Recommended companion programs for A:M?

#1

Hello! After a long hiatus, I’ve repurchased A:M, upgraded my Darktree to V2, and am now in search of useful companion programs for A:M. I’m wondering what other A:M users have for compositing, video editing, effects (if you don’t do then straight in A:M), anything that makes a good part of a pipeline that has A:M at the center.

I’m not rich but I do have some money to plow into this, I’m not a pro (more like a wannabe) so getting an Avid system is out of the question (lol)!

I don’t have a video editor or special effects package that’s meaningful, just what came with my video capture box - and a copy of Nero Ultra, which has some slightly useful tools for authoring DVDs.

I haven’t done anything but audio work for ages so any and all help greatly appreciated! :slight_smile:

#2

Well, before you spend any money it is worth looking into the composition ability that already exist within AM. You can also do things like adjust colour balence by doing batch processes in phototshop.

What is more, version 12 will bring further composition possibilities.

I recomend getting some animation done and then seeing what options are best then.

#3

Hey Ed!

Long time, bud!

Here’s a few useful apps which won’t cost ya a dime:

Wax
Open source video compositing a special fx app.
Even supports importing polygonal 3D models directly for compositing.

VirtualDub
Open-source video capture/processing utility.
Final Cut it ain’t but handy nonetheless if for nothing else than batch processing. :wink:

CinePaint
More open-source. Formerly known as “Film Gimp”, CinePaint is a painting and retouching software primarily used for motion picture frame-by-frame retouching and dust-busting. It has been used on many feature films, including THE LAST SAMURAI where it was used to add flying arrows. CinePaint is different from other painting tools because it supports deep color depth image formats up to 32-bit per channel deep. For comparison, GIMP is limited to 8-bit, and Photoshop to 16-bit. May be of special use when A:M v12 starts spittin’ out those 32-bit per channel (HDR) images. :slight_smile:

#4

Since you said anything…

A friend of mine relies heavily on The Setup Machine. It’s a pretty neat plugin that simplifies greatly the creation of rigs for characters of all types. I’ve played with it; it’s pretty good, and it’s cheap too.

There’s also Cinelerra, a nice open-source package that both does video editing and rendering out of effects. It’s linux only, but it’s hella powerful, and you can build the specced machine for around $1000USD if you’re careful. (I did.) Hell, if you’re on a windows machine now you probably have enough of a machine for editing small clips. The 4 gig memory recommendation is a bit much, depending on what you’re doing.

For audio editing, I love Audacity. I really don’t use anything else these days, despite having bought other commercial editors in the past. It’s a bit twitchy on the Mac, however.

What else… I do 2D illustrations in Flash MX, but if you’re not a student it’s prohibitively expensive (I was lucky enough to get my last company to buy it for me). However, it’s ability to render out titles and flashy 2D images quickly to video has been a lifesaver for me on occasion. See if you can swing a not-for-profit or student price on it.

#5

Hey Ran! Yeah, I burned out on gamedev, took a break strictly doing music and poetry, and am now creeping back into 3D… from an animation/cinematography point. Still burned out on gamedev (lol).

Thanks to Ran and kattkieru, I’m going to go off and check out those programs! I want to get everything I can if it’s for-pay as if I don’t spend the studio money I know I’ll blow it on beer and strippers (heh heh heh).

The app sure has changed since V 8.5, which was the last version I spent significant time with. Whew, lots more to learn now!

Hopefully in a few months I’ll have something meaningful to post as a WIP, until then, it’s time to check out software and relearn everything I’ve forgotten!

In the famous words of our Governor here in California: “I’ll be back” ;-p

#6

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