New version features over 200 effects with native support for Final Cut Pro and Motion
(Cambridge, Massachusetts--March 18, 2008) GenArts, Inc., a leading provider of visual effects plug-ins for the film, broadcast and video industries, today announced the immediate availability of Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple FxPlug products, including Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express and Motion.
Sapphire Plug-ins for FxPlug products contains over 200 image processing and synthesis effects, including the latest effects in the Sapphire suite such as FilmDamage, ZDefocus, Cartoon, BleachBypass, GradientMulti, SwishPan, Deband and Vignette. GenArts is offering the new FxPlug version at no additional charge to customers with Sapphire v2 for After Effects and compatible products.
The new version for FxPlug products features drag-on Transition effects for FCP, effects categorized by Generators, Filters and Transitions, and parameters arranged in groups for improved interface layout. “It’s fantastic to have these effects as real transitions in FCP! Once again a great job by the GenArts Sapphire team,” says Andy Tolbert from Wide Eyed Productions.
Usability enhancements in the FxPlug version also include the ability to open and close parameter groups in the UI and dial controls for angle parameters. Additionally, projects created in Motion using Sapphire effects can be easily imported into FCP. The FxPlug and After Effects versions of Sapphire can be used concurrently in FCP for compatibility with existing projects.
“GenArts has a long history of supporting Apple products, and this release further demonstrates our commitment to our mutual customers. We are proud to provide native support for all of the Apple FxPlug products with this new version of Sapphire, which dramatically enhances the full range of effects and functionality for FCP and Motion artists,” comments Anish Dhanda, Managing Director of GenArts.
Key features of Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple FxPlug Products:
- Over 200 effects
- Native support for Final Cut Pro, Final Cut Express and Motion
- Convenient drag-on Transition effects for Final Cut Pro and Final Cut Express
- Effects categorized by Generators, Filters and Transitions
- Parameter groups can be opened and closed in the UI
- FlickerRemove and FlickerMatch have Set Hold Level and Set Match Level buttons
- Angle parameters use dial controls
- Motion projects with Sapphire effects can be imported and embedded in Final Cut Pro
- FxPlug and After Effects versions of Sapphire can be used together in Final Cut Pro
- Support for Mac OS 10.5 Leopard and Mac Intel hardware
- Many options and parameters which can be adjusted and animated for an unlimited range of results
- Resolution independent, fully anti-aliased, high quality images
- Easy to use and fully integrated within the native user interface
- Multi-processor support for faster rendering
- Online hyper-linked documentation
Availability and Pricing
Sapphire Plug-ins for Apple FxPlug Products can be purchased directly from GenArts or through their worldwide channel of authorized resellers. Pricing is $1699 for the entire package or $599 for one of four individual box sets. Special upgrade pricing for existing customers with Sapphire v1 for After Effects is offered for $599 and $199, respectively. Customers with Sapphire v2 for After Effects can use the FxPlug version at no charge on the same workstation. A new license purchased for FxPlug also allows use of the AE version. A free trial of the software is available online at
http://www.genarts.com.
About GenArts, Inc.
Founded in 1996 in Cambridge, Mass., GenArts, Inc. is the premier provider of digital visual effects plug-ins for the film, broadcast and video industries. Their product, Sapphire Plug-ins, equips digital artists with a collection of over 200 state-of-the-art image processing and synthesis effects such as: Glows, EdgeRays, LensFlare, Lightning, FilmEffect, Warps and Textures. The effects seamlessly integrate into a number of editing and compositing systems including: Adobe® After Effects®, Premiere® Pro and Premiere® Elements; Apple® Final Cut Pro®, Final Cut Express®, Motion® and Shake®; Avid® AVX Products; Autodesk® Compositing & Editing Systems and Combustion®; Eyeon® Fusion®; and Quantel® generationQ products.
Sapphire Plug-ins have become the industry standard for high-end visual effects creation by providing unrivaled image quality, a unique organic look, and ease of use. They have been used extensively in an array of television programs, music videos and feature films, including:
Pirates of the Caribbean 1, 2, and
3,
Spider-Man 1, 2 and
3, Superman Returns, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings trilogy,
Star Wars – Episode I, II and
III, Sin City, The Matrix trilogy,
X-Men 1, 2 and 3, Titanic, Lost and
CSI.
Additional GenArts product information can be found at
http://www.genarts.com.
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