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Tuesday, April 08, 2008

Pinnacle Studio and Avid Liquid, Effects Plugins Now Available from NewBlueFX


+ NewBlueFX has released 978 presets and 114 effects plugins encompassed in 12 distinct and competitively-priced collections of video effects plugins for Pinnacle Studio and Avid Liquid.Among the collections of Pinnacle Studio effects plugins and Avid Liquid effects plugins from NewBlueFX are 7 VideoFX collections and 5 AudioFX collections, including NewBlue 3D Effects, NewBlue 3D Transformations, NewBlue Art Blends, NewBlue Art Effects, NewBlue Equalizers, NewBlue Essentials, NewBlue Film Effects, NewBlue Motion Blends, NewBlue Motion Effects, NewBlue Production Tools, NewBlue Scrubbers and NewBlue Sound Benders.
Known for their ease-of-use, clean design and immense variety of video and audio techniques, NewBlueFX provides video editors Hollywood-style techniques at accessible prices. Unlike many other available Avid Liquid effects plugins and Pinnacle Studio effects plugins on the market, NewBlueFX integrate seamlessly into their host video editor. NewBlue's Pinnacle Studio effects plugins and Avid Liquid effects plugins consists of two main categories, VideoFX and AudioFX. In the VideoFX plugins collections, users will find plug-ins that provide artistic techniques, such as air brushing, pastel sketching and line drawing, as well as motion effects, such as earthquake, spin blur, wiggle and zoom. Features of the AudioFX collections run the gamut from audio filtering, such as equalization, noise reduction and compression to creative sound manipulation tools, such as "Insectoid," "Buzz" and "Robot Fog." Users can purchase NewBlueFX directly from the company's website at www.newbluefx.com . Fully-functional trial versions are available for download, as well.

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Awake Plugin Pack for eyeon Fusion


+ Frantic Films Software, the software development division of VFX studio Frantic Films VFX and a division of Prime Focus Group, announces that its Awake plug-in pack for eyeon Fusion 5 is now commercially available. The collection now features 10 powerful plug-ins that streamline stereo 3d compositing and visual effects workflows for artists using Fusion 5. Frantic Films Software will be demonstrating Awake from the eyeon Software booth at this year`s NAB Conference at booth #SL2616.
eyeon Fusion is a full-featured, node-based compositing system used at leading VFX studios catering to feature film, commercials, motion graphics, television post-production, and stereoscopic production. Seamlessly integrated into Fusion 5, the Awake suite boosts Fusion`s already powerful feature set to unlock a host of tools that take advantage of Fusion`s speed and interactivity. Awake is available now with a list price starting at $299 USD, and is compatible with eyeon Software`s Fusion 5 and higher. Awake is available directly through the Frantic Films Software Division, please visit www.software.franticfilms.com

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Friday, March 28, 2008

After Effects Tutorial : Advanced Tracking and Replacing


+ This is a quite handy AE Tutorial by Harry J. Frank, an freelance motion graphics artist, instructor and Adobe Certified Expert. This 34 minutes long tutorial was one of the lessons taught in 2008 Chicago Motion Graphic Festival. Harry says; "Although, I've done Tracking and Replacing tutorials before, this one was a particular challenge: replacing a spinning record label with an overlapping hand. This covers tracking, rotoscoping, and various types of manual animation to match the movement in the shot. This was taken from a job I did, and therefore I cannot supply the footage or logo due to copyright issues. But, it will get you thining creatively about using After Effect as a visual effects tool."

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008

GenArts Releases Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple FxPlug Products



+ GenArts, Inc., a leading provider of visual effects plug-ins for the film, broadcast and video industries, today announced the immediate availability of Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple FxPlug products, including Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express and Motion. Sapphire Plug-ins for FxPlug products contains over 200 image processing and synthesis effects, including the latest effects in the Sapphire suite such as FilmDamage, ZDefocus, Cartoon, BleachBypass, GradientMulti, SwishPan, Deband and Vignette. GenArts is offering the new FxPlug version at no additional charge to customers with Sapphire v2 for After Effects and compatible products.
The new version for FxPlug products features drag-on Transition effects for FCP, effects categorized by Generators, Filters and Transitions, and parameters arranged in groups for improved interface layout. “It’s fantastic to have these effects as real transitions in FCP! Once again a great job by the GenArts Sapphire team,” says Andy Tolbert from Wide Eyed Productions. Usability enhancements in the FxPlug version also include the ability to open and close parameter groups in the UI and dial controls for angle parameters. Additionally, projects created in Motion using Sapphire effects can be easily imported into FCP. The FxPlug and After Effects versions of Sapphire can be used concurrently in FCP for compatibility with existing projects.
Key features of Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple FxPlug Products:
* Over 200 effects
* Native support for Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express and Motion
* Convenient drag-on Transition effects for Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express
* Effects categorized by Generators, Filters and Transitions
* Parameter groups can be opened and closed in the UI
* FlickerRemove and FlickerMatch have Set Hold Level and Set Match Level buttons
* Angle parameters use dial controls
* Motion projects with Sapphire effects can be imported and embedded in Final Cut Pro
* FxPlug and After Effects versions of Sapphire can be used together in Final Cut Pro
* Support for Mac OS 10.5 Leopard and Mac Intel hardware
* Resolution independent, fully anti-aliased, high quality images
* Easy to use and fully integrated within the native user interface
* Multi-processor support for faster rendering
* Many parameters which can be adjusted and animated for an unlimited range of results
Availability and Pricing
Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple FxPlug Products can be purchased directly from GenArts or through their worldwide channel of authorized resellers. Pricing is $1699 for the entire package or $599 for one of four individual box sets. Special upgrade pricing for existing customers with Sapphire v1 for After Effects is offered for $599 and $199, respectively. Customers with Sapphire v2 for After Effects can use the FxPlug version at no charge on the same workstation. A new license purchased for FxPlug also allows use of the AE version. A free trial of software is available online at www.genarts.com.

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Friday, March 07, 2008

Research Studios Launches Motion Graphics Offer


+ Leading global design company Research Studios launches an international motion graphics offer this week. The company, launched by British designer and art director Neville Brody in 1994, has already enjoyed success in the sector on a project by project basis for names like Paramount Films (for whom it executed all onscreen graphics for the titles sequences of the Mission Impossible Films) Old Navy, Channel 4, Eurosport, Touchstone Pictures, Ushuaïa TV, Xindao and WAT.
The new offer will specialise in television branding, broadcast design and presentation installations: from the complete design and redesign of channel graphics packages, to idents, promos, main titles, and everything in-between, using 2d and 3d platforms.Neville Brody will act as Art Director on all projects and Italian designer Alex Mazza will be lead motion graphics designer. Mazza previously worked for Concrete Design and then with creative house Squarezero. He has worked in many areas of design, from 3D animation and compositing to print and web design, and from initial concept and storyboarding straight through to delivering the final product. Mazza has worked on projects for 3 Mobile, Nickleodeon, BBC, Channel 4, Disney, Channel 5, emap and Thomas Cook.

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Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Nuke 5 Arrives



+ Leading visual effects software developer The Foundry is delighted to announce the next major release of its powerful compositing application, Nuke. Nuke 5 features a brand new user interface, the addition of Python for scripting, support for stereoscopic workflow, and with the ability to read, process and write over 1,000 channels per stream, it now features the industry’s broadest support for EXR images.
Since taking on the development of Nuke The Foundry’s goal has been to remain true to the original concept of developing a comprehensive compositing solution that is ‘designed by artists for artists’. With user requirements as the driver, The Foundry has concentrated on enriching and refining the product, building on its already strong foundations and focussing development efforts on areas that required renovation. Nuke 5 is the first major step towards this goal.
"Nuke is a complete pipeline tool. We created a pipeline for a job within days that would not have been possible with any other software. Within three days of getting our license we generated over 85,000 frames of data that equalled 350 variations for the client. Nuke 5’s support for OpenEXR is so effortless that our renders comein and we just work." Robert Nederhorst, VFX Supervisor at SpeedShape’s Los Angeles studio.
Applying over a decade of software development experience and close collaboration with the growing Nuke community, The Foundry has reworked Nuke’s UI to improve the user experience and make it more approachable for a broader range of artists. In addition to augmenting the existing floating window layouts with a flexible panes and panels system, Nuke 5 features per-node mask inputs, and expanded LUT support for file I/O colourspace conversion.
Since its inception, Nuke’s extensive scripting capabilities have been a key feature for many of its adopters, and The Foundry has taken this to the next level by adding support for the Python scripting language for the version 5 release.
The Foundry’s product development has long-benefited from close working relationships with some of the industry’s leading post production facilities. The latest challenge facing these cutting edge artists is the dramatic increase in volumes of stereoscopic projects. The Foundry has responded by laying the groundwork for efficient multi-view compositing in Nuke 5.
“With the latest Nuke developments we are reinforcing our commitment to deliver first-class products that assist creativity, workflow and productivity, no matter how demanding the pipeline,” said Dr BillCollis, CEO, The Foundry. “Close relationships with our Nuke and plug-in customers are fundamental to our work – we listen to what they say they need for their pipelines today and tomorrow and this drives our R&D.” Available on Linux, Windows, and Mac platforms Nuke delivers unparalleled speed, an efficient multi-channel scanline rendering engine, and powerful feature set unrivalled in the desktop market.
Availability and Pricing
Now shipping, Nuke 5 is priced at $3,500 / £1,750 with render nodes priced at: $250 / £125, with the annual maintenance and support contract prices at $1,000 / £500 per GUI license. Nuke 5 is available for existing customers with valid maintenance at no extra cost, customers can download now from The Foundry website www.thefoundry.co.uk

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Tuesday, January 01, 2008

Pixel Farm Offers PFTrack 4.1 PLE



+ The Pixel Farm Ltd. , a leading developer of innovative, collaborative solutions that are specifically designed to meet the needs of artists working in digital intermediate, restoration, visual effects, gaming and broadcast markets has released PFTrack 4.1 Personal Learning Edition (PLE). The complete toolset of PFTrack 4.1, including geometry tracking, image-based modeling, z-depth extraction and multiple-motion solves, is included in PFTrack 4.1 PLE. Not only does PFTrack provide you with the best and most cost effective professional Match Moving system on the market but it also allows you to generate Optical flow data, Z depth data and geometry for use in your entire visual effects pipeline.Autodesk FBX and Apple Motion offers PFTrack streamlined interoperability between many applications, including Flame, Flint and Smoke. Apple Motion is supported by exporting either a native camera file, or an entire scene file. The unique geometry tracking system in PFTrack 4.1 allows 3D geometry to be imported into PFTrack and then matched to sequences, making this an ideal tool for head and facial replacement meaning artists can now be confident that animated CG, when rendered and composited, will exactly match the live action.
The PLE version of PFTrack is fully functional without a license, however it will not allow you to export data. You can save your project and use the software to learn the tools within PFTrack. Project Data from the PLE version of PFTrack is not compatible with the Commercial version and can not be opened with it.

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Saturday, December 15, 2007

Dover Studios Announces New Visual Effects Training DVD



+ Dover Studios, Inc. announced the release of Shake: Techniques Volume 1, their latest visual effects training DVD. Shake: Techniques Volume 1 provides compositors with a variety of solutions that can be applied to everyday compositing challenges. Through a series of in-depth lessons, visual effects artists, Andrew Hazelden & Russell Hazelden, share tips and techniques that will help you create better composites in Shake. Essential topics include several approaches to stabilizing footage including the Stabilize node that uses motion trackers, and the SmoothCam node that uses optical flow technology. Learn how to use the Defocus node and see how it can be used to simulate a real lens by creating the Bokeh lens effect.
Discover how to pull a key from a blueScreen shot by using the Keylight keyer and learn how to use the Keylight status mode to troubleshoot a key. Advanced topics include: creating a procedural animation using an audio file and an expression, and building a composite using an external matte with the SwitchMatte node. Demystify the topic of alpha channels by learning what the terms pre-multiplied and un-pre multiplied really mean. Check out www.DoverStudios.com today and download the free preview movie. Shake: Techniques Volume 1 is available on DVD-ROM for Mac OS X and Windows. Shake: Techniques Volume 1 is available now for $49.95 CAD.

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Thursday, October 18, 2007

Dover Studios Shake: Compositing Workflow



+ Dover Studios has announced the release of Shake: Compositing Workflow, their latest visual effects training DVD. Shake: Compositing Workflow is an introduction to node-based compositing for visual effects artists working in film and television. Shake is the compositing program of choice for many high-end film and television productions around the world. On this DVD visual effects artists, Andrew Hazelden and Russell Hazelden, explore the Shake user interface and the workflow used to create a composite.
Essential topics include: loading footage into a Shake script with the FileIn node, adjusting node parameters, layering images with the Over node, using RAM and disk based Flipbooks to preview composites, working with nodes and noodles, and rendering finished composites using the FileOut node.Discover how to use Shake's powerful Primatte Keyer to process images shot on blue or green screen backgrounds. Learn how to create a "garbage matte" to improve the quality of a key. Study the illumination levels of a blue screen background by using the pixel analyzer. Advanced topics include: using proxies to work with high resolution footage in real time, relinking missing media, customizing global parameters, viewing color channels in the Viewer and in Flipbooks, using horizontal and vertical compare modes, viewing alpha channels, creating multiple viewers, configuring the domain of definition to reduce computer processing time, and several techniques for managing media in the File Browser.

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Monday, October 08, 2007

3D Invigorator For After Effects


+ Lets have a look at 3D Invigorator; an innovative plugin by zaxwerks for Adobe After Effects, which is available in two versions - 3D Invigorator classic and 3D Invigorator Pro. The 3D Invigorator brings power of 3d to the host application Adobe After Effects, thus enabling AE user to create stunning titles and logos in Three dimension. The 3d Invigorator gives depth to After Effect layers and can generate nice sculpted 3D models with the press of a button. The Professional version of 3d invigorator have all the features of Classic version, beside that; the PRO version gives you the incredible ability to bring 3D models right into AE.
The PRO Version also cut short your rendering time by using the power of openGL enabled Graphics cards, especially when you import 3d elements into After Effects. The plugin support import from major 3d application like 3ds Max, Maya, DXF, lightwave3D etc.,and New Version 4.0 of 3d Invigorator have its own Import/Export Format for importing and exporting 3D objects. The new Invigorator object format enables you to set up 3D logos, titles and 3D text, color them, apply the materials, maps and object settings, and then save them into files which you can reuse, thus effectivly giving user its own custom library for future Invigorator projects. Beside giving its user power to incorporate 3d into a 2d pipeline, the plugin comes with many useful features, including;
- Simple 3D Primitives and 3D-Text
- 3D Motion Blur (a must have feature for motion Graphic artists)
- Layer Map Animation
- Highlight Mapping
- Cartoon and Matte Coloring
- Useful Shadow rendering
Although, I am not an After Effects artist (tried demo couple of times:) but; its makes perfect sense to me that incorporating 3d with-in a 2d application, with such a ease would really improve productiveness of any artist working in Motion Graphics Industry. So, I recommends you guys must download its demo and better check it out,.. if you haven’t already done that!
>> 3D Invigorator For AE

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Friday, September 28, 2007

Artbeats Offers 15 Free Royalty-free Clips to Adobe Customers



+ Good News....no No, My wife is not Pregnant.......I am not even Married :)....Well the real good news is; Artbeats Inc. is offering 15 free royalty-free Artbeats clips (a value of US $2985) to Adobe Customers. Artbeats, the industry’s leading provider of high-quality royalty-free stock footage, today announced an exclusive, limited-time offer that will allow select Adobe customers to obtain 15 free royalty-free Artbeats clips (a value of US $2985). This special promotion features a diverse range of footage, including billowing clouds, stunning pyrotechnic effects, water drops, gently falling rain, a spinning globe and several mood-setting animated backgrounds. To be eligible, Adobe customers must purchase a full retail or upgrade version of Adobe® Creative Suite® 3 Production Premium or Adobe Creative Suite 3 Master Collection from the Adobe Store or a participating reseller from Sept. 10, 2007 through Nov. 30, 2007. For more information or to preview the 15 Artbeats clips please visit www.Artbeats.com/adobeclips.

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Sunday, September 02, 2007

OFFF NYC - Motion Graphics Festival



+ OFFF starts out as an Online Film Festival. Now after seven years since its inauguration the globally recognised OFFF Festival arrives to New York City, direct from trendsetting, culturally quenching Barcelona. What better city to export this festival to than the epicentre of digital activity - New York City. OFFF has consolidated its position as one of the European events of reference for cutting edge software art and digital design. This November, over three days at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, top digital artists will be showcased, as well as web, print and interactive designers, motion graphic studios, and adventurous new music.
Announcing the packed programme from Barcelona, Festival Director Hector Ayuso Ros highlighted the distinctive atmosphere that OFFF creates, "It is more than a design conference, a multimedia tradefair, and a digital animation festival – OFFF is three days for artists to play, work, enjoy and experiment. What makes OFFF so uniqueis that they do all of this with an audience. "The inaugural event will be showcasing; advertising firm Goodby, Silverstein & Partners - recently winning the highly prized accountfor Sprint - Hi-Res!, Hilman Curtis, Joshua Davis, Motion Theory, and Neville Brody. Other design specialists such as Buck, who worked on the graphics for Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth, will be presenting.
World class motion graphic designers including Psyop, Belief, TronicStudio, Stardust and the renowned Simon Robson, from the documentary Taking Liberties will also be displaying their talents over the three day festival, and in the words of Robson, "we'll be showing how motion graphics can be used to persuade and influence people to do things other than buy new shoes or cars. "A wide range of special events takes place simultaneously within the gathering. Over 50 conferences; performances; exhibitions; screenings of animation (motion graphics, micro-films, title sequences);interactive installations; collectives and artists fair market;social/networking chill-out areas; inspiring parties; and much more. This is cutting-edge contemporary visual culture.Three full days and nights of buzzing digital media creation will be showcased starting Friday November 2nd through to Sunday November 4th 2007, at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center, New York City. For more information, please visit http://www.offf.ws/nyc/.

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Wednesday, August 22, 2007

nailgun* created show open for Versus' WEC coverage



+ A gritty, old-school gym-like texture and pounding rock track set the mood for the powerful show package created by award-winning motion graphics house nailgun* for Versus' coverage of WEC (World Extreme Cagefighting). The tremendously popular sport combines the worlds of boxing, wrestling, martial arts and more within one chainlink-enclosed ring."This is truly an incredible sport," says nailgun* President/Creative Director Michael Waldron. "These fighters are not in it for the money, the fame or the lifestyle. They are in staggeringly good shape and adhere to very strict training regimens and diets.
They are also of just about every ethnic background you can imagine. As we watched more of the matches and looked at photos of the fighters we realized that a lot of them have tribal-like tattoos, most of which are linked to their particular ethnicity. That seemed like a great way to link this diverse sport into one coherent, exciting look."The nailgun* created show open begins with a shot of a tattooed muscled athlete. The small, wave-like tattoo adorning his left deltoid suddenly begins to grow. As the camera moves in for a closer look, viewers are plunged into a surreal world of shifting tribal tattoos, shadowboxers, savage punches, deft kicks and a mix of martial arts. Like a battle itself, the transitions between the different tattoos are sudden and jarring. The powerful impact of punches and kicks brings about the change of scene and tattoo as the spot relentlessly moves forward. In the final frames, the camera pulls back revealing a fighter's back covered with an elaborate tattoo that includes two striking, colorful logos and the imprint of a chainlink fence. Rendered in amazing detail, the various tattoos were created in 3D. To overcome the typical polish associated with photorealistic 3D, the nailgun* team mixed in some textures from a Las Vegas gym to make the look feel more authentic.
>> Watch nailgun Versus' WEC coverage

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GenArts to showcase Sapphire Plug-ins at IBC 2007



+ GenArts, Inc., a leading provider of visual effects plugins for the film, broadcast and video industries, will be showcasing Sapphire Plug-ins at IBC 2007, being held September 7-11 at the Amsterdam RAI. Visitors to GenArts stand 7.921 will be given demonstrations of the latest releases of Sapphire Plug-ins, including the much anticipated new version for Autodesk systems which features over 45 new effects, as well as many enhancements to existing effects in the package. Sapphire Plug-ins will also be shown on a number of other host platforms including: Adobe After Effects & Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro & Shake, Avid AVX Products, and Autodesk Combustion. For over a decade, GenArts Sapphire Plug-ins have set the standard for sophisticated, organic visual effects which natively integrate with the industry's leading editing and compositing systems.
>> www.genarts.com

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