william polito

Anouncing the pre-release of Shorty the Adobe Keyboard Shortcut Trainer Beta application. This is the Flex application that will help you to easily learn all the key keyboard shortcuts for the most popular Adobe programs. Soon to include all of the keyboard shortcuts for the entire Adobe software line. There is still much to be done, such as; complete the shortcut XML files data entry, Audio prompting, Finger cues, etc. More updates to come when the XML files are completed.

Shorty Shortcut Trainer - Shorty Shortcut Trainer

(turning out nicely)

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Virtual reality backgrounds / Gradient and image map modes / 3D Camera Integration.
Trapcode Horizon is a camera-aware color gradient and image mapping plug-in for Adobe After Effects. It is a utility plug-in generating a background that corresponds to the After Effects camera viewing direction. The camera position has no influence on Horizon, you could say it always uses an infinite distance to the camera. It does this by creating an infinitely large sphere (that can be mapped with color gradients or an HDRI image map) and it renders what the camera sees on the inside of a giant sphere. Currently Red Giant Software handles support and sales for Trapcode, wonder if they will ever buy out Trapcode.

Trapcode Horizon Sample 1 - Horizon Movie 1
Trapcode Horizon Sample 2 - Horizon Movie 2
Trapcode Horizon Sample 3 - Horizon Movie 3
Trapcode Horizon Introduction Tutorial - Horizon Intro Tutorial
Trapcode Horizon - Trapcode Horizon

(really amazing)

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With the digestion of Alias and some various other companies, the new product line releases, over all organization improvements and web upgrades. Autodesk is taking the world by storm, in just about every way possible. All I have to say is WOW.

Major new features in 3DS MAX 2009 :

* Spline UVW Mapping tool
* Reveal™ Iterative Rendering
* ProMaterials™: A set of new flexible mental ray materials
* Photometric Lights
* ViewCube™ and the SteeringWheels™ viewport navigation tools
* ForeFeet option for quadrupedal skeletons
* Rearranged UI

Autodesk Consumer Products Video - You Tube
Autodesk 3DSMAX 2009 - 3DSMAX 2009 Press Release
Autodesk 3DS MAX 2009 - 3DSMAX 2009

(..2008...2009 that was a fast version release)

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Will Apple ever release a codec for viewing ProRes HQ videos on a PC? Will Apple ever release a codec for publishing ProRes HQ on a PC? These are the questions I am repeatedly left asking myself.

ProRes 422 is a mastering-quality video codec. ProRes 422 is resolution-independent, but platform-dependent. ProRes 422 can be used for standard- or high-definition video only on a mac.

Pro Res Technical Specification (via Prores422.org)
* Full-width 1920x1080 and 1290x720
* 4:2:2 chroma sampling
* 10-bit sample depth
* I frame-only encoding
* Variable bit-rate (VBR) encoding
* Normal 145 Mbps and High-Quality 220 Mbps
* Fast encoding and decoding (both at full size and half size)
* Based on DCT (Discrete Cosine Transform) and proprietary Apple technologies.

Apple Quick Time Components - Apple Quick Time Components
Apple ProRes HQ Whitepaper - PDF
Apple Final Cut Pro 6 Review - Notebooks Review

(Apple and their closed door policy...)

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7 Steps to Success

1. Be Honest with yourself and Get Disturbed.
2. Make a Goal. (Be Specific.)
3. Give yourself Reason to Follow Thru.
4. Change your Limiting Beliefs.
5. Take small Steps Everyday.
6. Focus on Acheiving and look forward to results.
7. Set yourself up to Win.

Anthony Robbins - Anthony Robbins

(more good stuff to help us succeed)

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If you have not seen the Adobe Media Player or downloaded it, you should. Built on the AIR framework, flash for your desktop. I like it, though it would be nice to be able to control the size the application window better. Nice job folks. Nice to see Adobe TV too, thanks.

Adobe Media Player and Adobe TV - Adobe Media Player and Adobe TV
Adobe Media Player Particpating Networks - Particpating Networks
Adobe Media Player Download - Adobe Media Player Download

(itunes killer ?)

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Autodesk aquires another company. This time it is the 10 year old, Realviz the Image stitching software, panorama software, 3D tracking software, motion capture software, image-based modeling software.

Autodesk intends to develop and sell REALVIZ’s Stitcher Unlimited, Stitcher Express, ImageModeler and Movimento software as standalone products. Matchmover, Retimer and VTour will no longer be available as standalone products; core technology from these REALVIZ products will be integrated into future versions of Autodesk’s existing products, enabling customers to bring the real world into design environments.

Autodesk Aquires Realviz - via 3D World
Realviz now Autodesk - Realviz Autodesk

(another company absorbed into the giant)

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Sad to say that due to circumstances beyond their control, Trapcode People .net is no more. Supposedly it will be back better than ever. I hope that they do, because there is a definite lack of good After Effects Trapcode plugin related information, samples and tutorials.

R.I.P. trapcode-people.net
2005-2008
I am very sad to inform you that trapcode-people.net went off-line.....
Peder Norrby / Trapcode May 2008

RIP Trapcode People - RIP Trapcode People
Trapcode - Trapcode

(rest in peace)

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Announcing the pre-release of AEER v2 beta, the After Effects Expressions Source Code Repository / Source code directory / script depot. Free for all and dependant on the community, so add your scripts. This is the reason for my blogging adsence last month. There is still much to do, but go ahead and add your codes and get involved, its FREE.

AEER After Effects Expressions Reference Source Code Repository - After Effects Expressions Reference

(work in progress)

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Just had to mention Method Art video effects are soon to be released as After Effects plugins. The plugins are going to be based the real time video effects written in C/Python. Possible the future of all effects, in camera?

Flowy-fluid effect - Flowy-fluid Video effect
Funhouse mirror effect - Funhouse mirror Video effect
Freaky time-shifting effect - Freaky Video time-shifting effect
Wavy effect - Wavy Video effect

Method Art - Method Art

(controled video sweetness)

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