News

Creative Cloud is evolving and another update for the video tools is upon us. Adobe has released updates for Adobe Premiere Pro CC, SpeedGrade CC, Prelude CC, and Adobe Media Encoder CC. A new After Effects CC update will follow soon. You can install the update through the Creative Cloud desktop application, or you can check for new updates from within any Adobe application by choosing Help > Updates.

Adobe Premiere Pro CC – December 2013

Adobe Premiere Pro CC has seen four new releases in this year (June, July, October, and now, December) – all within the 6 months since the CC version was announced. Guided by user requests, the Adobe Premiere Pro CC December 2013 release adds Open CL performance enhancements, media management improvements like multiple Media Browser tabs, new editing enhancements for even greater workflow efficiency, and delivers more intuitive voiceover recording.

Adobe After Effects CC – December 2013

After Effects CC, the leading motion graphics and visual effects application, is evolving faster than ever with Creative Cloud. The After Effects CC December 2013 release will offer customizable output of file name and path templates, improved snapping behavior, enhanced scripting options, and the ability to migrate user settings when updating to newer versions.

This free update provides the following additional features:

Panasonic AVC Ultra (MXF, CMF, GXF or P2) file export.

Panasonic AVC Ultra Class 200 MXF file export.

Browsing of Panasonic AVC Ultra GXF files with the Source Browser – K2 (FTP).

SONY XAVCS clip browsing.

DNxHD GXF file export.

Browsing of DNxHD GXF, MXF files with the Source Browser – K2 (FTP).

I/O support of 486i bottom field first video with STORM 3G and STORM 3G ELITE hardware.

Matrox MXO2LE for capture and playback.

Matrox MXO2mini for capture and playback.

Compatibility with Magic Bullet Looks.

For a full list of changes, read this document. Download the update here.

This free update provides the following additional features:

Panasonic AVC Ultra (MXF, CMF, GXF or P2) file export.

Panasonic AVC Ultra Class 200 MXF file export.

Browsing of Panasonic AVC Ultra GXF files with the Source Browser – K2 (FTP).

SONY XAVCS clip browsing.

DNxHD GXF file export.

Browsing of DNxHD GXF, MXF files with the Source Browser – K2 (FTP).

I/O support of 486i bottom field first video with STORM 3G and STORM 3G ELITE hardware.

Matrox MXO2LE for capture and playback.

Matrox MXO2mini for capture and playback.

Compatibility with Magic Bullet Looks.

For a full list of changes, read this document. Download the update here.

This November, Grass Valley previewed the future 8K support for its EDIUS 7 multiformat nonlinear editing software at the International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition. The demonstration follows recent announcements that the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo, Japan, will be broadcast in 8K - 16 times the resolution of today's HD format. Support for editing super high-resolution video in EDIUS is made possible by Grass Valley's HQX Codec, which dramatically improves editing response time and is the key technology behind real-time editing. Supporting 4K as well as 8K in the future, with a native 64-bit architecture, EDIUS 7 is the latest version of Grass Valley's editing software and is ideal for a variety of production and broadcast environments. It's compatible with all major file formats, and can edit in real-time without rendering.

December 9, 2013

Blackmagic Design today announced that Jaguar’s “F-Type, Your Type” short film series was graded using DaVinci Resolve by Aaron Cao, colorist and owner of Shanghai-based MZ Postproduction. The three episode series tells the story of three characters’ pursuits of their dreams and has been shown in theaters and on websites across China.

Directed by Chris Reed and starring Taiwanese artist Jimmy Lin, China’s “Princess of Ballet” Hou Honglan, Chinese actress Ni Ni, known for her debut in Zhang Yi Mou’s “The Flowers in War" and the stunning Jaguar F-Type convertible sports car, the short films were produced by Gwantsi, one of the leading production companies in China. Despite the tight color grading schedule, the team’s goal was to produce three films that reflected the elegance of the Jaguar F-Type.

“The three films required us to grade more than five hundred shots in three days, but as the director and cinematographer, Chris didn’t want to compromise quality because of the tight schedule and was strict as always with the way the footage was graded to ensure a filmic look,” said Aaron. “Thanks to DaVinci Resolve’s tools and efficient color grading, we achieved the goal on time.”

Developing the look of the Jaguar F-Type was paramount for Chris, and as the footage from the shoots was not consistent, extensive color correction was required to achieve the perfect look to show off the Jaguar F-Type.

“The F-Type Jimmy Lin drives in the films is orange, but the original footage looked flat and the color of the car changed between scenes due to varying lighting,” explained Aaron. “Chris insisted on working hard in primaries first to bring back the color, instead of directly pulling a chroma key, to ensure the image looked real.

“That sort of increased the complexity, but there was always a tool in DaVinci Resolve that could increase my flexibility and help me meet Chris’ requirements,” he continued. “In this case, the custom curves enabled me to fix the color of the car in primaries and make sure the image looked more natural and realistic.”

Aaron also noted how DaVinci Resolve’s node based grading was key to an efficient workflow. “Every time Chris requested a tweak to the grade, I could easily make the adjustment by adding or removing nodes until he gave it a green light,” said Aaron. “Sometimes Chris might hesitate when he needed to make a choice between different grades for a shot, and DaVinci Resolve allowed me to quickly show him the grade he wanted to review by turning on and off any of the nodes, which made his decision making process easier and faster.

“Flagging is another great efficient feature for projects like the F-Type films because it let me locate a shot or quickly find a grade among hundreds of shots,” he continued. “Before grading, when Chris was establishing the key shots and identifying problems, I tagged the key shots with red flags and the problematic ones with blue flags. And even during grading, I also tagged different grades with flags. Whenever Chris wanted to see a shot or grade, I was always able to find it in no time because the flags guided me.

“DaVinci Resolve’s object tracking was also used constantly. I just needed to specify the object to track, and DaVinci Resolve would automatically do the rest. That saved me a lot of time,” concluded Aaron.

“Overall, I am very happy with the final looks for the three films. DaVinci Resolve can make good shots look great and great shots look amazing,” said Chris.

Press Photography

Product photos of DaVinci Resolve 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 film restoration software for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability, 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 stereoscopic 3D and 4K workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, United Kingdom, Japan, Singapore, and Australia. For more information, please check www.blackmagicdesign.com.

Eyeon is offering holiday discounts on various Fusion products, including Fusion Subscription, and Fusion Upgrades. Contact us for details.