News

Adobe has released the very latest version of Premiere Pro CC, which is accompanied by brand new versions of After Effects, Adobe Media Encoder, and Audition, alongside the introduction of the much-anticipated Android version of their mobile editing application Premiere Clip.

The 2015.1 release of Premiere Pro CC contains all of the amazing new features Adobe previewed at IBC in September, including new ways to edit with powerful touch and gestural support, enhanced support for UltraHD/4K+ workflows, initial support for High Dynamic Range (HDR) technology, amazing new Optical flow time remapping, and the ability to search Adobe Stock directly from the Libraries panel. Adobe Stock now also introduces an extensive catalog of over one million royalty-free video clips, which can be previewed and downloaded directly in Premiere Pro. This release also brings official support for Mac OS X El Capitan. In addition, the new version features extensive bug fixes and performance optimizations. Alongside the key features described above, there are multiple other minor improvements:

Tabbed panel groups can be stacked vertically in a column for Lightroom-style one-click access.

The Start screen has been redesigned.

Certain timeline actions such as snapping will provide haptic feedback on supported Mac trackpads.

Thumbnails in the Project Panel can show the effect of applied Master Clip Effects and Source Settings.

A keyboard shortcut (Command/Control-backslash) has been added to hide the application title bar.

New lens distortion removal presets have been added for GoPro HERO4, Vision 3, and Inspire 1 cameras.

Sound timecode and roll can be displayed in the sequence overlays.

Multi-Camera angles can be arranged across multiple pages.

The Video Limiter effect can be included in an export preset to keep video levels safe.

A new effect, SDR Conform, has been added for tone-mapping HDR content.

A preference has been added to shift clips that overlap the trim point during ripple trimming.

Sequence timecode can be shown in the marker panel.

Grid lines have been added to the Curves in the Lumetri panel.

Indic languages are supported in the Titler.

Multiple improvements to Merged Clips have been added.

The Transform effect has been GPU accelerated.

Read here for a detailed look at What’s New in Premiere Pro CC 2015.1, and watch the recorded IBC presentation to see demos. Creative Cloud members can download and install these applications today using the Creative Cloud desktop application. Please note that the 2015.1 version of Premiere Pro will overwrite your 2015.0 installation. Also important to note is that 2015.1 requires a revision to the project format and as such projects saved in 2015.1 are not compatible with prior versions of Premiere Pro CC.

Steinberg released a new version 8.5 of Cubase. It features a more responsive MixConsole, new profile manager, upgraded Key and Drum editors, the ability to import tracks from projects, zPlane Elastique v3 technology, new transport infrastructure, new Retrologue 2 synthesizer, and VST Transit, a cloud collaboration tool with free storage and traffic! The new version will be released later today.

After Effects CC 2015 13.6 update is now available, incl. the Character Animator Preview 3. This update brings many advances to After Effects, including performance and user interface improvements for previews, multi-touch gestures, optimizations for small and high-resolution screens, improved color fidelity, new importers, scripting additions, the ability to search and license stock video from within After Effects, and streamlined Creative Cloud Libraries workflows. The Character Animator Preview 3 update adds “sticks” to control rigidity of the puppet mesh, multi-touch gestures to control character limbs, the ability to share rigged puppets, increased recording flexibility, performance improvements, and much more. For details, see this page.

If you’re a Creative Cloud subscriber, you can download the new version by checking for updates through the Creative Cloud desktop application.

Press Release

Blackmagic Design announced that Joe Finley of LA based post production facility Chainsaw, a SIM Group company, is grading HBO’s Emmy Award-winning series “Game of Thrones” with DaVinci Resolve Studio. Joe has graded the series with DaVinci Resolve Studio since 2012, and with season five’s finale in June, anticipations are already high for the season six premiere in 2016.

Based on the bestselling fantasy book series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin, HBO's “Game of Thrones” is an epic story of treachery and nobility, set on the continent of Westeros, where summers and winters can last years.

Joe explained that the use of different color palates takes you on a journey and allows the viewer to know exactly where they are throughout the seven kingdoms of the realm.

Joe relies on DaVinci Resolve’s custom curves, secondaries, keyer and compositing to help create the nuanced looks and colors of the show. And he is able to show different looks in real time. “Resolve is fast, and this is part of why I love using it. It works in real time with no rendering, which is very helpful if I have to show different looks,” said Joe.

While nuanced color is important for distinguishing between locations and storylines, for the overall look of the show, Joe is tasked with delivering a very rich film look. “Regardless of the theme of the episode and whether we are going for a vibrant or muted color, I always give the footage a real film look. The highest possible feature look you can get without actually shooting on film,” said Joe.

“When working with LOG material, you need a great starting point to give it a film look. The ability to use the LOG rhythmic side of color correction in harmony with linear, regular color correction to manipulate the whites and the blacks is a tool in Resolve that I use constantly,” Joe concluded. “DaVinci Resolve never hinders you creatively, it only enhances.”

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve Studio and all other Blackmagic Design products are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/images.

About Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com.

About SIM Group

Backed by Toronto-based investment firm Granite Partners, the SIM Group is a leading supplier of production equipment, workflow and post-production solutions, with offices across the US, Canada and China. Our diverse services can be utilized on any production at any stage. In Canada, our offices in Toronto, Vancouver and Halifax service grip and lighting from PS Production Services and can be complemented with SIM Digital cinematography and playback equipment for any production’s needs. Bling, Chainsaw, Pixel Underground, Tattersall Sound and Picture and Post Factory NY provide an array of services from dailies, to online and offline editing, to final color/DI and visual effects, to sound editorial and mixing. Bling’s services, which include a comprehensive workflow solution, are offered at all offices across the US and Canada, as well as off-site service through POD (Post on Demand). Chainsaw’s full-service facility in Hollywood provides creative editorial and extensive finishing services with some of the top colorists in the industry. Rounding out the family of companies are Pixel Underground, a Toronto-based post-production company, and its associated service, StationEX, which provides physical and file-based media fulfillment and encoding/distribution services, Tattersall Sound and Picture, a provider of sound editorial and mixing for motion pictures and television and Post Factory NY, one of the East Coast’s top independent post-production facilities. For more information, visit simgroup.com.

SoCal Rentals fron Burbank, California, recently invested in an additional four Panasonic AK-HC3800 HD studio cameras, bringing its total to 20 units. The company also purchased a pair of VariCam 35 4K Super 35mm camera/recorders, and added AW-HE40 integrated full HD pan/tilt/zoom cameras to its extensive Panasonic PTZ inventory. According to CEO Eric Broderson, SoCal Rentals has witnessed the growing popularity of the HC3800 in both the broadcast and A/V markets. “This is round three of our HC3800 purchases; the camera has been a winner for us on projects ranging from major network broadcast shows to tons of events and festivals. Features like the HC3800’s 23.98 recording support and its internal 2x digital extender originally convinced us that the camera was a solid performer, which has been confirmed by increased customer demand,” he continued. “The HC3800 is very reliable, easy to ship, rugged beyond belief and stable in the rental market.” He noted that the most recent purchase of HC3800s included AK-MSU935 master control set-ups for the company's custom camera flypacks, and for broadcast video control and studios that require this option. Broderson said that SoCal Rentals bought the two VariCam 35s specifically for a two-year deal on a network television show and he is hoping to expand this inventory over the next year. With the addition of the HE40 cameras, the company now has more than 50 Panasonic PTZs available for its clientele.