U & I has released two products at Macworld San Francisco this week: Vtrack and ArtMatic.
VTrack is an eight-track video montage and special effects tool that can mix QuickTime movies, DV streams, still images, and ArtMatic structures. Targeted to video artists and musicians, it offers an art and music creation tool, as well as a utility for video post-production professional, according to Edward Spiegel, U & I’s product director. Use it with ArtMatic Pro and you can create a variety of special effects, filters, and transitions by taking advantage of the integrated ArtMatic rendering engine that lets VTrack process its tracks with ArtMatic events, Spiegel said.
“This new tool frees creative artists from the constraints and restrictions of traditional video and graphics tools while featuring a streamlined user-interface that allows artists to focus on their art rather than on learning new tools,” said Spiegel. “The VTrack CD includes a library of over 3,000 ArtMatic presets that can be used in VTrack projects to provide decorative elements, special effects and an unbelievable array of transition effects and color processes.”
Each of VTrack’s eight tracks can have its own transfer mode; the app also provides a built-in library of video effects. ArtMatic Pro “systems” can be imported into VTrack and used to process VTrack’s tracks. It can be used either as a standalone video editor/sequencer for creating and rendering high-resolution QuickTime output or alongside traditional NLEs. The cost is US$249 for electronic delivery and $299 for CD-ROM. Vtrack is $499 when bundled with ArtMatic.
Speaking of ArtMatic, the latest version (ArtMatic Pro 2.56) is a programmable graphics synthesizer capable of synthesizing graphics and animation, as well as processing external still images and QuickTime movies. It packs a library of over 300 graphics generators and filters that can be patched together in complex structures to create a variety of images and effects.
The ArtMatic Pro CD includes a library of over 3,000 presets. Behind the scenes, ArtMatic Pro uses systems of complex equations, but its user interface is simple and makes it possible for anyone to create “stunning” movies and images, Spiegel said. Simply choose a tree structure, roll the dice then zoom and pan the camera to explore the image space you have created.
For users who want more control, the tree structure can be edited and finely tuned via parameter sliders. The camera path and parameter envelopes provide fine control of ArtMatic Pro animation, Spiegel said. Compiled trees allow users to create their own primitives that can be used in other projects as if they were built-in functions.
ArtMatic Pro also features random path animation and a mutations explorer that lets users explore the vast parameter space of each newly created system. The cost is the same as that of Vtrack.