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Boris FX Unveils New XML Transfer Plug-In for Adobe After Effects

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
November 4, 2009

Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, today announced Boris XML Transfer, a new Adobe After Effects plug-in designed for seamless transfer of Apple Final Cut Pro program sequences to Adobe After Effects. Boris XML Transfer preserves all aspects of a Final Cut Pro project including effects, audio, media clips, transitions, and geometric transformations.

"Improved integration between Adobe, Apple, and Avid applications is a recurring request among digital media workgroups," commented Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder, Boris FX. "Boris Continuum Complete and Final Effects Complete effects presets have always been compatible across Adobe, Apple, and Avid host applications. With the release of Boris XML Transfer, we bring integration to a new level, giving editors the ability to transfer entire Final Cut Pro sequences to After Effects. - including multi-clip edits, effects, and audio."

Boris XML Transfer Feature Highlights

Clips Remain Fully Editable. All trimmed Final Cut Pro clips remain fully-editable in Adobe After Effects as stepped-up or stepped-down layers. Audio levels, pans, and cross-fades are accurately preserved and effects settings and keyframe animations are fully translated.
MultiCam Editing. Boris XML Transfer takes special care to preserve multi-clip edits.
Boris Continuum Complete and Final Effects Complete Compatibility. BCC and FEC effects provide the same look and keyframe values for every parameter.
Native Final Cut Pro Effects Translation. Many native Final Cut Pro effects are translated into corresponding After Effects features that match the effects' look and behavior.
Familiar Look and Feel. Translated After Effects projects will look very familiar to Final Cut Pro editors. User marks, comments and labels for clips and sequences, and all user-defined names are carried across from Final Cut Pro to After Effects.
No Transcoding or File Duplication Required. QuickTime-based media files are immediately available in After Effects without the need for transcoding or file duplication.

Pricing and Availability
Boris XML Transfer for Macintosh OS X is immediately available through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct from the Boris FX web site at www.borisfx.com for an MSRP of $299 USD. A full-functioning 14-day trial version is available for free download.

Media 100 Announces Support for Blackmagic Design Video I/O Cards

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
October 20, 2009

Media 100, a leading provider of advanced editing systems for the corporate, broadcast, postproduction, and new media industries, has announced that Media 100 Suite Version 1.1 is now available. Media 100 Suite v1.1 adds support for Blackmagic Design's Intensity Pro, DeckLink SDI, DeckLink Studio, and DeckLink HD Extreme video cards.

Released in August 2009, Media 100 Suite brings blazingly-fast, high-quality editing and compositing to Mac OS X. Offering a unique combination of ease-of-use, ease-of-learning, and consistent professional results, Media 100 Suite takes advantage of many QuickTime codecs including DVCPRO HD and Apple ProRes 422. Apple Final Cut Studio and Adobe After Effects integration lets users share projects amongst Final Cut Pro, Color, and Media 100 and export timelines from Media 100 to After Effects. Editors can export legacy Media 100 projects to Final Cut Pro for further editing and revisions, export Final Cut Pro sequences into Media 100, or export a Media 100 sequence to Color for advanced color grading.

In addition to Blackmagic Design video I/O cards, Media 100 Suite supports Matrox MXO2, AJA video I/O cards, Media 100 HDx hardware, FireWire I/O, and Panasonic P2 acquisition. Boris RED is included for integrated 3D compositing, titling, and effects.

Media 100 Suite v1.x customers can download the v1.1 update free of charge from the Media 100 web site at http://www.media100.com/. A full-functioning 14-day trial version of Media 100 Suite is available for free download at http://www.media100.com/

Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug Now Available

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
May 27, 2009

Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, announced that Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug (BCC 6 FxPlug) for Apple Pro Video Applications is now available.

BCC 6 FxPlug brings over 200 filters to Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Final Cut Express. In addition to new features included with the recently-released Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE for Adobe - such as Extruded Text, Splines, and Shapes - BCC 6 FxPlug takes advantage of Apple FxPlug's real-time architecture for simultaneous live previews of dozens of preset transitions, glows, and color and film look effects in a newly-designed effects browser window.

The initial release of BCC 6 FxPlug features over a dozen new FxPlug Shaders. Many of the FxPlug Shaders draw on BCC strengths such as lights, keying, and 3D. FxPlug Shaders are unique to Apple Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, and Motion, tying directly to each host application's render pipe for maximum efficiency and render speed.

New BCC 6 FxPlug Feature Highlights

28 New Filters ranging from realistic 3D vector graphics extrusions to organic 3D deformers to painting and image restoration. The new 3D Objects category includes Extruded Text, Extruded EPS, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, and Layer Deformer. New image restoration filters include DV Fixer, Smooth Tone, and Pixel Fixer. New image painting filters consist of Charcoal Sketch, Pencil Sketch, Water Color, and Cartoon Look. New OpenGL filters include Lightning and Tile Mosaic. A new Swish Pan transition filter is also included.
- BCC Extruded Text - OpenGL-accelerated 3D text generator with built-in 3D shatters and a warp deformer. Multiple 3D materials can be created from external image files featuring texture and bump maps as well as reflections. Each material can be individually saved as a preset and applied to the front, back, bevel, or extrusion surface of the text object. The text object can be further deformed and animated with a number of innovative deformers such as Bend, Taper, Twist, Shatter, Ripple, Pulse, or Curl.
- BCC Extruded EPS - provides an easy way to import and extrude Adobe Illustrator layered vector logos and graphics in Apple Pro Video Applications.
- BCC Type-On Text - 3D extruded text can be animated in true 3D space in a type-on or type-off fashion with each letter precisely interacting with the rest of the text in 3D. All 3D properties of the BCC Extruded Text filter are available in the Type-On effect.
- BCC Extruded Spline - based on built-in primitives such as a medallion or heart. Create 3D extruded objects fully-modeled with bevels and spline-based extrusion profiles.
- BCC Layer Deformer - warp any 2D layer in 3D space with built-in 3D shatters and bend deformers. Create 3D shapes such as fully or partially wrapped spheres and cylinders with multiple layers mapped onto the surfaces.
- BCC Pixel Fixer - remove bad pixels resulting from a faulty digital camera sensor or dust on a camera lens. Up to 10 bad spots can be repaired with a single filter application -without any degradation of image quality or sharpness.
- BCC DV Fixer - soften or remove diagonal stair-step lines (aka jaggies) from a clip captured with a lower-quality camera. Repair compression artifacts without degrading image sharpness or quality.
- BCC Smooth Tone - smoothes or softens an image while preserving detail contrast, making skin tones silky-smooth without loss of sharpness in the image. A great tool for working with "talking heads" and on-camera interview footage.
- BCC Swish Pan - simulates panning a camera very quickly in a 180 degree arc, creating the look of a fast blur between outgoing and incoming clips.
- BCC Charcoal Sketch - simulates the painterly look of an image that was created using charcoals
- BCC Pencil Sketch - simulates the look of a hand-drawn pencil-sketched image
- BCC Water Color - simulates the wash look of a water color painting
- BCC Cartoon Look - simulates a rotoscope toon-animation look
- BCC Tile Mosaic - simulates the look of hand-cut opaque titles
- BCC Lightning - generates simulated lightning bolts and plasma arcs
New Shader Technology. BCC 6 FxPlug takes advantage of Apple FxPlug's real-time architecture for simultaneous live previews of dozens of preset transitions, glows, and color and film look effects in a newly-designed effects browser window. Shaders include Chroma Key Studio with built-in Matte Choker and Light Wrap, a 3D Perspective filter with a Floor Reflection feature, MultiTone, Film Effect with built-in grain management, Glow Edge, Luma Rays, 3D Pull Swap, 3D Spin Flip, Dissolve Glow, Dissolve Luma Mask, and Dissolve Rays.
Custom Presets in XML Format. This unique feature lets users save and re-use every parameter in every BCC filter - even across host applications and platforms. Presets are now saved in industry-standard XML format so that they can be viewed and edited by any XML-compliant text editor. BCC 6 FxPlug includes over 1500 factory-installed presets.
Single-Click Custom Preset Navigation Tool lets users easily browse presets without opening a pop-up window. Presets are immediately applied and the host preview window is automatically updated to reflect the selected preset.
Built-In Motion Tracker Enhancements are found in almost every filter. Users may now save motion tracker data from one filter and load the saved data in another filter.
Significant Performance Gains. Every filter is either OpenGL-based or multiprocessor-accelerated for ultimate rendering speed on modern computing and graphics platforms.

Pricing and Availability
Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug supports Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Final Cut Express and is available immediately through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct through the Boris FX web site at www.borisfx.com for an MSRP of $995 USD. Owners of previous versions of Boris Continuum Complete FxPlug may upgrade for an MSRP or $295 USD. A 14-day trial version is available for free download from www.borisfx.com. Customers who purchased BCC 5 FxPlug since February 5, 2009 are eligible to receive a free upgrade to BCC 6 FxPlug.

Boris FX Announces Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid DS

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 20, 2009

Boris FX , the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, has announced Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid DS (BCC 6 AVX for DS). Based on Avid's AVX 1 plug-in architecture, BCC 6 AVX for DS brings nearly 180 filters to 64-bit versions of Avid DS. The release features over 30 new filters including Pixel Fixer, DV Fixer, and Smooth Tone tools; Swish Pan, Cartoon Look, Pencil Sketch, and Water Color effects; and OpenGL-accelerated effects such as 3D Extruded Image Shatter, Damaged TV, Glint, Glare, Glitter, LED, Lens Flare, Lightning, Prism, Scanline, and Tile Mosaic.

"We are very happy to re-enter the DS plug-in market with a new 64-bit version of Boris Continuum AVX. Now Avid DS artists can use the same effects already found in Avid Media Composer and Symphony," commented Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder, Boris FX. "We plan to follow up with an AVX 2 version as soon as AVX 2 becomes available in DS. Customers who purchase BCC 6 AVX for DS will receive a free upgrade to the AVX 2 version."

Boris Continuum Complete 6 brings nearly 200 filters to leading video editing and compositing applications on Macintosh and Windows. This new release features 13 new filters including Extruded Text, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, Layer Deformer, Smooth Tone, DV Fixer, and Pixel Fixer. In addition, BCC 6 delivers unique workflow enhancements such as saving and loading of XML-based animated presets and a single-click custom preset navigation tool.

New BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS Feature Highlights

64-bit OS Support. Based on Avid's AVX 1 plug-in architecture, BCC 6 AVX for DS supports 64-bit versions of Avid DS, including Version 10 and higher.
New Fast-rendering OpenGL Filters such as 3D Extruded Image Shatter, Damaged TV, Glint, Glare, Glitter, LED, Lens Flare, Lightning, Prism, Scanline, and Tile Mosaic.
Pixel Fixer removes bad pixels resulting from a faulty digital camera sensor or dust on a camera lens. Up to ten bad spots can be repaired with a single filter application - without any degradation of image quality or sharpness.
Smooth Tone smoothes or softens an image while preserving detail contrast, making skin tones silky-smooth without loss of sharpness in the image.
Other New Effects include Charcoal Sketch, Pencil Sketch, Water Color, Cartoon Look, a Swish Pan transition filter, and DV Fixer for removal of jaggies from an image clip.
Significant Performance Gains. Every BCC 6 AVX for DS filter is either OpenGL-based or multiprocessor-accelerated for ultimate rendering speed.

Pricing and Availability
BCC 6 AVX for Avid DS will be available in May 2009 for an MSRP of $2,495 USD. Owners of previous versions of BCC AVX for DS may upgrade for an MSRP of $595 USD. BCC 6 AVX for DS is based on Avid's AVX 1 plug-in architecture. An AVX 2 version will be released as a free downloadable update for BCC 6 AVX for DS users as soon as AVX 2 support becomes available in Avid DS.

Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE Now Available

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
February 5, 2009

Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, announced that Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE (BCC 6 AE) is now available. BCC 6 AE brings nearly 200 filters to Macintosh and Windows versions of Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro. The new release features 13 new filters including Extruded Text, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, Layer Deformer, Smooth Tone, DV Fixer, and Pixel Fixer. In addition, BCC 6 AE delivers unique workflow enhancements such as support for After Effects’ Camera and Lighting System, the ability to import After Effects mask paths into BCC 6 AE filters, saving and loading of XML-based animated presets, a single-click custom preset navigation tool, and motion tracking data import and export in an industry-standard format.

"BCC 6 AE is a giant leap forward in 3D," commented Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder, Boris FX. "We harnessed the power of modern graphics cards to deliver a true 3D experience for editors and compositors while integrating with Adobe applications tighter than ever before."

"The beauty of BCC 6 AE's new 3D text and spline filters is that I can now create and fine-tune 3D objects within After Effects - at the same time as I'm working with other BCC 6 filters like rays, particles, generators, and distortions," commented Larry Andersen of Spot Editorial in Boston, MA. "I also appreciate the 3D filters' thoroughness - built-in textures, character animation, camera, and lights make for very powerful yet easy-to-use tools."

New BCC 6 AE Feature Highlights

3 New Filters ranging from realistic 3D vector graphics extrusions to organic 3D deformers to painting and image restoration. The new 3D Objects category includes Extruded Text, Extruded Spline, Type-On Text, and Layer Deformer. New image restoration filters include DV Fixer, Smooth Tone, and Pixel Fixer. New image painting filters consist of Charcoal Sketch, Pencil Sketch, Water Color, and Cartoon Look. New OpenGL filters include Lightning and Tile Mosaic.
- BCC Extruded Text - OpenGL-accelerated 3D text generator with built-in 3D shatters and a warp deformer. This filter uses AE masks for defining custom bevels, extrusions, and text on a path. The resulting 3D object adheres to AE’s native camera and light controls. Multiple 3D materials can be created from AE layers or external image files featuring texture and bump maps as well as reflections. Each material can be individually saved as a preset and applied to the front, back, bevel, or extrusion surface of the text object. The text object can be further deformed and animated with a number of innovative deformers such as Bend, Taper, Twist, Shatter, Ripple, Pulse, or Curl.
- BCC Type-On Text – 3D extruded text can be animated in true 3D space in a type-on or type-off fashion with each letter precisely interacting with the rest of the text in 3D. All 3D properties of the BCC Extruded Text filter are available in the Type-On effect.
- BCC Extruded Spline - based on AE masks or built-in primitives such as a medallion or heart. Create 3D extruded objects fully-modeled with bevels and spline-based extrusion profiles.
- BCC Layer Deformer - warp any 2D layer in 3D space with built-in 3D shatters and bend deformers. Create 3D shapes such as fully or partially wrapped spheres and cylinders with multiple layers mapped onto the surfaces. Animate true 3D shapes with AE’s native camera and lights.
- BCC Pixel Fixer - remove bad pixels resulting from a faulty digital camera sensor or dust on a camera lens. Up to 10 bad spots can be repaired with a single filter application -without any degradation of image quality or sharpness.
- BCC DV Fixer - soften or remove diagonal stair-step lines (aka jaggies) from a clip captured with a lower-quality camera. Repair compression artifacts without degrading image sharpness or quality.
- BCC Smooth Tone - smoothes or softens an image while preserving detail contrast, making skin tones silky-smooth without loss of sharpness in the image. A great tool for working with "talking heads" and on-camera interview footage.
- BCC Charcoal Sketch - simulates the painterly look of an image that was created using charcoals
- BCC Pencil Sketch - simulates the look of a hand-drawn pencil-sketched image
- BCC Water Color - simulates the wash look of a water color painting
- BCC Cartoon Look - simulates a rotoscope toon-animation look
- BCC Tile Mosaic - simulates the look of hand-cut opaque titles
- BCC Lightning - generates simulated lightning bolts and plasma arcs
Support for AE’s Camera and Lighting System. Many BCC filters - including Extruded Text, Type-On Text, and Extruded Spline - are now integrated with AE’s camera and lighting system for easy, intuitive setup using AE‘s native tools and controls.
Import AE Mask Paths into Boris Continuum Complete Filters. From 3D text on a path to custom bevel profiles and extruded spline objects, AE masks can now be used to control the geometry of BCC 6 AE filters. Now there is no need to learn a custom user interface or switch to a different application to adjust spline shapes. Users may take advantage of AE’s familiar mask tools for all custom spline work. Additionally, all BCC 6 AE filters feature the ability to load custom AE spline masks into BCC’s built-in PixelChooser matte and masking system for ultimate control over the filtered result.
Custom Animated Presets. This unique feature lets users save and re-use every parameter animation in every BCC filter - even across host applications and platforms. BCC 6 AE includes 1000+ factory-installed animated presets. Animated presets are now saved in an industry-standard XML format so that they can be viewed and edited by any XML-compliant text editor.
Single-Click Custom Preset Navigation Tool lets users easily browse presets without opening a pop-up box. Both static and animated presets are immediately applied and the host preview window is automatically updated to reflect the selected preset. Over 1500 factory-installed, user-modifiable presets are included with BCC 6 AE.
Built-In Motion Tracker Enhancements are found in almost every filter. Users may now save motion tracker data from one filter and load the saved data in another filter or in After Effects itself.
Significant Performance Gains. Every BCC 6 AE filter is either OpenGL-based or multiprocessor-accelerated for ultimate rendering speed on modern computing and graphics platforms.

Pricing and Availability
Boris Continuum Complete 6 AE supports Adobe After Effects and Adobe Premiere Pro and is available immediately through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct through the Boris FX web site at www.borisfx.com for an MSRP of $995 USD. Owners of previous versions of Boris Continuum Complete AE may upgrade for an MSRP or $295 USD. A 14-day trial version is available for free download from www.borisfx.com. Customers who purchased BCC 5 AE in 2009 are eligible to receive a free upgrade to BCC 6 AE.

Boris Continuum Complete 6 FxPlug for Apple Final Cut Studio and Apple Final Cut Express and Boris Continuum Complete 6 AVX for Avid editing and finishing systems are scheduled for release later in Q1 2009. Customers who purchase Boris Continuum Complete 5 FxPlug or Boris Continuum Complete 5 AVX as of February 5, 2009 will receive a free upgrade to Version 6.

WEVA Partners With Universal Studios Florida For WEVA EXPO 2008 Tour

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 17, 2008

WEVA International has partnered with Universal Studios Florida Production Group to plan an exclusive, behind-the-scenes tour of the Universal Studios Production Facilities for professional videographers in conjunction with the WEVA 18th Annual Wedding & Event Video Expo, August 11-14, 2008. WEVA EXPO 2008, the wedding and event video industry's largest convention and trade show will be held at Orlando Grande Lakes Resort, just 10 minutes from Universal Studios Florida.

The largest working motion picture and television studio outside of Hollywood, Universal Studios Florida boasts 9 state-of-the-art soundstages, multiple broadcast studios, and more than 100 backlot sets. Numerous feature films (including The Waterboy, Matinee, and Parenthood) have been shot on the studio backlot.

Home to cable network’s Nickelodeon, Universal Studios Florida has hosted TV programs as diverse as The Ellen Degeneres Show; The Food Network's Emeril, Live!; The Steve Harvey Show; America's Most Wanted; Fear Factor; BattleBotsIQ and TNA (Total Nonstop Action). TNA, today's popular contemporary wrestling show, is taped in Stage 21 - (adjacent to the park).

This summer, WEVA EXPO 2008 attendees will have a rare opportunity to take an optional pre-convention, behind-the-scenes tour of Universal Studios that is being planned for Monday August 11, 2008 (starting early afternoon, ending before the official WEVA EXPO 2008 Opening Night Gala at 5:45pm).

"As announced at our NAB event this week, WEVA is already at work with the Universal Studios Production Group (USPG) designing a backlot tour that is ‘professional to professional’ rather than the standard ‘visitor’ version normally presented to park guests," relates Dan Argenas, WEVA’s Director of Association Communications. "Our goal is to offer WEVA EXPO 2008 attendees an inside view of state-of-the-art television and film production that’s up close and personal."

The WEVA and USPG teams are finalizing details of the tour, including ground transportation (private busses will depart from the JW Marriott). Watch WEVA.com for more news on the Universal Studios Tour and continuous updates on all WEVA EXPO 2008 Wedding and Event Video Sessions, EXPO 2008 Trade Show, and EXPO 2008 Special Events.

Boris FX Ships Final Effects Complete 5.0 for Avid AVX

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
April 16, 2008

Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, announced that Final Effects Complete 5.0 for AVX (FEC 5 AVX) is now shipping.

This is the third release in the FEC product family that also included FEC 5.0 for AE (shipping since February 2008) and FEC 5.0 for FxPlug (shipping since March 2008). FEC 5 AVX adds support for Avid editing and finishing systems based on Avid’s proprietary AVX 2.0 plug-in interface running on Mac and Windows platforms.

"Final Effects Complete has been a long-time favorite of Avid editors, affording organic looks and increasing the production value of many high profile projects," comments Boris Yamnitsky, founder and president, Boris FX. "This latest release breathes new life into the legendary Final Effects Complete package with all of the modern amenities of AVX 2 as well as features transplanted from FEC’s sibling - BCC 5 AVX."

Final Effects Complete 5 for AVX is an update to FEC 4 AVX. FEC 5 AVX adds new support for 16 bit-color processing, AVX 2 real-time (RT) filters, native on-screen controls, multi-processor acceleration, Universal Binary support on Macintosh, and several new wipe transition filters. Hundreds of factory-installed presets provide quick starting points for new effects.

FEC 5 AVX is fully compatible with FEC 5 AE for Adobe After Effects and FEC 5 FxPlug for Apple Final Cut Studio. Individual filter presets can be saved and loaded across all NLEs and platforms for seamless, open-architecture workflow.

New FEC 5 AVX filters include:

Blur Dissolve: organic blur transition with apply modes and glows
Lens Wipe: zoom in with a lens effect
Rain Wipe: transitions using rain drops to wipe image
Griddler Wipe: zoom in with a griddler effect
Pin Wipe: ctransition with a 4 corner pin effect
Slant Wipe: transition with a slant effect
Spherize Wipe: spherize and undistort to complete transition

FEC 5 AVX Workflow Highlights

Host Support: Avid Xpress Pro, Avid Media Composer, Avid Symphony, Avid NewsCutter.
Universal Binary: supports Intel and PowerPC Macintosh computers
Supports Avid's Advanced Keyframing Mode
EZ Parameter display mode: view most commonly used parameters
Smart Parameter mode: view modified parameters only
Multi-processor acceleration boosts production speed
Boris Motion Tracker and PixelChooser borrowed from BCC allow users to selectively apply filters to specific areas of the image, greatly extending the compositing power of Avid editors.
Multi-processor acceleration boosts production speed
New FEC Native Parameter UI sports new control groups, contextual controls, on-screen widgets, custom controls and many other improvements. All parameter options are now readily available as native parameters without a need to open modal dialog windows.
Load and Save Presets feature allows users to exchange effects on all supported hosts on Windows or Macintosh.
The built-in Electronic Help system provides comprehensive information to maximize productivity.

Pricing and Availability
FEC 5 AVX is available today through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel including Safe Harbor for an MSRP of $895.00 new or an upgrade price of $295.00 for existing FEC AVX users. FEC 5 AVX is also available as part of the Boris Box Set which includes all Boris products for an MSRP of $1995.

For more information, please visit the Boris FX web site at http://www.borisfx.com.

WEVA Announces Location for January Event

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
October 9, 2007

Las Vegas’ legendary Imperial Palace, located "Center Strip" next to the Flamingo, has been named as the host hotel for WEVA’s Wide World of Weddings & Events the brand new winter convention and trade show for wedding & event videographers, co-presented by WEVA and PMA® with huge Trade Show exhibits being held at the Las Vegas Convention Center this January.

WEVA/PMA guest room rates at the Imperial Palace start at under $71/night. Rooms are limited. To be assured of getting low-cost rates, make your hotel reservations now through PMA Housing toll-free at: 800-248-8804 or 517-788-8100 or email: housing@pmai.org.

Register Online - Over 200 WEVA & PMA Sessions Included
Convention registration has already opened! WEVA sessions will start Tuesday afternoon January 29, 2008 at the Imperial Palace hotel. Open to all videographers, registration is only $199 for WEVA members and is all-inclusive. A special WEVA/PMA hotlink for WEVA member discount registration will be announced shortly.

Attend your choice of over 45 cutting-edge WEVA sessions for wedding and event videographers that will all be presented at the Imperial Palace Tuesday afternoon January 29 thru Thursday January 31 when the 2008 Trade Show opens at the Las Vegas Convention Center (use the Imperial/Flamingo Monorail for easy Convention Center access).

The Trade Show will be open 3 days: Thursday January 31 through Saturday February 2, 2008, and will feature special WEVA events for videographers on the Show Floor, including hands-on edit system training, and more (see below) on all 3 Trade Show days. At this year's convention, your WEVA/PMA registration also allows you to attend your choice of over 200 PMA '08 sessions (listed at www.pmai.org) at no additional cost.

Cutting-Edge Wedding & Event Video Sessions
WEVA sessions at the Imperial Palace will feature wedding and event video seminars, workshops, extended system training, New Worldwide Showcase of WEVA Award-Winning Wedding Video Creativity, Same-Day Edit sessions, all-new WEVA Latino sessions in Spanish, New Mock Wedding & Love Story Shooting Exhibitions, HD Technology Panels, and more.

Featured speakers will include leading wedding and event videographers from the US, Canada, Mexico and the Asia-Pacific region, and renowned marketing experts, including top business consultant Robert Gordman author of the best-selling book The Must-Have Customer and a contributing writer for WEVA's Wedding & Event Videography Resource Guide.

The complete WEVA program line-up and trade show schedule will be posted soon on the WEVA website and www.PMAI.org where you can also view all other group sections of programming including digital imaging production, marketing, networking, special events, parties, and convention activities that are available at no additional charge to all WEVA registrants.

More Videographer Events at the 3-Day Trade Show
At the huge 3-day Trade Show (Thursday January 31 to Saturday February 2nd), in addition to a whole new world of exhibits, there will be additional WEVA events for wedding and event videographers on all three days - all optional and all at no additional cost right on the Show floor at the Las Vegas Convention Center, including:

Free - Hands-On Edit System Training on Computer Workstations (Presented in Spanish & English).
Free - Live Demonstrations of Wedding & Event Video Shooting Techniques.
Free – All-new WEVA HD Camcorder Shoot-Out Using Live Bridal Models and Featuring Just-Released HD/SD Cameras Both Palm-Size & Full-Size.
Free – WEVA Mock Bridal Show Booth Exhibit
Free – New WEVA/PMA Exclusive 2,000 square-foot Pavilion Housing a State-of-the-Art, Industry-wide Event That Will be Announced Soon.

"There’s never been anything on a scale this large for event videographers. WEVA’s Wide World of Weddings & Events at PMA ’08 is an exciting ‘first’ for professional videography. It will mark the launch of a new era in the expanding worldwide digital memories industry," said Roy Chapman founder and chairman of Wedding & Event Videographers Association International. "This collaborative convention will give videographers the biggest competitive-edge in wedding and event video creativity, techniques, technology, networking – and business profitability — in the history of our industry."

Low-cost guest rooms at the Imperial Palace (available through PMA Housing are less than $71/night January 28-31. For Friday, February 1st (the start of Super Bowl weekend) you can obtain a special PMA registration discount coupon ($29) to apply to the Imperial Palace room rate, which increases to $160 on Friday.

Collaborate, Innovate - Profit!
"With low-cost registration and discounted hotel rates, this brand new convention is the season’s best value for wedding and event videographers – and it answers the call from our members for an international winter event that takes advantage of the impact, and the new profit centers, emerging from the convergence of digital video and imaging technologies," said WEVA Director of Educational Development John Zale.

"Videographers will be able to get together at WEVA’s Wide World of Weddings & Events to network and discover new techniques, cutting-edge concepts, and state-of-the-art technologies that are transforming not only professional videography, but the entire digital memories industry."

Teaming with PMA for an all-new winter convention in the U.S., Zale added, "is a natural, and progressive extension, as WEVA and PMA have had solid success collaborating on previous events for our industry worldwide. That includes our Australia conference for videographers in May, and our industry’s first-ever convention in Canada last month."

WEVA’s Wide World of Weddings & Events at PMA 08 will enable fresh advantages and a completely new professional development experience for wedding and event videographers, manufacturers, and sponsors.

"The advancements in digital technologies, including IT, portable video, DI technologies, and new media, combined with the rising demand for video content online have created a need for a collaborative, cutting-edge event in the winter season. One that recognizes, and utilizes, key changes in digital technologies and workflow so that professional videographers nationally and internationally can take their skills, and their profit potential, to a whole new level – faster," Chapman said. "And, it’s why WEVA will continue to provide professional development events in both winter and summer seasons."

Contact PMA Housing now to be sure of getting low-cost guest room rates at the Imperial Palace for WEVA’s Wide World of Weddings & Events this January!

About Photo Marketing Association International (PMA)
As an international professional trade association, PMA® helps the worldwide photo imaging community achieve business success and adapt to new technologies. Its commitment to 20,000 members in 100-plus countries is part of an 82-year legacy that connects business owners to a network of knowledge and support.

PMA furthers this purpose through the development of educational programs and business services, marketing research, publications, and trade shows. For more information, visit PMA online at www.pmai.org.

About Wedding & Event Videographers Association International (WEVA)
WEVA International is the largest professional videographers association and our industry's leading provider of education that's on the cutting-edge. WEVA is dedicated to advancing the professional interests of videographers worldwide through continuing education at events such as Wedding & Event Video Expo, technical support, group benefits, advocacy committees, new media, including Wedding & Event Videography Resource Guide and streaming video on WEVA-TV.

Join WEVA now to access valuable WEVA membership benefits that can help you succeed in your business, including weekday job opportunities through ImageSpan's CurbStream Platform, plus low-cost Visa/MasterCard Merchant Status, low-cost Equipment Insurance, E&O Insurance, the new Equipment Financing Program for Videographers, WEVA NEWS MINUTE videos, WEVA On-The-Air Podcasts, and more. Membership also provides opportunities for professional videographer (MPV) accreditation, and system-training at WEVA EXPO. For further details contact the association at 941-923-5334 or email: info@weva.com

Creative Mac Calls BCC 5 an "Absolute Buy", Gives 10 out of 10 Rating

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
September 25, 2007

"Boris Continuum Complete 5 is an exceptional plug-in set for Apple Final Cut Pro and Motion, and I could go on for hours about all the effects and how great they are. The amount of thought that went into this plug-in set is obvious, and Boris is moving this plug-in set forward by leaps and bounds. Don't let the price tag scare you away, as there are a few plug-ins in this set that if you were to buy separately, would almost cost you the same as BCC 5 itself. For all the users of Boris Continuum Complete who haven't upgraded to version five, what are you waiting for, and for everyone else, download the free demo. You won't be disappointed."

Read the entire review...

Check out the entire line of Continuum Complete titles.

See all of the Boris FX products.

Boris Continuum Complete 5.0 for AE Ships

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
July 30, 2007

Boris FX, the leading developer of integrated effects technology for video and film, announced that Boris Continuum Complete 5.0 for AE (BCC 5.0 for AE) is now shipping. Supporting Adobe products since 1995, the new Boris release brings its 180 plus filter set to Adobe’s new Creative Suite 3.0 applications including the Intel-Mac versions of Adobe Premiere and After Effects; extending the effects creation workflow and capabilities with custom on-screen controls, Heads Up Display (HUD) and a slew of new innovative filters. "BCC 5.0 for AE is so packed with new features that I haven't even had time to go through even a quarter of the new tools," comments Jean Hauptman, motion graphics designer and BCC beta tester. " The new native BCC package both compliments and extends the Creative Suite 3.0 effects creation functionality with features such as Optical Flow, Open GL rendering, Film Process, Motion Key and Optical Stabilization.

"We have been developing our Boris effects plug-ins for Adobe video solutions for over a decade – starting with Adobe After Effects version 3.0. With the release of Adobe Creative Suite 3.0 and the next-generation After Effects and Adobe Premiere products – we took advantage of the new plug-in architecture to provide even deeper integration allowing us to deliver custom features ideal for the Adobe post process," said Boris Yamnitsky, president and founder, Boris FX.

New BCC 5.0 filter highlights

BCC UpRez is used for high-quality SD to HD conversions; BCC UpRez is designed to facilitate the resizing of image clips while minimizing the data loss that is usually associated with resizing media in a host. The BCC UpRez filter includes several high-end image processing algorithms to enhance the apparent sharpness and / or smoothness of the final result.
BCC Pan and Zoom known as the "Ken Burns" effect; BCC Pan and Zoom provides users extensive controls for precise image scaling and re-sampling. Overall better workflow and image quality is achieved with special filter features such as the "watch folder".
BCC MatchMove based on the award-winning motion tracking technology in Boris Red, the new BCC MatchMove filter allows users to combine motion tracking with transformation/compositing of a layer.
With the BCC MatchMove filter, users can lock the movement of one image clip to another image clip using the built-in motion tracking function. BCC MatchMove provides controls for DVE functions such as tumble, spin and rotate, as well as realistic lighting controls.
BCC Led makes an image, clip or text element with alpha appear as though it was constructed out of an array of blinking or solid LED lights - similar to the display boards in sports stadiums. This filter is part of the new OGL category of filters in BCC that benefit from hardware acceleration to reduce render time.
BCC Prism can be used to simulate the photographic effect of chromatic aberration in which a bad lens can generate prismatic color fringing along edges of high contrast within the image. This filter is also part of the new OGL category of filters in BCC, which benefit from hardware acceleration to reduce render time.
BCC Scan Lines is another filter from the new BCC OGL category. This filter generates rolling RGB scanlines over the source image clip, emulating the effect of a computer monitor which was shot on video tape or film. The filter also includes a user controlled noise generator function for added realism.
BCC Damaged TV a filter in the Open GL category; BCC Damaged TV is designed emulate the appearance of a CRT style television set that is receiving a bad antenna signal or is in need of repair, complete with gun offset, distorted edges, image roll, noise, scan lines, and interference lines, this powerful filter features both automatic and manual modes.
BCC Turbulence generates auto-animated gel-like distortion fields in an image clip based on input from the built-in noise map and turbulence controls. This filter includes dozens of preset effect settings for accelerated effect production.
BCC Noise Map 2 generates procedurally based, resolution independent, auto-animated image clips that are used for backdrops or as a mask track input for other image clips. Dozens of presets are included with this filter for producing complex animations quickly and easily.
BCC Color Choker posterizes and blurs colors in an image clip. Colors in the clip to which the filter was applied can be attenuated or remapped individually or as an RGB group. Controls allow users to convert images to monochrome before applying a blur or choke for additional creative results.

Pricing and Availability
BCC 5.0 for AE is designed to support Adobe Creative Suite 3.0, Autodesk Combustion, Eyeon Digital Fusion, and Quantel xxx. BCC 5.0 for AE is available today through Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct through Boris FX web site at www.borisfx.com for an MSRP of $895.00 (new) , $299.00 (upgrade to BCC 5.0 for AE) and $495.00 (upgrade to BCC 5.0 for AE and BCC 5.0 for FxPlug). Special cost effective cross grade options are available for BCC AVX and BCC FxPlug products.

BCC 5.0 for AE no longer supports the Apple Professional Video applications that ship with the FxPlug architecture. These applications are supported by the new BCC 5.0 for FxPlug (shipped July 9th 2007). For more information, please visit the Boris FX web site at www.borisfx.com. Please contact Janice Dolan at janice@zazilmediagroup.com for BCC 5.0 for AE imagery..

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About This Blog

Safe Harbor's video and post production news blog offers you the latest announcements and updates from the industry.