Curious Software has released version 2.5 of Curious gFx Pro and gFx Pro+, its powerful raster paint, rotoscoping and retouch software packages.
Matt Silverman, director of effects and design at Phoenix, San Francisco, says: "As a visual effects artist working on tight deadlines, there are a few aspects of my job which require time consuming work which I can not get around. Rotoscoping is at the top of this list, and when it comes time to paint thousands of frames or cut articulate mattes I need a dedicated rotoscoping application. Curious gFx is now the main tool that I turn to when we need to get this type of work done fast. The 16-bit raster based paint engine allows me to clone and paint on high-resolution plates without it bogging down like other vector based paint systems, and the b-spline masking tools allow me to cut mattes in a fraction of the time it would take with a bezier masking tool. Curious has really taken professional roto to the next level."
Some of the key new features of Curious gFx Pro and gFx Pro+ are:
* Memory storage for moving sequences: multiple frames of movie layers are now stored in memory, either automatically as they are accessed, or via direct user control. This dramatically improves the interactive performance of the whole system.* Memory management: new controls have been added to allow users to determine the amount of memory used for flipbooks and movie layer storage.* Time Offset in Merge painting: the source used for the merge painting (blending elements from another image into the current frame) can now be any frame offset in time (as well as position, rotation and scale) either from the same movie or a different movie. This is a vital edition for easy and effective wire and rig removal. Additional Quick keys have been added to further improve the interactivity in this area.* Shape grouping in roto-matte creation: shapes can now be grouped into a multi-level hierarchy for more efficient creation of complex articulate mattes. Various other improvements have also been made to the motion paths and animation behaviors for shapes.* Restore Brush: a new brush type has been added to allow selective restoration of frames to their previously saved or original content.
Pricing for the Curious gFx Pro range starts at $999 / E999.
Founded in 1999, London-based Curious Software (www.curious-software.com) makes high quality professional information graphics available to everyone creating content for the television, post-production, Internet and corporate graphics industries. Curious has a U.S. office based in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Bill Desowitz, former editor of VFXWorld, is currently the Crafts Editor of IndieWire.
