POSTPRODUCTION AT NAB 2014

 

 

 

 

 

During the week of NAB we told you only some of the most important news. So, here is a summary with more news related to the world of postproduction.

Public beta of Lightworks for Mac

We can finally announce the official release date of the public beta of Lightworks for Mac.

Lightworks is an editing system that was originally designed for Windows. After two decades of development and more and more users eager to see how it works on the three major platforms, EditShare released the Linux version and is now very close to offering the Public Beta on Mac.

This software has been redesigned so that, from now on, all new features and added fixes can be done on all three platforms simultaneously.

The company has announced that the launch date will be June 11.

Autodesk Flame

Autodesk used NAB to introduce Flame 2015, the latest version of its high-end visual effects system, which comes with new tools, faster performance and a full 4K workflow.

Support for 4K and Ultra HD workflows has the following qualities:

• Industry standard 4K formats.
• 4K/UHD color management with support for the ACES and REC-2020 color spaces.
• Monitoring and playback of 4K/UHD material at 50p and 60p in real time via SDI.
• Performance optimization for timeline effects, batch nodes and substance textures in 4K.
• Real-time processing thanks to 16 Gb storage Fibre Channel controllers.

Flame 2015 now has the ability to add a second graphics card to the workstation. Using the “Background Reactor”, we can speed up rendering by sending shots, sequences or batch setups to the second GPU while continuing to work on other tasks in the foreground. This requires two NVIDIA Quadro K6000 (for HP Z820 workstations) or two NVIDIA Quadro 6000 (for HP Z800 and Z820).

New creative tools have also been included:

• 3D Shape: its use is similar to that of Gmask and allows works such as fast modeling, logo design, motion graphics, projection mapping and relighting.

• Replica: a new tool in Action that allows you to create, manipulate and animate cascading effects using a single cloned object.

• Matchbox enhancements: the ability to add Matchbox effects directly to timeline shots and transitions and the ability to protect shader code with packaging and encryption.

Flame Premium provides a powerful combo that unites Flame and Lustre. Now, with the launch of 2015, the offering is expanded with two complementary products: Flare and Flame Assist.

Flame Premium 2015, Flame 2015, Flame 2015, Lustre 2015, Flare 2015 and Flame Assist 2015 will begin launching this month.

Autodesk Smoke

Autodesk also unveiled the latest version of its award-winning Smoke 2015 system. In addition to new tools and performance enhancements, Smoke 2015 will soon be available as a “Desktop Subscription”, so users will be able to access the software by paying subscription fees for the first time.

This editing and effects system for Mac now has the following new features:

• The 3D Tracker integrated in the timeline allows you to compose the image with elements such as video layers, texts and 3D objects by matching them to the camera movement.

• A new Timeline FX workflow offers new effects capabilities for editors, such as direct access to the Action 3D compositing environment or the ability to reorder effects on the timeline.

• Added hardware support and optimization for the new Mac Pro running OS X Mavericks.

• Improved interoperability with Final Cut Pro X, supporting more timeline metadata and effects. In addition, Smoke sequences can be exported as XML accompanied by media in QuickTime.

• Enhanced support for Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink and UltraStudio, as well as expanded support for AJA Video Systems’ IO devices, enabling dual stream stereoscopic output.

Starting May 8, Smoke 2015 will be available in monthly ($195), quarterly ($545) and annual ($1,750) subscription plans.

MTI Film

MTI Film introduced the latest version of its CORTEX Dailies solution, which includes a series of upgrades designed to make copying, color, synchronization and transcoding of files faster and easier both on set and in post production.

This update introduces Cortex Manifest, a new tool for media and metadata management from shooting to delivery. All media that is copied and verified from Cortex Dailies is recorded, as well as all other tasks. An XML can then be exported with all the metadata that accompanies the media during the different phases of post-production.

Among the new features in version 1.5 is “Copy&Verify”, a new tool that quickly downloads files from camera cards to local storage and external backups. The copy function supports multiple simultaneous copy jobs running in the background, allowing the user to complete other processes such as color. In addition, MD5 checksums are generated during the copy.

Other enhancements include a revamped user interface to make clip navigation easier, as well as improved debayering for Sony RAW files, support for the DNxHD format (encapsulated in QuickTime), 4K monitoring, and support for Blackmagic Design cards that output over SDI.

In addition, Cortex Dailies Enterprise Edition also features a new algorithm for resizing to and from any resolution.

Cortex Dailies v1.5 comes standard with the new Cortex CarryOn, its new portable on-set dailies solution capable of processing files in resolutions up to 4K from most cameras used in digital cinema today.

Cortex CarryOn features an Intel i7 processor, a 12TB SSD RAID, GPU-accelerated processing, and USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt 2 connections, all for a price of $35,000.

ARRIRAW Converter 3.1

ARRI is currently working on a new version of its ARRIRAW Converter software, which will be optimized for the new Mac Pro and support the latest features of OS X Mavericks.

ARC (ARRIRAW Converter) can be downloaded as a standalone application, and has been designed as a reference tool to show the image processing of ARRIRAW files from the Alexa camera.

A key feature of ARC 3.1 will be an improved debayer algorithm called ADA-5 (ARRI Debayer Algorithm). Thanks to the processing power of the new Mac Pro and its dual GPU capability, the new version achieves better than real-time processing, even with Alexa XT Open Gate ARRIRAW images at full resolution.

This algorithm also manages to reduce aliasing to a greater extent than the previous one (ADA-4), generating a smoother image with cleaner edges. In addition, it produces less noise, especially in the blue channel, which will be of great help to those who perform chroma keying in this color.

ADA-5 will also be incorporated into ARRI’s upcoming ARC, CMD and SDK (Software Developer Toolkit) releases.

Digital Vision

For its part, Digital Vision launched the Golden Eye 4 scanner for restoration and archiving. The new scanner incorporates many new features that had been requested by users of the Golden Eye 3.

One of its key features is the universal optics; a single, motor-driven lens with a multi-axis optical system for precise image size, position and focus. In this way, users can scan any film size from 8mm to 70mm without changing optics.

Automated restoration processes have also been added using Phoenix restoration software, and distributed automated processing using Loki.

Finally, with the Golden Eye 4, scanning is achieved in 2K in real time and up to 11fps in 4K.