SOFTWARE LINKS

Adobe
www.adobe.com
Adobe's main software applications from a DV perspective are Photoshop and After Effects, also Premiere for those using a PC. After Effects is a very capable motion graphics and animation package. It now incorporates 3D manipulation and integrates well with the rest of the Adobe family of products. If you are into motion graphics then this should be on your list! Adobe has also licenced gFX from RealViz, which is a database driven effects technology. So, no doubt the company will be following in Apple's footsteps with a more advanced suite of applications geared towards video entusiasts and professionals, especially for the PC market.

Apple
http://www.apple.com/uk/finalcutstudio/
Within the last few years Apple have committed to the world of digital video production in a big way, first with the release of Final Cut Pro, then Shake followed my Motion. Final Cut Pro was originally bought from Macromedia. Shake (a high-end film compositing package) was originally bought from Nothing Reel. Both have now been upgraded and are highly regarded within the post-production industry. Shake has been used on many major feature films including Lord of the Rings. With FCP anyone can now edit footage, from the humble DV format all the way up to HD and feature film work. Final Cut has been used to edit movie trailers, news programmes, the television series 'Scrubs' and finally won acceptance with its first BAFTA nominated feature, 'Cold Mountain'. FCP also comes with music composition software, called Soundtrack, that allows non-musical types (like myself) to compose some basic work or to use it as a reference to hand over to a music composer. LiveType permits some sophisitcated titling effects to be undertaken - a weakness of earlier versions. It also has some built in compositing capabilites as well as supporting many third party plug-ins. Combined with an Apple Mac, it offers a relatively cheap (by broadcast standards) solution to digital video production.

Autodesk
Flame, Flint etc.
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=6397712
Formally wwned by Discreet, Autodesk has integrated Discreet's software into its own line of technical software applications. Among these are visual effects and composition software applications utilized thoughout the film, advertising and broadcast industries. Items such as Inferno, Flint and Flame are used within many large broadcast and film production companies. They also produce 3D Max for the PC (well no one's perfect!), Cleaner compression software as well as the well regarded Combustion for Mac and PC. Combustion, is a paint, compositiong and rotoscoping tool (similar to Adobe's After Effects). In response to market pressures, Discreet have dropped the price of Combustion to nearer that of rival After Effects. Ahhhh.. competition.
Autodesk
Maya
http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=7635018
Formally owned by Silicon Graphics, the company was spun off to make its own way in the world, then it was acquired by Autodesk (which also owns Discreet). Maya is a computer 3D modelling and animation package, and has been used in many major feature films - from Lord of the Rings, to Star Wars, etc. A free to download 'learning' version is available. There are some restrictions, but the main one is that files are saved in a special format that can't be used except within the learning environment. It allows students to work at their own pace on top-end software without the cost penalty until they need to produce work. So, well done Other 3D manufacturers have all since followed suit and free 'learning versions' are now available for most of the other well known 3D packages. The downside of such applications is that there is a very steep learning curve and you will need to spend a lot of time with the software to become proficient. However, at least you don't have to pay for the software while learning.

Automatic Duck
www.automaticduck.com
This is a plug-in that allows FCP users to import and exchange files with other well known packages, such as Avid, After Effects, Boris Red and even Quantel systems (Quantel manufacture very high-end, expensive editing and compositing systems).

Avid
www.avid.com
The original non-linear editing system. When brought out it revolutionised the way editors worked on a Mac. It utilised propriorty hardware as well as software, and many systems were bought by televison companies and stations (including RTE). All systems are now cross-platform. While the high-end systems are still very expensive, the threat from FCP seems to have spurred Avid to bring out a lower-cost version to rival FCP and a free version to counter Apple's iMovie. The free version works on both Mac and PC and can be downloaded from their website.

Bias
www.bias-inc.com
Originally owned by Macromedia, and called Bias Peak, but now a standalone system. Bias offers a good solution to those requiring a bit more sophistication from their sound mixing than offered within FCP.

Boris
http://www.borisfx.com/products/red4/
Developed by Aertel, Boris is a set of plug-ins for the more popular video editing and effects systems on both the Mac and PC. Consisting of titling, compositing and effects software, Boris plug-ins or stand alone systems work with packages such as Final Cut Pro, Adobe After Effects and Premiere among others. FCP have used a variation of the Boris titling set before LiveType came on the scene. If there is an unusal effect that you are looking for, the chances are that Boris will be able to do it. You can download short movie examples from the website to see how each effect works. Takes a bit of learning but produces excellent results. An instructional DVD is now also available which should help those new to the software.