GoPro® Strengthens Entire GoPro CineForm® Studio Product Line for 2D and 3D

StrongMocha by Thorsten Meyer on January 24, 2012 No Comments »

cineform logo

GoPro, the world’s leading activity image capture company, recently announced the release of a new version of its professional family of 2D and 3D production software - GoPro CineForm Studio Premium and GoPro CineForm Studio Professional.  The company recently released a new version of its free software, GoPro CineForm Studio, which adds powerful new features appealing to consumers and professionals alike.

What’s New in the GoPro CineForm Studio Product Line

GoPro CineForm Studio

Available for both Mac and Windows platforms, GoPro CineForm Studio enables users of every skill level to adjust aspect ratios and instantly correct distortions or ‘image stretching’ that typically occurs when resizing images. And for high impact, dramatic time lapse sequences, GoPro CineForm Studio now enables users to add keyframes anywhere in the video, and add effects such as pan and zoom to introduce movement and drama to time lapse sequences.

Other new features include:

  • Automatic recognition for 3D videos for YouTube uploads
  • Auto-update of HD HERO2® camera firmware
  • Support for popular .mov and .mp4 video formats to bring in content from other camera systems

 

GoPro CineForm Premium and GoPro CineForm Professional

For professional cinematographers, filmmakers and videographers, GoPro has also strengthened its family of professional applications; GoPro CineForm Premium and GoPro CineForm Professional. GoPro CineForm Studio Premium captures the most popular features of both CineForm’s Neo HD and Neo 3D into a singular, new solution ideal for 2D and 3D broadcast and feature film production. GoPro CineForm Studio Professional extends even more powerful stereo 3D post-production capabilities to 3D broadcasters and 3D feature filmmakers, and is optimized for multi-camera stereo rigs, such as SI, PHANTOM, RED, and ARRI ALEXA. Additional features at-a-glance include:

GoPro CineForm Studio Premium:

  • New and improved user interface
  • Non-destructive Color correction
  • Non-destructive Reframing/Image manipulation
  • Non-destructive 3D correction
  • Support for a wide range of consumer and professional 2D and 3D (single body)

video cameras

  • Support for HD and beyond

GoPro CineForm Studio Professional:

  • New and improved user interface
  • Non-destructive Color correction
  • Non-destructive Reframing/Image manipulation
  • Advanced Non-destructive 3D correction
  • Support for a wide range of consumer and professional 2D and 3D (all types)

video cameras

  • Support for HD and beyond
  • Independent eye control for professional 3D camera rigs

 

Pricing and Availability

GoPro CineForm Studio is available immediately as a free download here.

GoPro CineForm Studio Premium is priced at $299, and GoPro CineForm Studio Professional is priced at $999 and are available for download here: http://www.cineform.com.

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3D motion tracks and matchmoves affordable on Jan, 24th 2012

Adobe After Effects, MatchMover, plugin, StrongMocha by Thorsten Meyer on January 21, 2012 No Comments »

Cameratracker test from StrongMocha

Did you look into buying a 3D Motion Tracker and Matchmoving software? On Jan, 24th 2012 you can buy CAMERATRACKER for one day for just $159 (that is more then 40% off). CAMERATRACKER allows the insertion of elements ( or graphics) into footage, at the correct potion. The inserted element (or graphic) would be remain on the correct position, orientation and scale. If you want to use the software before you buy you can download a demo from The Foundry web site.

With CAMERATRACKER you can match camera moves within Adobe® After Effects®. You can learn more about CAMERATRACKER  by following the different tutorials that are available also The Foundry training resource

We recommend to start with those tuturials  or The Pixel Lab tutorials:

(AE + C4D + Foundry 3D Camera Tracker Tut! Part 1)

(AE + C4D + Foundry 3D Camera Tracker Tut! Part 2)

Another great tutorial comes from Andrew Kramer from videocopilot.net:


(Video courtesy of videocopliot.)

There are more  3D Motion Tracker and Matchmoving applications available, however the price of CAMERATRACKER during this special sale is hard to beat.

 

Accoding to  The Foundry the requirements for  CAMERATRACKER are either:

  • After Effects CS5 or CS5.5 on Mac OS X 10.5.8 (or later) 64-bit, or
  • After Effects CS5 or CS5.5 on Windows 7 64-bit, or
  • After Effects CS4 on Mac OS X 10.5.8 (or later) 32-bit, or
  • After Effects CS4 on Windows XP 32-bit.
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The B(D)ark Side

StrongMocha by Thorsten Meyer on January 20, 2012 No Comments »

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MAGIC BULLET SUITE 11.2 UPDATE

StrongMocha by Thorsten Meyer on January 13, 2012 No Comments »

PhotoMocha

I use Magic Bullet Suite or Looks in all my Movies projects and Photos. Hardly no Photo or movie leave the workstation without being touched by Looks or any of the other great applications like:

  • Magic Bullet Colorista II
  • Magic Bullet Cosmo
  • Magic Bullet Frames
  • Magic Bullet Grinder
  • Magic Bullet Instant HD
  • Magic Bullet Looks
  • Magic Bullet Mojo
  • Magic Bullet PhotoLooks

Magic Bullet Suite  has been updated and imporved and updated Look2. The applications have been used for big-budget feature films like Angels & Demons and The Social Network, alongside independent films like Plot Device and puppetry by Tiny Inventions.

Looks 2 is an industry-loved color treatment tool, and its new 2.0.5 update supports Avid Media Composer 5.5/6.0. Looks gives you a huge library of film looks that have been used for big-budget feature films like Angels & Demons and The Social Network, alongside indie films like Plot Device and puppetry by Tiny Inventions. Now you can match Avid’s high performance NLE with our professional color correction tool, which includes color grading features from Colorista II and skin smoothing from Cosmo.

What’s New in latest updated of  Magic Bullet Suite 11:

  • All Magic Bullet products are now fully compatible with OS X Lion.
  • New 2011 releases include Cosmo cosmetic tool, full-featured Looks 2 upgrade, and Grinder 1.5 upgrade.
  • Free MBS 11.1 update includes helpful fixes for Looks 2 and Colorista II, along with Looks 2 compatibility for Sony Vegas Pro. Download update
  • Already own MBS 10? Get a discounted upgrade to MBS 11, which is packed with more tools & greater savings. Upgrade details
  • Easy installation! Save time and effort with a Single Suite installer that uses one serial number for all products.
  • Looks 2 now features Red Giant Link, our new updater that notifies you of free updates and upgrade availability.

Looks 2 owners get a free upgrade. If you already own MBS 11, MBS 11.1 or Looks 2, you get a free update to Looks 2.0.5. To get the free updates, go to Red Giant Product Downloads page and download your Magic Bullet products. When you run each installer, use your original product serial number to unlock each product.

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Spyder4 – Full Spectrum Color Calibration for Creative Professionals

StrongMocha by Thorsten Meyer on January 13, 2012 No Comments »

Datacolor launched Spyder4 (Spyder4 Express, Spyder4 Pro and Spyder4 Elite) a line of highly advanced colorimeters able to calibrate monitors, laptops, projectors, TVs, iPads and even iPhones. Designed to provide photographers and creative professionals with accurate and consistent results, Spyder4 makes quick work of the color correction process. iPad and iPhone calibration is also available with Datacolor’s free SpyderGallery app.

According to Datacolor Spyder4 delivers an average of 26% more accuracy and improved low luminance performance over previous Spyder3 technology.

Spyder4 EliteSpyder4 is designed for the way photographers work, combining an easy-to-use interface with advanced levels of brightness and color control. The full-spectrum color capture technology uses a seven-channel sensor, which registers color in the same way as the human eye, ensuring the colors on the screen are true-to-life.

Since no two devices display the exact same color, precise calibration is imperative in order to ensure consistent, true color representation. In addition, even calibrated monitors, TVs and tablets will gradually decrease in accuracy, requiring color calibration every one to two months in order to display sharp, accurate colors, shadows and highlights.

Spyder 4 provides an easy-to-use calibration solution for all display devices, which greatly improves workflow efficiency for busy professionals and photo enthusiasts,” said Dave Faulkner, Product Manager, Imaging Color Solutions at Datacolor.“Our team is dedicated to developing color management tools that are extremely intuitive while still delivering the highest levels of accuracy that professional photographers demand. The industry is competitive, and anything that gives photographers an advantage, especially with the technical details of color management, is a huge asset. Photographers need to be able quickly edit and process shots to deliver to clients on deadline, and the Spyder4 will calibrate all their monitors in just minutes.”

Spyder4 Express is a cost-effective colorimeter that quickly calibrates a single display computer or laptop right out of the box. iPad and iPhone calibration is also available with Datacolor’s free SpyderGallery app.

Spyder4 Pro is ideal for those that want more control over light and color management, offering ambient light measurement and the ability to calibrate multiple displays, as well as iOS devices.
Spyder4 EliteSpyder4 Elite offers the highest level of customization. In addition to the previously noted displays, it can also be used to calibrate projectors. Developed for professional photographers, videographers and others who must match colors precisely, the Spyder4 Elite provides the tools to manage multiple displays and calibrate them using a full set of gamma and non-gamma tone response curves to create custom workflow settings. The user can even define a custom calibration. The Spyder4 Elite includes the L-Star workflow and supports the video standards Cineon, NTSC, PAL and HDTV.

 

At StrongMocha we do use the Spyder3 Elite solution.

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3D Financial Pack from The Pixel Lab

Cinema 4D, CINEMA 4D Release 13 by Thorsten Meyer on January 10, 2012 No Comments »

ThePixelLab FINANCIAL PACK

Joren Kandel from the The Pixel Lab together with his buddy Remco over at remmac3d.blogspot.com created a huge pack with 20 financial themed models (www.thepixellab.net/financial-pack).

The models are made with Cinema 4D R12 (work with  Cinema 4D  R13) and include textures.

3D Financial Pack includes:

  • American dollar bills with 3 different arrangements
  • A money suitcase filled with cash. Easily opened and closed.
  • Euro coins
  • Euro bills
  • Bar code scanner
  • Credit card machine
  • Credit card with easily customized .PSD included
  • Dollar sign shaped vault safe
  • Dollar signs raining down through skyscrapers animation
  • Bank interior environment
  • Bank vault safe
  • Small vault safe
  • Piggy bank in multiple colors
  • Gold bullion bars
  • Checkbook and pen, easy to animate open
  • Pirate chest
  • American coins
  • ATM machines
  • Calculator
  • Cash register
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Lightroom 4 beta now available

Lightroom by Thorsten Meyer on January 10, 2012 No Comments »

Lightroom 4 beta now available

The Lightroom team is proud to introduce the fourth major version of the product designed for and by photographers. It was 6 years ago today when we introduced the very first public beta of Lightroom at MacWorld on January 9, 2006. (Yes, it was Mac only, smaller in footprint than most raw files and didn’t have a crop tool!) Since 2006 we’ve been hard at work improving an application that’s intended to be as easy to use as it is powerful. This release builds on the fundamental performance architecture and image quality improvements in Lightroom 3 to provide a truly complete workflow solution. I kept hearing from customers that they love Lightroom but needed to leave the Lightroom to complete X, Y or Z. Lightroom 4 tackles those issues with improvements to image organization, adjustment tools and comprehensive publishing options.

Download the beta  http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom4/

Talk about the beta http://forums.adobe.com/community/labs/lightroom4/

Learn about the beta http://www.youtube.com/lightroom

IMPORTANT NOTES, PLEASE READ

Primary Known Issues

  • Lightroom 4 beta is not complete but please provide feedback on the available enhancements.
  • Lightroom 4 beta will not upgrade Lightroom 1.x, Lightroom 2.x or Lightroom 3.x catalogs. The beta is intended to be used for testing and feedback purposes. Lightroom 1.x, 2.x, 3.x and 4 beta libraries will be able to be migrated to the finished version of Lightroom 4.
  • While data loss is not expected, this is an early ‘beta’ quality build and you should always work on duplicates of files that are securely backed up.
  • Lightroom 4 beta will not overwrite or interfere with a machine that currently has Lightroom 1, Lightroom 2 or Lightroom 3 installed.
  • Develop settings applied in Lightroom 4 beta are not guaranteed to transfer correctly to the final version of Lightroom 4
  • The Lightroom 4 beta will expire after Lightroom 4.0 is available
  • Additional known issues are listed below.

Minimum system requirements

Macintosh

  • Multicore Intel® processor with 64-bit support
  • Mac OS X v10.6.8 (Snow Leopard) or v10.7 (Lion)
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 1GB of available hard-disk space
  • 1,024×768 display
  • DVD-ROM drive
  • Internet connection required for Internet-based services

Windows

  • Intel® Pentium® 4 or AMD Athlon® 64 processor
  • Microsoft® Windows Vista® with Service Pack 2 or Windows 7 with Service Pack 1
  • 2GB of RAM
  • 1GB of available hard-disk space
  • 1,024×768 display
  • DVD-ROM drive
  • Internet connection required for Internet-based services

Install Lightroom 4 beta

Download the beta  http://labs.adobe.com/technologies/lightroom4/

Mac
1. Download Lightroom 4 beta from labs.adobe.com
2. Unzip the download then open the disk image and double-click the Lightroom Beta 4 package in the resulting window then follow the on-screen instructions

Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7
1. If you are running a 64-bit version of Windows 7 or Windows Vista, we recommend downloading the 64-bit version of Lightroom.
2. To find out if your computer is running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows in Windows 7 or Windows Vista, do the following:
a. Open System by clicking the Start button, right-clicking Computer, and then clicking Properties.
b. Under System, you can view the system type.
c. If your version of Windows is not 64-bit, or if you are not sure, download the 32-bit version.
3. Unzip the download then double-click the Lightroom 4 beta installer then follow the on-screen instructions

Serial Numbers

Anyone can download and work with the Lightroom 4 beta for the duration of the beta program. There is no serial number requirement.

Supported File Formats

• JPEG
• TIFF (8 bit, 16 bit)
• PSD (8 bit, 16 bit)
• DNG
• Raw (Please visit http://www.adobe.com/products/photoshop/cameraraw.html for a full list of raw file support. File support for Lightroom 4 beta, aligns with Lightroom 3.6 and Camera Raw 6.6)

Important File Format Support Exceptions (Formats not supported)

• PSD files saved without a composite image. (Saved without “Maximize Compatibility” setting)
• Files with dimensions greater than 65,000 pixels per side

High Level Summary of What’s New

  • Robust Video Support
  • Manage images by location with the Map Module
  • Simplified Basic Adjustments
  • Powerful new Shadow & Highlight controls
  • Additional local adjustments including Noise Reduction and White Balance
  • Soft Proofing Reinvented
  • Elegant Photo Book creation
  • Email from directly within Lightroom
  • Publish videos directly to Facebook or Flickr
  • Enhanced DNG workflows
  • Adobe Revel export workflow

Lightroom 4 beta Enhancements

Video Support
Lightroom 3 added the ability to import, manage and tag video files but as the popularity of video capture increases it’s important to provide a single, robust workflow solution that can support all of your imaging needs regardless if they’re still images or video captures. Lightroom 4 adds native playback for a wide variety of formats from mobile phones to high end DSLRs. Photographers can also apply common image adjustments to their video clips in real time. Additional video details:

  • Video playback directly within Lightroom
  • Video trimming (In and Out points)
  • Set Video poster frame. (This is the thumbnail that appears in the grid view)
  • Extract a single frame from a video as a JPEG file
  • Most popular DSLR, compact camera and smart phone video formats supported including AVCHD (AVCHD is the native format for Sony DSLRs and many new Mirrorless Interchangeable Lens, MIL, cameras)
  • Videos can be adjusted with a subset of the same controls we use for images.
    • White Balance (JPEG Equivalent)
    • Basic Tone
    • Exposure
    • Contrast
    • White Clipping
    • Black Clipping
    • Saturation
    • Vibrance
    • Tone Curve
    • Color Treatment (HSL)
    • Black and White
    • Split Toning
    • Process Version and Calibration

Map Module

It’s great that digital cameras automatically record a date/time stamp so that when it comes time find that image from New Years 2003, it’s easy to filter your image collection based on the information recorded by the camera. However, the “when” of an image is only half of the equation. What about the “where?” As an increasing number of cameras, smart phones leading the pack with compact cameras following closely behind, the “where” is also being recorded at the time of capture. Even Sony’s high-end a77 and a65 DSLR cameras have an option to automatically record the GPS coordinates of where you captured an image. But for those of us who don’t speak fluid latitude and longitude coordinates, we need a visual map interface to find the images by location. Lightroom 4 adds a dedicated map module that loads Google Maps to present your images in a clear and concise view. If your camera doesn’t automatically record the coordinates of your images you can easily drag and drop images to a location, use GPX tracklog files to link images based on date/time stamps or define saved locations that can be quickly associated with a set of images. (Not surprisingly, this link to Google Maps will only work when you are connected to the World Wide Web.) Additional Map details:

  • Tag images with a location using drag and drop or saved location assignment
  • Search for locations
  • Create Saved Locations
  • Managed privacy settings for saved locations
  • Load GPX tracklogs and auto tag images based on date/time stamps

Develop Module (Updated 2012 Process Version)

Ever wonder why there was both an Exposure control and a Brightness control in Lightroom’s Develop module? Why the Black setting defaulted to 5 and Brightness/Contrast to 50 and 25 respectively? When the Camera Raw plug-in was introduced in 2003 these concepts weren’t overwhelming for those intrepid photographers willing to switch their camera’s capture format to “RAW.” (It’s not an acronym so I have no idea why folks continue to capitalize that word…) When Lightroom and the Camera Raw plug-in started supporting JPEG and TIFF files, the visual appearance of the settings and preset behavior was never truly optimized for the additional formats. Lightroom 4 rationalizes the controls and addresses a fundamental photographic problem of balancing highlight and shadow detail. Please give the new tone controls a try on your most challenging images as well as the additional controls listed below:

  • Simplified controls in the Basic panel
    • Exposure, Contrast, Highlights, Shadows, Whites, Blacks
  • Powerful, content aware, shadow and highlight controls to extract all of the dynamic range in a single capture
  • Updated Clarity adjustment for superior results without the artifacts
  • Updated Chromatic Aberration correction solution
  • New local adjustment parameters
    • Noise Reduction
    • Temperature and Tint
    • Shadows
    • Highlights
    • Moire
  • Per channel curves adjustments
  • Soft proofing
  • Paper and ink simulation
  • Choose between perceptual and relative intent
  • Intuitive virtual copy creation for profile-specific adjustments
  • Profile and Monitor gamut warnings
  • Print module brightness/contrast option to address differences between monitor and paper characteristics

Direct Email from within Lightroom

I realize that this feature has 1998 written all over it but it’s still a very common request to be able to email from directly within Lightroom.

  • Configure your desktop mail client or AOL, Yahoo, Hotmail, Gmail webmail accounts to send email from Lightroom
  • Convenient size presets appropriate for email
  • Address book to store commonly used email addresses

Elegant Photo Book Creation

Photo books have grown in popularity and quality over the past few years and we’re proud to introduce a module dedicated to this workflow.

  • Flexible auto-layout tool with preset-based customization
  • Over 180 professionally designed page layouts
  • Intuitive drag and drop behaviors for reordering pages or swapping image locations
  • Helpful layout guides and page bleed information
  • Incredible flexibility through cell padding for text and photo cells
  • Dynamically located photo captions based on existing metadata or manual entry
  • Powerful type tools based on industry leading type technology found in Photoshop and Illustrator
  • Customizable background color
  • Elegant background graphics to enhance the style of travel or wedding books
  • Tight integration with Blurb book printing service
    • Set size, cover, paper quality directly within Lightroom
    • Price estimate dynamically provided during book creation
  • PDF Export options include size, resolution, color profile and output sharpening

Enhanced DNG options

These enhancements will be represented in the next DNG Specification update.(Version 1.4)

  • Embed Fast Load Data options dramatically improves image loading performance in the Develop module
  • Lossy compression option provides significant file savings with minimal quality impact. (Ideal for archiving outtakes or reducing the size of time lapse projects without losing the flexibility of raw)
  • Resolution reduction via export provides the ability to share lower resolution versions of the original raw file without losing the capabilities offered by raw.
  • Metadata and filter options available for DNG file types

Lightroom 4 Additional Features and JDIs

  • Publish Collections can now include rendered video publishing
  • Export to Adobe Revel functionality
  • Enhanced output model for saving/storing settings applied in Web, Slideshow, Print and Book. Efforts are now clearly visible in Collections panel.
  • New Zoom ratios (1:8 and 1:16)
  • Mac version now includes a language selection option via preferences
  • Move multiple folders from volume to volume (Previously only single folder workflow was enabled)
  • White balance sample area is now zoom-level dependent
  • Noise reduction adjustment is always displayed regardless of zoom level
  • Collapse the tether toolbar down to the shutter button by Option or Alt clicking the close button
  • Module picker can be customized via right-click option
  • Filter and search images by a saved or unsaved metadata property
  • Hierarchical Develop Preset display in Quick Develop
  • Layout overlay for tethered shooting workflow when attempting to match a specific layout template
  • Photos in publish collections that have been modified can be set to not re-publish
  • Additional Metadata controls on export
  • Disk burning now available on Windows 64-bit systems
  • Flag status is now ‘global’ (One setting per image regardless of location in folder or collection)
  • Stacking is now possible in collections
  • Flash galleries are now color managed
  • Per module walkthrough tips

Additional Notes:

  • An important correction was made to the Lightroom credits. There’s a great tradition in the Photoshop family of listing babies born to team members during each cycle. We’ve previously omitted references to the fertility of the Lightroom team but have corrected that omission with Lightroom 4.
  • “Adobe plans to change the name of Adobe Carousel to Adobe Revel. We originally chose the name Adobe Carousel because it was descriptive of core functionality in the product, in that photographs were viewed in a circular manner, like a carousel. However, we now plan to offer additional photography solutions on this platform, including but not limited to the ‘carousel’ feature. Our rapidly expanding charter for this new platform requires a name that is less narrowly descriptive of the current product features.”­ – Chris Quek, Senior Product Marketing Manager for Adobe Revel

Additional Known Issues

General

  • Multiple exports of the same photo to Adobe Revel will create duplicate
  • assets within Revel
  • Import from iPhone can sometimes take a longer than expected
  • Wrong photo is displayed after round tripping between library and print.
  • If Tethered Capture Settings dialog is left open for very long periods of time, Lightroom
  • will hang when attempting to dismiss the dialog
  • Tethered capture can fail after computer wakes from sleep.

Books Module

  • Blurb books created through Lightroom are limited to 160 pages
  • Blurb only supports a subset of the languages that Adobe supports
  • Undoing one-click photo captions works sporadically and can cause
  • Lightroom to lag
  • Photos may be removed from layout pages when using the color and rating
  • filter in the Book Module on Windows only.
  • Updating metadata in Library does not automatically propagate the change
  • in metadata-based text in Book.
  • Adding captions to multiple photos at once causes Lightroom to lag.
  • Text on spine in Hard Cover books is not centered

Video

  • Black line can appear on right and bottom of videos when viewed in Loupe on Windows
  • Video frames are occasionally played out of order on certain AVCHD video files
  • There could be a memory leak when exporting over 500 videos at once

Map Module

  • Lightroom can crash if you try to assign too many 15,000+ photos to a Saved Location at the same time in Map (Mac only)
  • Having over 1,000 tagged photos in the Map Module causes a performance lag.

Develop Module

  • The Auto Tone algorithm is still a work in progress. In some instances, Auto Tone in PV2010 will produce better results than Auto Tone in PV2012
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