First Light

[Paul Curtis]

I've finally had a quick chance to play with first light.

It's a great concept, but seems let down by interface a bit. Are there any opportunities for 3rd parties to develop under the architecture or is it totally closed?

I'm thinking of tracking masks, secondaries and perhaps some other 'visual' type effects rather than just CC. It seems that these could be kept in the metadata but perhaps there's no pipeline during the render process to make changes like this.

First light seems like a great spring board but might benefit from the weight of 3rd parties pushing it?

cheers
paul

[David Newman]

The API is open, although this is intentionally a first pass / dailies base correction tool - while it has been used in finishing in it is not it designed for that.

[Paul Curtis]

Thank you David,

So will First Light always be positioned as an initial finishing tool? Or do you see it perhaps being more involved one day?

I can't think of a single moderate cost solution that is truly integrated and capable but it seems the ground work is there for cineform to do this.

Is there some place i can get more information about the API?

many thanks
paul

[David Newman]

SDK licensees can basically built FirstLight from scratch using the Decoder DLL interfaces and have control over the database color, framing and 3D development. This is not a publicly released API as there is a license fee.

We will be increasing the Active Metadata engine capabilities, but it wrong to think all your CC and visual effects needs so we are focusing on it compatibility with all existing workflows, and expanding AM it in areas that we weak elsewhere. AM is not going to replace AE with metadata controls, we most other tools as complementry not competitive.