System requirements
Access to the Internet is required to activate the software. The Internet connection does not need to be on the actual installation machine.
Mac
- Mac with a 1GHz Intel or PowerPC processor *
- Mac OS X 10.4 or greater
- Minimum of 512MB of RAM
- 100MB of available disk space
- Display minimum resolution of 1024 x 768 in millions of colors
- Apple QuickTime 7 required
* NOTE: This software is compatible with Intel processor Mac systems but is not Universal Binary. To retain compatibility in Mac OS X 10.6 Snow Leopard (release late 2009) you will need to install the free Rosetta component from your Mac OS X installation DVD.
Windows
- PC with a 1GHz Intel or AMD processor
- Window Vista or XP with Service Pack 2 (or later)
- Minimum of 512MB of RAM
- 100MB of available disk space
- Display minimum resolution of 1024 x 768 in 32-bit color
- Microsoft DirectX required.
- Apple QuickTime 7 recommended.
Detailed feature list
Neon light
- Create 180-vertex point shapesFast and flexible bezier drawing tools
- Fastest and most flexible 4-point lightsword creation available
- Full color control of core and glow
- Easy and powerful keyframe and tweening animation system
- Combine several neon shapes within a single effect
- Automatic glow flicker controls
- Control opacity, color, edge feathering and blend modes
- Apply neon effects to greenscreen footage automatically
Matte filters
- FXhome Auto-key for rapid, easy and high quality bluescreen and greenscreen compositing
- Extensive pre-key grading filters to help improve source footage (super contrast, gamma, hue shift, levels, saturation, etc...)
- Professional keying filters for every compositing situation
- Expert color difference key that can deal with even the worst greenscreens
- Full chroma key implementation for color removal
- Value keying for alternate color extraction
- Precise control of range, black and white points, feathering, etc...
- All matte tools fully keyframeable to cater for changing light sources and shot requirements
- Hugely powerful and fully animated garbage matte system
Grading objects
- Object-based digital grading
- Isolate and grade specific areas of the frame
- Apply grading filters to your entire movie using a single grading object
- Enables sophisticated layering of grading effects
- Full access to all grading and composite filters
Masking tools
- Create 180-vertex point shapesFast and flexible bezier drawing tools
- Separate masking and garbage matte capability
- Support for multiple masks and garbage mattes per object
- Create image-based masks from alpha, luminance and RGB values
- Control opacity, color, edge feathering and blend modes
- Easy and powerful keyframe and tweening animation system
- Combine several mask and shapes within a single object
Grading filters
- Over 40 specialised grading filters
5 separate blur filters (defocus, fast gaussian blur, motion blur, radial blur, zoom blur) - Extensive color correction filters (including brightness, contrast, color balance, levels, saturation, gamma, super contrast)
- Exciting collection of distortion filters (including block waves, emboss, mosaic, posterise, threshold, twirl)
- Film-look simulation filters (including bleach bypass, day-for-night, diffuse)
- Full keyframe control of all filter attributes
Composite filters
- Stunning glow filter to enhance your footage, including full control of blending methods, colorise options, brightness and range
- Advanced Gleam technique for dramatic simulated light rays, including full control of intensity, ray length, falloff, brightness and colorise options
- Convincing light spill simulation to aid compositing over bright backgrounds
- Incredible displacement map technology with full vertical and horizontal control - perfect invisible man camouflage
Preset engine
- Instant access to your favourite CG effects
- Create your own presets for future use
- Import presets from other projects
- Exchange presets with other user via the internet
- Download new presets from the online FXvault
- Built-in search function for locating the perfect preset
Rendering
- Real-time, scaleable, multi-stream, software playback
- RAM-based, frame-specific previews of complex multi-layered sequences ensure minimum rendering times during your work
- Real-time, full-screen playback on main canvas display for perfect clarity
- Split field projects automatically recombine on export
- Export to QuickTime
- Export to AVI
- Field-based rendering
- Multiple blend modes for more complex composites
- Export to video media or image streams
- Individual layer export with automatic alpha channel inclusion
- Fully custom render settings for complete export control
Supported formats and I/O
- Apple Quicktime .MOV
- Directshow .AVI
- Still images: BMP, JPEG, PICT, PNG, SGI, TARGA, TIFF
Charger user interface
- Multi-layer compositing of CG effects and stock footage
- Dedicated cross-platform user interface
- Full on-screen manipulation controls: Position, rotate, pivot, skew, four corner pin and crop
- Flexible interface provides relevant and specific feedback
- On-screen TV-safe and overscan boundaries
- Canvas alignment snap-to-grid function
- Powerful zoom function enables pinpoint precision
- Integrated file browser for fast access to media content
- Preview pane for examining media
- RAM Previews for real-time project playback ensures minimal rendering time
- Store favourite CG effects and filter settings in the preset library
- Share and exchange presets with other users via the internet
- Combine presets to build up new projects and dynamic effects
- Comprehensive system and user preferences for interface customisation
- Full mouse-controlled on-screen manipulation for swift and intuitive animation and attribute alteration
- Numeric field entry and keyframe manipulation for precise animation and attribute alteration
Project creation
- Precise control of project settings for optimum performance and render quality
- Comprehensive framerate options: 23.976, true 24, 25, 29.97, 30, or 60 fps
- Full HD video compatibility: 1080i 50/60, 1080p 23.98/24, and 720p 23.98/30/60
- Project resolution sizes up to 1920 x 1080
- HD-resolution compatible
- 8 color bits-per-channel
- Non-square pixel support
- Full support for progressive and interlaced footage (deinterlacing and split field options available for maximum quality retention)
- Automatic media analysis for project creation
- Selection of templates for quick project creation
Timeline editing and canvas
- Crop, rate and slice edits of effects
- Automatic timeline length trimming
- Mouse-based layer interaction enables effects and filters to be rearranged with ease
- Single and multiple track views for complete control
- Dynamic canvas displays exactly what you need to see at all times
- Easy access "bring to front" and "send to back" layer control
- Collapse and expand tracks for clear layout and viewing
- Drag-and-drop editing and manipulation
- Timecode and framecount displays
- Frame-by-frame and quick-scrubber access
Animation
- Keyframe animation
- Design your own custom animation presets
- Complete keyframe-based animation toolset
- Manipulate keyframes on the timeline
- Copy, cut and paste keyframes
- Full smooth tweening system for quick and easy animation
- On-screen visual animation tools for direct feedback
Laser engine
- Designed specifically for easy laser generation
- Full control over behaviour and appearance
- Adjust speed, size and color
- Automatic perspective calculation Incorporates
- Neon Light technology
Particle engine
- Sprite-based particle engine
- Particle presets for quick access to sparks, fire, smoke, dust, debris, fireworks, etc...
- Apply multiple textures to emitters
- Save newly created particles in the preset library for future use
- Choose between point and area rectangle emitters
- Control birth rate, life, speed, angle, scale and gradient colors
- Control particles over their lifetime with ease
- Apply gravity to particles
- Full smooth tweening system for quick and easy animation
Muzzle flash
- Particle-based 3D muzzle flash creation
- Apply multiple textures for varied results
- Seeded shape formula
- Create millions of unique muzzle flashes
- Full control of color, shape and size
- On-screen controls for easy positioning and rotation
- Side ejection simulation for extra realism
- Ambient light augmentation for realistic compositing
- Control over transparency, blur, intensity and jitter elements
Lightning engine
- Advanced lightning generator
- Based on extensive research into lightning behaviour and formation
- Full control over size, speed and shape
- Fine control over trunk, branch and twig appearance
- Adjust core and glow separately
- Automatic lightning strike animation
- Branch attractor simulation
- Incorporates technology from FXhome PowerPlug
Optics
- Multi-shape lens flare creation for infinite variety
- Create artificial lights, streetlamps, flares, headlights, clashes, etc...
- Precise control over every shape element
- Automatic animated lens effect simulation
- Choose different lens types using presets
- Full control over angle, transparency, radius, positioning, etc...
- Full smooth tweening system for quick and easy animation









