The ultimate blurring filter set that combines user directed controls and feature sensitive methods.
SmoothKit is a set of filters that complements and extends the features of basic blurs and sharpens provided by host applications. Each plugin in SmoothKit is carefully crafted with fine control to provide the ultimate in filtering. SmoothKit’s emphasis is precise control of the filtering process with no compromise on image quality.
Highlights
SmoothKit Features
- More options – SmoothKit is a set of blur and sharpen filters that complements and extends the features of basic blurs and sharpens usually provided.
- Retain features – Blur without over-softening important features and edges. Emphasis is on precise control with no compromise on image quality.
- Better sharpening – SmoothKit sharpens with much less ringing, using a proprietary sharpening algorithm.
Feature Specs
- Preserve Edges – Soften areas while preserving sharp edges.
- Choose what to process – Selectively filter the luminance, or the chrominance, or each of the RGB channels independently.
- Sharpen – Sharpen plugin with a proprietary technique that significantly reduces usual sharpening ringing artifacts.
- Reduce staircasing – Includes a jaggie-reducing filter, to help eliminate staircasing.
- Better median filter – Get much less blocky results with SmoothKit’s median filter.
- Compound blur – Optional grayscale images may be used to modify blur size on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
- Splines to control blur direction – Ability to use splines to control the direction of the blur at each pixel. (Not available in Premiere Pro, Quantel eQ)
- Blur using provided directions – Directional filtering with per-pixel direction and strength controls.
- Block artifacts – Intelligently reduces block artifacts in MPEG or other compressed footage.
- Temporal filter – Multi-frame (temporal) filtering with several useful processing modes.
- Depth of field – Z-blur uses depth maps for blurring control. Ability to change where the focal point should be.
Description
Features of SmoothKit
- Ability to selectively filter the luminance, or the chrominance, or each of the RGB channels independently.
- Soften areas while preserving sharp edges.
- Sharpen plugin with a “multi-res” mode that significantly reduces usual sharpening ringing artifacts.
- Optional grayscale images may be used to scale filters on a pixel-by-pixel basis.
- Includes a jaggie-reducing filter, to help eliminate staircasing.
- Median filter option (in the Diffusion plugin) that produces much less blocky results than regular median filters.
- Intelligently reduces block artifacts (for example, DV or MPEG compressed footage).
- Ability to soften areas without blurring edges.
- Directional filtering with per-pixel direction and strength controls.
- Ability to use splines to control the direction of the blur at each pixel (After Effects and combustion only).
- Multi-frame (temporal) filtering with several processing modes.
- Z-blur that uses depth maps for blurring control. Ability to change where the focal point should be.
- 8 and 16 bits per channel processing (only 8 bits per channel supported within Final Cut Pro). Floating point image support in After Effects 7.0 or later.
- Optimization to take advantage of After Effects’s region-of-interest and other smart rectangle processing.
- Better multiprocessing support.
System Requirements
Compatibility
- Adobe After Effects CS6, CC, CC 2014, CC 2015, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019, 2020
- Adobe Premiere Pro CS6, CC, CC 2014, CC 2015, CC 2017, CC 2018, CC 2019, 2020
System Requirements
- The same OS and hardware requirements for the version of After Effects that you are using.
Change Log
Version 3.5.3 | July 6, 2020
- Trial version on Windows could crash (licensed version ok)
Version 3.5.2 | June 7, 2020
- Updated documentation
Version 3.5.1 | October 15, 2019
- SK Diffuse could crash on application
Version 3.5 | October 9, 2019
- Mac OSX – Catalina Ready
- Import Premiere project in AE with our plugins, there could be a parameter offset
Version 3.4.1 | January 14, 2019
- Fixes a bug of crashing when activating or deactivating the license from within a plug-in.
Version 3.4 | December 3, 2018
- Implements new RE:Vision Effects licensing scheme.
Version 3.3.5 | March 23, 2018
- Fixes a bug in Simple Gaussian that didn’t properly scale the Y blurring kernel when doing X and Y separately.
- Fixes a bug in SK Directional with Splines where it didn’t work properly sometimes on adjustment layers in AE.
Version 3.3 | July 23, 2014
- Adds cross OS support with a single registration key.
- Last version to support AE 7.0, CS3 and CS4, and PP CS4.
Tutorials
Re:Vision Effects - Our tools with Mocha
In this tutorial, we show how to integrate Mocha tools with our plugins since many of our tools support mattes, points, and masks from other software. We will see examples of this integration using Mocha to export mattes, masks, corner pin, stabilization and transform data. Guest appearance by Mask Avenger.
More...In Depth: Skin Retouching Part 3: More Plug-ins + Tutorials
Welcome to the final installment of this series on skin retouching. I’ve already covered loads of plug-ins available for After Effects and a few NLEs, linked to lots of tutorials and given you several tips on how to touch up skin, keeping your actor as natural looking as possible. This article includes even more plug-ins and some recent tutorials for all sorts of compositors and editing tools.
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