Check for updates -- v5.0.3 is now out.

[David Newman]

We released v5.0.3 build 259 today with these changes (all Windows CineForm apps:)

Added: FirstLight sidecar export, for single file database correction (.fdb files)
Added: Double click on new .fdb files or .cdb will install those color correction databases.
Enhanced: FirstLight now defaults to video gamma rather than Log90.
Enhanced: HDLink handling of various source types.
Fixed: 4444 (RGBA) decodes is AE CS5 32-bit float modes now work correctly.
Fixed: Some system run FirstLight playback on only one thread.
Fixed: Whitebalance corrections for stereo sequences could be applied twice.
Fixed: Database exports now support left and right eye deltas.
Fixed: The CS5 AVI importer could deadlock.
Fixed: Tangent Wave support fixed for NeoHD and Neo4K.
Fixed: The 1920x1080p23.976 CS5 preset had the wrong frame rate in the comment field

The second addition is very cool, as they also work for NeoScene and the free NeoPlayer. NeoHD users can now create keyframed color corrections, reframing, etc, and share them we anyone with a CineForm decoder* -- non-destructively without rendering.

Note * limited to Windows today, but it is designed to go cross platform soon.

[Robert Young]

Odd thing with the v 5.0.3 FL
When I open the existing FL .cffl for the CS5 project I'm in the middle of, it only loads a single clip. The other 8-10 clips are missing. Yet when I go to the CS5 timeline and examine the missing clips, the FL corrections are still present.
So, the metadata is still there, but I don't know where it's hiding.
Should I just reimport the clips, or will that cancel out the existing (satisfactory) metadata.
Maybe best to let sleeping dogs lie :)

[David Newman]

A .cffl only contains a list of clips, not the metadata, the database is stored in a database that is active whether a FL project is loaded or not -- this is what makes Active Metadata unique. Importing the clips again will not change or loose metadata. I'm finding that old .cffls are working fine.

[Robert Young]

Thanks David- that's useful info.
Although I have figured out how to work with FL, it is still very much a "black box" to me.
A video tutorial on FL would be really valuable- just a no-budget walk through all of the FL features with a live mike and some screenshots would be a giant step for mankind :)

[David Chilson]

Check out David's tutorials on vimeo

Part 1

Introduction to FirstLight -- Part 1 on Vimeo

Part 2

Introduction to FirstLight -- Part 2 on Vimeo

[David Newman]

FirstLight uses a paradigm for color correction and image manipulation that no one has seen before, it is not surprising it can be puzzling when you think how it works. The import thing to remember is the color corrections are not stored in a project or a sidecar (although that is now an option) but in a database (controlled by the top left pulldown in FirstLight.) If you want to share color correction with someone else, you need to export your database (it becomes a .cdb file) and email that to them (it is small.) The database is non-clashing, so it doesn't matter if is name is the same on all systems, it doesn't complain if you do have the same or missing media, as every CineForm file has a unique ID, not matched in any other. We have plans to host these databases online we all can share the one color correction pool of data -- it the meantime check out my dropbox video on automatically sharing your color corrections.

CineForm FirstLight color correction through Dropbox on Vimeo

[David H. Wilson]

Enormously helpful tutorials - many thanks.

[Stephen Armour]

David, I have a question in relation to FL and adding overlays.

I was experimenting with keyframing a png image overlay, but with the opacity at 0%, the overlay returns to 100% opacity (at least on the preview). At 1%. it is still visible under some circumstances.

This does not seem like normal behaviour. Am I seeing something no one else is?

GPU is a nVidia 8800 GTS on this particular machine and it's still running CS3 under Win 7, with NEO 4K 5.02.

[David Newman]

That is the normal behavior. Opacity for FL overlays is for the maximum opacity, as you can't truly keyframe it like you can with color corrections and framing now. What you can do is see the fade length and start and end frame numbers. This will start from 0% to your opacity setting and back out again.

[Stephen Armour]

Ok, understood. Thanks.

[Edwin Baldwin]

David,

Any chance for adding 'Hold' option for interpolation between keyframes? It would be handy. :)

- Ed Baldwin

[David Newman]

Add another keyframe with the same values will do the same thing as a hold -- easily achieve with a cut and paste between the keyframes. We will like enhance the keyframing beyond linear interpolation in the future, we may add hold then.