BLACKMAGIC DESIGN ANNOUNCES FUSION 8 STUDIO PUBLIC BETA IS NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

Fremont, California, USA - December 23, 2015 - Blackmagic Design today announced the public beta of Fusion 8 Studio, the full version of the world’s most advanced visual effects and motion graphics software, is now available for download from the Blackmagic Design website for both Mac OS X and Windows.

A public beta of the free version of Fusion 8 was released earlier this year at SIGGRAPH. The new Fusion 8 Studio public beta builds upon all of the tools in the free version and adds advanced optical flow tools for retiming, image repair, color smoothing and morphing between different images, along with the ability to render at resolutions larger than Ultra HD. The Fusion 8 Studio public beta also adds advanced stereoscopic tools for converting 2D shows to 3D, support for 3rd party plugins, remote scripting, and Avid Connect, a plug-in for Windows that allows customers to use Fusion directly from Media Composer timelines.

Projects created with the free version of Fusion can be opened and finished in Fusion 8 Studio, regardless of which platform they were created on. Fusion 8 Studio also includes Generation, multi user studio software for managing assets, tracking versions, and doing shot-based review and approval.

In addition, Fusion 8 Studio public beta also includes render node software that lets customers install an unlimited number of Fusion render nodes on additional computers for free, saving them thousands of dollars in licensing fees. That means customers working on high end film and television projects in large multi user studios can now accelerate their workflow by distributing render jobs across an unlimited number of systems on their network.

Fusion has been one of Hollywood’s leading visual effects and motion graphics tools for over 25 years, and has been used on thousands of feature film and television projects, including blockbusters like The Martian, Thor, Live Die and Repeat, The Hunger Games trilogy, Grimm, Battlestar Galactica and more.

Featuring a powerful node based interface, Fusion makes it extremely easy to build sophisticated visual effects compositions very quickly. Nodes are small icons that represent effects, filters and other image processing operations that can be connected together in any order to create unlimited visual effects. Nodes are laid out logically like a flow chart, so customers won’t waste time hunting through nested stacks of confusing layers with filters and effects. Unlike timeline based applications, it’s easy to see and adjust any part of a project in Fusion by simply clicking on a node.

With a massive toolset consisting of hundreds of built in tools, customers can pull keys, track objects, rotoscope, retouch images, animate titles, create amazing particle effects and much more, all in a true 3D workspace. Fusion can also import 3D models, point cloud data, cameras or even entire 3D scenes from Maya, 3ds Max or Lightwave and render them seamlessly with other elements. Deep pixel tools can be used to add volumetric fog, lighting and reflection mapping of rendered objects using world position passes so customers can create amazing atmospheric effects that render in seconds, instead of hours.

“We have been Fusion users for years, and it’s great to see where the product is heading,” said Jeremy Nelson, Compositing Supervisor at Flash Film Works who’s credits include feature films such as Spy, Barely Lethal, Defiance and Clash of the Titans. “Now with Mac as well as Windows, it really opens up how we will use it across a networked facility or individually. I love the path Blackmagic is moving to here!”

“The response to Fusion 8 has been overwhelming! Now, with the public beta of Fusion 8 Studio, customers have even more tools to work on the highest end feature films, TV shows and commercials,” said Grant Petty, Blackmagic Design CEO. “What's really exciting is that, unlike other visual effects and motion graphics applications, Fusion 8 Studio customers working on large multi user projects get unlimited network rendering at no additional charge so they can turn shots around faster than ever before!”

ABOUT FUSION LICENSING

Fusion 8 is available in two versions.

Fusion 8 for Mac and Windows is free for customers and is now available to download. Fusion 8 is a full professional 3D visual effects and compositing system that is suitable for independent effects, motion graphics, and broadcast design artists. Fusion 8 features integrated 2D and 3D compositing and motion graphics software with a massive toolset featuring paint, rotoscope, titling, animation, multiple keyers, an amazing 3D particle system, advanced keyframing, GPU acceleration, and support for importing and rendering 3D models and scenes from other applications. Customers getting started with Fusion can create projects with the free version and then open them in Fusion 8 Studio when they upgrade.

Fusion 8 Studio, which is now in public beta, will be available for Mac and Windows for $995, with Linux to be released in Q1 2016. Fusion 8 Studio has all of the same features as the free version and adds advanced optical flow image analysis tools for stereoscopic 3D work, retiming and stabilization. Fusion Studio also includes support for third party OpenFX plugins, Avid Connect for Windows systems, unlimited distributed network rendering and Generation for studio wide multi user collaboration to track, manage, review and approve shots when working with large creative teams on complex projects.

AVAILABILITY AND PRICE

Fusion 8 Public Beta and Fusion 8 Studio Public Beta are available today for download from the Blackmagic Design website free of charge for all current Fusion and Fusion 7 Studio customers.

PRESS PHOTOGRAPHY

Product photos of Fusion 8, and all other Blackmagic Design products, are available at www.blackmagicdesign.com/press/images

ABOUT BLACKMAGIC DESIGN

Blackmagic Design creates the world’s highest quality video editing products, digital film cameras, color correctors, video converters, video monitoring, routers, live production switchers, disk recorders, waveform monitors and real time film scanners for the feature film, post production and television broadcast industries. Blackmagic Design’s DeckLink capture cards launched a revolution in quality and affordability in post production, while the company’s Emmy™ award winning DaVinci color correction products have dominated the television and film industry since 1984. Blackmagic Design continues ground breaking innovations including 6G-SDI and 12G-SDI products and stereoscopic 3D and Ultra HD workflows. Founded by world leading post production editors and engineers, Blackmagic Design has offices in the USA, UK, Japan, Singapore and Australia. For more information, please go to www.blackmagicdesign.com

