Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/942009
58 CINEMONTAGE / Q1 2018 58 CINEMONTAGE / Q1 2018 camera tracker, but so did After Effects. It was obvious that, however great it was, Blackmagic needed to get one for Fusion. ENTER FUSION 9 In August 2017, Blackmagic Design released Fusion 9, and with it came several important new features, including (you guessed it) a 3D camera tracker available with Fusion Studio. There are a million reasons to use 3D camera tracking in a scene, such as to incorporate 3D elements into a shot filmed with a moving or handheld camera, to remove unwanted elements, to create set extensions, to do projection mapping, etc. (see Figure 3). The new 3D camera tracker in Fusion 9 Studio is capable of very precise camera solves, with results on par with what you would expect from Nuke. There is still an issue or two that needs to be ironed out (for example, seed frames should be selected manually, and one should enter a camera focal length close to what the footage shot with), but it is already production-worthy and I'd expect these issues to be addressed in future updates. All in all, the first implementation of the 3D camera tracker is impressive, and should get better over time. By itself, it's a major reason to start using Fusion Studio. Fusion 9 Studio also has a new planar tracker, which solves for planes in motion, allowing you to accurately place planar elements (such as signs, facades and textures) onto moving objects. It is also extremely useful for rotoscoping. Previously, one could use the Mocha plug-in, a well-respected third-party planar tracker. However, it's better to have one built right into Fusion Studio. Chroma-keying is a critical part of visual effects and while Fusion already contained capable keying tools, Fusion 9 introduces the Delta Keyer, a new color difference keyer that achieves exceptionally clean green screen keys, for both the free and Studio versions. Nuke's Keylight color difference keyer is used extensively in the business, but the Delta Keyer can achieve similar results — another compelling reason why Fusion 9 is a strong alternative to Nuke. In addition, Fusion 9 has a new Clean Plate tool (also available in the free and Studio versions) that can re-create the smooth and solid clean green screen behind actors, which is useful in conjunction with the Delta Keyer (see Figure 4). As mentioned above, while the Delta Keyer and Clean Plate pre-keyer are included in the free version of Fusion, the 3D Camera and Planar Trackers are not. For those tools, you'll need to purchase a license for Fusion Studio. However, with Fusion 9 came the remarkable news that Blackmagic Design was dropping the price of Fusion Studio from $995 to $299 (which includes free upgrades). That means that for not much more than the cost of many third-party plug-ins out there, you get the pro version Fusion Studio. Compare that to Nuke's price tag, which can be significant to small boutiques or individual artists. While a free, non-commercial version of Nuke is available for learning, you cannot use it for commercial projects and its resolution is restricted to 1920 x 1080. No such restrictions apply to either version of Fusion 9. MORE COMPELLING FEATURES There are other important features in Fusion 9 Studio, including Studio Player, a new annotation and versioning tool for shot review and approval. Studio Player has support for LUTs and can be output via Blackmagic's hardware, as well as be synchronized for remote viewing. Fusion 9 Studio also allows for unlimited network rendering, which means that those working on large projects won't have to pay a license fee for each render node. Fusion 9 also boasts increased GPU acceleration, and allows support for additional formats and file types such as DNxHR and MXF, as well as Apple's ProRes, which Blackmagic has officially licensed to work on Windows. This should not be overlooked, as some will TECH TIPS CONTINUED ON PAGE 65 Figure 4: Fusion 9's new Delta Keyer and Clean Plate tools allow for excellent results when doing green screen keying. From Jeepers Creepers III. Courtesy of Trick Digital. Figure 5: Fusion 9 Studio offers incredible value yet is capable of achieving high-level professional results for any compositing project. From Jeepers Creepers III. Courtesy of Trick Digital.