In Depth Articles Tutorials -

Achieve Perfect Skin Tones when Color Grading

Michele — Wed, 07 Aug 2024 14:50:11 +0000

When color grading your footage, achieving accurate skin tones is crucial. Regardless of your choice of editing software, whether it’s DaVinci Resolve, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, or any other NLE, creating natural-looking skin tones can be challenging. Correcting and matching skin tones is essential for realistic-looking footage, ensuring that individuals appear natural and consistent throughout the shots.

To assist you in attaining perfect skin tones in your video projects, we have collated a guide based on the best practices from professional colorists. This comprehensive advice will be particularly valuable for those new to color correction and grading.

Featured image by Syaibatul Hamdi from Pixabay

Understanding Skin Tones

People come in a vast spectrum of skin tones, ranging from the fairest alabaster to the deepest ebony. However, beyond these apparent differences, underlying tones are another factor in understanding and accurately representing diverse subjects.

Underlying tones refer to the warm or cool hues that subtly permeate the skin’s surface. They can significantly impact a person’s overall appearance and influence how colors interact with their skin.

What’s your underlying skin tone?

Take a look at your wrist. Do your veins look blue or purple? Then you have cool skin tones. Cool tones have bluish, pink, or ashy undertones. Do your veins have a greenish or olive tint? You have warm skin tones. Golden, peachy, or olive undertones characterize warm tones.^[2]

Perfect skin tone? Let me explain in depth.

Vladislav Novickij, colorist and filmmaker, talks about how he achieves perfect skin tones. He uses the skin line on a vectorscope, an important reference tool for achieving natural-looking skin tones in color grading.

Perfect Black Skin Tones | DaVinci Resolve 17 Color Grading Tutorial

Sidney Baker-Green covers the workflow for color correction and grading for Black skin tones. He talks about the variations in skin tones, undertones, and more.

Best Practices for Achieving Natural Skin Tones

Professional colorists recommend following certain best practices when striving for flawless skin tones:

Step 1: Set your White Balance

Before diving into color grading, ensure your footage is correctly white-balanced. This step sets a neutral baseline, making subsequent color adjustments more accurate. Use in-camera white balance settings during shooting for the easiest color grading. Or, adjust the white balance in post-production using your editing software’s color wheels or temperature and tint sliders.

White balance specifies the color temperature at which white objects in your footage truly look white. With proper white balance, your footage looks natural. Proper white balance helps to ensure that the colors look correct on any screen or device where the footage may be viewed.

If you’ve worked with video for a long time, you understand the importance of proper white balance. If you’re new to video, here are a few resources to check out.

White Balance for Video Explained: How Cameras See Color & Light

Matt WhoisMatt Johnson explains white balance.

Use a Color Chart and Gray Card when Shooting

Tyler Bailey explains why he always shoots a gray card and a color chart to match colors on the shots, making color matching easy. This speeds up white balance and simplifies grading skin tones.

More about White Balance and using a color chart

Understand white balance in filmmaking. Adobe explains white balance, color temperatures of different types of lights, and how to adjust white balance settings in-camera. The article also talks about fine-tuning white balance in post.

5 WHITE BALANCE MISTAKES Videographers Make & How to AVOID THEM! Sam Holland explains setting white balance on a camera without using auto mode.

How to Correct White Balance with a Color Chart. No Film School explains how to correct the white balance of an image using a color chart and Adobe Camera Raw. This article is geared more toward photography but has some useful tidbits for video.

How do you use a color chart to ensure accurate color grading in post-production? LinkedIn’s community article about using a color reference chart will eliminate the guesswork when color grading. The article explains the color chart, why and how to use it, and gives some useful tips and tricks.

Step 2: Make Primary Corrections

After white balancing, start with primary corrections to balance the overall image. Adjust the lift, gamma, and gain to get the basic exposure and color balance right so colors are represented accurately. The aim is to establish a neutral baseline and ensure uniform color across your scenes, even if the footage was filmed with different cameras or lighting conditions.

This step also ensures skin tones are in the right ballpark before making finer adjustments.

Color Correction Basics – Primary Grades – Davinci Resolve Tutorial

MiesnerMedia walks you through primary grading in DaVinci Resolve. The tutorial is a few years old but the method is the same.

More about Primary Color Correction

Primary Color Correction. This article dives into primary color correction in DaVinci Resolve.

Color Matching Plugins

If you find color matching tedious, below is a list of plugins to help match shots quickly.

RE:Vision Effects RE:Match and RE:Match Pro – Automatic color and texture matching that addresses problems of multicam and stereo shoots.
AI Color Match Pro allows users to easily color match different shots in Premiere and After Effects.
Boris FX Continuum Unit: Color and Tone includes a tool called Color Match. It’s also included in the full Continuum package.
Easy Comp – an A.I.-based plugin designed for easy footage composition and color matching in After Effects.

Step 3: Use Scopes to Adjust Colors

Scopes are a crucial tool for editors for consistent color correction. The vectorscope, featuring a skin line, is important for achieving natural-looking skin tones. The skin tone line represents the hue of natural skin tones, and you can adjust your footage to align with it.^[5]

How to use resolve SCOPES – In-depth with a Pro Colourist

Darren Mostyn shows you how to read scopes in Resolve.

Third-Party Scopes

DaVinci Resolve has built-in scopes. Premiere Pro has Lumetri Scopes. There are also third-party tools to upgrade your scopes in Resolve, Premiere, and other hosts.

timeinpixels Nobe OmniScope

Nobe Omniscope is the perfect companion to your video or photo color correction software. It bridges the gap between the scopes in your software and expensive hardware scopes, used by professional colorists.

In the video below, Jay Lippman shows you how to use in DaVinci Resolve.

timeinpixels Nobe OmniScope

GPU acceleration, HDR, StreamDeck support

timeinpixels Nobe OmniScopeis a flexible and high-performing set of scopes loaded with powerful features that make color grading easy. Available for various platforms: DaVinci Resolve, Scratch, Premiere Pro & After Effects, Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, as well as DeckLink, UltraStudio, AJA U-TAP, and more!

Learn More

Boris FX Continuum BCC VideoScope

VideoScopes is an overlay that shows scopes for Luma Waveform, RGB Waveform, YCbCrWaveform, a Vectorscope, and a Histogram.

VideoScope is included in the Continuum (subscription and perpetual) and also in the Continuum Color and Tone Unit.

Step 4: Fine-tune the skin tones.

Fine-tune skin tones using the curves tool, adding subtle reds to shadows if needed. Use color wheels to balance shadows, mid-tones, and highlights to maintain natural skin tones. Many of the tutorials shared on this page explain fine-tuning color.

Don’t Mess Up Your Skin Tones! 5 Color Grading Tools For Perfect Skin!

Dunna Did It gives advice about using vector scopes, balance adjustment (white balance), Color Warper, and more.

Step 5: Check for consistency.

Look through your shots and ensure that skin tones and color look consistent throughout your project.

Keys to Consistent Color

Cullen Kelly talks about strategies for consistent results when color correcting and grading footage.

Step 6: Color grade to set the mood and add a cinematic aesthetic.

Now that your shots have balanced color and your skin tones look natural, artistically adjust your colors to add atmosphere and mood to your shots.

Secrets to Cinematic Color Grading

In this video from colorist Cullen Kelly, he talks about how to get a cinematic look.

Other things to consider

Setting up your workspace for color grading

It’s important to consider the color temperature of the light in the room you’re working in, reflections and glare from the walls and furniture, positions of lights, and more.

Chris Francis from Church Film School talks about his grading room remodel, below.

Calibrate your monitor

A properly calibrated monitor is essential for accurately working with color. Without calibration, the colors on your monitor could be misleading, resulting in a final product that looks different when viewed on other screens.

Work in higher bit depths

First and foremost, ensure that you are working in 16 bits per channel (bpc) or higher whenever possible. You’ll attain more convincing color representation, more accurate shadows, and overall better results when adjusting colors. This is all you need to know, however, in the box below, we dive a bit deeper on WHY it’s important to use higher bit depths.

Bits Per Channel (BPC) affects your image quality

Bit Depth or Color Depth is the number of bits on red, green, and blue channels in an RGB image. More bpc delivers more color combinations and accuracy.

8 bpc provides a maximum of 256 shades each of red (8), green (8), and blue (8) for an RGB image of 24 (8×3). You will likely see banding in gradients in 8 bpc.
10 bpc reaches 1024 colors per channel
16 bpc allows for a lot more colors per channel – 32,769 to be exact. and an RGB image of 48 bits (16×3).
32 bpc supports 16,777,215 colors, and with an alpha channel, supports 4,294,967,296 color combinations.^[1]

Note: As the number of colors increases, more system resources are required. If you are using an older computer, it may choke on 32 bpc.

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Color Correcting Skin Tones

While working with digital footage, achieving perfect skin tones can be challenging and may lead to various issues. Avoiding some common mistakes can significantly improve the professionalism and overall appearance of your final product.

To achieve optimal color correction, it’s crucial to avoid these common pitfalls:

Skipping primary corrections: Before applying creative color grades, focus on essential adjustments to balance the image and establish a neutral starting point.
Unfamiliarity with color theory: Understanding how colors work together is vital for effective color correction.
See How to Not Suck at Color – 5 color theory tips every designer should know
Using an improperly calibrated monitor: Inaccurate monitor settings can lead to incorrect color perception and adjustments that don’t translate well to other screens.
Grading in an unsuitable environment: The lighting and surroundings of your grading suite can influence your perception of colors. Be aware of reflections on your screen.
Neglecting shot balancing and matching: Ensure consistency across different shots and scenes before applying creative color grade.
Oversaturating or overcorrecting skin tones. Avoid pushing saturation too far, which can result in unnatural skin tones. Don’t try to make them lighter, darker, or tanner than they are. It will look unnatural.^[3]
See Common Color Grading Mistakes among Beginners
Confusing color correction and color grading: Color correction should focus on balancing and matching shots, while grading involves applying creative looks.^[4]

Conclusion

Achieving flawless skin tones in post-production can be challenging, but it doesn’t have to be overly complex. You will attain realistic and accurate skin tones by adhering to best practices, such as establishing the correct white balance and color balance, utilizing video scopes, and ensuring consistency among shots. This process requires a fundamental understanding of color theory and dedicated practice, regardless of the software you use.

Sources & Resources

What’s the difference between 16-bit, 24-bit, and 32-bit color?, Computer Hope, 11/13/2018
Your Guide to Skin Undertones: Warm, Cool & Neutral, Look Fabulous Forever
Common Color Grading Mistakes Among Beginners, Qazi & Co. Color Grading Studio
Color correction vs. color grading: What’s the difference? Griffen Snow, Adobe
Color Grading Skin Tones – The Basics, Alex Bjorstorp, January 7, 2024
Perfect Colors, Perfect Shots: How to Use a Color Chart for Video, Justin Phillip, November 19, 2023

The post Achieve Perfect Skin Tones when Color Grading appeared first on .

How to Choose the Right 3D Rendering Software UPDATED July 19

Michele — Thu, 18 Jul 2024 17:02:30 +0000

In the world of professional 3D animation, archviz, and design, creating stunning visual experiences is paramount. Selecting the right 3D renderer can significantly impact quality, efficiency, and creative potential. In this blog post, we will delve into the crucial factors that you, the professional artist, should consider when selecting a 3D renderer. Make a well-informed decision that aligns perfectly with your needs and artistic vision. Get ready for an informative and captivating read!

Featured Image

Photo by SIMON LEE on Unsplash

Updated 18 July 2024

This is a living document. There is a vast amount of information here and updates come out so often. We will try our best to keep it updated, nonetheless, some information may not be fully correct or out-of-date. Please let us know if something is incorrect so that we may update the article or product information

Update Log

To view the update log, scroll to the bottom of the page.

Choose the right 3D rendering software for your needs

A standalone 3D renderer vs. the bundled renderer

The 3D renderer bundled with your 3D animation software is fine for basic tasks and visualizations. However, if you’re looking for advanced functionality and performance, a standalone 3D renderer is better for many 3D artists and designers. Why is that?

Focused development. Dedicated teams generally develop standalone 3D renderers. They are focused on implementing the latest rendering techniques and technologies.
Advanced capabilities. Standalone renderers include more options and customizations catering to specific industries and artists’ needs. These options give the artist more control over lighting, shading, materials, and other rendering parameters.
Continuous development. Developers of standalone 3D renderers tend to have a faster development cycle and frequent updates that improve performance, introduce new features, and fix bugs.
A large ecosystem. Some renderers support multiple host integrations, plugins, scripts, cloud integration, collaboration tools, and more.

How to Choose the Right Standalone 3D Renderer for your needs

Choosing the perfect 3D rendering software for your needs can be intimidating, but there are some factors to consider to help you make an informed decision. Doing your homework upfront will ensure you choose the best tool for your needs, and save you money and time.

Below, read some tips on finding the right tool for what you need for the job.

1. Narrow down your list to your industry

Some industries require the use of a specific 3D application. For example, if you work with architectural design and use 3ds Max, you may need a specialized renderer for architectural visualization, like V-Ray. Different types of projects, such as television ads, automotive product design, 360° panoramas, VR, or game development, require different rendering capabilities, too. Eliminating software outside of your industry will narrow the pool of choices immediately.

If you’re new to the industry, ask what other professionals use. If you don’t know anyone personally, find a user forum for the industry and ask.

2. Compatibility and Integration

Now that you’ve narrowed your list, ensure your computer meets the minimum hardware requirements for components like your current operating system, CPU, GPU, RAM, and storage for the renderer you choose. If you’re using a Mac, you can cross those Windows-only tools off your list.

In addition, make sure that the renderer is compatible with your existing versions of 3D software and tools. In other words, if you’re running an older version of 3ds Max or Cinema 4D and have no plans to upgrade your host, ensure the renderer supports that version.

Compatibility is crucial to maintaining a smooth workflow. You want to easily transfer files, materials, and settings between different applications.

3. Download free trials & demo versions

Once you’ve narrowed the field to 2-4 3D rendering programs, download free trials. This will determine whether the renderer presents the range of features you need. I recommend that render the same scene in multiple or more 3D renderers and compare render quality, lighting, shading, speed, etc. Does the software allow you to fine-tune settings to achieve your preferred artistic style and aesthetic?

4. Choose the tool with features that meet your design objectives

According to Ilustraviz.com, “While a good 3D Render is definitely all about the overall form and silhouette, details do matter.” Look for a 3D renderer that offers detailed rendering, realistic lighting and shadows, accurate proportions, lifelike textures and materials, versatile lighting setups, scalability for objects, stunning post-production effects, impressive speed, and, of course, quality. More on rendering quality in point 5.

Determine whether the 3D renderer has the flexibility, customization, and personalization options needed. Can it handle a wide range of materials and textures? Does it support advanced lighting and particle effects? Look for a renderer that provides robust features and the ability to tweak settings to achieve your desired artistic style and aesthetic.

5. Rendering Quality vs. Rendering Speed and Efficiency.

Rendering software will devour your computer’s resources. Rendering speed can vary significantly between different rendering tools, and, as you know, efficiency is essential to meeting project deadlines and maximizing productivity. Ideally, you want a balance between rendering speed and rendering quality. Test rendering speeds by rendering the same project with similar settings in multiple renderers. As you try a few different tests, note render speeds.

Renderers employ different algorithms and techniques, resulting in vast differences in lighting, shading, texture, and overall visual fidelity.

What to look for:

Look at your render tests and examine the results for the following list from Top Things to Look at in a 3D Render for your project from Plus Render.

Extensive Detailing. Is it photorealistic? Zoom in to look at the small details, curves, and more.
Lighting and shadows. Do the lights and shadows look realistic or fake? Check both the dark and light areas.
Proportionality. Are the elements in your 3D rendering producing natural-looking proportions?

In addition, read user testimonials and ask for recommendations from other artists in the field.

Also determine whether the software has features to streamline your workflows, such as distributed rendering, GPU acceleration, and support for network rendering.

NEW What Is PBR (Physically-Based Rendering)? A complete guide from Chaos

6. Cost and Licensing

Rendering software will have an initial cost if it’s a perpetual license, plus ongoing maintenance costs. However, subscription licensing is currently the most common licensing option for 3D rendering software. If you plan to expand your team or projects you also will need to find out if the licensing is scalable. More about Types of Licenses.

7. Learning Curve and Support

Some renderers, like Corona, are as simple as drag and drop. Others, like V-Ray, have a steeper learning curve, requiring time and effort to become proficient. Discover whether the 3D rendering software has learning resources such as tutorials, documentation, and active user communities. Additionally, find out if the developer provides reliable technical support, in case you find any issues or challenges during your creative projects.

3D Rendering Software

Note: Pricing and system requirements are accurate as of the publishing of this article. We will keep this document updated when we get around to it. Please check for current versions.

Comparison Chart – Quick Reference

Renderer	Developer	Current Host Support	Developed for	GPU / CPU Based	Offline / Real-Time / Interactivity	Bias / Physically Accurate	GI Method
Corona Renderer	Corona	3ds Max Cinema 4D ARCHICAD (alpha) Blender (add-on in development)	Architectural visualization Automotive and product design, Television ads and title sequence	CPU	Offline rendering with support for interactive rendering	Unbiased & Biased	Intel Embree Ray Tracing Kernels
Cycles 4D	Insydium	Cinema 4D with X-Particles	VFX	GPU/CPU	Offline (Real-time Preview)	Unbiased	Path Tracing
Enscape	Chaos	SketchUp Rhino Revit Archicad Vectorworks	Architectural design BIM managers Viz specialists	GPU only	Real-Time	Partially physically accurate	Multibounce
finalRender	Cebas	3ds Max Maya (beta)	VFX	Hybrid, GPU (Nvidia CUDA) or CPU	Offline	Unbiased	Physically Based (Spectral) Wavelength Simulation
Maxwell	Next Limit	Standalone with plugins for: Maya 3ds Max Softimage Form•Z Modo Nuke Rhino ArchiCAD Revit Sketchup	VFX CGI Animation Architectural & product visualization	Hybrid - See Maxwell for details.	Offline	Unbiased Delivers physically accurate models	A variation of Metropolis light transport
Redshift	Redshift	Maya Softimage 3ds Max Cinema 4D Houdini Katana	VFX Animation	Hybrid - See Redshift for more information)	Offline	Biased, not physically accurate	Ray Tracing
RenderZone	form•Z	Form•Z	Form•Z users	Hybrid or GPU (NVIDIA CUDA)	Offline	Unbiased & Biased	Ray Tracing
V-Ray	Chaos	3ds Max Maya Cinema 4D SketchUp Revit Rhino Houdini Nuke Unreal Blender	Professional artists and designers in architecture, games, animation, VFX, and VR.	CPU, GPU, or Hybrid	Offline rendering with support for interactive rendering	Unbiased (optional) Fully physically accurate	Path Tracing
Vantage	Chaos	3ds Max Maya Cinema 4D	Archviz artists VFX artists	GPU (RTX) only	Interactive	All supported features are physically accurate	Real-time Ray Tracing
Unreal Engine	Epic Games	Blender Maya 3ds Max Modo Cinema 4D ZBrush others	Game developers, Film & TV, Broadcast and live events, Animators, Architectural and Automotive designers, Simulation developers	GPU/CPU	Real-Time	Biased	Ray Tracing, Path Tracing, and Lumen

Individual Standalone Renderers

Autodesk Arnold Render

Toolfarm no longer carries Autodesk products

Cebas finalRender – UPDATE

trueHybrid technology – bringing the power of CPU and GPU together! finalRender for 3ds Max is the perfect choice for 3d artists and studios alike wanting the maximum in image quality and photo-realism, without experiencing a brain melt when setting up complex scenes for rendering! And no compromises.

Cebas finalRender True Hybrid – The Details

Current Release	21 April 2024
Platforms	Windows
Host Support	3ds Max 2022-2025
License options	Workstation Network license GPU license
Price	The first option is a 1 Year Workstation License, with an MSRP of $294.00 (Toolfarm Price: $279.30) Second, a 1 Year Unlimited Network License, MSRP: $294.00, Toolfarm Price: $279.30 Lastly, a 1 Year Unlimited CUDA GPU License, MSRP: $294.00, Toolfarm Price: $279.30

cebas finalRender

finalRender is a photographer’s dream come true

cebas finalRender is a comprehensive, true Hollywood quality rendering engine that supports GPU rendering or pure CPU, as well as both technologies at the same time. finalRender’s trueHybrid’ technology allows the user to experience all the power within ONE application

Learn MoreTry cebas finalRender for free!

finalRender in the News

Chaos Corona – UPDATE

Intuitive, easy-to-use rendering engine optimized for designing high-quality, ultra-realistic projects that can be used for still images and animations.

Chaos Corona – The Details

Current Release	Corona 12 for 3ds Max, Released on July 2, 2024 Corona 12 for Cinema 4D – Released on July 2, 2024
Platforms	Windows (3ds Max, Cinema 4D) macOS X (Cinema 4D only)
Host Support	3ds Max Cinema 4D
License options	Subscription licensing in tiers
Price	Solo: $358.80/yr Premium: $478.80/yr

Chaos Corona

Realism without the headaches.

Chaos® Corona is the only renderer created specifically for high-end architectural visualization. Be an artist, not a technician, and achieve photorealism with greater ease than other rendering software.

Explore the key features in Corona for 3ds Max and Cinema 4D.

Works with Autodesk 3ds Max version 2016-2025 or MAXON Cinema 4D R17-2024.

Learn MoreTry Chaos Corona for free!

Corona in the News

Chaos Enscape

Fast real-time renderer for high-quality 3D visualizations and immersive interactive 3D scenes in real-time.

Chaos Enscape – The Details

Current Release	4.02.11 22 May 2024
Platforms	Windows 10 and higher
Host Support	Autodesk Revit SketchUp Rhinoceros Graphisoft Archicad Vectorworks
License options	Subscription node-locked Subscription floating licenses
Price	Annual Node-Locked License: $514.80 – Recommended for individuals and smaller teams. Annual Floating License: $898.89 – Recommended for individuals and teams who want maximum flexibility. Upgrades are available. *U.S./Canada sales only

Chaos Enscape

Industry-leading real-time visualization

Enjoy the convenience of having your visualization plug-in right at hand with Chaos Enscape! This revolutionary software integrates seamlessly into popular design tools, so you can quickly and easily generate stunning real-time visuals in no time. Leave tedious workflows behind and make every stage of the design process enjoyable.

Note: U.S. and Canada sales only.

Learn MoreTry Chaos Enscape for free!

Looking for an academic license?

Chaos Enscape - Education

Industry-leading real-time visualization - Education

Note: U.S. and Canada sales only.

Learn MoreTry Chaos Enscape - Education for free!

Enscape in the news

Chaos Vantage – UPDATE

High-quality standalone visualization tool for V-Ray artists who want to quickly explore and present their work in a fully ray-traced environment. Explore your most complex V-Ray 3D production scenes ray traced in real-time. Take advantage of a 100% ray-traced environment to handle massive scenes and produce results as close to reality as possible. Unlike any other real-time game engine alternatives Vantage can keep up real-time frame rates even with massive scenes.

Current Release	2.5.1 11 July 2024
Platforms	Windows 10 and higher
Host Support	3ds Max Maya Cinema 4D
License options	Subscription node-locked Subscription floating licenses
Price	Monthly Floating License: $108.90/Month Annual Floating License: $658.80/Year *U.S./Canada sales only

Chaos Vantage

High-quality scene exploration in real-time.

Explore your most complex V-Ray 3D production scenes ray traced in real-time. With Chaos® Vantage, there are no time-consuming conversions. Simply drag and drop your complete V-Ray scene into Vantage and start exploring. Quickly create high-quality visualizations or pre-visualizations for architecture, film-making, automotive and more.

Note: U.S. and Canada sales only.

Learn MoreTry Chaos Vantage for free!

Vantage in the News

Chaos V-Ray – UPDATE

V-Ray is the industry standard visualization tool for producing physically accurate and photo-realistic images. Built for artists, designers & jacks-of-all-trades, our 3D rendering software helps you visualize anything imaginable. Undoubtedly, you will save time and create your best work with tech from Chaos.

V-Ray also seamlessly integrates into several hosts with one license, including 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Houdini, Maya, Nuke, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, and Unreal.

Current Release	See Table below
Platforms	Windows Mac Linux
Host Support	3ds Max Maya Cinema 4D SketchUp Revit Rhino Houdini Nuke Unreal Blender
License options	Solo License Annual Subscription (Fixed license on one computer) Premium License Annual Subscription (Floating license on any computer.
Price	Solo License Annual Subscription: $466.80 Premium License Annual Subscription: $694.80 *U.S./Canada sales only

Host	Version/Build	Release Date	Notes
V-Ray for Cinema 4D	6.20.02	16 April 2024	Details Release notes
V-Ray for 3ds Max	6.20.06	2 April 2024	Details Release notes
V-Ray for Maya	6.20.02	30 May 2024	Release notes
V-Ray for NUKE	5.20.00	2 Dec 2021	Release notes
V-Ray for Houdini	6.20.02	15 Feb 2024	Release notes
V-Ray for Revit	6.10.04	14 Feb 2024	Release notes
V-Ray for Rhino	6.20.04	28 May 2024	Release notes
V-Ray for SketchUp	6.20.04	28 May 2024	Release notes
V-Ray Next for Unreal	5.10.01	27 Jan 2022	Release notes
Softimage	3.0 (previous version)
Discontinued – V-Ray Next for Katana	4.10.02 – Discontinued as of 20 Jan 2022	26 Mar 2019	Release notes
Discontinued – V-Ray Next for MODO	4.12.01 – Discontinued as of 20 Jan 2022	24 Apr 2019	Release notes

Chaos V-Ray

The one renderer that does it all.

With Chaos V-Ray, the creative possibilities are endless. From bold designs to captivating stories and mesmerizing art—no matter your vision. This remarkable renderer will bring it all together with photorealistic images and animations that feature unparalleled clarity.

So unleash your imagination! Whether you use 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, or Houdini for every step of your 3D journey, V-Ray allows users worldwide to craft stunning visuals in their favorite applications.

Purchase a single V-Ray license to access all V-Ray integrations, including 3ds Max, Cinema 4D, Houdini, Maya, Nuke, Revit, Rhino, SketchUp, and Unreal.

Note: U.S. and Canada sales only.

Learn MoreTry Chaos V-Ray for free!

In Depth: Why Should I Use V-Ray?

In summary, V-Ray is a powerful 3D rendering system built for designers, architects, and jack-of-all-trades. To be sure, click to learn about how artists use V-Ray. To emphasize, there are many examples and trial versions for every field!

Why Should I use V-Ray?

Recent Chaos V-Ray News & Updates

form•Z RenderZone

Add photo-realistic rendering with global illumination, ambient occlusion, and radiosity effects to form•Z! Single user license of RenderZone plugin for form·Z 10.

Form•Z RenderZone – The Details

Current Release	v10.0.1, 12 February 2024
Platforms	Mac Windows
Host Support	Form•Z
License options	Perpetual license for form•Z Pro or Core
Price	MSRP: $395.00, Toolfarm Price: $375.25

Learn more

INSYDIUM Cycles 4D – EOL

From INSYDIUM: Cycles 4D is EOL, we’ve stopped developing Cycles to focus on the other products within INSYDIUM Fused and to expand development beyond Cinema 4D.

Cycles is an unbiased GPU/CPU render engine developed by the Blender Foundation and made available under the Apache 2 licensing system. Cycles 4D is a dedicated bridge plugin allowing Cinema 4D users to access the Cycles rendering engine directly inside Cinema 4D without t an external application.

Insydium Cycles 4D – The Details

Current Release	Build 559, Update 1 December 2022- Supports Cinema 4D R19-2023
Platforms	Mac* Windows
Host Support	Cinema 4D with access to X-Particles
License options	Perpetual license with and without Maintenance Subscription
Price	Sold as part of INSYDIUM Fused Fused Complete (No Maintenance): $1,995 License + 12 Months Maintenance: $890 Annual Subscription: $435.00

*Cycles 4D does not support Apple M Series.

INSYDIUM Fused Annual Subscription

All INSYDIUM products in one collection

INSYDIUM Fused gives you the ultimate toolkit to create mesmerizing particle effects, realistic terrains, animate plants – and more! With this powerful collection of plugins and products at your disposal plus an array of assets just waiting for you to discover them, there’s no limit to what creative solutions can arise. Plus with technical support available any time should anything come up along your artistic journey – you’re guaranteed success in completing even the most complex projects easily.

The INSYDIUM Fused Annual Subscription provides the Fused license on an annual basis. The full collection is only available if your license has Maintenance or you have a Subscription.

Learn More

INSYDIUM Fused Perpetual License

INSYDIUM's collection of Plug-ins, Products, and Benefits

Plus with technical support available any time should anything come up along your artistic journey – you’re guaranteed success in completing even the most complex projects easily.

Learn More

INSYDIUM Fused Perpetual License

12 Months Maintenance for Fused Users

INSYDIUM Fused Annual Maintenance, existing users get 12 months of Technical Support and instant access to exciting new features for Fused.

If you purchase Fused perpetual, the first 12 months of Technical Support and Updates are included. With this in mind, to continue to receive Technical Support and Updates, you must purchase the INSYDIUM Fused Annual Maintenance.

Learn More

Cycles 4D in the News

Maxon Redshift – UPDATE

Redshift is a powerful GPU-accelerated renderer, built to meet the demands of contemporary high-end production rendering. In other words, Redshift is tailored to support creative individuals and studios of every size. In fact, Redshift offers a suite of powerful features and integrates with industry-standard CG applications.

Redshift – The Details

Current Release	3.6.04 (2024.07) – July 17, 2024 [Release notes]
Platforms	Mac Windows
Host Support	Maya Softimage 3ds Max Cinema 4D Houdini Katana
License options	Redshift is a licensed per machine with no limit on the number of GPUs*. To clarify, there is no distinction is made between workstations and render nodes. In other words, 1 license is good for 1 machine.
Price	Annual Subscription: $264 Also sold as part of Maxon One.

GPU/CPU Notes:

As of the 3.5 release in April 2022, users can now render with Redshift inside Cinema 4D. The rendering can be in CPU or hybrid mode, which uses CPU and GPU, without a separate Redshift product subscription.

Redshift CPU, which uses just the CPU
Redshift XPU lets users render a hybrid, with CPU and GPU simultaneously.
Note: Users can also still render with the GPU.
Please see the system requirements for GPUs for all operating systems.

Redshift by Maxon

Redshift Now Available as Subscription

Redshift is the world’s first fully GPU-accelerated, biased renderer built to meet the specific demands of contemporary high-end production rendering in C4D. Tailored to support creative individuals and studios of every size, Redshift offers a suite of powerful features and supports complex, advanced shading networks and texturing capabilities as required for production-quality rendering. Redshift has the features and uncompromising quality of a CPU renderer, but at GPU rendering speeds.

Learn MoreTry Redshift by Maxon for free!

Maxon One

Cinema 4D, Forger, Red Giant, Redshift, Universe, and ZBrush in One Bundle!

Introducing Maxon One – the ultimate subscription package for 3D artists and motion designers looking to bring their creative projects to life. With Maxon One, you gain instant access to an award-winning 3D animation tool with Cinema 4D as well as Red Giant Complete’s full collection of powerful tools for editing, VFX, and motion design. Plus, with ZBrush included in the bundle, you have the freedom to model sophisticated illustrations limited only by your imagination. Finally, the ultra-fast GPU renderer Redshift for Cinema 4D is also included. Now you can push the boundaries of what’s possible and take your creativity to a whole new level with a single all-encompassing package. Unlock the full potential of your creative brilliance with Maxon One!

Learn MoreTry Maxon One for free!

Redshift in the News:

Maxwell Render – UPDATE

To summarize, Maxwell is legendary for its quality and realism. It delivers great results via a simple set-up, which lets you focus on lighting. Now, Maxwell easily integrates a powerful denoiser (by Innobright’s Altus), while preserving texture and geometry details, effectively saving a lot of time. You can obtain your images around two to six times faster, depending on the scene for a similar amount of detail. Instead of rendering your images to a high sampling level, allow the denoiser to work with lower levels.

Multi-GPU Rendering / Hybrid Rendering?

*** Maxwell renders on GPU or CPU, or you can render both simultaneously. They do not seem to use the term “hybrid rendering” in their manual or marketing materials, however, so it is unclear if it’s not the same or not the same terminology.

Maxwell also has a feature called Multi-GPU, introduced in Maxwell 5, which allows users to use two or more graphics cards while rendering. This is Windows only, however. From the Maxwell system requirements, “Graphics cards that support CUDA platform (Nvidia), running on Windows. No AMD or Intel will work, sorry. This means GPU engine is not supported for Mac, as they don’t use Nvidia cards.”

Maxwell Render – The Details

Product	Version & Release Date	Release Notes
Standalone	v5.2.1.49 – 06 Jul 2021	Release notes
3ds Max	v5.2.2 – 08 Jun 2023	Release notes Added support for 3ds Max 2023 and 2024
Maya	v5.2.2 – 15 Jun 2023	Release Notes Added support for Maya 2023 and 2024
Cinema 4D	v5.2.5 – 07 Mar 2024	Release notes Added support for Cinema 4D 2024
Rhino	Version 5.2.6.7 – 08 Jul 2024	Release Notes
form•Z	v5.2.1.1 – 06 Jul 2021	Release notes Built for Maxwell Render 5.2.1.49
Sketchup	Version v5.2.4 – 29 Apr 2024	Release Notes Added support for SketchUp 2024
Archicad	v5.2.4 – 23 Nov 2023	Release notes Added support for Archicad 27
Revit	v4.2.5 – 05 Jun 2019	Release notes Added support for Revit 2020.
Modo	Discontinued

Platforms	Mac Windows
License options	Node-locked or Floating licenses
Price	Starting at $595, depending on the host.

Next Limit Maxwell | Studio

Independent scene editor with a full 3D environment

Maxwell Studio is a sophisticated independent scene editor with a full 3D environment, offering an alternative workflow for those Maxwell Render users that work with 3D or CAD applications for which there are no Maxwell plugins.

Learn MoreTry Next Limit Maxwell | Studio for free!

Maxwell Bundle

All in one & one for all

The Maxwell | Bundle contains all Maxwell plugin integrations and Maxwell | Studio in one product.

One Maxwell | Bundle license equals one license seat in either of the products included – Studio, Rhino, Cinema 4D, 3ds Max, SketchUp, Maya, ArchiCAD or formZ.

One license to switch between and use as needed. One day you could be using Maxwell | SketchUp, and on the next – Maxwell | Studio or the plugin for Cinema 4D.

Learn More

Maxwell in the News:

Maxwell Render exporter for Blender

While there doesn’t seem to be official support for Blender, there are some tools that you can try. I have not tried either of these so these links are informational.

Otoy Octane

Previously, we’ve left Octane off the list because we do not sell it. A couple of people recently asked us why we are snubbing Octane. We are not snubbing it. We think it’s a great product and would love to carry it. However, we’re not going to put the energy and time into keeping it updated here since we do not sell it, and it’s tough enough to keep what we do sell up to date. Hopefully, we’ll be able to add it to this list in full detail! We’d like that very much!

Unreal Engine

Define rule-breaking physics, create lifelike characters, or animate the movement of a single blade of grass—and render it all at the speed you can dream it. Epic Games originally designed Unreal Engine to give them the creative freedom they always wanted as developers. Today, their goal is to push the boundaries of innovation with every release so that only you, not your tools, get to decide the limits of what’s possible.

Nanite is UE5’s virtualized micropolygon geometry system. In UE 5.4, the experimental new Tessellation feature delivers fine details such as cracks and bumps, added at render time, without altering the original mesh.

In addition, variable rate shading (VRS) via Nanite compute materials brings substantial performance gains. There’s also support for spline mesh workflows—great for creating roads on landscapes, for example. In addition, a new option to disable UV interpolation enables vertex-animated textures to be used for World Position Offset animation. In other words, the AnimToTexture plugin now works with Nanite geometry as of v5.4.

Epic Games Unreal Engine – The Details

Current Release	v5.4, April 2024
Platforms	Mac Windows
Host Support	Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, Modo, Cinema 4D, ZBrush, and others
License options	If you’re using Unreal Engine for commercial purposes, have generated more than $1 million in the past 12 months, and are not creating a game or application that relies on engine code at runtime and will be licensed to third party end users, then a seat license fee is required. Includes Annual license to Unreal Engine, Twinmotion, and Reality Capture.
Price	Free for individuals and businesses with revenue under 1M in the last 12 months. $1,850 for individuals and businesses with revenue exceeding 1M in the last 12 months

NEW – What is the Best External Render Engine of 2024: A Comprehensive Overview – Pixel Lab gives its opinion on the topic.

Updates from 2024

16 July 2024: Chaos Corona, Enscape, Vantage, and V-Ray for Cinema 4D are recently updated. Redshift, and Maxwell for Rhino have also had updates.
7 June 2024: Chaos Enscape, V-Ray, and Vantage updates. Cycles 4D is EOL. Redshift updated.
1 May 2024: Added Unreal Engine, updated form•Z RenderZone to v10, Maxwell Render plugin updates, and Chaos updates.
15 April 2024: Updates for Redshift, Chaos Products, Removed Arnold
20 April 2024: Updates for Redshift, Chaos Products, and Arnold
21 February 2024: Updates for Redshift, Chaos V-Ray for Houdini and Maya, and Autodesk Arnold
7 February 2024: Added articles about renderers and PBR, updated V-Ray, Redshift
8 January 2024: Added product news listing feature to updates. Updated Redshift, Arnold, Chaos, V-Ray, Chaos Corona, Chaos Enscape, and Chaos Vantage.

Updates from 2023

26 September 2023: Updates for Redshift, V-Ray for SketchUp & Rhino, Chaos Vantage, and Arnold Render.
28 August 2023: Updates for V-Ray Vantage Arnold Render
29 June 2023: Moved 3D Rendering Terminology to FAQ. Complete overhaul of the article. Product updates include Corona 10 for Cinema 4D & 3ds Max, V-Ray for Houdini, Added Chaos Vantage, Plus Arnold and Redshift Updates
5 June 2023: Chaos Corona 9 Hotfix 3; Chaos V-Ray 6 Update 1 for Rhino, SketchUp
19 May 2023: Lots of updates
- Chaos V-Ray 6 for Maya & Cinema 4D, Update 1
- Chaos Enscape v3.5 – Visualization Assets Enhancements
- Maxon May 2023 Release Brings AMD GPU Support for Redshift.
- cebas finalRender Drop 4 – RTX Speed Blast + Unlimited Trial
- Arnold also had a point update.
25 April 2023: Added Enscape
3 April 2023: V-Ray for 3ds Max, Redshift, and Arnold all updated in March
13 February 2023: V-Ray for Cinema 4D hotfix update. Autodesk Arnold update.

The post How to Choose the Right 3D Rendering Software UPDATED July 19 appeared first on .

In Depth: Fireworks Extravaganza with Fun New Content

Michele — Wed, 03 Jul 2024 21:29:59 +0000

Happy Independence Day, America! Our annual fireworks article was originally published in July 2015, and we’ve updated the article annually with explosive new goodies. This year, we gave it a total overhaul!

Some Breathtaking Fireworks Examples

Let’s be honest… fireworks on video are not usually too interesting. They lack the excitement and sensory stimulation of being there in person. Until smell-o-vision is a reality in your VR headset, you’ll have to light a match and imagine the smell of sulfur smoke.

We’ve found some visually breathtaking examples so when creating your digital fireworks, it’s important to look at examples to match the look for realism.

The Hidden Science of Fireworks

Learn about fireworks and pay close attention to the physics in this video from Veritasium.

Best Fireworks Festival “Nagaoka” Nigata JAPAN

I was in Montreal about 20 years ago and the city hosted a fireworks competition with different countries competing, including Japan. We saw displays from two countries but nothing like this!

GoPro Awards: FPV Drone Inside of a Fireworks Show

A drone is an incredible way to film fireworks, I’d be afraid of my drone being hit! If you have a drone in the US, there is no law against filming fireworks. Watch a video from Ken Heron with tips: Drone INSIDE fireworks Legally and Safely | Plus audio Editing TIPS

Fireworks filmed with a drone

The AlteredStates video below is from 2014 but is still one of the most incredible fireworks videos I’ve ever seen. It was shot with a DJI Phantom 2 with a GoPro Hero 3 silver.

Fireworks Stock Assets

Why start from scratch? Especially if you’re a video editor or 3D artist and don’t do this type of effect, we have some great options to add fireworks to your videos.

Pixel Lab VFX Elements Volume 6: Fireworks

25 VFX Elements for Your Render Engine of Choice

The Pixel Lab VFX Elements: Fireworks has 25 incredibly realistic firework animations. They can be loaded into any render engine that supports VDBs such as Blender, Octane, Redshift, Arnold, Houdini, Cycles and many more. You can mix and match them too.

Learn More

Pixel Lab Concert Pyro Bundle

The Pixel Lab created assets to save you time and hassle. These are baked into alembic files or VDB files which you can drag and drop into almost any 3D application and you will have instant pyrotechnics!

100 beautiful smoke, spark, confetti and fire simulations

Pixel Lab Concert Pyro Bundle gives you all 4 Concert Pyro products, Concert Confetti, Sparks, Fire, and Smoke Bursts together, with a savings of 30%!

Fill your library with 100 beautiful smoke, spark, confetti and fire simulations so you’re ready for any project!

Learn More

VFX Central Essential Pack

Drag & Drop, Professional Stock FX for your Composites.

The VFX Central Essential Pack includes: 4k Anamorphic Flares, 5k/6k Fire Explosions, 4k Digital Storm Effects & 1080P Digital Fireworks – Perfect for a huge celebration environment shots!

Learn More

Fireworks Tutorials

Fireworks can be created using a particle generator, taking time to get the physics right. To make things easier, multiple plug-ins are specifically for creating fireworks. That said, they don’t always look natural. One of the toughest things about creating fireworks is getting them to look realistic. They need glow, smoke, the proper physics, depth of field, etc. And, adding some sound effects can help your fireworks come to life!

Fireworks with After Effects

Since many of our readers are After Effects users, that’s a great place to start. There have been so many tutorials about creating fireworks over the years.

How To Animate a Firework Rocket (smoke, fire, stroke explosion) – After Effects Tutorial

Oliver Randorff explains how to make a fun animated firework rocket. I like the cell animation style he uses in his tutorials. Check out his YouTube Channel.

Firework Particles Text Animation in After Effects – No Plugins

Avnish Parker shows you how to create many different types of fireworks directly in After Effects without the use of any third-party plug-ins.

Adobe Creative Cloud for Teams & Businesses - All Apps

Creativity for all.

Adobe Creative Cloud gives you the world’s best creative apps and services so you can make anything you can imagine, wherever you’re inspired.

Enjoy the entire collection of our creative desktop and mobile tools, like Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Adobe Premiere Pro, and more with Adobe Creative Cloud.

Learn More

DaVinci Resolve Fireworks Tutorials

How to add Fireworks to your videos

Video Editor Studio explains how to composite fireworks into your shots in Resolve.

How to make Realistic Fireworks in DaVinci Resolve

VFX BLEND shows you how to make realistic fireworks in DaVinci Resolve.

Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio

Over 300 new features, including HDR Grading, AI-based magic mask, improved editing, and much more!

DaVinci Resolve is the world’s only solution that combines editing, color correction, visual effects, motion graphics, and audio post-production all in one software tool! Its elegant, modern interface is fast to learn and easy enough for new users, yet powerful for professionals. DaVinci Resolve lets you work faster and at a higher quality because you don’t have to learn multiple apps or switch software for different tasks. That means you can work with camera original quality images throughout the entire process. It’s like having your own post-production studio in a single app! Best of all, by learning DaVinci Resolve, you’re learning how to use the exact same tools used by Hollywood professionals!

Learn More

Trapcode Particular

Fireworks Tutorial IN LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES

Michael Szalapski from Maxon shows you how to make fast fireworks with Particular.

Create Realistic Fireworks in After Effects with Trapcode Particular

Ignace Aleya walks you through the procedure of designing your own firework display with Trapcode Particular.

After Effects Tutorial: Firework Animation using Trapcode Particular

This one is from 2019.

Red Giant - Annual Subscription

Get all the tools from Red Giant at one low price with Red Giant.

Maxon Red Giant is the leading provider of visual effects and motion graphics tools, offering innovative and powerful solutions for filmmakers, editors, motion designers, and visual effects artists. Red Giant tools empowers artists, filmmakers, and designers to bring their creative visions to life.

Get all the Red Giant tools for filmmaking and motion graphics. You’ll enjoy access to Trapcode, Magic Bullet, VFX, and Universe – each designed with innovative features that make it easy to craft eye-catching visuals!

Learn MoreTry Red Giant - Annual Subscription for free!

Boris FX Fireworks Tutorials

Boris Continuum Particle Emitter 3D

I did a webinar for Boris FX back in 2012. I didn’t write the tutorial, and it is a bit complex with a lot of manipulation of the settings, but the final fireworks looked nice and believable. (The fireworks portion starts at 18:00)

Boris FX Particle Illusion

Download the free standalone version of the Particle Illusion tool now available! In addition, you can still get the premium filter here: Boris FX Particle Illusion Free.

Boris TV, Episode 173 – A Fireworks Spectacular

Here’s another tutorial from Boris FX. This time, Paul Ezzy teaches you how to quickly create a fireworks display in Adobe After Effects to add to your hometown skyline. Simply swap out the image after you download the complimentary project files – template and presets included! You’ll create 4 different displays with BCC Particle Emitter 3D − from basic to explosive − that rival the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular. Plus, learn how BCC Cartooner and BCC Pencil Sketch give you the freedom of using custom shapes.

Download Project File

Boris FX Continuum Annual Subscription

The Swiss Army Knife of Plugins

Meeting tight turnarounds just got easier. The post-production industry’s most complete plugin collection delivers nearly 350 creative effects in 20 categories, 4000+ presets, built-in Academy Award-winning Mocha planar tracking and masking, a Beat Reactor that drives VFX to music, and the FX Browser. Busy editors and artists rely on Continuum to get the job done.

Learn MoreTry Boris FX Continuum Annual Subscription for free!

Boris FX Continuum Perpetual License

The Swiss Army Knife of Plugins

Learn MoreTry Boris FX Continuum Perpetual License for free!

Fireworks in MAXON CINEMA 4D

How to make fireworks with Cinema 4D, Tracer, and Particles

There’s no narration in this tutorial but the process is clear.

Firework Particles In Cinema 4D

Lukas Thorup makes fireworks with Cinema 4D and Redshift

Maxon Cinema 4D Subscription

3D computer animation, modeling, simulation, and rendering software

Maxon Cinema 4D is a professional 3D modeling, animation, simulation, and rendering software solution. Its fast, powerful, flexible, and stable toolset make 3D workflows more accessible and efficient for design, motion graphics, VFX, AR/MR/VR, game development, and all types of visualization professionals. Cinema 4D produces stunning results, whether working on your own or in a team.

Cinema 4D 2024 provides unmatched speed and performance for the most sophisticated creative scenes. Rigid Body Simulations can now interact with all existing forces, pyro, cloth, and soft bodies. Pyro shines with a hot new feature that allows fire to be emitted from particles and matrices. And the new Vertex Normal tools offer artists unparalleled precision to perfect surfaces.

Learn MoreTry Maxon Cinema 4D Subscription for free!

INSYDIUM Premium Training – Fireworks – 01 – Anatomy of a Firework

Explore how real-world fireworks are built to inform the design of our X-Particles simulations.

INSYDIUM Fused Annual Subscription

All INSYDIUM products in one collection

The INSYDIUM Fused Annual Subscription provides the Fused license on an annual basis. The full collection is only available if your license has Maintenance or you have a Subscription.

Learn More

INSYDIUM Fused Perpetual License

INSYDIUM's collection of Plug-ins, Products, and Benefits

Plus with technical support available any time should anything come up along your artistic journey – you’re guaranteed success in completing even the most complex projects easily.

Learn More

INSYDIUM Fused Perpetual License

12 Months Maintenance for Fused Users

INSYDIUM Fused Annual Maintenance, existing users get 12 months of Technical Support and instant access to exciting new features for Fused.

Learn More

Creative Video and Photo Ideas Using Fireworks

This tutorial from PremiumBeat explains how to create unique effects, backgrounds, smoky atmospheres, and more by recording real fireworks in a variety of ways.

Freebies

XEffects 2023 New Year Fireworks Title Plugin for FCP X

This freebie from idustrial revolution was created for New Year 2023. The plugin works in Final Cut Pro X and it’s perfect for your July 4th celebration videos.

Get XEffects 2023 New Year Fireworks

28 FREE Firework Sound Effects from Premium Beat

Charles Yeager has some free fireworks sound effects to use with any host. Check out the video below!

Download Fireworks Sound FX

CV-FireWorks in Cinema 4D

Get CV-Fireworks free preset for Cinema 4D from Cineversity.

The post In Depth: Fireworks Extravaganza with Fun New Content appeared first on .

Cut the Cable: Choosing the Right IP Media Protocol for Your AV Workflow

Michele — Tue, 04 Jun 2024 21:59:07 +0000

The world of professional AV and live streaming is rapidly shifting towards IP-based workflows, ditching the tangle of traditional SDI cables for the flexibility and scalability of networks. We explore NDI, SMPTE 2110, and IPMX – the leading protocols for transmitting video and audio over IP networks. Discover their strengths, weaknesses, and ideal use cases to optimize your AV productions. Which protocol suits your needs?

This article dives into the three leading contenders – NDI, SMPTE 2110, and IPMX – exploring their strengths, weaknesses, and ideal applications to help you navigate the exciting world of IP transmission. We also talk briefly about audio delivery with Dante and AES67.

NDI (Network Device Interface)

Developed by NewTek, NDI is a simple, yet powerful and flexible video protocol for video equipment. In layman’s terms, NDI allows different video devices like cameras, recorders, editing software, and displays to transmit and communicate over a standard ethernet network. It supports high-quality, low-latency video transmission without compression, and without the need for complicated wiring setups. Plus, you can mix products developed by different companies, as long as they support NDI. All these reasons make NDI a superb choice for lower-cost IP video distribution and recording.

NDI explained

Angekis Technology gives you a quick and simple overview of NDI.

Where is NDI used?

NDI excels in certain spheres.

Live productions

NDI lets you switch between camera feeds, graphics, and other sources seamlessly for professional-looking streams or presentations.

Video editing

Import footage from multiple devices and cameras into your editing software, over the same network.

Remote collaboration

Teams in different locations can work together on video projects by sharing video feeds remotely.

The pros & cons of NDI

Like anything, there are pros and cons to NDI.

Pros:

User Friendly. No need to deal with a bunch of cables.
Affordable: Allows easy sharing of video sources in real-time across a network without dedicated hardware. Use your existing network.
High Quality/Low Delay: Supports high resolutions up to 4K with low latency, so it’s excellent for live production
Flexible: Easily switch between a wide range of NDI-enabled devices from broadcast equipment to software on a laptop.
Mobile: Great mobile productions
Codec Agnostic: Various codecs are supported, offering compatibility with multiple devices and flexibility.
Scalable: Add or remove devices as needed.
Widely adopted by many vendors

Cons:

Requires a fast, reliable network. Make sure your network can handle it, especially if you’re dealing with multiple video sources.
Relies on NDI-enabled devices or software
Audio Latency and Synchronization: If perfect synchronization is critical to your production, you may prefer a dedicated audio-over-IP solution.

NDI Tools

NDI tools include an NDI Bridge that supports alpha channels, metadata, and more. There are plugins for Premiere Pro, After Effects, VLC, and tools for network access, video monitoring, audio, and more.

Download NDI Tools

NDI-enabled tools

Toolfarm sells several NDI-enabled tools. NDI 6 was released in April 2024, but many tools support NDI 5 at this time.

Live Stream Tools

NewBlue Captivate. The Captivate family of products delivers cost-effective broadcast-quality graphics, live camera switching, and streaming for television stations, sporting events, businesses, classrooms, event production studios, religious gatherings, town halls, virtual/hybrid meetings, and many more. The Captivate tools support NDI, USB, SDI, HDMI, and Zoom cameras.
- Broadcast
- Sport
- Present
Source Elements Source-Live. Stream low-latency HD video and audio in perfect sync. Participants, professionals, musicians, and students can view, participate, review, and approve sessions instantly from anywhere using just a web browser. Support for all NDI-enabled NLEs
Telestream Wirecast. Telestream Wirecast is the most powerful, customizable live video streaming and production tool for Mac and Windows. With Telestream Wirecast Pro, you can stream like a pro! Capture a variety of IP sources or anything on your computer screen or other computers. Automatically detect NDI sources. A built-in web browser can display live web pages.
- Wirecast Pro
- Wirecast Studio
VisLive Pro offers broadcast-quality live streaming easily without the need for professional broadcasting knowledge or a complicated crew. Support live streaming to 5 platforms at a time, 2 virtual camera outputs, and 1 NDI output to meet the docking between different platforms, making smoother publishing of the live event to a wider audience.

VJ Tools

Resolume Software. Resolume software is for live VJ events. With NewTek NDI you can send and receive video between computers on the same network. Use any resolution you like, with an alpha channel, in high quality and low latency.
- Avenue is an instrument for VJs, AV performers, and video artists. Avenue puts all your media and effects right at your fingertips so you can quickly improvise your live visuals.
- Arena Media Server expands on Avenue with advanced options for projection mapping and blending projectors. Control it from a lighting desk and sync it to the DJ via SMPTE timecode.
Imaginando VS Visual Synthesizer makes it easy to express your sound optically, in a highly customizable way. VS easily creates visuals that react to your music and MIDI. Features NDI output.

Color Grading & Monitoring Tools

Assimilate SCRATCH is professional finishing software with an extensive color grading toolset, VFX-Review Asset Management, and more. Includes native support for NDI and integrated a direct connection to Light Illusion’s ColourSpace CMS.
timeinpixels
- Nobe Display NDI. Use external screens and mirror your Color Grading suite display for easier monitoring.
- Nobe OmniScope is a flexible, high-performing scopes with powerful features that make color grading easy. Features NDI input support (incl. Final Cut Pro X)
divergent media ScopeBox – Software Scopes for DIT, Production, Editing, and Finishing supporting NDI 5

SMPTE ST 2110

SMPTE ST 2110, developed by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), delivers high-quality uncompressed video for broadcast. It separates video, audio, and metadata into separate streams for flexibility, control, and precision. SMPTE 2110 requires a robust network, making it a more expensive option. Tools that use SMPTE 2110 include high-end broadcast cameras and recording devices, video switchers, broadcast production and editing tools, and networked media servers.

The Pros & Cons of SMPTE ST 2110

Pros:

Quality: Supports high-quality uncompressed video streams and high-resolution formats like 8K.
Control: Reliable, precise timing, and synchronization.
Specifications: The standard defines a wider range of technical details than NDI. This ensures compatibility when mixing and matching equipment from different vendor’s equipment.

Cons:

More complex setup: requires specialized equipment and a more robust network with higher bandwidth requirements compared to compressed streams
It can be more expensive due to network requirements.

SMPTE ST 2110 FAQ

NAB 2024: Blackmagic Design, SMPTE 2110, and Video Over IP

Streaming Media‘s Shawn Lam talks with Blackmagic Design’s Bob Caniglia about SMPTE 2110 and IP video.

IPMX (Internet Protocol Media Experience)

Another contender is IPMX, an open standard developed by the AIMS Alliance for transmitting audio, video, and control data over IP networks in pro AV workflows. It’s based on SMPTE ST 2110.

Pros & Cons of IPMX

Pros:

Visually lossless compression with resolutions from SD, 4K60, to 8K and beyond
Supports any bitrate: Allows mixing of compressed and uncompressed video
Ultra-low latency: Sub-frame latency and time synchronization
Plug & Play: Designed specifically for pro AV application and interoperability
Security: Supports HDCP (High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection) content encryption and authentication
Automatic Network Discovery & Registration
Free to use: No access fee

Cons:

A relatively new standard with limited adoption so far
Requires IPMX-enabled devices or software

IMPX Technical Information

What is IPMX – AV over IP standard?

Audio over IP

If audio is your expertise, Dante and AES67 are the established standards for professional real-time audio over IP networks.

Dante

Dante (Digital Audio Network Through Ethernet) is a popular audio networking technology choice offering high quality, low latency, and tight synchronization. This makes it a great solution for pro-audio applications like live sound reinforcement.

AES67

AES67 is another audio-over-IP media protocol gaining traction. It’s based on open standards and interoperable with various Dante, RAVENNA, Livewire, and Q-LAN devices, but with a broader range of implementation options.

AES67 Resources

Best Audio Networking Protocol? ….Depends.

The Production Academy talks about Dante, AVB, and Madi.

So, which protocol is for you?

The choice between these standards depends on the specific application requirements, such as resolution, latency, interoperability needs, and the existing infrastructure.

NDI: Shines in its simplicity and ability to work with a wide range of devices on existing networks. It’s a great choice for mobile productions or where ease of use is a priority. You get great quality with low latency.

SMPTE 2110: The industry standard for broadcast production. This is the choice of mission-critical applications, offering uncompressed video quality up to 8K and more control than NDI. However, it requires a robust network and specialized expertise.

NDI vs SMPTE ST 2110: Streaming Showdown

AV Network Guy compares NDI and SMPTE ST 2110.

IPMX: Bridges the gap between NDI’s flexibility and SMPTE 2110’s features. It provides a standardized framework for Pro AV environments, ensuring compatibility between different equipment while offering features like HDCP and multichannel audio.

And if you’re an audio professional, check into Dante and AES67.

Additional Sources & Resources

Internet Protocol Media Experience (IPMX): The Emerging AV over IP Open Standard for Pro AV, IP Media Experience, by Andrew Starks, August 18, 2021.
Is SMPTE ST 2110 Too Expensive? Not Really. Steve DuPaix, Key Code Media, October 30, 2023.
AES67, Wikipedia
Network Device Interface, Wikipedia
Dante (networking), Wikipedia
Audio over IP, Wikipedia

The post Cut the Cable: Choosing the Right IP Media Protocol for Your AV Workflow appeared first on .

In Depth: The Ultimate Guide to Building a Great Demo Reel

Michele — Mon, 13 May 2024 13:56:38 +0000

A demo reel, alternatively known as a showreel, is a concise 1-2 minute video advertisement crafted to exhibit your skills to potential clients or employers. It serves as a platform to showcase your finest work, distinctive style, and versatility. However, creating a compelling demo reel is more intricate than it appears.

Although demo reels, showreels, and VFX breakdown reels share similar objectives, they serve distinct purposes. A showreel typically represents a compilation of work from various artists, often associated with a studio or educational institution. While there may be nuances in the terminology, interchangeably using terms such as “demo reel” and “showreel” is acceptable. On the other hand, VFX breakdowns, offering insights into the layers of effects utilized, typically focus on a single film or project.

The genesis of this guide traces back to an event where I participated in a résumé and demo reel workshop conducted by the GVSU Film and Video Alumni chapter, of which I am a board member. During the panel discussion with fellow professionals, including Suzanne Zack, the chapter secretary and a Professor of Film and Video at Grand Valley State University, the conversation veered toward the intricacies of assembling a captivating demo reel. Suzanne shared a document she distributes to her students, which delves beyond technical specifications, emphasizing the strategic rationale underlying content selection for demo reels.

Furthermore, as an administrator of the After Effects Portal, a Facebook group renowned for its community of proficient After Effects users, I sought insights from the group members in preparation for the panel. Their contributions primarily centered on technical aspects such as duration, music selection, and securing necessary permissions. Drawing from the amalgamation of perspectives from Suzanne Zack, the After Effects Portal community, and my professional experience, this guide aspires to provide a definitive roadmap for crafting a standout demo reel.

Demo Reels You’ll Have Over Your Career (in VFX)

Adam McCay discusses the different types of reels you’ll create throughout your career, hitting many points mentioned in this article.

The Planning Stages: Strategizing Your Demo Reel

Choosing and Preparing Content

Suzanne from GVSU graciously provided a worksheet she uses in her Digital Post-Production class to guide students through preparing their reels. Rather than delving into technical aspects like duration or music selection, the focus is squarely on content. This worksheet serves as a valuable tool to prompt critical thinking about the content and objectives of the reel.

Below are the worksheet questions she distributes to her students along with my commentary:

Use this worksheet to guide the production of your reel. Write or think through the answers to the following questions before editing. Thinking this through will help you design a more effective reel.

1. What kind of work do you want to pursue?

This question mirrors the adage “dress for the job you want, not the job you have.” If your career aspirations have shifted—for instance, from wedding videography to 3D modeling—it’s essential to tailor your reel accordingly. Ensure your reel showcases the skills and strengths relevant to your desired field. Consider crafting separate reels if you’re interested in diverse areas such as corporate, commercial, motion graphics, cinematography, or color grading.

Highlight your skills and strengths by featuring work that showcases them effectively. Evaluate your recent projects to identify the most compelling and impactful clips, especially those involving recognizable clients. Demonstrating versatility is advantageous, but ensures coherence with your target audience and the focus of your reel.

3. In one sentence, describe the message you want viewers to get from your demo reel.

Beyond the obvious “hire me” message, consider what additional impressions you want to convey. Does your work exhibit a wide range of styles? Who is your intended audience? Tailor the content of your reel and its messaging accordingly. Whether you’re creating an editor’s reel for a director or a character rigging reel for Pixar, understanding your audience is crucial in content selection.

4. List all the clips you have to include in your reel. Order the clips from strongest to weakest.

This step is straightforward and entails compiling a comprehensive list of clips for your reel and arranging them in order of impact.

5. Describe the structure you plan to use for your reel (i.e.. – scene based or collage style)

Reviewing other reels can provide insights into effective structural approaches. The choice between a scene-based or collage style depends on the nature of your work and your target audience.

6. Why do you think this structure will be an effective way to communicate your message (answer to question 4) to communicate to your intended audience (answer to question 2)?

Consider how your chosen structure aligns with your message and resonates with your target audience. Your structural decision should facilitate clear communication of your strengths and objectives.

Additional Considerations for Content Collection:

Seek Permission from Clients: While your contract may grant you the right to use creative work for your reel, it’s courteous to seek permission from clients. This demonstrates professionalism and also offers an opportunity to reconnect with former clients. Be mindful of any restrictions on using certain content, such as material designated for internal use only.

Include Only Original Work: Avoid including projects that rely heavily on tutorials or templates, as they may undermine your credibility. Ensure that all showcased work is genuinely your own, authentically showcasing your creative abilities.

Avoid Outdated Content: Steer clear of including work that appears outdated or stylistically obsolete. Updating or excluding older projects that no longer reflect current industry standards is advisable to maintain relevance and showcase your current skills effectively.

By meticulously planning and curating your reel content, you can create a compelling showcase of your abilities that resonates with your target audience and effectively communicates your message.

10 Tips For Cutting Better Showreels! | How To Edit A Demo Reel – NEW

Garrett Sammons has straightforward advice on what to include on your reel, using spec work, and editing.

Examples and Inspiration: Viewing other reels

Above, I mentioned that you should watch demo reels. There are many on Vimeo and YouTube. Watching other artists’ reels will help you to get a feel for what works and what doesn’t. “Research,” says Michael Foucault of Foucault Design, based in Brookfield, Wisconsin. “Spend time watching demo reels. If you skip it think of why. Remember what you like and what you don’t.”

Note that there are a couple of types of reels that you’ll see on YouTube and Vimeo:

Vimeo is a great place to see reels. Here are a couple of examples.

The Best Show Reels & Demo Reels – again, you’ll get a mix of media-related crafts.
The Reels – The Official Demo Reel Channel on Vimeo – you’ll see reels from motion graphics artists, cinematographers, and others. Notice how different types of artists have multiple reels.

Below, check out some fantastic demo reels and point out what’s good about them.

VFX Showreel 2023 by Asoo VFX – NEW

This reel includes several builds of effects, showing how they were created. This technique shows that the artist knows the software well and has killer compositing skills.

Digital Vendetta Demo Reel 2024 – NEW

This one has great pacing, edited perfectly to the soundtrack. The shots show variety yet the editing ties it together nicely.

Christopher Smallfield | VFX Supervisor – Demo Reel – NEW

Inspiring VFX and tight editing keep you watching. It’s short and sweet!

Gnomon’s 2024 Student Reel – NEW

Impressive content from over 150 Gnomon students, edited to powerful music.

VFX+MG Showreel 2023 – NEW

BA (Hons) Visual Effects & Motion Graphics 2023 Graduates from the University of South Wales. The music choice and editing style are perfectly in sync, featuring incredible student work.

DIRECTORS REEL | DOMINIK RADECKI 2023 – NEW

Dominik’s Reel mixes aspect ratios, using high-powered music, and features fast cutting.

Martin Van Hassel’s Loki Season 2 Reel – NEW

Martin is the Senior VFX Nuke Compositor for the Disney/Marvel series Loki, season 2. He doesn’t use any music, only the original soundtrack.

2024- Audiovisual Motion Reel – NEW

Elektra Pólvora‘s new reel is beautifully edited to the music and features a strong variety of work.

Maximilien Blanc Editing Reel – 2024 – NEW

I love how he edited the soundtrack to this reel, combining original sounds with added music and sound effects.

VFX Commercial reel from SnowdogFX – NEW

SnowdogFX’s reel features an incredible mix of interesting work with a few quick VFX breakdowns.

VFX Breakdowns

If you’ve done some intricate visual effects, you can include a VFX breakdown to show how something was composited. This type of reel demonstrates your depth of knowledge of the software and makes for captivating viewing.

Gastón Cohen Tarica – VFX Reel – NEW

Gastón created a VFX Breakdown reel featuring only a few shots but I love how he breaks them down.

El Maddah S4 VFX breakdown from Trend VFX – NEW

Al Maddah is an Egyptian action series with great visual effects from Trend VFX.

3 Body Problem VFX Breakdown Reel (2024) – NEW

3 Body Problem on Netflix was filled with incredible VFX, including virtual worlds, innovative time effects, and lots of compositing. Scanline VFX‘s new reel showcases

Choosing Music

Avoid copywritten music unless you have permission. Whatever song you end up using, get usage rights. You may think no one will care, but the algorithms on services like YouTube flag unlicensed songs immediately. Certain music is immediately flagged for copyright infringement.

How To Avoid Music Copyright Strikes on YouTube

Where to find music

There is a LOT of music out there and you will find something that is Creative Commons, quality royalty-free music, or independent musicians who would be happy to let you use their music.

People will judge you by your music choice, hence, choose wisely. Pixar is pretty harsh about your music choice for their applicants. “Nobody cares about music/soundtrack. We turn off the sound. But sometimes we listen to it and get annoyed if we don’t like your taste in music. Keep it basic or leave it off.” I watched a showreel recently from a very well-known motion graphics school. The work was excellent. The music was an obnoxious and grating dubstep track. Show some personality in your music choice. Dubstep and bland electronica show no personality, in my opinion. With this in mind, choose something that compliments your work, perhaps with a bit of quirk if it works for your content.

Editing your Reel

What is your theme? In this video, Zachary Ramelan begins with a cohesive theme that ties the reel together.

Of course, in the first video above titled Different Reels with Adam McCay, he says not to worry about themes. In reality, it’s your call.

Music will set the pace.

“Cutting to the beat is pretty restricting and results in a very mechanical edit,” says Philip De Wandeleir (aka Pixel Phil). “Just cut to the flow of the music, don’t be afraid of the off-beat cut if it feels/looks alright.”

Length

The consensus is to keep your reel about a minute long, and no longer than two minutes. Why so short? Short attention spans. People tend to stop watching after about 30 seconds. Check out this study from Wistia about the viewing duration. Decisions are made within the first 30 seconds. Impress a client fast by editing out the chaff, and leaving only the best content.

Best work first

To go along with the last point, show your best work first, in case they switch it off.

Second (or third) best work last

Frank Collins says, “Try to end on a high note. Like I was told with a portfolio years ago, best in front, maybe your third-best at the end.”

Don’t repeat footage

It looks like you’re trying to pad your reel.

Title cards

Include your name, email, and phone number at the beginning and end of the reel, but keep it simple. Michael Christophersson explains, “Avoid ‘showy’ intros with your name unless you can make it classy and fast. The sad truth is you are not as important as what you can do.”

Title your work

If it works with your reel, add lower-third titles about each project on the demo reel, such as the project title and your role. If it doesn’t work with your content, you can include this information in a shot breakdown list with your reel, either on paper if you’re mailing it, or in the description on YouTube or Vimeo.

Shot Breakdown List

Frank Collins suggests, “A shot breakdown on the back of your resume is a good idea, especially if you worked on layers/parts of the shot.” Many artists do this on Vimeo and YouTube and it’s useful information. Include the project title, the time code of the project on the reel, and the part you played in the production.

Double and triple-check for spelling errors

Enlist a second set of eyes to read over your titles.

Mixing resolutions

Be mindful when mixing different aspect ratios and resolutions. A reel with bars on the left and right and then a letterbox layout can distract from the work. Michael Foucault has a solution on how to work with mixed resolutions. “When I worked in the news industry as an animator and we had SD content come in for HD broadcasts, we would scale the SD footage up and blur it out, then overlay the footage in SD over the top so it all played and moved together and wasn’t overly distracting. I would try something like that.”

Boris Continuum has a plug-in called BCC Reframer that is designed to reformat and stylize “vertical cell phone” video footage into a standard 16×9 aspect for broadcast. You could try this on lower-quality footage.

There are several uprezzing plug-ins out there too. B oris FX Continuum UpRez and RE:Vision Effects REZup to check out. Uprezzing can also be done in your host application.

More about upscaling

Cut out the junk

Dorian Heller, a motion designer at Microsoft, explains, “Look at your reel once you’ve cut it and take out the worst thing about it”.

Get Feedback from others in the Industry

After editing your reel, you’ll want to get feedback. There are several groups on Facebook and LinkedIn if you don’t know anyone personally. In fact, someone that you don’t know personally may find it easier to be more honest with you.

Writer James Clear says it perfectly, “Early feedback is usually better than late criticism.”

Mark Bone and DP Nik Pileki review reels NEW

They have great no-nonsense advice about demo reels. You can request Mark and Nik review your reel.

Reel Time Real Talk

Reel Time Real Talk with Erin Sawarofsky and Austin Shaw did a 2-part series with listener-supported reel submissions. They review several reels and discuss tricks to improve the reel content, typography, and more.

Reel Time Real Talk Part 1

Reel Time Real Talk Part 2

After getting feedback, re-cut your reel as needed.

Other Random Reel Advice

Applying to the same company twice? Frank Collins says, “Something I heard a long time ago at SIGGRAPH is if you’re applying to the same company twice, make sure your second reel is ALL new. In other words, if you apply to a company again, later on, use a new reel.”

Do a film short instead of a montage? PremiumBeat mentions this in an article with Show Reel Tips that you might want to check out.

Keep your reel up to date

Keeping your work fresh is important but how often do you update it? There are no hard and fast rules on how often to update your reel. Let’s be honest: putting together a reel is a lot of work! If you’re busy with paid work, you’re probably not keeping your reel up-to-date anyway. Some companies put out a reel every single year. My old company put out a reel every 2-3 years.

Just note, if your latest reel says 2021 on the title, update that date!

Here’s some advice from Premium Beat.

The post In Depth: The Ultimate Guide to Building a Great Demo Reel appeared first on .

In Depth: DaVinci Resolve Studio vs Free (Updated for 19)

Michele — Thu, 09 May 2024 13:25:07 +0000

Get ready for a dive deep into the paid Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve Studio vs Free, both available for Mac, Windows, or Linux. A common question is what you get with the Studio version and if it’s worth the investment. The free version is robust and may be enough for many users. However, we are here to educate you on the Studio version so we won’t go over the free version in detail… just its limitations.

In brief, Resolve Studio “includes the DaVinci Neural Engine, dozens of additional ResolveFX, temporal and AI spatial noise reduction, text-based editing, magic mask, film grain, optical blur, and more.”

Studio includes everything in the free version plus the DaVinci Neural Engine, dozens of additional Resolve FX, temporal and AI spatial noise reduction, text-based editing, magic mask, film grain, optical blur, and more.” The free version doesn’t come with these tools.

Article updated: May 9, 2024, for DaVinci Resolve 19 Beta.

Studio 19 Public Beta Release Notes

The Price & The Lifetime License

Let’s start with the most obvious. The Lite version is free. DaVinci Resolve Studio currently sells for $295 for a lifetime license. Did we mention that it’s not a subscription?

Get a Resolve Studio Lifetime License

Download Free Version

Quick Links

Download Delivery from Toolfarm

Toolfarm is THE ONLY PLACE you can get download delivery. You can’t even get it straight from Blackmagic Design. To explain, a customer sent us this video about why this is a big deal.

DaVinci Resolve Studio-only Features

Below are features included in the Studio version of DaVinci Resolve, but not in the free version.

Audio / Fairlight FX

Immersive 3D Audio with Ambisonic surround sound (new in 19)
Voice Isolation (Improved in 19)
Auto Panning (new in 19)
Track FX Plugins
- Dialog Separator (Improved in 19)
- Voice Isolation (Improved in 19)
- Music Remixer FX (New in 19)

Other Features in Studio Only

Collaborative Teamwork
- Remote Grading
- Frame.io Integration
Third-Party OFX Plugins
Stereoscopic 3D
More ResolveFX

Technical Specs

With Resolve Studio, users get higher than UHD or 60fps timelines and renders, IMF delivery, encoder plugins, and more.

GPU/Hardware Accelerated Encoding and Multiple GPUs

Most users find that the hardware acceleration is worth the upgrade price to Studio on its own! With Resolve Studio you can switch between the CPU and GPU, which is substantially faster.

In addition, the free version doesn’t support multiple graphics cards, unless you’re using a Mac Pro.

Expanded Format Support and HDR Delivery

The free version supports several 8-bit formats. With the Studio version, you also get support for the following:

Advanced HDR delivery with Dolby Vision, HDR10+ formats, DCP Encoding and Decoding
Native IMF Encoding and Decoding – SMPTE ST.2067 compliant Interoperable Master Format
DCP (Digital Cinema Packages) Encoding and Decoding
AVCHD, AVC-Intra, and popular H.264 formats
Encoding support for XDCAM, XAVC, P2 AVC Ultra, P2 AVC Intra, HEVC/H.265 Main and Main 10 profiles, and AS-11 compliant packaging.

Accelerated H.264 and H.265 Decoding

Most consumer-level cameras and phones use H.264 compression. Resolve Studio has decode options under Preferences. If you have an NVIDIA card, you’ll see that listed under the Decode Options. This decoding provides faster editing and smoother playback of H.264 and H.265 footage.

Watch comparison video

Note: Hardware acceleration is available in the free Mac version, not the free Windows version. ^[3]

4K Resolution Limit & Frame Rates over 60fps

4K Ultra HD Resolution is the maximum resolution for export on the free version. You can still import, edit, grade, and more with larger resolutions in the free version. You can’t export it. In addition, Studio can handle framerates over 60fps and includes advanced HDR delivery in Dolby Vision. Not only that, Studio can export HDR10+ formats and digital cinema packages (DCP) for theatrical distribution.

Version	Maximum Resolution & Frame Rate
DaVinci Resolve 19 Free version	4K / 60fps
DaVinci Resolve Studio 19	32K / 120fps

The DaVinci Neural Engine

The Neural Engine, introduced with Resolve Studio v16, is the AI engine that drives many features of DaVinci Resolve Studio. The main purpose of the Neural Engine is to minimize those time-consuming and repetitive tasks.

Some features that use the Neural Engine include:

Text-Based Editing
Audio Transcription
Voice Isolation
Audio Classification
Face Refinement

Super Scale
Speed Warp
Object Isolation & Tracking
3D Depth Map
UltraNR Noise Reduction

Music Remixer FX
Film Look Creator
IntelliTrack
Relight FX
Magic Masking
And lots of others…

Cut & Edit

If you’re looking for cutting-edge editing, the latest AI-powered features and other innovative editing tools in the Studio version will appeal to you!

Text-Based Editing (New in 18.5): Transcribe dialogue to text and edit based on textual information for faster video editing.
Audio Transcription (Improved in 19):
AI-based Voice Isolation Track FX (Improved in 19): Improved voice isolation technology to reduce background noise.

Text-Based Editing and Audio Transcription (Improved in 19)

DaVinci Resolve Studio 19’s new audio transcription and text-based editing features offer significant workflow improvement for video editors.

This feature enables editors to edit clips based on their transcribed text directly on the timeline. This makes it possible to search through the text to edit and remove sections instead of scrubbing through the video

Chris Roberts Video Production & Training explains how to edit with Transcription.

Improvements in Resolve Studio 19

The transcription process has been improved, allowing for more accurate and efficient transcription of audio clips. These new capabilities streamline the workflow of editing video content based on transcribed audio, making it easier to navigate, search, and manipulate the footage using the transcribed text. The list below is summarized from the release notes.^[6]

Audio Transcription

Detect Speakers During Transcription. This makes it easier to edit content with multiple speakers.
Import and export transcriptions using SRT (SubRip) files for better integration with external tools.

Text-Based Editing

Edit timeline content based on the source clip’s transcription, allowing for precise editing by manipulating the text.
Display the timecode column in the transcription window for easier navigation.
Search and replace partial words in the transcription text.

Audio Classification (New in 18.5)

Jason Yadlovski talks about AI-powered audio Classification, which lets you automatically classify your audio and put it into smart bins. A HUGE time saver!

Color

Resolve Studio is known for its incredible color grading tools for colorists and those interested in detailed visual effects.

UltraNR Noise Reduction (New in 19)

AI noise reduction tool and Spatial denoising, powered by the DaVinci Neural Engine. Dramatically reduce noise while maintaining image clarity. And, users can combine UltraNR with temporal noise for more effective denoising.

UltraNR was trained on footage to recognize noise so it works well in low light, looking clean and sharp.

Film Look Creator (New in 19)

The Film Look Creator allows users to replicate film properties like grain, flicker, halation, bloom, gate weave, and vignetting. Customize by adjusting color settings, vignette, halation, split tone, and much more. Create custom film looks or use Preset LUTS based on existing film stocks… all in one effect!

IntelliTrack (New in 19)

IntelliTrack is a super fast multi-point optimized Tracking, powered by the DaVinci Neural Engine. Track points to stabilize footage, or add effects in the Fusion and Color pages. Track motion and automatically pan audio in Fairlight! More on that in the Audio section.

In the video below, JayAreTV walks viewers through using IntelliTrack on the Fusion Page, the Color Page, and the Fairlight Page.

Face Refinement (Improved in 19)

Face Refinement is a beauty tool that allows users to make target color grading and effects on skin tones, using Face Detection tracking. In addition, it can be used to adjust side lighting, add makeup effects, and sharpen, brighten, and adjust the eyes, lips, and teeth.

The 19 update includes improved tracking, profile handling, and more skin options.

Relight FX (New in Resolve Studio 18.5)

Relight FX allows users to add virtual light sources into any composition or scene, fixing problems or changing the mood of a shot. The lights can be adjusted to create a spotlight, an overall ambient light, or anything in between. Users can modify the light qualities as needed.

Fusion

Below are some of Fusion’s robust visual effects features, only available in the Studio version.

Speed Warp (Updated in 19)

Speed Warp is another feature you’ll miss if you have the free version. “What Speed Warp does is have the Neural Engine look at the original clip, compare it to the optical flow re-timing, and identify the areas that risk looking rubbery,” said Jason Druss, product specialist at Blackmagic Design. “Once it senses those pixels, it can correct and eliminate the ones out of place, and only those pixels, to give you very smooth looking slow motion.”^[4]

In Resolve Studio 19, motion estimation mode now has a faster setting. This achieves higher quality and fewer artifacts.

Super Scale (Improved in 19)

Super Scale allows you to upscale your footage up to 3.5x faster without losing quality on supported AMD systems (6800, 7700, 7900, or higher). Jay Lippman explains how it works in the video below.

Face Detection

Face Detection is a facial recognition tool found only in Resolve Studio. You may think, wow, how Big Brother. But, the purpose of Face Detection is to help editors sort footage. It will look through your footage for faces, like Photos on Mac, and put footage into groups of the same face. Then, you put a name to the face.

Magic Masking

Easily track and mask objects like people and animals in your footage, using the DaVinci Neural Engine, Studio version only. Check out the fantastic tutorial below to see how it works. With version 18.1, Blackmagic better integrated Magic Masking into the Fusion tab, allowing users to produce clean traveling mattes.

Object Removal

This feature is similar to the Content-Aware Fill in Adobe products. Premium Beat covers Object Removal in detail on their website: DaVinci Resolve’s New Object Removal Tool — Is It Any Good?

Audio – Fairlight FX

Since Resolve v14, the advanced audio tools in FairlightFX are professional-grade audio tools for recording, editing, mixing, dialog replacement, sound clean-up and repair, EQ, dynamics processing, and mastering soundtracks. Get it all in standard formats from stereo and surround sound to the latest immersive 3D audio formats!

The tools below are only available in the Studio version.

Immersive 3D Audio with Ambisonic surround sound (new in 19)
AI Audio Panning (Intellitrack) (new in 19)
Music Remixer FX (New in 19)
Dialogue Separator (New in 19)

Immersive 3D Audio with Ambisonic Surround Sound (New in 19)

Immersive 3D audio creates a surround sound experience by using height, width, and depth to envelop listeners in a 360-degree field. In DaVinci Resolve Studio, this technology supports high-resolution 3D audio, allowing you to work with spatial formats as complex as 22.2 channels. Resolve Studio also facilitates the import and export of the latest IAB and ADM files, common in advanced audio workflows. Object-based formats can move sounds in a way that feels natural and immersive, adjusting to different listening environments, from home setups to large theaters. You also get native support for Dolby Atmos and MPEG-H, plus new fully integrated ambisonics Ambisonics audio with up to 5th-order capabilities. Tools like a 3D panner and Spaceview scope let you visualize where each sound is positioned.

Dolby Atmos Mastering

DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Dolby Atmos integration allows you to create 3D audio productions from the ground up. It supports channel configurations from 5.1.2 to 9.1.6 and provides seamless connections with remote mastering units (RMU) and the Dolby Atmos Production Suite through AudioBridge.

Re-mixing External Productions

For those working with Dolby Atmos, the Studio version can import mastered content from various file types, including .damf, .wav, and .mxf. It can also break these files into their original components, such as individual audio sources, buses, and VCA groups. Afterward, you can re-export your work into an Atmos Master ADMBWF or as an IMF with audio embedded.

IMF Audio Deliverables

IMF (Interoperable Master Format) is widely used in professional video workflows, and DaVinci Resolve Studio supports it by allowing you to add audio to video via IMF containers. You can create multiple audio deliverables simultaneously in formats like IAB-MXF or .wav. These deliverables can be derived from a bus or track in your timeline or sourced from an existing IAB file.

IntelliTrack-Powered Audio Panning to Video (New in 19)

Automatically track people or objects in the Fairlight viewer and automatically pan the audio. See the IntelliTrack section for more.

Voice Isolation (Updated in 19)

Driven by the DaVinci Neural Engine, Voice Isolation now works better on a wider variety of source signals.

Dialogue Separator (New Track FX Plugin in 19)

The Dialogue Separator, a DaVinci Neural Engine AI-based effect, can separate dialogue from background sounds and ambience, giving editors individual control over the level of each component.

Music Remixer (New Track FX Plugin in 19)

Isolate, remix voice, drums, bass, guitar, and other instruments… without stems. Powered by the DaVinci Neural Engine, turn a vocal track into an instrumental, lower a guitar that is muddying the dialog, or remix drums to have them come in at a specific time.

OpenFX

OpenFX, or OFX, is a standardized software interface between the host and plug-ins for visual effects, editing, compositing, and finishing. DaVinci Resolve includes several filters under OpenFX, but some filters are not included in the free version, including Lens Blur, Camera Blur, Lens Flare, and Film Grain. One useful tool OFX tool is Face Refinement.

Third-Party OpenFX Filters

OpenFX is now widely used for visual effects and video processing and is supported by numerous hosts such as Assimilate, Blackmagic Design, Digital Anarchy, NewBlue, RE:Vision Effects, and more.

Resolve Studio offers support for additional third-party plugins and tools. In other words, these plugins can’t be used in the free version. You may see a watermark if you have them installed in the free version.

Want to learn more about OFX? Read our Burning Question article What the Heck is OFX?

Third-Party OFX Plugins for DaVinci Resolve:

Boris Sapphire (subscription and perpetual licenses available)
Boris Continuum (subscription and perpetual licenses available)
Digital Anarchy Flicker Free
NewBlue Transitions 5 Ultimate
RE:Vision Effects ReelSmart Motion Blur Pro
RE:Vision Effects Twixtor Pro
Red Giant Universe
and many more. See the full list of Resolve Studio-compatible OFX plugins.

Collaborative Teamwork Tools

Advanced collaboration features, appealing to team-based projects and remote collaboration. Work simultaneously with other editors, colorists, and VFX artists.

Remote Grading

If you’re working with a team in different parts of the world, Remote Grading allows users to sync two DaVinci Resolve systems in real-time. In the video below, Tom Parish is in Texas while Warren Eagles is in Brisbane, Australia. They show you how it works. If you want to do any remote grading, they go over the hidden “gotchas”. This video is a few years old so the prices they mention are completely outdated but most of the content is still relevant.

Frame.io Integration

Integrate with Frame.io for seamless cloud-based collaboration.

In the Preferences, under the System Tab, go to Internet Accounts. Sign in to your accounts on YouTube, Vimeo, and Frame.io.

Stereoscopic 3D

Create 3D content with advanced stereoscopic tools with DaVinci Resolve Studio. Users have complete control over stereo-specific clip properties including convergence, floating windows, eye alignment, mastering, and output.

And the list goes on

Here are a few more things you won’t get with the free version

DaVinci Color Transform Language: Customizable color transformations with precision control.
Video Noise Reduction
Motion Blur
More ResolveFX Filters – Access a broader range of built-in effects and transitions.
No deinterlacing
3:2 Pulldown
There is no HDR Dolby Vision
Lens distortion correction

DaVinci Resolve Studio vs Free: The Conclusion

I haven’t hit everything here but if you need these features, the $295 price tag for a lifetime license is entirely worth it. So, if you’re on the fence, do it!

Special Thanks + Training

I also want to thank Patrick Imhofer and the DaVinci Resolve training on LinkedIn Learning (formerly Lynda.com). The training was helpful to me when writing the original article for version 16.

DaVinci Resolve Certified Training Program from Blackmagic Design. The training is FREE and hits upon topics such as editing, multicam editing, visual effects, color, and more. It includes project files and many lessons are available in Spanish, German, and Portuguese. They’re all available in English.
LinkedIn Learning. My library provides access to LinkedIn Learning for free.
9 Best DaVinci Resolve Courses for 2024: Professional Post-Production – From The Report. I don’t know this website but they list training options.

References

Learning DaVinci Resolve 16, by Patrick Imhofer. Lynda.com. December 2019.
New Features Guide: DaVinci Resolve 16, Blackmagic Design.
DaVinci Resolve Minimum System Requirements | A Reality Check, Richard Lackey.
Blackmagic Design Puts AI Into DaVinci Resolve 16, Jay Ankeny, The Broadcast Bridge, 19 August 2019.
Feature Comparison: DaVinci Resolve 15, Blackmagic Design.
Release of DaVinci Resolve Studio 19 Public Beta, Apr 12, 2024, Blackmagic Design.
DaVinci Resolve 19 Features Guide, Blackmagic Design.

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A Guide to Realistic Digital Vegetation Creation for 3D Landscapes

Michele — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 14:00:18 +0000

March 21 is International Day of Forests, so we’re celebrating vegetation! This article came out last month and talks about creating immersive, realistic vegetation. Learn about tools and libraries to help you grow a digital forest.

Step into the vibrant forest of 3D artistry, where crafting landscapes and vegetation that feel real is an art form of its own. Whether you’re a seasoned pro in 3D or visual effects, or perhaps you’re diving into architectural or game design, the secret sauce to cultivating realism lies in nailing the natural touch. And that’s where digital foliage steps in, breathing life into virtual realms and turning them into captivating, believable worlds.

In this guide, we’re branching out into the fascinating jungle of digital foliage tools, shining a spotlight on the top-notch solutions from e-on software, iToo Software, and Laubwerk. Plus, we’ll unravel how seamlessly these tools dance with heavyweights like Cinema 4D, Redshift, Maya, Arnold, 3ds Max, V-Ray, and the other tool kits.

Come along on this tech meets nature journey with us, where we’re about to leaf no stone unturned! We’re unwrapping the tools that let professionals plant the seeds of magic into their 3D landscapes. Whether you’re a seasoned artist branching out to level up your skills or a wide-eyed newbie eager to root yourself in the potential, this article is your guide to blossoming in the wonders of digital foliage in your projects.

Why is realistic vegetation important?

If you’re a 3D artist, you must include realistic vegetation in your scenes for several reasons.

Visual appeal

Green vegetation and open landscapes create visually appealing scenes that contribute to the overall atmosphere and mood of the game or visual effects

Authenticity

Realistic foliage helps to create an authentic environment, making it more immersive and believable for players or viewers

Environmental Design

Vegetation is vital in environmental design, providing natural elements that enhance the setting, storytelling, and world-building aspects of video games and visual effects.

Why do video game trees look so bad?

Research indicates that players prefer virtual areas with abundant green vegetation, showing the significance of incorporating realistic foliage and trees in game environments.^[1] That said, video game trees are often overlooked. Below, Stylized Station explores the many reasons that trees often look bad in video games.

What Makes CG Trees Look Real?

Computer-generated (CG) trees that appear to be natural rely on various techniques and details within their modeling and rendering processes, and the list isn’t short.

To achieve realistic vegetation, 3D artists may use various techniques such as procedural generation, hand-painted assets, or a combination of both. Consider factors like scale, shape, color, texture, and density when designing vegetation elements. Some factors contributing to your vegetation’s lifelike appearance include:

Highly detailed geometry: Realistic trees need detailed structures like branches, leaves, and bark that mimic nature.
Species variety: Providing different versions of each tree type lets users choose based on specific contexts. Tools like iToo Forest Pack and Laubwerk offer diverse plant and tree models.
Model diversity: Nature doesn’t repeat itself perfectly, and neither should your digital landscapes. CG trees should have varied leaves, branches, and foliage to avoid repetition, mirroring nature’s diversity.
Photorealistic materials: Realism is boosted by textures mimicking bark, leaves, and other elements. Advanced tools apply high-resolution textures for a natural look. Using data from real trees through techniques like photogrammetry ensures ultra-realistic models.
Tiling ground textures: Integrating ground textures seamlessly creates a convincing environment for the trees.
Lighting and shadows: Realistic lighting is crucial. CG trees should cast shadows, receive ambient occlusion, and react to changing light conditions for believability.
Environment Integration. CG trees must blend seamlessly into the broader environment. Tools like e-on software use features such as Global EcoSystem to scatter plants realistically. There are several tools available specifically for scattering.
Wind and animation: Dynamic animation, like moving leaves and subtle branch motions, enhances realism by avoiding a static appearance.
Seasonal adaptation: In the real world, trees change with the seasons. Digital foliage tools allowing for seasonal changes, like variations in leaf color and density, add an extra layer of realism.

Dedicated Vegetation Creation Tools & Plant Libraries

In the table below, we dive headfirst into the “branch” of plant tools and libraries, putting the spotlight on the top players like iToo Software, and Laubwerk. These tools seamlessly mesh with heavy hitters in the 3D software scene, including Cinema 4D, Redshift, Maya, Arnold, 3ds Max, V-Ray, and Corona.

Some tools are developed specifically for creating vegetation in 3D environments and they offer a lot of benefits.

Efficiency: Generate complex vegetation quickly and efficiently. Save time and budget without manually modeling each plant or tree. The tools often have features for branch placement, leaf distribution, and wind simulation, which cut down on labor.

Optimization and Performance: Advances in real-time visualization of trees and plants, such as improved geometric representation and multi-resolution models, allow for faster rendering and more efficient design systems in 3D video games.^[2]

Consistency: Maintain a consistent look across your plants for a more cohesive and visually appealing rendering.

Realism: Many specialized tools have advanced features for creating highly realistic and detailed foliage. They also have features like wind and weather simulations, seasonal changes, and growth stages.

Integration: Many specialized tools integrate into your favorite host applications and rendering tools, allowing your work to be seamless.

Developer	Product	Type	Description	Compatibility	Notes	Purchase
Chaos	Cosmos	Model Library	High quality 3D assets and materials including a category for vegetation (trees, plants, shrubs, flowers)	V-Ray Corona Vantage		Cosmos is included with: V-Ray Vantage Corona
Chaos	Scatter (in V-Ray and Corona)	Scattering	Easily populate scenes with selected objects – especially useful for outdoor scenes that need to be filled with greenery, rocks, grass etc.	Chaos Scatter is available in Corona for 3ds Max and Cinema 4D, and V-Ray for 3ds Max, SketchUp, Rhino, Revit, Maya, Cinema 4D, and Vantage.		Chaos Products
Dosch 3D	Tree Library	Model Library	Fully textured 3D-models of trees.	3ds Max Maya & Softimage Cinema 4D Keyshot Lightwave & Modo		Tree Library for : 3ds Max Maya & SoftImage TCinema 4D Keyshot Lightwave & Modo
ExLevel	GrowFX	Plugin	Create broadleaf trees, conifers, palm trees, flowers, ivy and many other vegetational compositions.	3ds Max		Get GrowFX
Greyscalegorilla	Plus	Materials Library	Get 4000+ curated 3D materials, textures, models, and HDRIs including natural textures.	Cinema 4D Blender Houdini Unreal Engine Renderers: Blender Cycles/Eevee Houdini Mantra Karma Redshift Unreal Engine		Greyscalegorilla Plus Greyscalegorilla for Teams
INSYDIUM	TAIAO	Plugin	A procedural plant animation system used to generate trees, flowers, grasses and custom objects.	Cinema 4D	Only available as part of the INSYDIUM FUSED collection	INSYDIUM Fused Subscription INSYDIUM Fused Perpetual
iToo Software	Forest Pack	Plugin	Bring your creations to life by effortlessly creating sprawling landscapes filled with an array of detailed, realistic objects.	3ds Max Renderers: Arnold V-Ray Corona Octane Redshift FStorm Final Render		Forest Pack Forest Pack + RailClone Bundle">
iToo Software	The3DGarden	Model Library	A variety of high quality plant models from iToo Software.	3ds Max V-ray Corona Forest Pack Pro	Available bundled or in smaller volumes	The3dGarden Complete Bundle All Trees Bundle All Bushes and Flowers Bundle All The3dGarden volumes
Laubwerk	Plants Kit	Plugin/Library	Laubwerk offers easy-to-use software extensions for architects and CG artists looking for authentic 3D plants, and plant scattering tools.	3ds Max Maya Cinema 4D SketchUp Vectorworks 2023 (or newer) Python		Get Laubwerk Plants Kits
Laubwerk	SurfaceSPREAD	Scattering	An easy and efficient way to distribute Laubwerk Plants (and any other object) on a terrain.	Cinema 4D
Lindalë	Skatter	Scattering, Includes Library	Mimic nature's organic appearince	SketchUp	Comes bundled with 3D Bazaar, an extensive repository of high-quality render-ready assets.	Lindalë Skatter
Maxon	Redshift Plants from Laubwerk	Model Library	Elevate your digital landscapes to new heights with a diverse collection of meticulously crafted, hyper-realistic plants from Laubwerk.	Cinema 4D Redshift	New in Capsules in October 2023, available with Maxon One	Maxon One
Pixel Lab	Mutating Materials: Woods	Texture Library	A comprehensive collection of wood textures.	Cinema 4D Renderers: Arnold		Arnold Mutating Materials: Woods Redshift Mutating Materials: Woods
SiNi Software	Scatter	Scattering	Scatter tool for clean animation of distributed objects.	3ds max	Included in SiNi Software All Access	SiNi Software All Access

*See product for host support specifics.

A Few Freebies for Vegetation Creation

We have collected some free textures and models that relate to plants and trees. Enjoy!

ShareTextures. Download models, wood textures, and atlases for foliage and nature elements.
MegaScans. Download trees, grasses, foliage, landscapes, and more from Quixel MegaScans for Unreal Engine.
Xfrog 3D Free Plant Models. Xfrog has announced they are giving away a few Free 3D Plant Models, including Oleander, Field Maple, Dragon Tree, Bamboo, Incense Cedar, and Tea Tree.
Free 3D Trees at Turbo Squid. A variety of low poly, realistic, and fantasy trees in FBX format.
Free Nature 3D models from cgTrader. Grass, trees, and other plants as well as landscape models for an assortment of hosts.
Landscape Pro 2.0 Auto-Generated Material for Unreal Engine.
Unreal Permanent Free Collection. Dig through their archives for free vegetation and more for Unreal Engine.

Older Freebies

Maya Models from Arsa3D including trees, bark, and other natural elements. This is an older site
3D Tree Maker for Sketchup, Create 3D trees in a few clicks and add them to your model. Works with SketchUp 8, and Sketchup 2013-2015 only.
Grass Generator for 3ds Max. A grass generator plugin for 3ds Max, written in Maxscript from The Mantissa. Last updated in 2014, so it’s not new.

Tree and Vegetation Tutorials

Realistic 3D Trees Tutorial – Bring Your Renders to Life (fast and easy method)

In this webinar from VizAcademy UK, expert speakers share their tips for creating photorealistic trees in 3ds Max. Learn techniques for creating variety and randomization, lighting, and more. He’s using Corona Renderer in the tutorial and explains Corona Multi-Map and color correction.

Greenery Tips & Tricks for Realistic 3D Rendering

Another from VizAcademy UK, learn about how to create realistic foliage and plants in your architectural rendering using 3ds Max and Corona Renderer.

Trees at 9 different levels of detail | SketchUp for landscape architecture

Learn about a variety of vegetation components in SketchUp and how to get the best use of each component.

The Easiest Way to Scatter Plants In 3ds Max & Corona or V-Ray

Arch Viz Artist walks you through using Chaos Scatter for creating grass and scattering plants.

Chaos Scatter with 3ds Max

Use Chaos Scatter in Corona or V-Ray for 3ds Max to create natural environments by distributing grass, trees, and much more.

Chaos Scatter with 3ds Max (Corona Version)

Create complex exteriors with Chaos Scatter (V-Ray version)

Bifrost Bootcamp 2: Scattering Tree Landscape for Game Engines.

In Bifrost Bootcamp 2, a workshop for aspiring technical artists, Jason shows you how to create an autumn scene with rolling terrain using scattering. Jason shows you how to use Bifrost in Maya, covering distribution, instancing, culling, varying properties, and rendering. Then, he explains how to export this unique terrain into a game engine using USD.

Go to Tutorial

How to scatter animated hierarchies with Forest Pack 8

In this tutorial from iToo, learn how to scatter basic rigs with the linked hierarchies toolset in 3ds Max and Forest Pack 8.

Go to Tutorial

References and Further Reading

Gamers Like It Green: The Significance of Vegetation in Online Gaming, by Minh-Xuan A. Truong, Anne-Caroline Prevot, and Susan Clayton, March 2018 Ecopsychology 10(1):1-13.
Research improves real-time visualization of trees in 3-D videogames, by Asociacion RUVID, Phys.org, September 21, 2018

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Between Takes: Work-Life Harmony for Film & Video Creatives

Michele — Thu, 07 Mar 2024 14:49:00 +0000

In our industry, having an uneven balance between work and personal life is the norm. Creative work often demands all of your mental capacities, and deadlines and expectations can keep you tied to a desk all day. Work schedules in our industry can also be unpredictable, which can be stressful for your wallet and your mental health. During the winter time, you may rarely see the sun in northern latitudes, which makes a person more susceptible to depression. You may be sleep-deprived and you may miss time with your family, too. If work-life imbalance persists, burnout is inevitable.

This article was a community project, as I inquired to many of my friends in the film/media industry about their experiences. In a way, you could say I delegated some of my work on this article. With my research and their advice, we hope to help you figure out how to better balance life and work. The goal is to be productive during your work hours so you can have more free time to enjoy life with your family and friends and avoid burnout.

“Severance” takes work-life balance to a whole other level!

Writing this article made me think of the show Severance on Apple TV, created by Ben Stiller and starring Adam Scott. In the show, characters go through a procedure that separates their personal life memories from their work memories. Severance is a great show and I highly recommend it. And if you’re wondering, season 2, delayed by the strikes in Hollywood, is in production now.

Causes of Work-Life Imbalance

In American culture, it’s often seen as a badge of honor to work 60 hours a week on a few hours of sleep per night. Sometimes it is company culture that demands it. If you work on a film crew or the post-production team, you may work long days of up to 14 hours.

If you’re running your own business, it can be a constant hustle. Dan Warvi, a veteran of video production, explains that, beyond the creative, running your own business entails wearing many hats including “promotion of oneself, billing, networking, hardware, and software training, maintenance of said equipment, and conflict resolution with clients and employees.”

“I used to wear lack of sleep like a badge of honor. For years I worked as much as I could, for people, for myself, for school, getting by on 4 hours of sleep and Red Bull. Until it made me very ill,” says Adam Mercado, owner of Influxx Media Production. “Now I work very little, broke AF, and spend time with my family much more. I think I’m happier. Not stressed about deadlines but stressed about money. Unless you’re filthy rich I dunno how you find balance. You’re either toiling to pay the bills and keep everybody happy, or you’re struggling to pay the bills and keep everyone else happy. I think the Western Protestant Work Ethic is all wrong and we as a society have misplaced values.”

We’ve mentioned a couple of the main culprits: long hours and the pressure to constantly kick out creative work. Other things that can mess with your work-life balance:

A lack of flexibility in your working arrangements
Not having much say or control over your work
Unclear parameters of a job
A toxic work culture
A lack of opportunities for career growth
Information overload
Restraint Collapse

What is restraint collapse?

Working a full-time job, spending time with our partners and kids, fulfilling social commitments, cooking meals, keeping up the house, making time for exercise, and everything else we do in a day, often feels impossible. There comes a time when we just can’t do it anymore. This is Restraint Collapse.^[7]

Our field is full of creative people with ADHD. It’s a great career for the neurodivergent brain, full of creativity and stimulation. ADHD brains are more susceptible to Restrain Collapse due to masking their ADHD symptoms all day at work. People with ADHD often struggle to feel like valid workers and will use more brainpower than neurotypicals, overcompensating for lack of organization. Perfectionism is a common trait of neurodivergents also. At the end of the day, you just want to collapse on the couch and scroll TikTok videos, television, video games, etc.

It’s not just women, parents, and neurotypicals, but anyone who deals with mental health issues, people with disabilities, and people from marginalized communities who need to “code switch” to keep their jobs and stay safe.^[7]

Self-imposed imbalance to get ahead

A lack of work-life balance can be self-induced, too. I know so many artists who will spend their evenings and weekends learning new software. “When I had jobs that I wasn’t passionate about, I would spend my nights at home trying to level up skills, applying for jobs, working on personal projects, and improving on skills I already have,” shared Ernesto Bautista. Ernesto has worked as a motion graphics artist but now works in IT because it is more predictable and stable.

Other habits that can cause imbalance are poor sleep hygiene, poor eating habits, and lack of exercise.

The impact of work-life imbalance & recognizing the signs

When your job seems to consume the majority of your time and energy, you’re likely grappling with a work-life imbalance. Indicators of this imbalance encompass fatigue, diminished motivation, procrastination, heightened stress and anxiety, skipping crucial family events, and isolating yourself from friends.[2]

Some consequences of prolonged work-life imbalance are substantial [3]:

Increased health risks: Long-term imbalance can contribute to heightened health issues, including heart problems, eye strain, depression, and anxiety.
Diminished productivity and creativity: Your ability to be productive and creative at work may decline.
Potential substance abuse: Some individuals resort to self-medicating or substance abuse as a coping mechanism.
Strained family dynamics: Imbalance can lead to family problems and, in some cases, even divorce.
Emotional exhaustion and burnout

I’m not suggesting that quitting your job is the solution, but rather emphasizing that you have control over your life. While acknowledging that not everything is under your control, it’s essential to recognize the significant impact you can have on your own work-life balance. Taking proactive steps towards balance is a powerful tool in preserving your well-being and professional success.

A case study: Who Needs Sleep

Watch cinematographer-documaker-social activist Haskell Wexler’s documentary about the hours that a film crew routinely works. This documentary played at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2006.

WHO NEEDS SLEEP_.mp4 from Ass.Imagem aip on Vimeo.

Safe Sets: Dying to Work in the Film Industry

Who Needs Sleep, may be almost 20 years old but it’s still a major issue for the film industry. In the upcoming documentary Safe Sets: Dying to Work in the Film Industry from Patsy Productions LLC, a doctor investigates the health and safety issues that face film and TV workers.

It talks about “Safe Sets dives into sleep deprivation, substance addiction, toxic exposure, abuse of power, accidents, and more, supported by stock, newsreel, and behind-the-scenes photos and footage. The film conveys hope that the tireless work of advocates within the industry will spark change for the better.” The documentary stars John Hamm and John Malkovich.

Strategies for achieving harmony in work-life balance

Below, you’ll learn a few ways to take back your free time. You don’t need to go as far as Severence but there are some things you can do to improve balance.

Create boundaries between work time and personal time

Set up defined work hours. If you work from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm, stick to that schedule.
Limit work phone calls and texts to work hours. Make sure your colleagues and clients know your defined work hours. If someone texts you after hours, you don’t have to answer. The same goes for personal calls during work hours.
Keep separate emails for work and personal communication. This way, you can check your email on the weekend, and won’t see something that you can quickly take care of before Monday. Don’t allow yourself to get sucked in! And the same goes for personal emails at work. They can be distracting and whittle away your productive hours.

Hot Tip!

If your cell phone is for both work and personal use, you can set up specific times to limit communication from certain contacts or groups on your iPhone.

Watch Tutorial

Make sure your brain is off the clock too

This means, don’t take work home with you. But it’s not just “work” to consider. Are you learning software during your free time? Sure, it can get you some new work, but if you’re having an issue with work-life balance, this can be a problem.

“When I’m not at work I’m not doing anything for work. Do you want me to learn new software? I’ll be doing that at work,” says Christoph Jess. “I’ve had managers tell me how they listen to tutorials over the weekend to learn the software, etc. Apart from the fact that I don’t learn like that I also won’t do tutorials on the weekend for work. That’s my time and it’s sacred.”

Achieving work-life balance goes beyond just physically logging off from work – it’s about ensuring your mind is off the clock too. If work thoughts persist while you’re playing with your kids or enjoying time with your spouse, your job is occupying mental space without compensation. Similarly, if work ruminations intrude while you’re in the shower or lying in bed, your free time becomes entangled with work hours.

It’s important to recognize that you have control over your thoughts. Cultivating mindfulness is key to noticing when work infiltrates your mind during leisure moments, and this effort is truly worthwhile.

Ask for Flexibility

Working from home can have life-changing benefits for work-life balance. No commute, you see your family more, there’s a lot more flexibility with kids, and you save money by eating lunches at home, less wear on your car, and more. There are downsides of course, but for many, working from home will have a huge positive impact.

I have worked from home for almost 20 years. It’s more difficult when you have kids at home, as many of you experienced during the pandemic lockdown. It’s nice that I can catch up with my husband or daughter during a break, or I can run some ideas by my husband in person. I love that if I want, I can roll out of bed and walk across the hall to work, with my teeth and hair unbrushed, wearing sweatpants and a hoodie. Or I can roll into the office right after a workout. If I want to work with a pet on my lap, I can! Working from home just makes life a lot more relaxed.

Working from home can make the separation more challenging, however, there are strategies to distinguish work from personal time in a home office. For instance, if you have a dedicated home office, make a habit of shutting down your computer at the end of your workday and closing the office door behind you. These actions can help create a clear mental boundary between work and personal life.

Be selective about the work you take on, i.e. Learn to say no

At times, you might find yourself assigned an overwhelming workload that seems impossible to complete within the given deadline. It’s crucial to be aware of your limits regarding the amount of work you can manage. Yes, you have the right to gracefully turn down projects that exceed your capacity.

For some individuals, asserting themselves can be a challenge, particularly for those with a tendency to please others. I’ve always leaned towards being a people-pleaser, avoiding disappointing others for as long as I can remember. However, I’ve learned the importance of saying no over the years. Taking on too much will only lead to misery and resentment, and the quality of your work can suffer as a result.

If you’re a freelancer or own your own business, you don’t have to take every job that comes your way. “The 80/20 rule is real… at least it was for me,” David Baker, owner of Classic Animation and Instructor at Ferris State University explains. “20 percent of your clients provide 80 percent of your revenue. Treat those folks well. Don’t chase after business that doesn’t respect your time or talents. This helps keep balance in your life and checkbook.”

Trent Armstrong, a senior motion designer at The Igniter Company agrees. “Pricing some projects a little high will either price me out of a project and thereby open up my schedule or give me a higher return on my time investment in the project.”

See: 10 Strategies to Overcome Your Fear of Saying NO

Prioritize your tasks

Workplace stress can come from poor time management, so it’s important to prioritize your tasks to manage your time. We all have a hundred projects and tasks we could do, but it’s essential to take care of the priorities first and make the important deadlines.

“I was more or less working all the time for years and stopped doing this about two years ago,” says Mathias Möhl of mamoworld. “I work much less now but think much more about what tasks are really important. mamoworld is more successful than ever before since that change. Take home message: Don’t try to solve everything – focus on what is really important for your success.”

Roshmond “Sum” Patten, Creative Director at GLOW Interactive, also uses the 80/20 rule alongside Lead/Lag Goal setting, which uses data to help determine which jobs you should be pouring your efforts into. “Applying the 80/20 rule (Pareto Principle) to work/life balance is pouring 80 percent of your premium effort into the vital few lead work goals that actually make a difference, and then what’s left over can be used to go on autopilot for lag goals…. then you have play energy left for life.”

As you sit down to work, remind yourself –

You’re not fighting the clock,

you’re earning freedom from it.

Time can't be saved, it can only be spent wisely.
— Mark Christiansen (@markchristiansn) February 5, 2024

“Learning how to properly prioritize things… lead goals vs. lag goals… knowing that everything that appears on fire is not,” Sum explains. “For many people, they have lag goals as a top priority and it creates stress and makes it very hard to achieve balance. Lag goals are ongoing, sometimes infinite. Learning how to identify something as a lag goal was helpful in my life.”

So how do you figure out what is a priority and what is not? There are some methods that you can use to figure out what you should work on first.

Eat the frog. Do the hardest and least pleasant job first and the rest of the day will be easy.
The Eisenhower Matrix: How to prioritize your to-do list. Organizing by importance and urgency, plus figuring out which tasks to delegate.

Using time management and organization tools during your workday can help with keeping track of tasks. As it is a massive topic, and this article is already long, “Time Management, Organization, and Automation” will be covered in depth in a future article.

See: 7 steps for prioritizing your workload by Brent Barnhart at Teamwork.com

Delegate tasks

We can’t do everything ourselves, and let’s be honest, we are not all suited for every job. I struggle with detailed jobs that have a lot of steps. If you can delegate tasks that are more suited to someone else’s skills, this will free up your time to focus on tasks that are better suited to your skill set and make your workload more manageable.

Tasks that are small, time-consuming, tedious, or that you’re not suited to are the best tasks to delegate.^[10] Delegation can be tough though, as it requires trust. Will the other person do the job up to your standards? Can you let go of control? Will the task be finished in time?

“Delegation is not a sign of weakness; it’s a sign of a strong leader,” says Genevieve Conti in her article How to Delegate Tasks Effectively (and Why It’s Important)

Schedule breaks

When we have too much to do, it’s easy to tell yourself that you don’t have time for a break. However, research has found that taking a break can help reduce stress, help focus, and improve all over well-being.

Incorporate regular breaks into your workday to get away from the computer every couple of hours to stretch your legs, chat with colleagues, or do whatever else you need to do for a quick recharge. How often? Some people take breaks on a consistent schedule. I prefer to take breaks when I end a task, or my focus is broken.

Hot Tip: If you get hyper-focused and forget to take breaks, wearable technology like an Apple Watch or FitBit can let you know when you’ve been sitting too long.

Mike Custer experiences neurodivergence, like many creatives, and this introduces the idea of being in a flow state with full concentration. According to Better Up, a flow state is “The flow state is the experience of being so absorbed by an engaging, enjoyable task that your attention is competely held by it. You generally lose sense of time, self-consciousness, and anything that doesn’t have to do with the task at hand.”^[8] When you’re in a flow state, you may not want to take a break.

Mike explains, “I get crazy tunnel vision and end up leaving work hours late because I was just lost in CAD or renderings. I also can’t tell you how many times some surfacing has blown up and I keep trying to solve it via brute force method – only to have the solution hit me five minutes into a walk/break. Knowing when to unplug and give yourself mental space for solutions to form is something I’m working hard at.”

Jim Kanter, former Education Director at the Digital Film Institute and a MacProVideo.com trainer, has brought up the “Point of Diminishing Returns. How many times have we been so absorbed in our work without taking enough breaks that we think we’re coming up with brilliant solutions, only to come back the next day and spend hours undoing the last few hours of work? At a certain point, you simply have to call it a day and get some rest.”

Ali Ruth, a mental health professional, explains the importance of focus and break time. “There has to be a balance between focus time and default neural network time. That’s the background of problem-solving. Also, managing emotions: if you’re stuck, take a break by interacting with playful/funny content, speaking (not texting) with a friend.”

Breaks can also mean taking days off for mental health and refreshing creativity. Jerzy Drozda, Jr, Technical Artist and Director explains, “I don’t mean obvious ‘during the workday’ breaks, but during the month – once every two or three at the most. Allow yourself to waste time.” Jerzy recommends taking off a Wednesday, midweek, for a refresh. “It’s not always easy to do, especially when one is not organized or automated, so work on that first. If possible make Wednesday your day off.”

See: Know Your Brain: Default Mode Network

Give your eyes a break, too

Computer Vision Syndrome, also known as digital eye strain, happens when you spend a lot of time in front of screens. According to the American Optometric Association, eye strain can cause headaches, blurred vision, dry eyes, and neck and shoulder pain. Besides staring at a screen for hours, poor lighting, glare on the screen, sitting too close or too far from the screen, and undiagnosed vision problems can also cause eye strain.

How do you fix this? Take breaks, fix your lighting, and make sure your monitor is at a proper distance. I like to go out for a walk to focus my eyes on objects that are far away and make sure that I move my eyes back and forth a few times. Kim Sternisha at Toolfarm adds, “If you work near a window, look out of it occasionally to focus your eyes on something in the distance.”

pic.twitter.com/gGPltYRnVW
— World Council of Optometry (@WorldCouncilOpt) May 8, 2020

Artificial and blue light emitted from screens is a known cause of sleep issues. Do blue-blocking glasses work? I’ve tried a cheap pair of blue-blocking glasses with yellow lenses, but I found them to be annoying. And, they are a big problem when working with color. Now, it’s inexpensive to add clear blue light filter coatings to regular prescription glasses, which do not give the world a bright yellow tint.

Make self-care a priority

When you’re feeling stressed or on the verge of burning out, sitting in front of the TV watching reruns of The Office with a bag of Hot Cheetos may feel like what you need. That will not be nearly as beneficial as consistent self-care.

What is self-care? I’m sure you are picturing candle-lit warm baths and massages. Those ideas are lovely and definitely can help, however, self-care is about prioritizing your mental health and physical health. To avoid burnout, it’s pertinent that you get enough sleep, eat a balanced diet, stay hydrated, and get regular exercise. Watch your alcohol, junk food, social media, and news intake.

We plan to take a deeper dive into self-care for video professionals, addressing issues specific to the challenges of working in post, but the information below will give you a general idea about how you can give yourself some self-care.

Nurture your creativity

Remember, you are recharging your brain and your creativity when you take care of yourself. Get out in nature every day. Meditate. Laugh every day. Self-care also includes exploring other creative outlets. Creative writing and journaling, drawing or painting, listening to music, dancing, playing an instrument, cooking, gardening, doing arts and crafts, crocheting or knitting, or working on models are all things that can nurture your creativity.

“Schedule time to research new things and play creatively. Keeps things fresh and inspires new ways to solve problems,” says Trent Armstrong.

“I find creating something in a completely different way is relaxing and resets my brain,” says Karen Spalink. “Step away from the keyboard. Sit in a comfy place. Knit a few rows, work a puzzle? Work on a painting, start something tasty to eat later when you’re exhausted, play funky music…”

“Never minimize the importance of play in stoking one’s creativity,” says Andrew Tolar, a retired teacher.

Connect with people

It’s easy to be a hermit. Since the pandemic, I have noticed that I get anxious before social gatherings and I prefer smaller get-togethers with one or two friends.

Social support is incredibly important for wellness and resilience to stress, but it needs to be in person. Even a phone call will help. “Overall, it appears that positive social support of high quality can enhance resilience to stress, help protect against developing trauma-related psychopathology, decrease the functional consequences of trauma-induced disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and reduce medical morbidity and mortality.”^[6]

Having friends at work is equally important. Building strong relationships at work has been known to increase job satisfaction and productivity. Work friends can give you emotional support, reduce stress, strengthen your team, and improve the workplace culture.^[9]

Simply put, have a network of people who can support you, or talk to a therapist or life coach to help you gain work-life balance.

Tips for long-term work-life balance

Having a work-life balance is work in itself, but it will pay off. You need to be committed to keeping up boundaries with your job and your own brain. It will take work to prioritize your tasks every day and delegate what you can. Self-care is as important as any of the other points mentioned. Be sure to nurture that creativity!

I want to thank everyone who gave their input to this article and shared their experiences. Friends, you are a wealth of information. By trying out the tips in this article, you can make your work and personal life more balanced. It’s not just about feeling better—it also helps you do well in your job, especially in an industry that can be tough and unpredictable.

References

Rantanen, J., e t al. “Creating Balance.” International Perspectives on the Work-Life Integration of Professionals (2011).
Triggers or Signs of Work-Life Imbalance
Consequences of Work-Life Imbalance, Elizabeth Eludinni, November 24, 2016., Reward, Benefits & Wellbeing | Assoc CIPD | Mental Health First Aider | PRINCE2®
Physiological stress in response to multitasking and work interruptions: Study protocol, Linda Becker, Helena C. Kaltenegger, Dennis Nowak, Matthias Weigl, Nicolas Rohleder. February 8, 2022.
Computer vision syndrome American Optometric Association.
Ozbay F, Johnson DC, Dimoulas E, Morgan CA, Charney D, Southwick S. Social support and resilience to stress: from neurobiology to clinical practice. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2007 May;4(5):35-40. PMID: 20806028; PMCID: PMC2921311.
Do You Suffer From Post-Work Restraint Collapse? Here’s How To Tell., Huff Post, by Ashley Broadwater, October 23, 2023.
Achieving a flow state: 7 ways to get in the zone, Better Up, By Allaya Cooks-Campbell, March 7, 2022.
3 Reasons Why Work Friends Are Important, MindTools.com, by Chris Harley, March 29, 2023.
How to Delegate Tasks Effectively (and Why It’s Important), Meistertask.com, by Genevieve Conti, Originally published March 2017.

The post Between Takes: Work-Life Harmony for Film & Video Creatives appeared first on .

Navigating a Career Crossroads: When to Move On

Michele — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 16:43:44 +0000

In a week, there are 168 hours. While we devote roughly a third of this time to sleep, a significant portion of our waking moments is dedicated to work. For a job to foster success, it should ideally align with your skills, offer a healthy work-life balance, and provide fair compensation and benefits.

I count myself fortunate to hold a job that I’m passionate about. I find it fulfilling as I contribute meaningfully, and I’m respected within the workplace. The diversity of projects I’m involved in keeps my work engaging. Additionally, I receive appropriate compensation for my time and efforts. However, I’ve recently observed some friends grappling with the difficult decision of leaving their current positions for roles better suited to their needs. For some, the motivation to leave was driven by low pay and a sense of underappreciation. Another friend contemplated leaving a job they deeply believed in due to the presence of a toxic work environment and a narcissistic boss, turning each workday into a miserable experience.

via GIPHY

Another common concern I’ve encountered is work-life balance; individuals feel that they don’t spend enough time with their families while being expected to work evenings and weekends. I can empathize with this as I once held a job that drained my enthusiasm and felt soul-sucking. As someone with ADHD, I thrive as a problem solver, but managing hundreds of small details all day was simply not within my skill set.

Factors to Consider when Navigating a Career Crossroads

Deciding to leave a job is a weighty choice, one that requires careful consideration of several vital factors.

Assess Your Overall Job Satisfaction: Begin by evaluating your job satisfaction. Consider the workplace culture, your compensation, benefits, and work-life balance. Reflect on how these elements affect your overall well-being and happiness.
Align with Long-Term Goals: Think about your career aspirations and whether your current job aligns with your professional objectives. Assess the potential for growth and advancement within the company.
Mental Well-Being Matters: Examine the impact on your mental health. Toxic work environments or dealing with a narcissistic boss can significantly affect your mental well-being. Gauge the level of stress and its influence on your overall happiness.
Financial Stability: Evaluate your financial situation, taking into account your pay, benefits, and financial obligations. Don’t forget to consider factors like health insurance into the equation.
Explore Alternative Pathways: Research other job opportunities and market conditions. Gain insights into the potential for finding a job with a healthier work environment, improved work-life balance, and better compensation.
Seek Support and Advice: Don’t hesitate to share your concerns with trusted friends, family, mentors, a professional counselor, or a career coach. Their external perspectives can provide valuable insights and help you attain the clarity needed to make an informed decision.

Remember that the choice to leave a job is deeply personal, influenced by your unique circumstances and priorities. If you find it challenging to decide, seeking professional advice or counseling can be a valuable step in the process.

Check out other articles in this series

Nurturing Creativity: A Guide to Becoming a Mentor

Ready to invigorate your creative career in 2024? Consider being a mentor – because nothing says “I’ve got this” like guiding the next generation.

Read the article

Navigating Career Crossroads: When to Move On, originally published in the Reel Connections: GVSU Film & Video Alumni Newsletter, November 2023, by Michele Terpstra.

The post Navigating a Career Crossroads: When to Move On appeared first on .

In Depth: Upscaling Video (Updated 8 Feb 2024)

Michele — Thu, 08 Feb 2024 15:30:28 +0000

What does upscale mean?

Upscaling means stretching a smaller video to fit a larger screen. The goal is to increase the size of the video while maintaining quality. Other terms you may hear are upsizing and uprezzing. Sure, you can simply scale the footage, but you will often get stretched and blurry results. You can also upscale with software and plugins that have features to sharpen and clean up problems including blur, jagginess, color artifacting, and noise. This article covers the tools to upscale your footage with great results.

What’s in this article?

What does upscale mean?
Why upscale your footage?
AI in Upscaling
Upscaling with your NLE
- Adobe
- Resolve
- Vegas
Upscaling with Plug-ins
- Boris FX Continuum UpRes Updated
- RE:Vision Effects REZup
- The Pixel Farm PFClean
- Vimager ScaleUp
- GPU Resize
- Monadnock 9 Slice Scale NEW
The Future of Upscaling

Why would you want to upscale your footage?

There are two common reasons to upscale:

You work with old video footage that’s in the standard format
You don’t have a camera that can shoot 4K and want your video to be 4K (or other sizes)

Video Resolution

When I started my career in video post-production, “standard definition” was, in fact, the standard. Now there are so many resolutions. I originally wrote this article about 7 years ago, when a cinematographer friend of mine asked me to upscale footage for his reel from the 1990s to HD. In that article, I focusing upscaling 720×480 (480i) into 1920×1080 (1080p) footage.

For one thing, video standards have changed in just a few short years. 4K Ultra High Definition (4K UHD) is now a standard feature in over 60% of the televisions sold in North America. That number is increasing rapidly over the last few months as people can’t go out for entertainment during the pandemic. For example, if you’re watching an old standard-definition television show on a 4K UHD screen, it will look a bit stretched and blurry.

But, upscaling is not just for old footage. Some people are shooting at 1080p and upscaling their renders to 4K for YouTube. Why would they do that?

They may not have a camera that is capable of shooting 4K.
Editing 4K footage can be slow.
4K footage takes up a ton of space on your drives!

Luckily, upscaling technology has seen major improvements over the past few years, especially in the area of Artificial Intelligence (AI). We’ll dive into AI and I’ll also discuss upscaling video in Adobe products, Resolve, with AI, and using a few plug-ins with upscaling technology.

Please note: This article is not a review of products, but more of a guide to the upscaling options available.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Upscaling

A majority of the upscaling tools on the market today use AI. Some of the upscale players include:

Gigapixel AI from Topaz Labs is probably the most well-known.
Winxvideo AI – 4K video and image upscaler.
DeepAI Super Resolution for images.
PIXOP Super Resolution, an online uprez technology using Machine Learning and Amazon Web Services.
iSize – Check out their website for some interesting technical diagrams.
The NVIDIA SHIELD TV, which brings real-time AI upscaling right to the television

There are several others, as well. This will be an area that will explode over the next few years, like NVIDIA OptiX technology which is used for AI-enhanced noise reduction in Arnold Render GPU, cebas finalRender, e-on Software, Redshift, Corona Renderer, and more. You’ll certainly see AI-enhanced upscaling in the apps you currently use over the next year or two.

The videos below are from 1911 and 1896. To point out, they scaled the footage to 4K, 60fps. To explain, the enlargement was done with Gigapixel AI. The algorithm for adding frames is called Depth-Aware Video Frame Interpolation (DAIN), powered by neural networks.

A Trip Through New York City in 1911

“Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat” (The Lumiere Brothers, 1896)

Deep Space 9 Upscale Project

There’s a project out there called Deep Space Nine Upscale Project (DS9UP) to upscale Star Trek: Deep Space 9 from the DVD source to 4K. Joel Hruska writes about his experiences using Topaz Video Enhance AI, DaVinci Resolve, and AviSynth to uprez the show. Truly, the project is pretty interesting. He talks about his challenges and what he’s learned during the project. Take a look at the comparisons below.

Upscaling in your NLE or Host Application

Most host applications and NLEs now have built-in tools to make upscaled footage look better. We’ll cover a few of the more popular tools below, including Adobe, DaVinci Resolve, and Vegas.

Upscaling with Adobe Tools

Adobe has a feature called Detail-preserving upscale. Below, check out tutorials for After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Photoshop.

How to Upscale Video (with the best results) in After Effects

In this livestream from Adobe, Jason Levine shows the preferred method for upscaling video content in After Effects. To elaborate, he uses an effect called Detail Preserving Upscale. It’s similar to ‘preserve details’ in Photoshop. In fact, using this process instead of simply scaling the layer in a comp, gives better-looking results. In addition, there’s more control over detail and noise.

Upscaling in Premiere Pro

How to Upscale Video to 4K or Downscale to 1080P Easily . This tutorial by Farrah Penn certainly explains it pretty clearly.

Tutorials for Upscaling in DaVinci Resolve

Upscale 1080p Footage to 4k with Davinci Resolve Superscale!!

Jay Lippman has become my go-to guy for Resolve tutorials. In this video, he uses DaVinci Resolve’s Superscale.

SUPER SCALE in DaVinci Resolve | Upscale 1080p to 4K | EASY Tutorial

Eric at Travel9to5 gives this quick tutorial on Superscale. He explains, “The superscale function in Davinci Resolve upscales 1080p footage to 4k super easy and allows you to convert 1080p to 4k. This is a quick hack to upscale your old clips and videos and make them 4k resolution. If you have 4k footage you can even upscale 4k to 8k video!”

Upscaling in Magix Vegas

Naiwik Tech explains how to use Smart Upscale in Vegas to upscale 1080p to 4K.

And, of course, Upscaling with Plug-ins

The major benefit of upscaling with plug-ins is the ease of use. Several plugins out there can upscale your footage.

Boris FX Continuum UpRes

UpRes Overview

Boris FX Continuum UpRes Updated

Boris FX’s revolutionary AI-driven Continuum UpRes uses advanced techniques to maintain and fine-tune image details, generating much higher-quality final images than can be obtained with standard host upscaling. Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder of Boris FX says, “We’ve been working behind the scenes to develop ML (machine learning) models built and trained on the specific needs of the post-production community and are thrilled to introduce AI technology into the editing and VFX plugin workflows the film and television industry has relied on for nearly thirty years.”

Continuum’s popular image restoration category adds two new ML effects, each built with custom models. The BCC+ DeNoise ML effect instantly removes unwanted artifacts introduced by low-quality image sensors, low light, or lossy compression codecs. The one-click drag-and-drop effect analyzes the image and produces high-quality results while retaining and enhancing detail contrast. The BCC+ UpRes ML effect, exclusively available for After Effects, scales up footage regardless of format size with clean, sharp results. It also includes options to zoom in on a portion of a clip and sharpen it to preserve the fine details.

Supported hosts:

Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro
Avid Media Composer
OFX:
- Blackmagic Design Davinci Resolve
- Vegas Pro
- Foundry Nuke

Uprez is included in both the Boris Continuum Unit: Image Restoration and Boris FX Continuum Perpetual and Boris FX Continuum Subscription.

NEW Upscale and Denoise Your Videos FAST in Premiere Pro with Boris FX 2024

Premiere Gal shows you how to upscale and denoise using Boris FX Uprez.

RE:Vision Effects REZup

REZup Overview

Uprez Overview

RE:Vision Effects REZup

A new one to the market, REZup comes from RE:Vision Effects, makers of Twixtor and ReelSmart Motion Blur.

With REZup, enhance the quality (“IQ”) of your content, and increase the resolution of your video without loss of detail or introducing artifacts. REZup contains two plug-ins: REZup Enhance and REZup Resize. These plugins provide a unique mix of state-of-the-art video image processing augmented with machine-learning techniques.

Supported Hosts

After Effects CS6 (and up)
Premiere Pro CS6 (and up)
Final Cut Pro 10.1.4 (and up)
Motion 5 (and up).
OFX Hosts
- Autograph (All versions)
- Baselight 5.2.11675 (and up)
- Catalyst Edit 2017.2 (and up)
- DaVinci Resolve 15.0 (and up)
- Diamant and Dustbuster+ 13.0 (and up)
- Flame 2019.2 (and up)
- Fusion Studio 5.2 (and up)
- Grass Valley Rio 4.5.9 (and up)
- HitFilm 10.0 (and up)
- Natron 1 (and up)
- Nuke 5.1 (and up)
- Scratch 8.6.944 (and up)
- Silhouette 6.1.3 (and up)
- Vegas Pro 10.0e (and up)

REZup is available on its own, or as part of the RE:Vision Effects Effections Bundle and the RE:Vision Effects Effections Plus Bundle

The Pixel Farm PFClean

PFClean Overview

The Pixel Farm PFClean

PFClean is the most widely adopted software solution for film and video restoration, from film transfer to remastering blockbuster movies, serving a broad client base from audiovisual archives to broadcasters and film studios.

In fact, PF Clean 2018 introduced a new GPU-accelerated edge-preserving upscale algorithm (18fps for SD to HD, 8fps for HD to UHD conversion on a single GPU).

ScaleUp

VIMAGER SCALEUP

VImager ScaleUp, a GPU-accelerated plugin for After Effects and Premiere Pro, uses AI to upscale footage up to 10x while preserving the image quality.

Supported Hosts:

After Effects 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020
Premiere 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020

Check GPU Requirements and try a demo before purchasing ScaleUp

Note: The performance of ScaleUp is highly dependent on GPU, and some GPU cards are not supported. Please see the System Requirements tab for GPU details. Also, PLEASE TRY a DEMO of ScaleUp before purchasing.

GPUResize

GPUReSize

GPUResize is a GPU-accelerated plugin for Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere with real-time performance and advanced image interpolation abilities that are missing natively.

We believe that there’s no such thing as one and only perfect image scaling algorithm – instead, we are introducing several different ones, that allow you to make the best choice for your footage.

Use cases of GPUResize aren’t only limited to simple SD to HD video upscaling, but instead could vary from pixel-sharp upscaling of animated pixel art to downscaling your 4k and 8k camera footage while keeping the most detail possible.

Supported Hosts:

After Effects CC 2015, CC 2014, CC, CS6, CS5.5, CS5
Premiere Pro CC 2015, CC 2014, CC, CS6, CS5.5, CS5

9 Slice Scale

Monadnock 9 Slice Scale

9 Slice Scale scale images while preserving corners and edges. This is an FxFactory FxPack so it requires FxFactory and an Apple M1 processor to run.

Supported Hosts:

After Effects
Premiere Pro
Final Cut Pro
Motion

Conclusion: The Future of Upscaling

The future looks extremely bright when it comes to upscaling. New AI technologies are allowing low-resolution images and video to be blown up to 4K and 8K without the blur and artifacting that have always been an issue. Even in the past few months, emerging technologies are exponentially better than the tools of just a year ago. This is an area that is going to be interesting to watch!

The post In Depth: Upscaling Video (Updated 8 Feb 2024) appeared first on .

In Depth Articles Tutorials -

Achieve Perfect Skin Tones when Color Grading

In this article

Understanding Skin Tones

What’s your underlying skin tone?

Perfect skin tone? Let me explain in depth.

Perfect Black Skin Tones | DaVinci Resolve 17 Color Grading Tutorial

Best Practices for Achieving Natural Skin Tones

Step 1: Set your White Balance

White Balance for Video Explained: How Cameras See Color & Light

Use a Color Chart and Gray Card when Shooting

More about White Balance and using a color chart

Step 2: Make Primary Corrections

Color Correction Basics – Primary Grades – Davinci Resolve Tutorial

More about Primary Color Correction

Color Matching Plugins

Step 3: Use Scopes to Adjust Colors

How to use resolve SCOPES – In-depth with a Pro Colourist

Third-Party Scopes

timeinpixels Nobe OmniScope

timeinpixels Nobe OmniScope

Boris FX Continuum BCC VideoScope

Step 4: Fine-tune the skin tones.

Don’t Mess Up Your Skin Tones! 5 Color Grading Tools For Perfect Skin!

Step 5: Check for consistency.

Keys to Consistent Color

Step 6: Color grade to set the mood and add a cinematic aesthetic.

Secrets to Cinematic Color Grading

Other things to consider

Setting up your workspace for color grading

Calibrate your monitor

Work in higher bit depths

Bits Per Channel (BPC) affects your image quality

Common Mistakes to Avoid when Color Correcting Skin Tones

Conclusion

Sources & Resources

How to Choose the Right 3D Rendering Software UPDATED July 19

Updated 18 July 2024

Update Log

In this Article

Choose the right 3D rendering software for your needs

A standalone 3D renderer vs. the bundled renderer

How to Choose the Right Standalone 3D Renderer for your needs

1. Narrow down your list to your industry

2. Compatibility and Integration

3. Download free trials & demo versions

4. Choose the tool with features that meet your design objectives

5. Rendering Quality vs. Rendering Speed and Efficiency.

What to look for:

Related

6. Cost and Licensing

7. Learning Curve and Support

3D Rendering Software

Comparison Chart – Quick Reference

Individual Standalone Renderers

Autodesk Arnold Render

Cebas finalRender – UPDATE

Cebas finalRender True Hybrid – The Details

cebas finalRender

finalRender in the News

Chaos Corona – UPDATE

Chaos Corona – The Details

Chaos Corona

Corona in the News

Chaos Enscape

Chaos Enscape – The Details

Chaos Enscape

Looking for an academic license?

Chaos Enscape - Education

Enscape in the news

Chaos Vantage – UPDATE

Chaos Vantage

Vantage in the News

Chaos V-Ray – UPDATE

Chaos V-Ray

In Depth: Why Should I Use V-Ray?

Recent Chaos V-Ray News & Updates

form•Z RenderZone

Form•Z RenderZone – The Details

INSYDIUM Cycles 4D – EOL