Sausalito, California-based Puffin Designs has announced Commotion DV, a
professional image editing and effects program for digital video artists.
Commotion DV is ideal for creating original stylized motion graphics and
fixing image problems such as video dropouts. The SuperClone brush allows
users to move and duplicate objects such as mountains, trees or clouds to
create just the right background; fill in crowd scenes; or remove visual
distractions such as power lines or a wayward microphone. Playback controls
allow users to create animated write-on effects or motion mattes for keying
and compositing. Created by Scott Squires, Visual Effects Supervisor at
Industrial Light & Magic, Commotion DV is built on the same technology as
Puffin's product, Commotion. Commotion DV includes familiar bezier tools
for creating an animated Rotospline. With flexible options for merging
spline shapes with existing alpha channels and advanced feathering
controls, Rotosplines are useful for cutting out subjects for color
correction or creating animated alpha channels that can be used in Adobe
After Effects, Apple's Final Cut Pro or other applications. Commotion DV
will be available in October of 1999 for US$795.00. For more information
visit www.puffindesigns.com. Puffin has also announced Knoll Light Factory,
a plug-in set for Adobe After Effects and compatible applications including
Puffin Designs' Commotion, and Apple's Final Cut Pro. A new version will be
available for Avid's AVX plug-in format. Knoll Light Factory is built on
top of Knoll Lens Flare Pro, the application developed by John Knoll,
co-creator of Adobe Photoshop and Visual Effects Supervisor at Industrial
Light & Magic. Knoll Light Factory offers twenty new filters that allow the
user to keyframe each parameter in a lighting effect individually, and to
animate lights with complete control. Based on the Lens Primitives in Knoll
Lens Flare Pro, these filters include primitives modeled on professional
camera lenses and various light sources. Knoll Light Factory also includes
an EZ filter for choosing pre-built effects for anything from headlights to
glowing rocket engines, to lens flares, to photon torpedoes. Knoll Light
Factory will be available in the fourth quarter of 1999. For more
information visit www.puffindesigns.com.