Well if I knew that I'd be a millionaire.
Buy lets look at whats exciting power users in online...
Hardware acceleration
Used to be GPU acceleration, now it's SLI and multiple GPU acceleration, on Resolve I can throw 5 gpus at rendering - I can't even do that in Flame or Nuke
Node based interactivity
The days of having to learn an obtuse way of layering (after effects) or plumbing hidden depths (flame Action) are mostly over. Nodes are the way people build complex comps these days. It works like your brain, i need two movies add to read nodes, one over the other add an over node. Wish the background was darker slam a color grade node between the read and the over. Wish the front was bigger add a resize after the front read node. It's intuitive, its instinctual but most of all its infinitely flexible - you dont go down a path and paint yourself into a corner.
Graphics
After effects wins hands down but its a pain in the ass to use. What a majority of people want in graphics is a vast library of presets and I dont mean New Blues heinous trapped in CNN circa 1985 preset looks, I mean the kind of kinetic typography templates people buy from places like videohive.net
Look development
This is where the kids get excited. They want to make thing look unique, we can argue all we like about bespoke styling but Magic Bullet gets people started and once they advance past that they know enough about what they like to make their own looks.
Look development in almost all software has been left to plugin manufacturers, GenArts, Foundry, Red Giant etc.
I've suggested for years that there should be an PluginPower pack in Avid that gives you all the plugins from all the manufacturers. It wouldnt cost much per seat as they maybe sell to 3% of users right now at a few hundred bucks to 1000 each, if they sold to 100% as a bundled deal with Avid they could come down to maybe 5 bucks a plugin or alternatively if Avid want to be predatory buy Red Giant and kill support for everything else (not seriously suggesting that but it is the modern way of doing business).
New features
New features sell, I've written on many forums about new editorial features but no one listens.
Just a couple for now.
1- timeline versioning of shots.
As I go through the edit process how handy to be able to right click on a cclip and see a thumbnail of every other shot that has ever been at that point in the timeline. Click to revert to that shot with a pop up - restore origina duration of shot or limit to replace current. This should also be extended to other angles via metadata tagging so I'm looking at a wide, i right click the shot i see 'history' for the list above or 'options' to see thumbnails of other angles in sync. This versioning process really comes into its own with vfx heavy projects as the client might say can i just see it with yesterdays vfx version, today's, yesterday's, show me the original live action and so on. No need to save many sequences just locate using shot history.
2- Virtual timelines.
Working on a show with another editor, been off sick and someone took over for a couple of days? hard to know where you're up to right? How about being able to see a virtual timeline by selecting 'show edits by user' and select the other guy. Shows a virtual timeline of only what he's done. Or more usefully director arrives with limited time 'show me what you did today' - select 'show edits by time' and select last 24 hours, last hour last week etc. Next add a metadata concept and start to label shots, in labels let us add labels such as VFX, green screen, clean up, temp. View an instant virtual timeline by selecting 'show edits by label' and select green screen to see all the shots you need to comp. You get the idea.
I've written literally 60 or 70 of these kinds of suggestions to most of the manufacturers over the last 20 years but nothing. I still cant do simple things like publish a PDF of a timeline with thumbnail, in out and duration and any metadata on the clip to allow clearances of stock etc.
Multi-threading
Its an old one but why does every thing have to stop to tweak something? Why cant i have a loop playback while i tweak a grade or play with levels and eq etc
Background and remote rendering
If I'm not doing anything render. If I'm talking to a client render. If the gpu is at 10% usage render. Expand that across my network - if Avid 10 upstairs isn't doing something while he's talking to his client and his timeline is totally rendered then render mine. In 2016 there is no reason to have a render button the computer is sitting there using 10% of its brain, get rendering.
As for the color corrector and title tool... the ship has sailed. Its a convenient touchstone for complaining about the past but I would put money on it that anyone who knows the innards of the symphony corrector has long ago retired or left the company. Same with title tool. They give new blue for free what they need to do is kill the old title tool and just call new blue the title tool then people can stop complaining. I loved Title Deko personally (easiest credit rolls ever) but that''s gone too. In reality my only personal use for the title tool is a temp slate at the front of an edit but if its going to a client I make even that in Photoshop.
Education
Seems an odd one but most of the kids have no idea why Avid is better as there are no tv stations training people anymore. Once you've cut to proficiency on an Avid (and yes it is retarded in some ways as is flame as every system) no system makes you feel as connected to your material. Fusion did a series of youtube clips called why you need Fusion. Avid should do the same.
Leverage assets
This one should be a no brainer but for some reason they don't do it. Bundle the euphonix transport controller, bundle the colorist station and faders. Make it so everyone else lacks the tactile surfaces for everyday tasks. I added the transport control to my smokes and flames first then my avids and it feels amazing, an rsi free trip back to the heady days of the Gizmo.
Other assets they should leverage? PROTOOLS. In a single workstation situation i should be able to put protool and avid in sync mode. Tweak in one the other timeline updates. There should be no need to export and import anything they should read each others project files and should appear in a 'sync to other project' list.
I can go on for hours but like I keep saying - where we are at can't be all there ever will be edit wise. We have spent decades recreating digital versions of the tried and tested methods, timelines, source and record monitors, bins and so on. Whats really needed is a new look a new datacentric methodology. McXpress had some nice ideas as did Dvision/Edit with multiple source windows open. They didnt work then as screen real estate was too limited. But there was something there, same with Montage preview screens. In an LG UM95 21:9 screen there's a TON of space. Its possible for computers to sync sound now, its possible to sync to a script and show versions why don't we have multi view as a default option on a second 21:9 screen showing us all the options in sync.
Same goes for effects setups, grades and so on. Why cant when i go into the color corrector it show me all the grades I've applied in my timeline on the second screen no need to save and name grades, just right click and load to the shot under the playhead. I got to stop now or I'll just ramble into frustration but you want to excite the kids? Do new shit.
Mike
How exactly will Avid "excite the kids" when they have failed to satisfy us 'old-timers' for the past 16 years by ignoring our repeated requests to update the Title Tool and the Color Corrector?
---In Avid-L2@yahoogroups.com, <mikeparsons.tv@...> wrote :
I'm happier than most it seems to just bounce between systems so to me it's almost irrelevant how or if resolve becomes the base app of my workflow. The resolve conform is a huge plus but I think an offline / online workflow will need to be used for 4K and 8k production so it's all about pipeline and so long as the tools talk to each other I doubt the exodus will be instant.
Avids problem is the same as autodesks with flame it's user group is aging - both companies need to find a way to excite the kids, Connect with the next generation of editors or perish as we retire. Free software is a big part of that as is power, if you feel empowered you want the software.. The bmd packages are empowering and that's appealing to young minds.
Mike
Sent from my iPhone
Posted by: Mike Parsons <mikeparsons.tv@gmail.com>
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