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Mac OS X video editing software seamlessly combines video, photo, audio and text files with an interface anyone can master.
Arboretum Systems is pleased to announce the release of HyperEngine-AV v. 1.5, now a free to all to download, use and distribute software program. The software can be downloaded from Arboretum website at: www.arboretum.com.
By releasing HyperEngine-AV as a free software, we are very happy to offer our contribution to the worldwide community of digital movie makers. In its present state, HyperEngine-AV is not only a comprehensive video editor already but it also represents a solid code foundation, widely open to further developments in a number of interesting directions.
By opening it also to the worldwide community of developers as open source code, we believe it will evolve at a rapid rate into a more and more powerful application, capable of responding to a wider range of users' needs. "We are very happy and excited about this important move," said Georges Jaroslaw, Arboretum CEO "as it clearly presents great advantages to all." HyperEngine-AV is the first media software featuring a groundbreaking "trackless" workspace that allows the free manipulation of video, audio, stills, and text in an infinitely expandable window. The only free alternative to Apple's iMovie software, HyperEngine-AV was built for OS X from the ground up and originally introduced at MacWorld Expo San Francisco, in January of 2003. "HyperEngine-AV was made for all moviemakers who want a tool that let them create while literally thinking 'outside the box,'" said Georges Jaroslaw. "We believe that we have succeeded in this approach: If you can see a movie in your mind, you can easily create it in our software by placing and editing clips in the workspace. The user interface is completely transparent."
Media clips can be imported or captured in real time from a FireWire DV camera using remote machine control. They appear in the document window in the form of objects that can be freely arranged and they are distiguishable by their colors and the data they contain.
Positioning clips along the time line, stacking them, trimming their beginnings and ends, time-stretching, splitting, fading them and many more basic actions, are quickly and easily done with simple mouse strokes. These actions immediately give a clear visual feedback on the changes made which greatly enhances intuitive interaction with a project at all the stages of the creative process.
Clips can be nudged frame by frame, and locked to the timeline to prevent accidental shifts. Natural magnetic properties of the objects themselves make it easy to sync an audio clip to a movie or stretch a clip to match the duration of another one.
Time-stretching audio and video both give excellent quality results: motion speed change for video and tempo change for audio even with at high ratios.
When video clips are dragged on top of each other instant dissolves are created -- clicking on the resulting connection graphic brings up a selection of fully editable professional compositors, transitions, and wipes. Over a dozen QuickTimeš video effects including edge detection, emboss, film noise, and color tint are available and can be applied to any video clip; a realtime preview box takes the guesswork out of adjusting effect parameters. In addition, HyperEngine-AV supports third party QuickTime video effects such as Buena Software's and QuickTime Effects by Alain Mazy. Text boxes can be placed over video clips or keyed against an editable background with adjustable duration for scrolling.
The Overview window always displays a project completely, no matter how many hours long. The Overview makes it extremely simple to zoom in on any portion of a project, plus move individual clips and even entire scenes at once. Views can be saved at any zoom levels to quickly go from one scene to the other, from a general to a detailed view, or browse through different scenes. Media files can also be dragged and dropped from the Finder directly into the Overview. This makes the Overview much more than a simple zooming interface and saves a lot of time in scroll actions.
With Arboretum's prestigious history as a music software developer, HyperEngine-AV's audio capabilities are second to none. Audio clips can be edited, arranged, stacked, and processed to generate stunning soundtracks. There is no audio track limit either because . . . there are no tracks.
The program comes with a wide variety of studio-quality effects from Arboretum's acclaimed Hyperprism suite of processors, and more can be added via a flexible plug-in architecture -- including the popular Ray Gun and Ray Gun Pro for cleaning up scratchy vinyl, tape hiss, hum, and other problem recordings.
HyperEngine-AV also comes with over 70 royalty-free audio clips from celebrated sound designer Frank Serafine (Star Trek, TRON, Poltergeist, Hunt for Red October, Virtuosity). Users of video programs who want to enhance their final movie with cutting-edge audio will find HyperEngine-AV an ideal complement to their current software.
HyperEngine-AV is designed for novice digital moviemakers or professionals who want a dynamic, productive new type of workspace. Demo versions of Hyperprism, Ray Gun, and Ray Gun Pro for OS X are included with the program. HyperEngine-AV is available for free at www.arboretum.com.
System requirements include an Apple Macintosh computer with a G4 processor (500MHz or faster recommended), 128MB of RAM, 20GB of free hard disk space, a FireWire port for video transfer, a CD-ROM, QuickTime v6.02 or later, and Mac OS X v10.2 or later. OS X v10.3+ is recommended. A color monitor that supports at least 800 x 600 resolution is recommended.
More information at www.arboretum.com
Arboretum Systems, Inc has been providing innovative software solutions to musicians, broadcasters, post-productions engineers and eductional institutionssince its creation in 1994.
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