this is all great but what about the other products. Visionlab for instance. Photokey is on it's third version and it's feeling like the other products are being neglected. I'm sure thats not the case or at least I hope it's not but this policy of silence on what's happening with the other products is wearing a bit thin, for me at least. I've never personally agreed with that approach. It makes far more sense to tell people what happening even if something is being delayed than to keep say nothing so customers have no clue at all about whats going on. How can we budget for upgrades if we don't even know if there are going to be any let alone when?

Well, EffectsLab went from AlamDV to AlamDV2 to EffectsLab Lite to EffectsLab Pro. (Correct me if I'm wrong.)

you are of course correct, however where is the new version? that was all quite some time ago. In the mean time there have been 3 versions of photokey, videowrap came and went and yet nothing other than maitenance releases of the software you speak about. alamDV and the current software are very different I am referring to visionlab and the other products in the current range. Whats happening with say Visionlab 2, effectslab 2, compositelab 2 etc. Software is a fast moving industry. e-on softwares VUE application has gone through two or three versions since I bought visionlab. Vue 5 6 7 and next month version 8 will be out. So my point is, where are the new improved versions of the current, and in software terms aging products. I think its a perfectly fair question. Lets face it After effects has had updates. So why not fxhome products.

Incidentally richard I bought visionlab in 2006 so three years is a bit of a wait with no information about whats happening. Perhaps you now see my point about wondering whats happening with a step forward. Software companies can't afford to be left behind.

Well, there was a 1.5 release that had some pretty nifty upgrades. And it was free!

But it is also important to realize the difference in the size of the companies. FXhome has only a precious few programmers, while companies like e-on and Adobe have hundreds. In the last 2 years, FXhome has doubled their staff in an effort to expand and have more updates. But remember, these few programmers are responsible for 3 full-featured VFX apps, 2 photo apps, and 2 AE plugins. As for why Photokey is updated more often, it comes down to the simple fact that it is an easier app to update (since its main job is to key out backgrounds, a small facet of VL), so it has a quicker cycle than an application like Visionlab.

Also keep in mind what would encompass a full 2.0 release of VL, EL, and CL; Users would expect great new features, engines, workflows, design changes, upgrades to existing features, etc. FXhome has to first conceptualize these changes, then actually work on the coding, and beta test extensively before the release - and that is for 3 separate products, all expected to be released simultaneously. AND that is on top of all of the other support patches, general optimization, and updates to all 7 major apps (included the Lab range). And again, not a lot of programmers...

On the upside, Tarn has continually hinted that 2010 will be a big year for FXhome, so it seems the wait should just be a bit longer.

Exciting. Any way we can get a list of features or improvements? I really hope this version allows you to position the image with the mouse instead of the sliders.

I personally can hardly wait for photokey 3 as i use it constantly, but what are the new features?

*wets pants*

You're going to be pleased.



It is indeed a fair question.

As rogolo's mentioned, the last few years have been hugely busy for us. PhotoKey initially was only intended as a side project, really, but its huge popularity meant we upgraded it to major product status and have developed it swiftly.

Although this is great for the company in general, it did mean that we were a little stretched for a while. The good news is that we've got over double the staff now and are making rapid progress on several projects.

Unfortunately I still can't say anything specific on the video side, as it's too early. We're trying some pretty new and spiffy things, and to spill the beans too early would be dangerous. However, rest assured that we haven't forgotten the video side of things. Far from it, in fact.

One thing you can be sure of is that all the stuff we've learnt from the PhotoKey development will be pumped directly into new video stuff, too. It's certainly a shame it's taken this long, but we think it's gonna be worth the wait when you see what we're up to...

I can't say too much at the moment (some of you will know the traps we've fallen into in the past) but I can tell you this...

I think I speak for the whole team here at FXhome when I say that video is still our passion. While we really enjoy working on the PhotoKey products, we are looking forward to also returning to video. We have learned a lot from the Lab products and, with your help, we feel we understand our market and what YOU want from our next generation product. With this in mind we’ve been spending our time building a lean and dedicated team to work on this new solution. Unfortunately the path is long, complicated, massively expensive, and fraught with licensing and R&D nightmares (far more so than with PhotoKey) but we are up to the task.

Every day I can’t wait to come to work with this amazing team of energised people who are trying so hard to make our vision a reality. This is a really exciting time for us, and I think when you see what we’re working on you’ll be more than excited.

When in November can we expect to get the photokey 3???

It'll be the first half of November.

It's not the length of time per se thats the issue. It's more the lack of information. Not even "late 2010" or anything being said. I'm well aware of how hard it is working in a small development team under pressure. I do that every day of the week and we've never quite got enough hands. Trying to develop new software while supporting the exisiting versions is indeed a handful. The one thing we always do though is keep our worldwide userbase informed of whats comming and when it's intended for. Even if it's only "This is the next sizing module to be developed. Due end 2010." Something along those lines. So in the end I do understand the work and timescales but not the lack of any kind of information. I'm not asking for a blow by blow or even a list of features as of course that can be dangerous if something happens to mean they can't all be delivered, but some ballpark idea. At least when things are being targetted for. The software you guys produce is great and I'll gladly pay for it, I just just want to know roughly when I have to go without food to get the money together

Jotoki: The problem is that adhering to timescales is a thankless task. If you quote a date then overshoot it, people complain. If you hit the date, no one thanks you. And if you announce releases of other software in the interim (proof in itself that the company is still very much innovating) then people complain you're not talking about the product they're interested in!

The solution is to give timescales you can't miss, which given the myriad things that can go wrong, could only be done if either you give timescales only accurate to a matter of years, or sacrifice all other development to achieve a single date.

FXhome's problem is that their business is expanding faster than they can cope with, despite taking on new staff practically every month. I happen to know things at FXH are in a state of flux, with new opportunities requiring a certain flexibility. A flexibility which can only be afforded if no solid dates are set which cannot be met.

You're simply not going to be able to extract any dates from FXH staff that they don't want you to know, so I suggest you don't waste the effort, but bear in mind that all of FXH's products take their software core from a central engine. Any work going into PK3 is potentially work that could benefit VL2 (or whatever): its not like development is at a complete standstill.

The problem is always in how much you can say. As well as the issues Xcession raises with timescales, it's actually more of an issue with regards to competitors - when you're working in an arena populated by giant companies of hundreds of employees, it's dangerous as a small developer to announce what you're doing ahead of time. It might be a great idea, but it might also be something that one of the big boys can do in half the time, by throwing money and people at it.

Currently all I'm allowed to do is confirm that we are working on video projects which will excite users of the Lab products. As Xcession points out, all the experience gained developing PhotoKey over the last couple of years will directly benefit future video stuff, too.

We're already deep into R&D which is yielding pretty amazing results...progress is happening. For now, though, all I can ask is that you trust us when we say we're working on something awesome.

We'll start to bring it all into focus during 2010. (when we'll all have flying cars and will be living on the moon, of course)