Autodesk held a press conference on Sunday at Dream Vision Studios in Las Vegas, NV to introduce the 2013 version of Smoke, a completely redesigned and repackaged version of the all-in-one video editing and visual effects tool for the Mac.
As part of the presentation, Award-winning director, editor and screenwriter Alfonso Cuarón [1], whose credits include Children of Men, Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban, Y Tu Mamá También and the upcoming Gravity with George Clooney and Sandra Bullock, described the role of technology in his personal journey as a storyteller in a discussion moderated by Creative COW [2]’s Debra Kaufman.
Autodesk Smoke 2013 features a radically redesigned user interface providing an all-in-one creative workflow that combines editing and visual effects. ConnectFX provides node-based compositing inside the timeline for high-end VFX and advanced compositing without leaving the editorial environment. Lower system requirements mean that the 2013 version of Smoke will run on the MacBook Pro.
But the big news is the price. Usually coming in at around $15,000, Autodesk Smoke 2013 will be available for $3,495. How’s that for democratization?
Autodesk Smoke 2013 will be available this fall, but for those of you who can’t wait, a pre-release trial with a full, working beta version kicks off in June.
Read the full press release from Autodesk, below:
LAS VEGAS, NV -- NAB Show 2012 -- Autodesk [3] introduces Autodesk Smoke 2013 video editing software [4], a completely redesigned and repackaged version of the all-in-one video editing and visual effects tool for the Mac. Smoke 2013, born out of two decades of visual effects leadership, features a unified creative workflow that brings powerful node-based compositing right in the timeline at a new price of $3,495 USD.*
"Autodesk combined over 20 years of visual effects leadership and customer feedback to create video editing and effects software that serves the current and evolving marketplace for high-quality video content. Early feedback has been gratifyingly enthusiastic," said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. The industry is already abuzz with excitement for this upcoming version of Smoke. Matt Silverman, creative director at San Francisco-based Bonfire Studios said, "Autodesk creates tools for pros and listens to pros to create their tools."
A recent Autodesk-commissioned survey of film and video production companies found that editors and studio owners are grappling with limited budgets, file management complexity and tight project timelines. Of the respondents, 42 percent cited dealing with different file formats as one of the biggest challenges with current editing and finishing tools. In the survey, 82 percent called out Smoke software’s support for HD and higher resolution formats and 60 percent its all-in-one package as the most valuable features to help combat production complexity and streamline their post-production workflow. The research illuminated a thriving professional video market with more Hollywood blockbuster-quality content required for web, new mobile platforms, interactive advertising and traditional broadcast.
The professional video market is eagerly awaiting an improved post-production workflow and demanding pipeline efficiency. The new all-in-one Smoke, with its unified editing and effects workflow, can be that tool. Smoke can help editors simplify their workflow, centrally manage their media, work interactively with high-res media throughout their projects and deliver high-end content.
"Time is not a renewable resource. A multi-application workflow with all the round-tripping is time that's taken away from being creative. With Smoke, you have all those tools in one place. You cannot underestimate the power of what we call 'the super app.' The idea of non-linear editing-centric visual effects is what we've all been crying out for for a decade. This version of Smoke is disruptive. This version of Smoke is going to be a change agent," said Chief Technology Officer and Industry Evangelist, Evan Schechtman of NY-based transmedia company @radical media.
To watch live streaming and on demand presentations from the Autodesk NAB booth, including Evan Schechtman's integrated Final Cut Pro X to Smoke workflow for Grey Goose vodka, visit http://area.autodesk.com/nab2012 [5]
Key Features
--The Smoke User Interface (UI): An intuitive all-in-one creative workflow that combines track-based editorial, industry-standard editing conventions and proven Autodesk creative tools.
--ConnectFX: Powerful node-based compositing inside the timeline for high-end effects and advanced compositing without leaving the editorial environment.
--Creative Tools: A robust toolset with proven high-end finishing tools, Action for true 3D compositing, the Colour Warper for professional grading and color matching, the Master Keyer for one-click chroma keying and stereoscopic 3D editing and effects.
--MediaHub: A modern approach to working natively with the most common formats that facilitates managing all project media from ingest to edit to effects and archiving.
--Lower System Requirements: Runs on the most recent generation of Apple iMac and MacBook Pro systems using high-bandwidth Thunderbolt storage and IO bringing true high-end video effects to flexible desktop and mobile workflows.
Pricing and Availability
Autodesk Smoke 2013 is anticipated to be available later this fall at a suggested retail price of $3,495 per license.*
Alfonso Cuarón with Debra Kaufman at Dream Vision Studios
Links:
[1] http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0190859/
[2] http://magazine.creativecow.net/
[3] http://www.autodesk.com/pr-autodesk
[4] http://www.autodesk.com/smoke
[5] http://area.autodesk.com/nab2012