Pictures on the Move -- Easy, Too
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Then key word here is "ease." Sure, you can do all these things in Adobe After Effects. In fact, StageTools readily admits there's nothing MovingPicture can do that After Effects can't. As the company says on its Web site, "It's just easier." Indeed. I say, why go all the way into After Effects, especially if you don't happen to own that expensive application or know how to navigate its intricacies, when you can quickly put together a few stills for $199 in MovingPicture? I like that way of thinking.
Next, I fired up the MovingPicture plug-in, which works with almost every nonlinear editing software application, including Premiere, Avid, DPS, Discreet Edit (may it rest in peace), Final Cut Pro, In:Sync Speed Razor, Media 100, and Incite, and, by the way, it works on Mac OS X, OS 9 and Windows Me, 2000 and XP, too. The plug-in -- which I tested in the Windows version of Adobe Premiere 6.5 -- works as a filter. You simply drag and drop the filter on the clip on which you'd like to place a camera move. Then the exact same interface opens up that's used in the stand-alone Producer version.
All works well, but I wish the plug-in were a bit more convenient to use. The problem is, when the MovingPicture interface opens, there's nothing there. You must then import your still into the application at that point, and then apply your moves. After that, when you close the application, the moves are part of the clip on the Premiere timeline. I asked StageTools guru Bill Ferster about this, and he explained that it's important that the app work this way. "We do not load the image from the timeline, as most editors will only give us a 720 by 486 pixel image, obviating any advantage of putting a hi-res scanned image in the show and making the video look soft," Ferster wrote in an email message. "Forcing the user to do this is inconvenient, but it is the only way to get good quality," he said. I'd say that's a small price to pay for the ability to zoom in really tight on an 8000 pixel still.
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Overall, I'd say MovingPicture is a great value for $199, even when you have to pay the $69 extra for the rotation option (definitely go for this, too). It beats Imaginate at its own game, but that's not surprising, since MovingPicture has been around for years. It's easy to use, powerful, and the price is right. If you want to make your life easier when you're dealing with stills, I'd say MovingPicture is a must-have.
Digital Media Net Executive Producer Charlie White has been writing about new media and digital video since it was the laughingstock of the television industry. A technology journalist and columnist for the past nine years, White is also an Emmy-winning producer, video editor, broadcast industry consultant and shot-calling television director who has worked in broadcasting since 1974. Talk back -- Send Chazz a note at cwhite@digitalmedianet.com.Prev 1 2
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