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Digital film Tools refer to the various computer programs and workstations that aid in the production and post production of films. Most digital tools are used in the post-production process, and include video editing software, digital audio editing, 3D computer graphic generation, digital image creation, and modelling, processing and rendering various special effects and computer-generated imagery.
Today, there are many programs available to professionals and amateurs alike that will aid in the development and production of digital film projects. This technology is not stagnant in nature; it has and will continue to grow through the development of better digital technologies, faster processors, and the increased demand for specialized computer graphics generation for major motion picture releases, video game creation, and non-professional production.
Final cut pro is a non-linear editing system that was developed by Apple computer that is exclusive to Macintosh computers. Recently, this product has seen an increase in acceptance as a high-end professional editing tool that rivals other products in an increasingly diverse industry.
Final cut pro was developed by Randy Ubillos. He and his team originally created Adobe Premier, and were hired by Macromedia to create KeyGrip. Due to time constraints and financial issues, the product was bought out by Apple, and developed under the moniker of “Final Cut Pro�?.
After the successful release of the product in early 2000, Adobe premier market share took a significant hit, and had trouble regaining market share.
Since the release of the first version, Apple has released numerous follow-up versions, the most recent being Final Cut Pro 5. In addition to its full feature program line, Apple has introduced Final Cut Express. Express contains the same user-interface as the other versions, but with limited features.
• Jarhead
• Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow
Avid programs are considered the premier non-linear editing software in the industry today. Most television shows, commercials, feature films, and independent projects are edited and produced using the various Avid products.
• Avid Free DV
• Xpress
• Xpress Pro
• Xpress DV
• Xpress Pro Studio HD
• Media Composer
• Film Composer
• Media Composer Adrenaline HD
• News Cutter
• News Cutter XP
• News Cutter Adrenaline
• DS Nitris
• Avid Symphony
• Unity Media Network
• DNxHD Codec
• Softimage XSI
Recently, Avid Technology acquired the makers of Pro Tools, Digidesign. In 2004, Avid acquired Bomb Factory and M-Audio. In April of 2005, Avid bought Pinnacle Systems, the leader in digital editing hardware and software for consumer markets. By acquiring these various companies, Avid has retained a stranglehold on market share from other competitive entities.
Pro Tools is the premier digital audio workstation in the industry today. It is a complex computer program that requires the usage of PCI cards that are required for audio processing.
Pro Tools was first released in 1987 and has since gained significant market share in audio processing. Digidesign’s most recent release was in April of 2005. Pro Tools M-Powered has combined various functionalities of previously released programs as well as M-Audio, Firewire, USB, and PCI interfaces.
Computer graphic generation refers to the creation of 2D or 3D graphic art by utilizing various computer software and hardware. Application programmer interfaces, or APIs, are popular interfaces that aid the creator in generating various 2D or 3D graphics. APIs assist the designer in modelling object, processing frames and rendering final images. Modelling refers to the creation of images; Processing refers to the editing of various parts of an image, and Rendering is the “filming�? of the computer image, which is done in real-time.
• OpenGL
• Direct3D
• RenderMan
• RenderWare
• Java 3D
• OpenSceneGraph
• OGRE
http://www.avid.com/ - Avid Technology Website
http://www.apple.com/finalcutstudio/ - Final Cut Pro website
http://www.pinnaclesys.com/PublicSite/us/Home/ - Pinnacle Systems Website
http://www.digidesign.com/ - Makers of Pro Tools Website
http://www.opengl.org/ - OpenGL Website
A Critical History of Computer Graphics and Animation (2004) Ohio State University, retrieved August 10, 2005, from http://accad.osu.edu/~waynec/history/ID797.html.
DigiDesign (2003) "Digidesign Acquires Bomb Factory Assets," retrieved on October 16, 2005, from, http://digidesign.com/news/details.cfm?story_id=753
Wikipedia (2005) "Final Cut Pro," retrieved on October 16, 2005, from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FInal_Cut_Pro
Wikipedia (2005) "Pro Tools," retrieved on October 16, 2005, from, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pro_Tools
Jared Ault 14:31, 27 Oct 2005 (EST)
