-ins, and color swatches on all local, network, and removable storage devices.
This award-winning software will be available later this summer for US$349 and will support Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard, as well as Windows XP and Vista. Creative professionals interested in learning more about Flow and participating in the public beta program are encouraged to register at: http://www.gridironsoftware.com.
About GridIron Software
GridIron Software is a leading provider of workflow solutions for creative professionals. We build powerful tools that enhance the creative process by eliminating the drudgery that creative professionals associate with design, video and web workflows. For more information visit: http://www.gridironsoftware.com. GridIron Software
Adobe is having a Digital Video Tools Showcase on Thursday, May 29 in New York City.
From planning to playback, Adobe Creative Suite 3 Production Premium drives video content creation. Combined with a diverse group of Adobe's partners, including AJA, Blackmagic Design, CalDigit, Creative COW, Digieffects, GenArts, GridIron Flow, Matrox, Maxon, MOTU, Panasonic, and Wacom, Adobe offers solutions and workflows for getting today's content out to air, tape, disc, or online faster than ever before.
First Session: 11:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m. Second Session: 3:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
New Yorker Hotel Crystal Ballroom, 2nd Floor 481 8th Avenue at 34th Street New York, NY 10001
The GridIron team will be showing off their just announced software, GridIron Flow, and Todd Prives from GenArts will be showing off Sapphire. Door prizes include stuff from Toolfarm (yeah, that's us!) GenArts, Video Copilot, Zaxwerks and more.
It's Thursday, January 24, 2008, 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM at the Pratt Manhattan 144 West 14th Street (b/w 6th and 7th Ave), Room 213. It's free to attend thanks to Adobe and Pratt.
Revolutionary Workflow Maps Simplify Creative Pro Design Process
Macworld Conference & Expo, SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., - January 15, 2008 - GridIron® Software today announced GridIron FlowTM, new digital content management software for creative professionals working on graphic design, web, and video projects. Flow automatically tracks the design process from idea to end result and manages assets and applications for the most complex workflows. The product will be shown publicly for the first time at Macworld San Francisco in the GridIron Software booth S-334.
"Creative Professionals now have an easy way to visualize their design process and share their projects with a colleague, ship them to a client or archive them for safe keeping," said Steve Forde, CEO of GridIron Software. "We are excited to be demonstrating Flow at MacWorld and look forward to delivering this powerful solution for Mac and PC later this year."
Flow uses a sophisticated system to automatically track workflows by recording all Import/Export, Save/Save As, and Copy/Paste actions in a project. It understands the file formats for virtually all creative professional applications, including those from Apple and Adobe, and maintains the relationships between stills, movies, sound clips, fonts, plug-ins, and color swatches on all local, network, and removable storage devices.
Using Real-Time Asset Tracking technology, Flow automatically builds Workflow Maps for every project. A Workflow Map shows the files used in the workflow and how they are connected to one another. Workflow Maps display all related application project files, media assets, and internal structures such as comps and layers. By selecting any file in the Workflow Map, users can view its fonts, color swatches, and the application plug-ins used to create it.
Kept under tight wraps until now, the few creative professionals who have seen Flow eagerly anticipate its availability:
"Even with a brief overview I immediately recognized how Flow will allow me to take control of my computer in a way I never imagined," said John Dickinson, senior broadcast designer and founder of Motionworks.com.au. "Imagine, an intelligent assistant working behind the scenes, not only giving you access to your files in a whole new way, but showing you the relationship between files and watching your back in case you try to delete something you shouldn't. Amazing!"
"Flow looks to be the answer we have all been waiting for. Versioning and pipeline tracking is now accessible and easy to understand. It is a valuable tool for my studio," said Jonathan Hicks, art director and principal of Post Factory, a post production facility offering creative design, post production, and special effects.
"I wish Flow was developed a couple of years ago," said Joost van der Hoeven, founder and owner of Animotion.nl, a boutique audio visual design studio in the Netherlands.
Flow can capture a point in time snapshot of any project that tracks everything that went into its creation, including media files, fonts, color swatches, applications and plug-ins, which can easily be archived to save or hand-off to the client. Project Archives include a Workflow Map showing how everything fits together, so when a project is sent to the printer, client or colleague, or burnt to disk, everything needed to reproduce it is there.
Other features in Flow include a Workflow Calendar that displays the time, date, and duration of projects for up to a year; Visual Versions which automatically track versions of media files, including thumbnails and metadata, as a project evolves allowing users to easily revert to a previous version of a file anywhere in their workflow; and Tags and Annotations, which provide tags and sticky-note style annotations to assets or projects and support custom tags and metadata standards. In addition, GridIron offers the Flow SDK to tool vendors to make it easy for them to create custom extensions to support their file formats and add new functionality to the Flow environment.
Flow will be available this summer for Mac OS X Tiger and Leopard and for Windows XP and Vista. For more information and to sign up for the upcoming Public Beta visit www.gridironsoftware.com.
About GridIron Software
GridIron Software is a leading provider of workflow solutions for creative professionals. We build powerful tools that enhance the creative process by eliminating the drudgery that creative professionals associate with design, video and web workflows. For more information visit: www.gridironsoftware.com.
