By the way -- this is off topic, but I was wondering if it makes sense to do a "camera census" for PV visitors, i.e., so we can get some statistics on which camera systems, workflow, NLEs and preferred lenses are used by this community. Is there a survey software package that integrates with PV software that we could self-register such information? I think it might also be a good resource for people looking to hire professionals in the different global areas. What do you think?

Post this to suggestions topic.

When I was helping my friend who started up a post house in Santa Monica in 2005, I had a chance to get on one, but it was still an expensive black box system. The house was pretty much centered around a Flame and an Inferno. I just couldn't deal with the interface. The timeline was there, but it wasn't functional in a way that was intuitive. Discreet products were high end systems that delivered real-time effects. Now, I have been on pretty much every NLE that existed, and they all were functionally the same, except Lightworks. I could be up and running in an hour. But I just couldn't get the Smoke.

I'm sure it's changed quite a bit, but the reason to learn it is if you want to get a job working in Smoke and learn how to use the family of products. You can make great money, but it's not applicable to other systems. You don't really need to know other systems though, because Smoke is kind of a "do it all one-stop shop", kind of like online edit rooms were. We didn't hand off to other departments, we finished there. Like Shian said earlier, if you were a small production company doing finishing in-house, it would be cool.

Hey, If it's free, why not? Check it out, maybe you'll love it. But you might not be so happy when trying to hand off your work to other systems.

Autodesk, Inc. unveiled the latest version of its powerful professional video editing software Autodesk Smoke 2015 at the National Association of Broadcasters Convention (NAB). In addition to significant new creative tools and performance enhancements, Smoke 2015 will soon be available as a Desktop Subscription, so customers can access the software on a pay-as-you-go basis for the first time.

“When Autodesk launched the ‘radically redesigned’ Smoke two years ago at NAB, we made a commitment to bring high-quality effects to editors in post, video production and corporate branding. And Smoke 2015 delivers on that promise,” said Chris Bradshaw, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. “Smoke 2015 not only features highly-requested new creative tools and improved workflows with industry-standard tools such as Final Cut Pro, but also an even easier and more affordable way for small studios to get started with the software.”

Smoke 2015, a professional video effects and editing tool for Mac-based studios, now features 3D Tracker, a new Timeline FX workflow, added hardware support and optimization for the new Mac Pro running OS X Mavericks and better interoperability with Final Cut Pro X.

“For us, Smoke is a fantastic tool. I love the one place solution that Smoke offers; it saves hours of production time. We use Smoke as our main tool on music videos, tour visuals and motion graphics – from Madonna to The Prodigy to MTV. I want Smoke on every desk in my studio,” said Eugene Riecansky, creative director, Rockstar (UK).

Key Features

• New re-architected Timeline FX offers new effects capabilities for editors - such as direct access to the Action 3D compositing environment as a segment-based effect
• New timeline-integrated 3D tracker allows editors to match original camera movements in a clip in order to realistically add new elements: video layers, text or 3D objects
• Improved support for Blackmagic DesignLink card and UltraStudio for Thunderbolt devices and extended video IO support for AJA Video Systems to offer dual stream stereoscopic output
• Improved integration with Final Cut Pro X that supports more timeline and effects metadata for a fast, high fidelity project transfer between the apps. In addition, Smoke sequences can be exported as XML with accompanying QuickTime media files.

Pricing and Availability

In these competitive times, software accessibility and flexibility become ever more important especially to start-ups, freelancers and very small businesses, which make up the majority of new Smoke customers. Autodesk polled a sample across the professional video market and 68 percent responded that term-based software licensing is a great option. Smoke 2015 will soon be available via monthly, quarterly and annual Autodesk Desktop Subscription plans; customers who commit for a year save more than $500^. Smoke 2015 Desktop Subscription will be available starting May 8, 2014, on the Autodesk eStore for $195 SRP/month, $545 SRP/quarter and $1,750 SRP/year.

Available at http://store.autodesk.com/