SilhouetteFX

Last updated
SilhouetteFX
Developer(s) SilhouetteFX LLC
Stable release
2020.5 / April 2020;4 years ago (2020-04) [1]
Operating system Linux, Windows, Mac OS X
License Proprietary
Website SilhouetteFX

SilhouetteFX began as a rotoscoping tool for the visual effects industry. SilhouetteFX has been expanded to include capabilities facilitating paint, warping and morphing, 2D to 3D conversion and alternative matting methods. As of V6, SilhouetteFX retains all of the aforementioned capabilities now embedded in a node-based digital compositing application.

Contents

Context

SilhouetteFX is named for the art form associated with Étienne de Silhouette (July 8, 1709 – 1767). The fundamental output of a rotoscoping program is a matte which when viewed appears as a silhouette of an object to be treated in isolation of the remainder of an image. The image density of the matte determines how a compositing operation effect will be applied. Image pixels corresponding to brighter pixels in the matte will be treated differently than image pixels corresponding to darker pixels in the matte VFX.

Company

The developer, SilhouetteFX LLC, was formed as a partnership between principals from Digital Film Tools and Profound Effects, Inc. Partners include Paul Miller, Marco Paolini, Peter Moyer and Perry Kivolowitz.

In 2019, Boris FX, a leading developer of VFX, compositing, titling, video editing, and workflow tools for broadcast, post-production, and film professionals acquired SilhouetteFX.

Awards

Partial list of notable films

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Framestore</span> British animation and visual effects company

Framestore is a British animation and visual effects studio based on Chancery Lane in London, England. Formed in 1985, Framestore specialises in effects for film and prestige TV, advertising, rides and immersive experiences. It is the largest production house in Europe, employing roughly 3,000 staff, including 1,000 in London, and 1,500 across studios in Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Montreal, Melbourne and Mumbai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Special effect</span> Illusions or tricks to change appearance

Special effects are illusions or visual tricks used in the theatre, film, television, video game, amusement park and simulator industries to simulate the imagined events in a story or virtual world. It used to be called SFX but this short form has also expanded to include “sound effects” as well.

Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is an American motion picture visual effects company that was founded on May 26, 1975 by George Lucas. It is a division of the film production company Lucasfilm, which Lucas founded, and was created when he began production on the original Star Wars, now the fourth episode of the Skywalker Saga.

Wētā FX, formerly known as Weta Digital, is a New Zealand-based digital visual effects and animation company based in Miramar, Wellington. It was founded by Peter Jackson, Richard Taylor, and Jamie Selkirk in 1993 to produce the digital special effects for Heavenly Creatures. The company went on to produce some of the highest-grossing films ever made, such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water. Considered one of the most influential film companies of the 21st century, Wētā FX has won several Academy Awards and BAFTAs. The company is named after the New Zealand wētā, one of the world's largest insects, which was historically featured in the company logo.

Tippett Studio is an American visual effects and computer animation company specializing in computer-generated imagery (CGI) for films and television commercials. The studio has created visual effects and animations on over fifty feature films and commercials, garnering an Academy Award, four Clio Awards and two Emmy Awards. The company currently consists of approximately 150 employees, with offices located in Berkeley, California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nuke (software)</span> Compositing and VFX program

Nuke is a node-based digital compositing and visual effects application first developed by Digital Domain and used for television and film post-production. Nuke is available for Windows, macOS, and RHEL/CentOS. Foundry has further developed the software since Nuke was sold in 2007.

<i>Godzilla</i> (franchise) Japanese media franchise

Godzilla is a Japanese monster, or kaiju, media franchise consisting of films, television series, novels, comic books, video games, and other merchandise. The franchise is centered on the fictional kaiju Godzilla, a prehistoric reptilian monster awakened and powered by nuclear radiation. The franchise is recognized by the Guinness World Records as the "longest continuously running film franchise", having been in ongoing production since 1954, with several hiatuses of varying lengths. The film franchise consists of 38 films: 33 Japanese films produced and distributed by Toho Co., Ltd., and six American films; one produced by TriStar Pictures and five films by Legendary Pictures.

DNEG is a British-Indian visual effects, computer animation and stereo conversion studio that was founded in 1998 in London, and rebranded as DNEG in 2014 after a merger with Indian VFX company Prime Focus; it was named after the letters "D" and "Neg" from their former name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cinesite</span> Visual effects studio

Cinesite is an independent, multinational business which provides services to the media and entertainment industries. Its head office in London opened for business in 1994, initially offering services in visual effects for film and television, subsequently expanding to include animation.

Gregory S. Butler is an Academy Award-winning American visual effects supervisor. He graduated from Suffield High School in 1989 and afterwards entered Hampshire College. Despite his initial plans to study history, a work-study job with the audiovisual equipment in the library made him interested in film production. Butler graduated in 1993 with a major in film, television and theater design. Afterwards he moved to California to work for Industrial Light and Magic for 9 months, where after intern work he managed to become an assistant in the effects department, starting with assistant credits in The Mask and Forrest Gump. Following a job at Rocket Science Games until the company's bankruptcy in 1996, Butler went to Tippett Studio and did effects work in Starship Troopers and My Favorite Martian, rising up to a technical director job, and Cinesite for Practical Magic. While reluctant at the requirement of moving to New Zealand, Butler was convinced by his writer-actor brother to jump at the opportunity of working for Weta Digital in The Lord of the Rings. Among his achievements was working on the creation of Gollum. for which he was awarded a Visual Effects Society Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Milan Schere</span> Canadian matte painter and filmmaker (born 1983)

Milan Schere is a Canadian matte painter and filmmaker, best known for his work on Tron: Legacy. In 2011 he received a best Visual Effects in Canadian cinema award nomination by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television for his 1907 New York City skyline period matte painting work in the feature film A Dangerous Method.

Gary Brozenich is a visual effects supervisor. Brozenich and his fellow visual effects artists were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Visual Effects for the 2013 film The Lone Ranger. After 22 years at MPC, Gary joined Framestore as a visual effects supervisor in October 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rodeo FX</span> Visual effects company

Rodeo FX is a high-end visual effects and creative company offering services in visual effects, advertising, animation, and experiential. The company currently has studios in Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, Paris and Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moving Picture Company</span> British visual effects company

The Moving Picture Company (MPC) is a British multinational company providing visual effects, CG, animation, motion design and other services for the film, TV, brand experience and advertising industries.

<i>King Kong</i> (franchise) American media franchise

King Kong is an American monster media franchise that consists of thirteen films, as well as television, novels, comic books, video games, attractions, and other merchandise. The franchise is centered on King Kong, a giant ape living on a primordial island inhabited by prehistoric creatures. The original film King Kong was co-directed by Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack and was released on March 2, 1933; it was a box office success, despite opening during the Great Depression. The film's stop motion effects by Willis H. O'Brien revolutionized special effects, leaving a lasting impact on the film industry worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Iron Man's armor (Marvel Cinematic Universe)</span> Iron Mans armor in the Marvel Cinematic Universe

Tony Stark has worn different versions of the Iron Man armor throughout the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU). He has also built armor for James Rhodes, the Iron Spider suit for Peter Parker, and Pepper Potts' Rescue armor.

Christian Manz is a British visual effects artist. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Visual Effects for the film Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1. He has also been nominated for three British Academy Film Awards. He is represented by the visual effects studio, Framestore, where he also serves as a creative director in the film division.

The Australian Effects & Animation Festival (AEAF) is an annual international festival of visual effects (VFX), animation games and immersive media. The event, which includes an awards ceremony known as the AEAF Awards, a program of speakers, and technology showcase, is streamed live. The inaugural event was in 2000.

References

  1. "VERSIONS". borisfx.com. Retrieved 2021-03-17.