Handmade Digital, Inc., has just announced the release of its latest software, VFXTracker 2008 v1.3. Handmade Digital, the visual effects house founded by film editor Alan Edward Bell, is once again bridging the gap between the worlds of editing and visual effects. VFXTracker 2008 is the much-needed remedy to the tedious and grueling task of maintaining up-to-date, detailed visual effects records throughout the post-production process. With VFXTracker 2008, assistant editors will no longer need to spend hundreds of hours combing through Final Cut Pro projects for changes made to visual effects in the editing process.
The release of VFXTracker 2008 has been met with enthusiasm among the post production world. Film editor Andrew Dickler praised the software, saying, “This is going to change the role of assistants on visual effects films. Now they can devote their energy to running an efficient cutting room, instead of poring over changes.” He added, “The Plugin also serves as a great tool to make notations in sequences as you’re cutting.” “We’re very excited about this release,” says visual effects producer Jennifer Vecchiarello of Handmade Digital, “We believe this product answers to a high demand among editors and their assistants. It will save people a tremendous amount of time, and it will ensure accurate visual effects data because it virtually eliminates the opportunity for human error.”

This new Final Cut Pro Plugin Filter/Application includes a Plugin that allows the user to easily tag visual effects clips in the sequence. The information stored in these VFXINFO tags is saved in the project, and is included in exported cut sequences. When these cut sequences are imported into VFXTracker 2008, the application extracts all data tagged as VFX. This new approach to managing visual effects data enables the user to easily generate reports that will seamlessly integrate into their workflow. The user can run VFXTracker to generate a Visual Effects Change List between two versions of a sequence so that they can quickly see if any shots have been added, removed, or modified.

VFXTracker 2008 is designed with the user in mind. The interface is extremely intuitive; once sequence files have been opened in VFXTracker 2008, they can be dragged and dropped into fields to generate a Visual Effects Change List. Additionally, all data can be exported into a flat file format so that the user can bring the records into their existing database. The program also provides the option to export lists as PDF files, which can be sent directly to a lab for scanning or film out orders.

VFXTracker 2008 v1.3 is available for purchase at www.vfxtracker.net for $299. Handmade Digital is offering a promotional introductory rate of $199 until April 30, 2008. Please visit www.vfxtracker.net www.vfxtracker.net for more information and to download the demo version of the software.