Autodesk Smoke 2013

Smoke Overview

Don't Just Edit. Finish With Smoke 2013

Autodesk® Smoke® software for the Mac is a revolutionary new solution for digital video editing and 3D visual effects. This software is designed to meet the needs of a new generation of professional video editors who need to do more than just edit. It offers an innovative creative environment that puts high-end effects tools inside a familiar editorial timeline workflow. With Smoke, editors have creative tools at their fingertips in a fast and iterative environment that helps them deliver content fast.

Multitasking Done Right

Today your clients expect more than ever – from editing to effects to motion graphics and color grading –in the same session. Smoke was built with today's editor in mind. It offers the traditional workflow of non-linear editing and integrated high-end effects tools in a single application that helps you eliminate round tripping.

All You Need. All in One.

Autodesk designed Smoke by working with professional editors to create a streamlined workflow that offers more effects power than ever while remaining true to the spirit of creative editorial. Today creative budgets are tighter and even the smallest project can have demanding effects and motion graphics requirements.

Edit Like a Pro

Smoke was designed with the timeline as its creative home base. Editors will find Smoke provides a familiar environment based on established non-linear editing (NLE) conventions. Editing and trimming tools, hotkeys, audio controls and media bins work the way you expect. Familiar UI layouts let you quickly move between organizing clips, source/record editing, color matching, and visual effects. If you know Apple® Final Cut Pro® or Avid® Media Composer® software, you'll feel right at home using Smoke. Today's clients demand more than just cuts, so Smoke brings a heritage of high-end effect tools right into the timeline. Moving between editing and effects is fluid and non-disruptive, as the dynamic UI of Smoke reshapes itself to the task at hand. Because rendered results are automatically fed back into your timeline, changes and updates are not a problem.

Accurate Conform Tools

Smoke offers powerful conform workflows with the most popular editorial software. You can import projects and media files from Apple Final Cut Pro X via XML. If you're working with Avid Media Composer software, you can access multi-layer timelines and media using AAF. Regardless of where your timeline comes from, Smoke offers a comprehensive set of media management and troubleshooting tools that make it easy to conform complex multi-layer timelines made up of various formats and frame rates.

Native Support for the Formats You Need

With the new release of Smoke, your media is managed automatically in one place and within a single project. MediaHub is an intuitive and easy way to manage the media in your project – from ingest to edit to effects and archiving. You can try out different shots, update the cut or revise complex visual effects and see the result right away. You'll waste less time manually searching for render files or backtracking changes between applications and plug-ins. Smoke allows you to begin working right away without having to duplicate media. Work natively or create local optimized media in the background from uncompressed image sequences like: raw RED, ARRI Alexa media, and HD DSLRs.

ConnectFX: Experience the Power of Node-Based Compositing

ConnectFX puts the proven power of node-based compositing at your fingertips. Working in the timeline, you can quickly apply multiple effects to timeline segments or gaps in a customizable and flexible effects pipeline. Design complex and unique effects by combining intuitive tools that include keying, 3D compositing, relighting, plug-in type effects, paint, and text. Move quickly between layer-based timeline effects and a customizable schematic view. Experiment right in the timeline until you get the look you want.

If you need to make changes, you can just swap media sources or reconnect your effects in the order you want them. Results ripple through your effects and right back into the timeline.

True 3D Effects in Action

Your world isn't flat, so why should your effects be? With Smoke you can mix video with 2D and 3D elements in a composite; design 3D text, titles and logos; and have total control over lighting in your project – all in the timeline, right where you need it.

Action is a fast and interactive compositing environment that surpasses the layer-based 2D workflow of typical compositing applications by delivering an interactive, true 3D creative experience. Using Action you don't have to be a 3D artist to create amazing 3D effects.

You can start your composite using a segment or group of segments by bending or warping video layers into 3D shapes. Smoke has a full 3D titling system and the ability to import 3D geometry. Text can be extruded and beveled, and objects can be while remaining true to the spirit of creative editorial. Today creative budgets are tighter and even the smallest project can have demanding effects and motion graphics requirements.

Intuitive animation controls allow you to adjust keyframes and control the timing of objects in your scene. Smoke offers sophisticated relighting tools for creating highly stylized lighting effects such as 3D lens flares, volumetic light rays, true 3D cast shadows and blooming.

Editing and Effects Here, There & Everywhere

Flexible hardware configurations make it easy for you to access the power of Smoke where and when you need it. Work fast on an Apple® iMac® computer or take Smoke on location using the latest generation of Apple® MacBook® Pro laptops and fast Thunderbolt storage.

Learning Smoke is Easy

Autodesk has redesigned Smoke to make it easier to learn and easier to use. Extensive training resources allow you to learn at your own pace when and where you want to learn. There are free and paid Smoke training offerings from industry experts to get you up to speed fast, and many training resources target specific workflows or skill sets.