“Beauty Box is almost magical,” said Bill Evans, producer for Radiant Records. “We didn’t have time to properly light our scene, and the artists didn’t look like themselves. Options were slim and costly. With Beauty Box, we were able to solve the problem the same afternoon we downloaded it. The facial tracking really works, the skin-tone algorithms are pretty natural, and the interface is simple. I’m still amazed.”

Since 2008, Beauty Box Video has been a critical tool for dealing with skin and makeup problems that HD and 4K reveal. HD shows so much detail that often viewers see flaws that weren’t visible in SD. Beauty Box 2.0 solves this problem by giving actors and models an incredible makeover in post-production, using state-of-the-art face detection and smoothing algorithms that preserve important details and the natural skin texture. The Beauty Box algorithm has been redeveloped to take advantage of OpenCL technology, which increases its rendering speed on all host applications, operating systems and video cards.

“Our biggest request has been for increased speed, and this 2.0 release delivers on that,“ said Jim Tierney, President of Digital Anarchy. “Beauty Box is now about 300% faster on most video cards. The best part is that it’s as great as ever at producing subtle skin smoothing that looks beautifully realistic. You get the same high quality rendering that won Beauty Box all the awards and accolades, like Videomaker’s Plugin of the Year and Event DV’s Best of NAB.”

Here is a rundown of the great new features:

·    Faster Rendering: A complete rewrite of the skin-smoothing algorithm means Beauty Box is up to 300% faster on ATI and NVIDIA cards.
·    Shine Removal:Get rid of hot spots caused by shiny skin and bright lights! This feature dramatically reduces the effect of poor lighting conditions.
·    Better Masking: The skin tone mask algorithm has been improved for a better automatic mask.
·    Support for Final Cut Pro X: Beauty Box now fully supports Final Cut Pro X, along with earlier versions of FCP.
·    Better Performance in Premiere Pro:The new algorithm brings improved stability and speed in Premiere Pro.
·    More Host Apps Coming Soon: Support for OpenFX host apps like Sony Vegas Pro, Assimilate Scratch, and Nuke will be available in Q2 2012. Avid support available in Q3 2012.

Pricing and Availability

Beauty Box Video 2.0 is regularly priced at $199 USD, but will be on sale for $139 USD until June 1st, 2012. Upgrades are priced at $59 (reg. $89) until June 1st, 2012.

http://www.imagineersystems.com/products/training

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Danny Choo resides in Tokyo and runs a media production company where he produces a brand called Culture Japan which is made up of a web portal, TV show and products that focus on disseminating information on Japanese culture to the world.  Choo hosts and directs the Culture Japan TV show, which is broadcast weekly on Tokyo MX TV in Japan, across the whole of Asia on the Animax Network and in America on Mnet America. The Culture Japan website features Choo’s musings on all things anime, including Japanese and Otaku culture, cosplay and gaming.  Choo is also creator of the character Mirai Suenaga who has collaborated with many companies in the Japanese animation industry.

In addition to his AX hosting duties, Choo will be a Guest Speaker on Japanese Fandom and Culture at Project Anime, the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation-sponsored industry conference that takes places immediately prior to AX.

Beyond providing the voice of title character Panty, the multitalented Jamie Marchi is the lead writer for the script adaptation of the hit series “Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt.” Among her other voice acting credits are roles from “Witchblade”(Masane), “Hetalia”(Narrator), “Soul Eater” (Liz), “Shin Chan” (Miss Polly), “YuYu Hakusho”(Juri), “Fruits Basket “(Motoko), “Black Cat” (Rinslet), (Chloe), “Rin “(Mimi), “Blassreiter” (Amanda), as well as the unforgettable Mikako Satsukitane in “Heaven’s Lost Property.” Marchi also has an impressive list of behind-the-scenes credits writing script adaptations and directing series including “Heroic Age,” “Sgt. Frog,” “Spice and Wolf,” “Hetalia: Axis Powers,” and “Negima!?”

Danny Choo and Jamie Marchi join the previously announced AX 2012 line-up that includes popular voice actor Steve Blum and Japanese pop star LiSA.

• DE:Noise: v2.1. DE:Noise handles spurious frame-to-frame defects ranging from fine digital/electronic noise to blotchy spots (e.g. dirt on the film).
• FieldsKit: v3.2. FieldsKit allows the user to create interlaced material from progressive material using various techniques, including producing new fields using motion estimation techniques.
• PV Feather: v1.6. PV Feather performs feathering by using an inner mask for filling, and an outer mask for feather control. (Premiere Pro not supported)
• RE:Fill: v2.1. RE:Fill can replace missing pixels in intelligent ways.
• RE:Flex: v4.1. RE:Flex creates visually stunning morphs and warps with an easy-to-use interface. (Premiere Pro not supported)
• RE:Map: v2.2. RE:Map provides professional quality mapping and distortion tools.
• ReelSmart Motion Blur: v4.1. ReelSmart Motion Blur automatically tracks every pixel in a sequence and blurs based on calculated motion. ReelSmart Motion blur also uses motion vector passes from 3D systems to perform a fast 2D post-process blur to 3D generated images.
• Shade/Shape: 4.1. Shade/Shape automatic shading techniques from the 2D outline shape of objects, Shade/Shape automatically turns 2D artwork into 3D rendered imagery.
• Smoothkit: v3.1. Smoothkit is a blurring filter set that combines user-directed controls and feature-sensitive methods. In particular, what is novel is that the most of the tools in SmoothKit allow the user to blur or otherwise “smooth” images while retaining important features, such as edges in the imagery.
• Twixtor: v5.1. Twixtor creates highly engaging slow motion and speed-ramped shots using intelligent and proprietary motion tracking techniques!
• Video Gogh: v3.6. Video Gogh turns pictures and videos into painted works of art by placing brush strokes on images and subsequently tracks them from frame to frame to follow the objects in the images. (Premiere Pro not supported)

• Adobe After Effects 7, CS3, CS4, CS5, CS5.5 and CS6
• Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, CS5, CS5.5 and CS6

• The upgrades necessary for CS6 support are free for customers who have already purchased the same major version number of the product they are looking to upgrade. For example, the upgrade from Twixtor v5 to v5.1, with CS6 support, is free.
• Upgrades from previous major versions are listed on the www.revisionfx.com website. For example the upgrade from Twixtor Pro 4.51 to Twixtor Pro 5.1, with CS6 support, is $149.95.
• Volume discounts available. Contact sales@revisionfx.com.