Synthetic Aperture released Color Finesse 3.0, a new version of their color correction plug-in for Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Pro. Version 3.0 adds a 64-bit plug-in to support Adobe's CS5 64-bit applications, in addition to the 32-bit version, and a a native FxPlug-style plug-in to support Apple Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, and Motion (more on new features). Color Finesse 3.0 is compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 (Intel and PowerPC), and Windows XP / Vista (32- and 64-bit) / Windows 7 (32-, 64-bit) running Adobe After Effects 7.0 and CS3 through CS5, Premiere Pro CS3 - CS5, Final Cut Pro 6 and 7, and Motion 4.0 host applications. The plug-in is priced at $575 US, upgrades from prior versions of Color Finesse are $149 US. A trial version can be downloaded here. [source]

Visual effects software developer Boris FX released two new tools: Boris AAF Transfer and Continuum Unit: 3-Way Color Grade for Adobe Premiere, After Effects and Apple Final Cut. Boris AAF Transfer is a new plug-in that uses AAF format to seamlessly transfer Apple Final Cut Pro sequences to Avid Media Composer, including media, markers, cuts, dissolves, filters, alpha channels, Boris Continuum Complete filters, Motion Tab features and audio. The transferred sequence can be edited live and finished in the Avid Media Composer timeline without returning to Final Cut Pro. Available immediately for an MSRP of $299 US or $399 US when bundled with the Boris XML Transfer plug-in for Adobe After Effects. Supports Final Cut Pro 6 and higher and Media Composer 4 and higher, fully functional 14-day trial version is available for immediate download (requires registration).

The Boris Continuum 3-Way Color Grade Unit, a subset of the Boris Continuum Complete 7 visual effects plug-in collection, brings professional-level color grading tools to desktop editing and compositing systems. The plug-in supports Apple Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express, Motion, Adobe After Effects, and Premiere Pro, and is available immediately for an MSRP of $99 US. Customers who purchase the Boris Continuum 3-Way Color Grade Unit or any other Boris Continuum Unit may later credit the price of the Unit towards the full Boris Continuum Complete plug-in suite. [source]

UK-based visual effects software developer The Foundry unveiled two now After Effects tools, CAMERATRACKER, and KRONOS 5.0. CAMERATRACKER uses technology previously only available in NukeX, The Foundry's high-end film compositing tool, and is designed to analyze source sequences to extract the original camera's lens and motion parameters, allowing users to composite 2D or 3D correctly with reference to the camera used to film the shot. KRONOS 5.0 is a new accelerated retimer and motion blur plug-in set based on The Foundry's Academy Award Winning Furnace algorithms. KRONOS 5.0 produces brand new frames using optical flow algorithms to avoid poor quality output. KRONOS 5.0 is also the first product to be accelerated by The Foundry's new 'Blink' technology, dramatically speeding up render times thanks to combined CPU and NVIDIA CUDA GPU acceleration. Blink supports the same hardware as Adobe Premiere Pro's Mercury Playback Engine, including the GeForce GTX285 and the Quadro FX4800 cards. Both plug-ins run on 64-bit Windows and Mac OS X platforms, can be freely evaluated for a period of 15 days, and cost 70 GBP (KRONOS) and 170 GBP ex. VAT (CAMERATRACKER), respectively. [source]

Prime Focus Software, the R&D arm of Prime Focus studio, announced the release of Deadline 4.1, the latest version of its easy-to-use administration and rendering toolkit for Windows, Linux and Mac OSX-based render farms. This release features several new features and performance enhancements, including speed improvements; enhanced interface; simplified power management configuration, as well as new software support (After Effects CS5, Arnold Standalone, LightWave 3D 10, RVIO, and RealFlow 5). Deadline Software is available for a list price starting at $140 US per render node for the first 25 licenses, prices drop per unit with increased volume. Prime Focus Software also released Deadline Mobile, a free download from the App Store on iPhone or at iTunes Store. Deadline Mobile is compatible with Deadline 4.1 and lets users remotely monitor Deadline jobs from anywhere. [source]

GenArts announced the availability of GenArts Monsters GT for users of Adobe After Effects on Macintosh computers. Monsters GT for AE on the Mac is fully CS5 compatible and features stylize effects such as CCTV, NightVision, and Brush; warps and distort effects such as HeatHaze, Puddle and Ripple; particle and fluid dynamics effects such as Fire, Rain, Puddles and Smoke; and a series of smooth, particulate and stop-motion trails effects. It also features a completely revamped user interface, 64-as well as 64-bit, GPU and floating point optimizations, enabling real-time interactivity at HD resolutions, faster render speeds, and the highest image quality and dynamic range available. GenArts Monsters GT for AE on the Mac is available immediately (Windows version shipped in June), priced at $999 US for either node-locked or floating licenses. GenArts Sapphire/Monsters bundle will be offered at $2,299. [source]

Red Giant Software introduced Magic Bullet Colorista II, new color correction software that brings the professional power of high-end color systems directly to the desktop. Editors can utilize the 3-way color wheels for easy adjustment of shadows, midtones and highlights; new keyer for isolating colors; a Pop control for adding or reducing visual clarity; two animatable Power Masks, and the new HSL control - an intuitive, visual method of adjusting individual colors. Whether you are a color expert or an aspiring colorist, Colorista II will redefine how you do color correction. The software runs under Windows or Mac OS X systems and supports Adobe After Effects CS3 - CS5, Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 - CS5, and Apple Final Cut Pro 6 or 7 host applications. Available now for $299 US, current users can upgrade for $99 US. [source]

Visual effects software developer Boris FX announced shipped a new Boris Continuum Unit, Lens Blur. The Boris Continuum Lens Blur Unit delivers Lens Blur, Lens Shape, and Lens Transition filters to Adobe and Apple video editing and compositing applications. Each filter is mutli-processor accelerated for fast performance on modern computing platforms. The Boris Continuum Lens Blur Unit is immediately available through the Boris FX worldwide reseller channel and direct from the Boris FX for an MSRP of $99 US. Customers who purchase the Boris Continuum Lens Blur Unit or any other Boris Continuum Unit may credit the price of the Unit towards the full Boris Continuum Complete plug-in suite. [source]

Boris FX, visual effects software developer, announced a new Boris Continuum Unit, Beat Reactor. The Boris Continuum Beat Reactor Unit offers fast, precise, and flexible ways to use audio to influence the animation of visual effects parameters in Adobe After Effects compositions. Beat Reactor can be used within Adobe After Effects to generate keyframes based on an audio track within the composition. The keyframes can be used to affect parameters within the composition by using AE expressions or by copying and pasting the generated keyframes. The Boris Continuum Beat Reactor Unit is available for an MSRP of $99 US and supports Adobe After Effects CS5, CS4, and CS3 under 64-bit and 32-bit operating systems. Customers who purchase the Boris Continuum Beat Reactor Unit or any other Boris Continuum Unit may later credit the price of the Unit towards the full Boris Continuum Complete plug-in suite. [source]

The legend in the field of visual effects software for video and film, Boris FX, announced that the Boris Continuum Unit family of plug-ins has been updated for Adobe CS5 and 64-bit operating systems (but remain to be compatible with Adobe CS4 and Adobe CS3). Boris Continuum Units for Adobe CS5 include Cartoon Look; Chroma Key; Film Process; Glitters; Image Restoration; Lens Flare; Pan and Zoom; UpRez; or other units and are available starting at an MSRP of $99 USD. Existing Boris Continuum Unit users can download free Adobe CS5 updates from the Boris FX. Free, fully functioning 14-day trial versions are also available. [source]

GenArts, provider of specialized visual effects software for the film, television and video industries, announced the availability of GenArts Monsters GT for Adobe After Effects on Windows. First unveiled in April at NAB 2010, Monsters GT for After Effects comes with an array of more than 50 distinctive effects, such as CCTV, NightVision and Brush; warps and distort effects such as HeatHaze, Puddle and Ripple; particle and fluid dynamics effects such as Fire, Rain, Puddles and Smoke; and a series of smooth, particulate and stop-motion trails effects (Video Overview; Monsters GT & Sapphire Video by Davide Pepe). Like its Sapphire 5 sibling, Monsters GT fully supports Adobe's new CS5 release, and offers an intuitive user interface to provide excellent control. It also provides full floating point and GPU support for faster rendering speeds. Monsters GT for Adobe After Effects is now available for Windows (the Mac OS X version will be available in summer 2010). Pricing is $999 US for either node-locked or floating licenses. A GenArts Sapphire/Monsters bundle is available for $2,299 US (node-locked only). Existing Sapphire for After Effects owners can purchase Monsters GT and an upgrade to the 64-bit Sapphire 5 for After Effects for a special price of $999 US. A demo version is available (upon registration) here. [source]