Autodesk introduced its new Smoke 2013 video editing software at NAB – a completely redesigned and repackaged version of the company’s popular video editing and visual effects tool for the Mac. Smoke 2013 features a unified creative workflow that brings powerful node-based compositing right into the timeline at a new price of $3,495 USD.
“Autodesk combined over 20 years of visual effects leadership and customer feedback to create video editing and effects software that serves the current and evolving marketplace for high-quality video content. Early feedback has been gratifyingly enthusiastic,” said Marc Petit, senior vice president, Autodesk Media & Entertainment. The industry is already abuzz with excitement for this upcoming version of Smoke.”
Matt Silverman, creative director at San Francisco-based Bonfire Studios said, “Autodesk creates tools for pros and listens to pros to create their tools.”
A recent Autodesk-commissioned survey of film and video production companies found that editors and studio owners are grappling with limited budgets, file management complexity and tight project timelines. Of the respondents, 42 percent cited dealing with different file formats as one of the biggest challenges with current editing and finishing tools. In the survey, 82 percent called out Smoke software’s support for HD and higher resolution formats and 60 percent its all-in-one package as the most valuable features to help combat production complexity and streamline their postproduction workflow. The research illuminated a thriving professional video market with more Hollywood blockbuster-quality content required for web, new mobile platforms, interactive advertising and traditional broadcast.
The new all-in-one Smoke can help editors simplify their workflow, centrally manage their media, work interactively with high-res media throughout their projects and deliver high-end content.
“Time is not a renewable resource. A multi-application workflow with all the round-tripping is time that’s taken away from being creative. With Smoke, you have all those tools in one place. You cannot underestimate the power of what we call ‘the super app.’ The idea of non-linear editing-centric visual effects is what we’ve all been crying out for for a decade. This version of Smoke is disruptive. This version of Smoke is going to be a change agent,” said chief technology officer, Evan Schechtman of NY-based @radical media.
Key new features of Smoke 2013 include:
- The Smoke User Interface (UI): An intuitive all-in-one creative workflow that combines track-based editorial, industry-standard editing conventions and proven Autodesk creative tools.
- ConnectFX: Powerful node-based compositing inside the timeline for high-end effects and advanced compositing without leaving the editorial environment.
- Creative Tools: A robust toolset with high-end finishing tools, Action for true 3D compositing, the Color Warper for professional grading and color matching, the Master Keyer for one-click chroma keying and stereoscopic 3D editing and effects.
- MediaHub: A modern approach to working natively with the most common formats that facilitates managing all project media from ingest to edit to effects and archiving.
- Lower System Requirements: Runs on the most recent generation of Apple iMac and MacBook Pro systems using high-bandwidth Thunderbolt storage and IO.
Autodesk Smoke 2013 is anticipated to be available later this fall.
