THX announced enhancements to its popular THX cineSpace color management software with support for 64-bit operating systems on Windows, Mac and Linux platforms, in addition to 64-bit support in cinePlugin versions for Adobe Photoshop, Apple Shake, Eyeon Fusion, Nucoda Film Master and Nuke. THX acquired the cineSpace Color Management Suite from Cine-Tal Systems earlier this year.
The plugins are tightly integrated into the workflow and functionality of the associated systems and enable highly efficient display calibration and LUT selection. The latest THX cineSpace offerings also add support for the new X-Rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter and the Datacolor Spyder line of colorimeters, providing facilities with more choices in terms of price, quality, accuracy and functionality for display calibration devices.
THX cineSpace products are used in major postproduction, visual effects and animation facilities worldwide to calibrate monitors and projection systems, and establish an end-to-end color pipeline. It ensures that visual artists are able to see how an image will appear in a wide range of target environments, including film projection, digital cinemas, plasma monitors and LCD consumer displays. The THX cineSpace product line includes software programs optimized for use in animation and visual effects workstations as well as products for use in digital intermediate and mastering facilities.
“The combination of our new color science tools, THX Media Director and critical viewing Room Certification are key components in our initiative to help post houses optimize workflow and ensure that artists are working in room environments that support their best creative efforts,” said Rick Dean, senior vice president, THX. “THX cineSpace is one of the most advanced and flexible color management systems on the market and is used by leading facilities all over the world.”
“Realism is key to producing compelling effects sequences. It’s absolutely critical that our artists know that what they see on their workstations translates well and tells the story properly when it makes it to the big screen, and then later to the home environment. It’s a non-trivial technical challenge and a requirement for success,” explained Page Frakes, color pipeline supervisor for Tippett Studio. “The THX cineSpace color management software gives us the tools we need to calibrate our displays accurately and also emulate virtually any target viewing environment, from 2D and 3D digital cinema to LCD flat screens used in the home.”
NYC-based Nice Shoes is a full service, artist-driven design, animation, visual effects and color grading studio specializing in high-end commercials, web content, film, TV and music videos. Nice Shoes grades and finishes commercials for brands, such as Adidas, Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola, Ford and Google.
“The market for post services in New York is extremely competitive and one of the ways Nice Shoes has maintained its edge is by adopting THX cineSpace. It’s our standard color management tool,” said Chris Ryan, partner, colorist and head of technical operations, Nice Shoes. “THX cineSpace makes it easy for us to emulate every possible viewing environment and we depend on the precision of its 65-point LUTs to ensure our clients that they are reviewing work on the most accurately calibrated displays possible.”
