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Safe Harbor Computers Now Accepting Orders for Adobe CS5 Licenses

Posted by Marc Leitner
July 14, 2010

Waukesha, WI – July 14, 2010 – Safe Harbor Computers, a leading supplier to video and 3D professionals, today announced that they are now accepting orders for licensing on select Adobe CS5 software, offering electronic downloads almost immediately to customers.

Now available from Safe Harbor, licenses allow users to activate previously installed software such as trial versions, as well as crossgrade from one platform to another. Users who purchase licenses will also acquire portability between two machines. If one owns, or is the primary user of, a single-user or volume license Adobe product that is installed on a computer at work, one can also install and use the software on one secondary computer of the same platform at home or on a portable computer.

Licenses are available for newly installed software, upgrades, crossgrades, and with 2-year maintenance plans providing free upgrades to full versions for a full two years after purchase of license. This includes any .dot releases during that 2-year window.

Availability

Adobe licenses for Photoshop CS5, Premiere Pro CS5, After Effects CS5, Production Premium CS5, and Master Collection CS5 are available immediately from Safe Harbor Computers, delivered electronically via email or FTP at http://www.sharbor.com/vendors/ADL.html.

About Safe Harbor

Celebrating 22 years of business, Safe Harbor has become one of the most trusted resellers in the multimedia industry. Founded in 1987, Safe Harbor helped to advance the video production industry by providing quality products and outstanding customer service to a wide range of creative artists. With a clean, intuitive, and easy to navigate website, Safe Harbor has built a reliable reputation as an industry leader. Look to Safe Harbor for quality editing and animation software and hardware, ready-to-edit custom workstations, as well as for a professional and personable experience.

Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 Now Available

Posted by Marc Leitner
June 10, 2010

(San Jose, California—June 8, 2010) Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the immediate availability of Adobe® Photoshop® Lightroom® 3 software for Windows® and Macintosh, the essential digital photography workflow solution that allows photographers to quickly organize, enhance and showcase their images from one application.

First released as a public beta in October 2009, the final version of Lightroom 3 introduces a completely redesigned performance architecture that better handles growing image libraries and provides an unrivaled raw processing engine with noise reduction and sharpening tools to achieve the highest image quality. The 64-bit capable Lightroom 3 includes new features that optimize workflows and allow images to be shared in creative ways, including support for DSLR video files and tethered shooting on select cameras.

"There have been over 600,000 downloads of the Lightroom 3 public beta, which has supplied us with a huge amount of valuable feedback from a passionate community of professional and advanced amateur photographers," said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for Digital Imaging at Adobe. "The open dialog we have with our customers allows us to further improve Lightroom and provide the best tools they need to produce high-quality images. We’re happy to see that so many people are anxiously anticipating the final release, so they can start taking advantage of all the new features they had a hand in developing."

Public Beta Process Perfects Lightroom 3 New Features

Re-built from its core to be lightening fast and responsive, Lightroom 3 adds power throughout the application to provide a fluid experience for photographers. Images load almost instantaneously, and the import experience has been redesigned to be more intuitive, with added previews and default selections that give users quick access to sort through and find images. Helping streamline and adapt to photographers’ changing workflows, Lightroom 3 now allows users to import and manage DSLR video files, as well as take advantage of tethered shooting for select Nikon and Canon cameras.

New state-of-the-art photographic tools help photographers bring out the best in their images. Unrivaled Luminance and Color Noise Reduction tools help produce a clearer picture from high ISO or underexposed images while still preserving details. The highly-requested Automatic Lens Correction feature can dramatically improve the results possible with any lens by allowing users to apply profiles that correct for undesirable geometric distortions, chromatic aberrations and lens vignette effects that most lenses introduce to the image. Users now also have a straighten tool to perfect vertical and horizontal perspective, additional presets for applying more photographic adjustment styles, and three new contemporary vignette styles and a Grain effect to add a more natural look with images.

Lightroom 3 Expands Image Showcasing

Output options have also been enhanced in this release, with new capabilities to publish collections on online sharing sites. Flickr® users have the ability to synch their accounts to Lightroom with one click, and integration with additional online photo sharing sites can be added via third-party plug-ins. Customizable print layouts provide more refined control over how photographers present final images, and new watermarking features, with options to modify text, size, location and style, help give professionals and amateurs flexibility for branding images. Lightroom 3 now also includes the ability to export polished slideshows as video files with the option to add audio and title screens.

Pricing and Availability

The estimated street price is US$299 for new users with an upgrade price of US$99 for qualified registered Lightroom users. Recommended system requirements are Macintosh OS X v 10.5, 10.6 with Intel® based processor, or Microsoft® Windows® 7, Windows Vista® Home Premium, Business, Ultimate, or Enterprise or Windows XP with Service Pack 3, Intel® Pentium® 4 processor, 2 GB RAM and a 1,024x768 resolution screen.

Additional information on product features, upgrade policies, pricing, and language versions is available on http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshoplightroom.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit http://www.adobe.com.

Adobe Helps Prepare the 21st Century Workforce with Creative Suite 5

Posted by Marc Leitner
April 14, 2010

(San Jose, CA—April 14, 2010) To help K-12 and higher education institutions stay competitive and prepare today's technology-driven workforce, Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the Adobe® Creative Suite® 5 product family (see separate releases) and its supporting educational resources. The company is offering new curricula, a certification program and learning resources to better train students and faculty in the digital communication and collaboration skills vital to 21st century employment. For the first time, Adobe is extending significant software discounts for home usage with the new Creative Suite 5 Student and Teacher Editions along with the more affordable educational license pricing offered to institutions.

"Being able to creatively express an idea using compelling facts and visuals is imperative in any profession. This process involves technology literacy, creativity, communication, critical thinking and collaboration skills," said Peter Isaacson, vice president of worldwide education for Adobe. "With the launch of Creative Suite 5, we're giving institutions, students and faculty the ability to learn these skills and use the tools wherever they are – in the classroom, at home or online."

Creative Suite 5 products enable students and faculty to more easily create print, Web, video, audio and mobile content and incorporate it into their assignments. It allows them to work faster, craft great stories, collaborate more efficiently and visually communicate their ideas. For example, with the new Adobe Flash® Catalyst™ component, building interactive content can be done without writing code. And integration with Adobe CS Live online services provides new ways to work together online and streamline the way projects get done (CS Live Services are complimentary for a limited time).*

"With Creative Suite 5, Adobe continues to deliver innovative tools that make teaching cross-media skills easier than ever," said Brett Forsyth, head of digital design, Vancouver Film School. "With Adobe Creative Suite 5 software, students learnindustry-standard tools to expand their creative skills – giving them a head start toward successful careers."

Research shows that today's students are producers, not just consumers of digital media. Creating and sharing ideas, photos and videos on social networks and personal blogs are part of their daily lives. It is how they communicate socially, and they want to incorporate these elements into their school work. Adobe Creative Suite 5 software, and its accompanying educational training and pricing, gives students and faculty the opportunity to learn how to effectively use Creative Suite 5 and create compelling projects that express their ideas.

"Adobe solutions are a critical part of the digital media platform for Lee County schools and are integral to our technical certification programs," said Jana Hambruch, project director, Office of Zone and Attractor Programs and Technical, Career and Adult Education, Lee County Public Schools in Florida. "Using Adobe software, students are graduating with the competitive skills required in today's workplace. Certification programs combined with industry-leading software like Adobe Creative Suite 5 will continue to better engage students in learning to achieve higher grades and standardized test scores."

New Educational Resources
To complement Creative Suite 5 software, Adobe will offer new educational resources including curricula, associate and expert certification for students and faculty, and faculty professional development.

Adobe has developed three different CS5 curricula designed to help teachers implement design, Web and video programs. These focus on the technical skills and design theory students need to be successful communicators in their fields: Digital Design: Foundations of Web Design; Visual Design: Foundations of Design and Print Production; and Digital Video: Foundations of Video Design and Production. The year-long curriculum guides will be available for free from Adobe, and will align to the standards set by The International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE®) NETS for Students.

Educators and students can get certified for both entry-level skills as an Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) and professional-level skills as an Adobe Certified Expert (ACE). Developed and deployed by Certiport® and Adobe, these certifications validate a broad range of technical and communication skills when entering post-secondary schools or the workforce.

Adobe will also offer CS5 online training from Total Training™ and on-site, instructor-led workshops through Knowledge Network Solutions.

What's Included in Creative Suite 5
The Creative Suite 5 line-up includes Creative Suite 5 Master Collection, Creative Suite 5 Design Premium, Creative Suite 5 Web Premium, Creative Suite 5 Production Premium andCreative Suite 5 Design Standard, as well as 15 point products, associated technologies and integration with Adobe CS Live services.* Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection includes all of Adobe's Creative Suite tools with full version upgrades of stand-alone applications, including Photoshop® CS5 (see separate release), Illustrator® CS5, InDesign® CS5 (see separate release), Flash Catalyst CS5 (see separate release), Flash Professional CS5, Dreamweaver® CS5, Adobe Premiere Pro® CS5 and After Effects® CS5. These tools are available separately or in one of the five Creative Suite editions.

The Adobe CS5 product family also enables the creation of content and applications for the much-anticipated releases of Flash Player 10.1 and Adobe AIR® 2, which are optimized for high performance on mobile screens and designed to take advantage of native device capabilities for a richer, more immersive user experience.

For more detailed information about features, please visit: http://www.adobe.com/education/products/creativesuite

Pricing and Availability

Adobe Creative Suite 5 and its associated point products are scheduled to ship within 30 days with availability through Adobe Authorized Resellers, the Adobe Store and Adobe Direct Sales. Education pricing is available. For more information, visit: http://www.adobe.com/education/products/creativesuite.

For the education market, Adobe offers flexible volume licensing programs and low pricing, making Creative Suite 5 more affordable for institutions of all sizes. The new Creative Suite 5 Student and Teacher Editions for individual home-use are expected to start at US $299. For more detailed information about educational upgrade policies and pricing, please visit: http://www.adobe.com/education/purchasing.

About Adobe Systems Incorporated

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information – anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit http://www.adobe.com

FreeForm Bundled with Adobe CS5 Collection

Posted by Marc Leitner
April 13, 2010

(Wilmington, NC—April 13, 2010) Digieffects® announced today that FreeForm will be bundled with Adobe® After Effects® CS5, Adobe Creative Suite® 5 Production Premium, and Adobe Creative Suite 5 Master Collection. FreeForm, developed by Mettle Communications, is a plug-in for Adobe After Effects CS5 that allows users to manipulate a flat object into almost any shape using a mesh in 3D space. Regularly priced at $299, FreeForm will be bundled for free with all purchases of Adobe After Effects CS5, Adobe Production Premium CS5, and Adobe Master Collection CS5.

More Info

Attendees at the NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 13-15, 2010, can stop by the Plugin Pavilion, booth SL4228 to meet with representatives from Digieffects and Mettle Communications.
For the current list of Digieffects products that support 64-bit computing and work natively inside Adobe After Effects CS5, please visit http://www.digieffects.com
For additional product information, project files, presets, video clips, sample media and tutorials related to FreeForm visit http://digieffects.com/product/freeform_ae
For more information on Mettle Communications and to see some of the firm's work please go to http://www.mettle.com

"FreeForm adds a tremendous amount of value for the Adobe After Effects customer. Now users have access to solutions that were previously only attainable through full-featured 3D software, allowing them to take advantage of working with the latest in 3D effects" said Michael Coleman, senior product manager for Adobe After Effects.

"We're pleased to be working closely with Adobe for the launch of Adobe Creative Suite 5. Having FreeForm selected as a bundle is a great validation of our products for video and film production," said Robert Sharp, President of Digieffects.

"We are honored that Adobe has chosen to bundle FreeForm with Adobe After Effects CS5. Look for more exciting products from Mettle in the future," said Chris Bobotis, Principal at Mettle Communications and developer of FreeForm.

About Digieffects

Digieffects is a developer of popular software visual effects plug-ins for Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Autodesk Combustion, Grass Valley Edius and Boris RED. The company has been in the business since the beginning of the "plugin revolution" which dates back to 1996. Over the years, Digieffects has had great success with software products like Cinelook and Delirium and is proud to call thousands of film and video producers all around the world its customers and friends.

About Mettle Communications

Based in Montreal, Mettle Communications is an award-winning animation, print, and interactive design firm. The company has also leveraged its exceptional talent pool and technical know-how to create innovative proprietary software tools that streamline production. FreeForm was developed by Mettle and is marketed and sold by its partner, Digieffects. For more information, visit http://www.mettle.com.

Computer Graphics Student Awards - 2010

Posted by Marc Leitner
March 23, 2010

The first annual Computer Graphics Student Awards is an online event focused on showcasing the technical and creative talents of fresh talent in the feature animation, visual effects film and television industries.

London, England — CgCoach.com has launched the Computer Graphics Student Awards for 2010. The goal of the event is to showcase new industry talent, promote training facilities, and kick-start thirteen careers with fully paid eight week Internships at London’s leading production studios Framestore and Double Negative.

The event is divided into eleven specific categories, ranging from "Student of the Year", "School of the Year", and "Excellence" awards in all aspects of production such as modeling, texturing, rigging, lighting, animation, fx, compositing, and concept art.

Artists eligible to enter the awards will be asked to submit a single (1) video to CgCoach.com and complete the application form. The CgCoach.com team will then short-list students for each of the awards categories. All the short-listed winners will be presented online via an interactive portfolio system where the official Judging Panel will select their favorite entries.

The Computer Graphics Student Awards - 2010, has a total of ten sponsors offering prizes to the value of approximately $67,000 USD. Sponsors include Framestore, Double Negative, Smith Micro, Luxology, Workstation Specialists, Pixologic, Next Limit, Nevercenter, 3D World Magazine, and Digital-Tutors.

Registrations for this event close May 10th, 2010.

Winners announced June 16th, 2010.

For additional information, visit www.cgcoach.com.

About CgCoach.com:
CgCoach.com is a community for people learning computer graphics and aims to facilitate direct interaction and coaching with Industry Professionals currently working in Film, Television and Games.

NVIDIA Introduces NVIDIA Quadro CX

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
October 17, 2008

NVIDIA has introduced its new accelerator for Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 software, the NVIDIA® Quadro® CX. This new GPU provides creative professionals with a faster, better, more reliable way to maximize their creativity. Quadro CX was architected to deliver the best performance for the new GPU-optimized features of Adobe Creative Suite 4.

"Adobe is at the forefront of the Visual Computing Revolution," said Dan Vivoli, executive vice president of marketing at NVDIA. "CS4’s GPU features are sending shockwaves through the creative industry."

"Photoshop users are always looking for maximum performance, and we recognized that tapping into the power of the GPU is one way to give it to them," said Kevin Connor, vice president of product management for Professional Digital Imaging at Adobe. "Thanks to NVIDIA’s efforts to optimize the Quadro CX product for CS4, users can be assured of a dramatically fast and fluid experience on tasks such as panning, zooming, and rotating large images as well as manipulating 3D content."

NVIDIA specifically designed and optimized the Quadro CX to enhance the performance of Adobe Creative Suite 4 product line and meet the unique needs of the Creative Suite 4 professional. Adding NVIDIA Quadro CX to the pipeline gives creative professionals a faster, better, and more reliable experience. With NVIDIA Quadro CX users can encode H.264 videos at lightning-fast speeds with the NVIDIA CUDA™-enabled plug-in for Adobe Premiere® Pro CS4, RapiHD™ from Elemental Technologies; accelerate rendering time for advanced effects; and accurately preview what deliverables will look like with 30-bit color or uncompressed 10-bit/12-bit SDI before final output.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 software now has added optimization to take advantage of GPU technology, including the parallel processing capability in the Quadro CX GPU. These enhancements accelerate a number of visually intensive operations, including:

Adobe® Photoshop® CS4 uses the NVIDIA Quadro CX GPU to bring unprecedented fluidity to image navigation. The GPU enables real-time image rotation, zooming, and panning, and makes changes to the view instantaneous and smooth. Adobe Photoshop CS4 also taps the GPU for on-screen compositing of both 2D and 3D content, ensuring smoothly anti-aliased results regardless of zoom level. Brush resizing and brushstroke preview, 3D movement, high-dynamic-range tone mapping, and color conversion are also accelerated by the GPU.
Adobe After Effects® CS4 now has added optimization features to accelerate a variety of creative effects, making it easier than ever to add graphics and visual effects to video, which allows the artist to quickly move from concept to final product and speeds up the workflow. Effects accelerated include depth of field, bilateral blur effects, turbulent noise such as flowing water or waving flags, and cartoon effects. NVIDIA Quadro CX takes advantages of these workflow enhancements.
Adobe Premiere Pro CS4 can take advantage of Quadro CX to accelerate high-quality video effects such as motion, opacity, color, and image distortion. Quadro CX also enables faster editing of multiple high-definition video streams and graphic overlays and provides a variety of video output choices for high-quality preview, including DisplayPort, component TV, or uncompressed 10-bit or 12-bit SDI.

NVIDIA Quadro CX is available starting today, from leading resellers, e-tailers, and retailers, for $1,999 USD. For more information on NVIDIA Quadro and the new Quadro CX, please visit: www.nvidia.com/quadrocx.

Adobe Introduces Creative Suite 4 Product Family

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
September 23, 2008

Adobe Systems Incorporated (Nasdaq:ADBE) today announced the Adobe® Creative Suite® 4 product family, a milestone release of the industry-leading design and development software for virtually every creative workflow. Delivering radical workflow breakthroughs that bring down the walls between designers and developers — and packed with hundreds of feature innovations—the new Creative Suite 4 product line advances the creative process across print, Web, mobile, interactive, film and video production. With new levels of integration and expressiveness for Flash technology across the entire product line, Adobe’s biggest software release to date includes Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design editions, Creative Suite 4 Web editions, Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, Creative Suite 4 Master Collection, as well as 13 point products, 14 integrated technologies and seven services.

Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection CS4 combines virtually all of Adobe's new design and development applications, technologies and services in a single box — the most comprehensive creative environment ever delivered.

"Designers and developers are shaping the way that people consume information, share ideas, sell products, tell stories and create memorable experiences — in print, online and via mobile handsets," said Shantanu Narayen, president and chief executive officer at Adobe. "Whether you’re creating a rich Internet application, a video or a best-selling magazine, Adobe Creative Suite 4 delivers powerful cross-media technologies that have the ability to elevate products, brands and ideas above the clutter."

Adobe Creative Suite 4 offers unprecedented choice among editions and stand-alone products, with comprehensive support for the most cutting-edge workflows for virtually any design discipline. Customers can choose from six suites or full version upgrades of 13 stand-alone applications, including Photoshop® CS4, Photoshop CS4 Extended, InDesign® CS4 (see separate releases), Illustrator® CS4, Flash® CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver® CS4, After Effects® CS4, and Adobe Premiere® Pro CS4.

A simplified workflow in Adobe Creative Suite 4 enables users to design across media more efficiently by making it easier to complete common tasks and switch between mediums without leaving a project. InDesign CS4 includes a new Live Preflight tool that allows designers to catch production errors and a newly customizable Links panel to place files more efficiently. The revolutionary new Content-Aware Scaling tool in Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop CS4 Extended automatically recomposes an image as it is resized, preserving vital areas as it adapts to new dimensions. An expanded version of Dynamic Link in CS4 Production Premium enables users to move content between After Effects CS4, Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, Soundbooth® CS4, and Encore® CS4, so updates can be seen instantly without rendering.

Designers using the Adobe Creative Suite 4 product family will be able to gain unprecedented creative control using the new expressive features and visual performance improvements in Adobe Flash Player 10 to deliver breakthrough Web experiences across multiple browsers and operating systems.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 brings 3D center-stage providing the ability to paint, composite, and animate 3D models using familiar tools. Flash CS4 Professional now offers the ability to apply tweens to objects instead of keyframes, providing greater control over animation attributes. Also in Flash, the new Bones tool helps create more realistic animations between linked objects. With a searchable library of more than 450 dynamically updated device profiles from leading manufacturers, Adobe Device Central CS4 (see separate release) enables users to easily test mobile content designed using many of the Creative Suite 4 products.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 significantly expands access to services* available to creative professionals and developers who want to collaborate online. Adobe ConnectNow, a service of Acrobat.com, can be accessed from InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 Professional, Dreamweaver CS4, Fireworks® CS4, and Acrobat® 9 Pro, allowing real-time collaboration with two colleagues or clients. Designers can also share color harmonies with Adobe Kuler™, which is now accessible from within InDesign CS4, Illustrator CS4, Photoshop CS4 and Photoshop Extended CS4, Flash CS4 and Fireworks CS4. Other online resources include: Adobe Community Help for technical questions; Resource Central for accessing video and audio product-related news and tutorials, as well as Soundbooth scores, sound effects, and other stock media; and Adobe Bridge Home, a customizable resource for tips, tutorials, news and inspirational content.

Adobe Creative Suite 4 and its associated point products are scheduled to ship in October 2008 with availability through Adobe Authorized Resellers and the Adobe Store at www.adobe.com/go/gn_store . Estimated street price for the Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium will be US$1799, US$1699 for Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web Premium, US$1699 for Adobe Creative Suite 4 Production Premium, and US$2499 for Adobe Creative Suite 4 Master Collection. Adobe plans to offer tiered upgrade pricing from previous versions. For a limited time, validly licensed customers of eligible versions of Adobe Creative Suite, Adobe Production Studio and Macromedia Studio will be able to upgrade to Creative Suite 4 for the CS3 upgrade price. For more detailed information about features, upgrade policies, pricing, and international versions please visit: www.adobe.com/creativesuite.

Adobe Flash Player 10 is currently available in beta as a free download from Adobe Labs at www.adobe.com/go/astro with general availability expected by the end of the year. Adoption of the previous update to Adobe Flash Player 9 set all-time records by achieving over 80 percent reach on Internet enabled desktops in less than six months and Flash Player 10 is expected to achieve a similar adoption rate.

Adobe revolutionizes how the world engages with ideas and information - anytime, anywhere and through any medium. For more information, visit www.adobe.com.

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.

Right Hemisphere Announces New Integrated Software Platform

Posted by Safe Harbor Staff
October 31, 2007

Right Hemisphere has announced the Right Hemisphere 5 platform, an integrated suite of visual product communication and collaboration solutions. The software is designed to eliminate various inefficiencies in the enterprise today and help manufacturers get their products and support materials to market faster. Right Hemisphere’s next-generationsoftware integrates with and extends all major product data management and product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, and enables the re-use of accurate and up-to-date product information.

The software also automates the delivery of product information to anyone in the extended enterprise and in whatever format is required, including corporate document standards such as Adobe® PDF® andMicrosoft® Office. This means stakeholders across the extended enterprise including sourcing, sales and marketing, manufacturing, training, and service and support functions can more rapidly and painlessly incorporate visual product information into their deliverables.

"Leading manufacturers point to successful product launches as critical to their market and revenue growth strategy, yet barely one-third feel this process is under control...The challenge is that a product launch is a cross-functional business process that requires seamless execution across the groups responsible for defining market demand, designing new products, and supplying and servicing customers," according to Michael Burkett, a vice president at AMR Research in the report titled The CIO's Guide the PERFECT Product Launch. The report also states, "...Unfortunately because application technology providers have remained siloed in their own areas of expertise, the inhibited flow of information between these domains has limited the responsiveness product launch teams require."

Right Hemisphere, with its Right Hemisphere 5 platform, is aimed right at the heart of solving various communication and collaboration problems across functional silos, customers, and partners. The platform includes new releases of Right Hemisphere’s software stack, including major improvements and feature additions to its flagship Deep Exploration™ client and Deep Server™ enterprise software. These flagship products were fine-tuned based on direct customer input from Right Hemisphere customers such as DaimlerChrysler, Bell Helicopter, and Sikorsky, among others. The platform features:

Robust technical illustration capabilities such as detailed view creation, symbols, new and improved line style materials, WebCGM output, 3D true type fonts, legacy illustration sheet support, thrust line generation, improved Adobe PDF callouts, and more.
Added external workflow support for post editing and collaborationprocesses to make PDF creation more flexible and powerful.
Advanced parts and bill of materials (BOM) management, including new metadata display and editing tools to make the management process easier and the documents more information rich.
Updated measurement tools that are easier to work with, respond faster to commands, and include angle, volume, and surface area measurements for expanded engineering and design analysis work.
New assembly and part workflows that allow merged parts to havematerials and animations automatically applied, saving users significantrework time.
S1000 compliant 2D and 3D symbol libraries to simplify S1000D document creation.

The Right Hemisphere 5 platform delivers compelling new and enhanced 3D PDF publishing capabilities for manufacturers. The software makes it even easier for these users to automatically author and publish rich, interactive 3D PDF files without requiring any JavaScript® programming knowledge. With Right Hemisphere 5, users can merge product manufacturing information (PMI) and key metadata from external sources with 3D models and publish them in a unified PDF file. This ability to associate important manufacturing specifications with metadata and 3D models in one secure, ubiquitous PDF empowers users with a powerful and painless collaboration, development and sourcing solution.

"3D PDF is emerging as a de facto standard for secure, dependable information exchange in documents that contain interactive 3D and CAD data," said Tom Hale, senior vice president of Adobe's Knowledge Worker Solutions Business Unit. "The Right Hemisphere 5 platform — along with Adobe Acrobat 3D for publishing and editing, Adobe LiveCycle for IP security and workflow, and the ubiquitous Adobe Reader — enables manufacturers to significantly reduce costsand increase the effectiveness of their product communication and collaboration with customers, employees, and partners."

Right Hemisphere 5 Deep Exploration, Deep Publish, and Deep View client software will all be available by March 19 in the Right Hemisphere e-store. Deep Exploration will be available in two versions: the Standard Edition for $495 U.S. and the CAD Edition for $1,995. Deep Publish, which has been significantly enhanced, now allows users to more easily publish, view, and share 2D and 3Dgraphics into Microsoft Office and Adobe® Acrobat® applications; and will be offered as a free download. Right Hemisphere’s Deep View is a free viewer that allows users to view and interact with these 2D and 3D graphics in Microsoft PowerPoint, Word, or Excel.

Right Hemisphere 5 Deep Server will be generally available in early summer, 2007.

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

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