New version: FxFactory upgrades and updates
By S Simmons. Filed in Editing |
 
Recently over at Noise Industries, the developers of FxFactory released a new version of their flagship product. FxFactory is now at version 2.0 …. or actually 2.0.2 as there have been a couple of maintenance updates since the release. I did a review of the plug-in package and it is still one of my very favorites.
I think a package like FxFactory is in an interesting position when it comes to a paid upgrade. A package like this is full of many different elements that make up the product. When you have 100+ plug-in filters, generators and transitions that are available in the host application then it is probably easy to slap a few more plug-ins into the mix and call it an upgrade. If that was all Noise Industries had done with version 2 of FxFactory then it probably would not be worth a paid upgrade if you didn’t need the specific effects that were added. But there’s quite a bit more that the upgrade to 2.0 gets you.
There’s some pretty obvious things that were expected, Leopard support being chief among them. There’s also support for Final Cut Express 4. “Under the hood” improvement include field based rendering when working on Final Cut Pro 6 and Motion 3 as well as improvements to the speed, quality and configuration options in a lot of the existing filters. One of the major selling points of FxFactory is the ability to build your own effects in Apple’s Quartz Compositor and there has been a lot of work in that part of the package as well. As I mentioned in the original review the roll your own plug-ins aspect of FxFactory is just too over my head to learn at this point in time but if you do design your own effects then you should see noticeable improvements there as well.
When you have a package with so many different effects available then one of the most important things to me is the ability get a quick preview and help info when trying to figure out which one to use. If you just need a unique transition then you can literally spend hours trying out different options and tweaking parameters. Version 2.0 adds single frame previews of all the installed effects that are viewable from the management window when the actual FxFactoy application is open. I often leave it running as it’s a quick way to jump over and get an overview of everything available and what each effect does. This beats in Internet visit when you want a preview. A double click in FxFactory browser now brings up a description of the effect. There is also a search box that allows you to search each package. Again, getting a quick preview and navigating the hundreds of effects installed is very important to me with a large 3rd party package. It’s nice to be able to type dissolve into the search box and really narrow down what I am seeing.
They have also added a feature that disables controls and parameters that aren’t used in a particular effect once the controls are opened. Anything to make the tweaking and dialing in process quicker is welcome.
One great reason to keep current with software like FxFactory is that the developers really seem to keep on top of this product with frequent updates. There was an issue with Final Cut Pro’s Log and Transfer tool when FxFactory first hit the streets. The developers were quick to issue an update that fixed the problem. And they added some new effects. There’s been a 2.0.2 update that included some changes like High Precision Output clamping. What does this do? From the FxFactory website:
Although you will see no difference in Final Cut Pro’s 8 bit-only Canvas preview, high-precision clamping ensures that your final, rendered output falls within a predictable range. This feature will often save you an extra post-processing step and come in handy when the only previewing device available is the built-in display.
Oh, and they added some new effects.
One effect added in the 2.0.2 update is a transition that mimics the page change in the Safari browser of the iPhone. I think this is another example of good developers keeping on top of their product. If you are an iPhone user then you see that Safari browser transition all the time and the developers can see something like that they want to copy (or be inspired by) and they issue a new effect in an update.
The original FxFactory version 1.0 included Roger Bolton’s Editing and Motion effects packs and they have now been removed when you purchase the 2.0 version new for the first time. It’s sad to see these go as they are great packages. They can still be purchased seperately and are well worth the investment. If you are upgrading from the 1.0 version you shouldn’t lose your license to the Editing and Motion packs.
Is version 2.0 worth the paid upgrade? I certainly think so. Even if you won’t directly use any of the added effects some of the internal changes are worthwhile. More so than that, FxFactory is such an all encompassing package with great expandability and add-ons that it is worth keeping current.
