So, we need to compensate for this duration change manually.) ![]() (We need to do this because FCP X does not allow plug-ins to automatically change the duration of a clip. This moves the selected clip up to become a connected clip, and replaces the Primary Storyline with a gap. Then, I selected the center portion and chose Edit > Lift From Storyline. With the razor blade tool ( B), I put cuts at the beginning and end of the portion of the clip I want to slow down. In other words, I want the beginning of the clip to run at full speed, the middle in extreme slow motion, then the end to run at full speed, again. I want to slow down the portion of the clip where the snowboarder is sailing into the air. Here’s the clip I want to use – snowboard footage courtesy of Standard Films. Otherwise, you get beautiful slo-mo footage that pauses when it hits a pull-down frame. NOTE: If you are working with material shot on film that has pull-down frames added to it, be sure to remove the pull-down before applying Twixtor. Still, the process of slowing a clip is worth it and not that hard to do. This adds a level of complexity to Twixtor that isn’t present in other NLE software. Creating a compound clip is only necessary when you are slowing things down.įinal Cut Pro X brings an entirely different attitude to creating effects, because all FCP X effects are, essentially, Motion 5 templates. NOTE: When increasing clip speed, all you need to do is apply Twixtor to the source clip. NOTE: For an excellent discussion of what works and what doesn’t, read this article on the Re:Vision Effects website. Properly done with good source material, the results can be stunning. This is a process animators call “tweening,” which means to create the frames in-between a starting image and an ending image. What Twixtor does is synthesize new frames based upon the existing frames. Holding frames, and frame blending just don’t work at all at speeds this slow. NOTE: By way of comparison, things like “Bullet-Time” in the Matrix run at 1/100, or 1/1000 of normal, real-world speed. This smoothes the overall effect until you get to about 10% of source clip speed. This puts a short dissolve between extended still frames, adding to the illusion of movement. So, software developers added frame blending. The limit of the “hold frames longer” approach is about 25% of source clip speed. The bad news was that the slower the playback speed, the more the video looked like a series of still frames playing back-to-back. The good news was that this worked, was really fast, and gave the illusion of slow-motion. To slow a clip to quarter-speed, we would play each frame four times, thus making the source clip four times longer. This slowed playback speed, while doubling the length of a clip. For example, to run a clip at half-speed, we would play each frame twice. In “the old days,” we would slow down clips by playing duplicate frames. During installation, enter a user name and license key to install the full software, or leave these blank to run the demo. Re:Vision is a well-established company with a long track record of excellent products.)ĭownload and installation is as easy as you would expect. (This is not a bad thing, many plug-ins are not allowed into the App Store. Twixtor is not available from the Mac App Store, you need to download it from the Re:Vision website. NOTE: If you haven’t visited the Re:Vision website, they have some very cool plug-ins. (I’m expecting Bic pen support to show up any day now…) OFX plug-ins for Nuke, Scratch and Maya.Avid Media Composer, Symphony, NewsCutter. ![]() Re:Vision has free trials of their software for many platforms. The Pro version adds support for foreground and background separation using mattes, and the ability to add tracking points to help guide Twixtor’s motion estimation. ![]() Although I had access to Twixtor Pro, the version I’m demoing here is Twixtor. There are two versions of Twixtor: Twixtor and Twixtor Pro. I contacted the folks at Re:Vision and they graciously gave me access to the latest version. Still, the demo movies are amazing and with RE:Vision’s recent release of an FCP X version (well, OK, they released it in March) combined with an update to Final Cut Pro X, it was time for me to take a look at it. I’ve been a fan of Re:Vision Effects’ Twixtor for a long time – but never actually used it. It can also speed-up clips and create frame rate conversions. Twixtor is a plug-in that runs inside virtually all major NLE’s that allows you to create stunning slow-motion clips from regular footage.
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