The animation and video software makers at Wildform have updated Flix Pro to version 3.1. The new version — free for users who have purchased version 3.0 — includes improvements in quality, new image filters and other key enhancements, according to Wildform CEO Jonathan Blank.
The US$149 software enables developers to bring video to Flash projects. With Flix Pro, you can output all types of Flash video — Flash MX, FLV video (required to import MX video into Flash), Flash 3-5 video, and Flix’s own vector video. Flix Pro supports input from a variety of sources, including .dv, .mov, .qt and .mpg video, .aiff and .mp3 audio, and still image formats like .jpg, .gif, .png, .tif, .tga and others. Users can manipulate bit-rate, batch encode, export HTML, export Mac or Windows projectors of encoded video, and more. Flix Pro works with Mac OS 8.6 or higher, including Mac OS X.
A central feature of the upgrade is a significant improvement in the quality of all Flix output, Blank said. This improvement primarily affects Flix’s MX and FLV Flash 6 output (both 1-pass and 2-pass VBR), but it also improves Flix’s Flash 3-6 output that plays in any Flash Player version 3-6, and the vector video output.
Additionally, Wildform has added image filters to Flix Pro that the company says further enhances the video quality. Flix Pro now features deinterlacing, noise reduction and controls for brightness, contrast, hue and saturation. All can be previewed in real-time in Flix’s preview window.
Flix Pro 3.1 also includes modifications to its automatic players output so that it can apply a custom player to virtually any SWF file produced by Macromedia Flash and all third party Flash exporting software, according to Wildform. The update also includes several interface enhancements and a new help file.