Grass Valley Rolls Out New Creative Features for EDIUS 8
By Jim Bask
MONTREAL, April 18, 2016 — Widely regarded as the fastest, most versatile software for SD, HD and 4K editing, EDIUS from Grass Valley, a Belden Brand, is offering a number of new creative features in version 8.2. This is the second feature release of the 8.x editing platform, which gives broadcast news and professional editors more creative options, at no extra cost to existing EDIUS 8 users.
“We have an aggressive development schedule for EDIUS, with four to five software releases per year,” said Mike Cronk, senior vice president of strategic marketing, Grass Valley. “We don’t use a subscription model, and every time we add functionality, that functionality is immediately available to existing version 8 users at no extra cost. It’s a smart investment.”
EDIUS 8.2 brings a number of new features to EDIUS 8 users, including motion tracking, which allows filters to be applied to a moving object to obscure identities or sensitive information for example, and a primary color correction video filter that enables color adjustments to clips in the original color space. It also supports adjustments natively, enabling editors to work with LOG files from Sony, Canon and Panasonic cameras.
Other new features include RAW decoding for Sony and Canon footage, improvements to the innovative GV Browser content management tool and draft preview for EDIUS Workgroup users. The latter makes it easier to work with heavier codecs, for example 4K, and CPU-intensive effects, by using selectable preview resolutions. When the preview is paused, EDIUS instantly displays a full-quality image to give the editor the best of both worlds—speed and precision.
Another significant boost to EDIUS’ plugin compatibility comes with the announcement at NAB that creative effects specialist HitFilm is developing native support for EDIUS, a preview of which will be shown at the Grass Valley booth. The library of 140 HitFilm Ignite plugins (sold separately) will provide a powerful visual effects arsenal for EDIUS users.
EDIUS is available in two versions—EDIUS Pro 8 is targeted at the professional production user, while EDIUS Workgroup 8 is aimed at editors working within a broadcast-based, collaborative editing environment that might require GV STRATUS or third-party MAM connectivity, or to edit-in-place on K2 server/storage.
Users of EDIUS Neo (versions 1 to 3.5) or EDIUS Pro (versions 2 to 6.5) can still take advantage of the special upgrade promotion that enables an upgrade to EDIUS Pro 8 for just $349/€349, excluding local sales taxes, until April 30, 2016. This program is available in all regions except Japan, where a separate upgrade program is available. Upgrades are available through participating channel partners and will be provided in serial key format only, not as a packaged product. This promotion also will be open to those who have purchased academic versions.
EDIUS 8.2 is being demonstrated in Grass Valley booth SL106 at NAB.