For Immediate Release
Adobe Announces New Version of After Effects
Performance Enhancements and Extensive New Feature Set Allow Users to Keep
Their Focus On Designing Creative Content
San Jose, Calif., (September 9, 1999) (Nasdaq:ADBE)-Adobe Systems
Incorporated announced today that it has enhanced its award-winning motion
graphics and visual effects software with the release of Adobe After
Effects 4.1 software. The ultimate tool for motion graphics designers and
visual effects artists who want to produce professional quality work for
film, video, multimedia and the Web, After Effects 4.1 includes a host of
new features including: support for enhanced media exchange, performance
enhancements, workflow refinements, and extended creative options and
control. This new version of After Effects empowers designers and visual
effects artists to focus on design and creation, while minimizing the
amount of time spent on production.
In addition to an extensive list of features, After Effects 4.1 also offers
a rich environment for extending compositing, animation, and effects
capabilities. By expanding the After Effects application programming
interface (API), Adobe has given third parties access to more After Effects
project data, enabling software developers and video hardware solutions
providers to write new kinds of plug-ins for After Effects. This allows
third parties to integrate After Effects capabilities with their products;
offering customers optimized software and hardware interoperability.
“Motion graphics designers and visual effects artists need tools that work
together to let them focus on design rather than production of dynamic
media content,” said Steve Kilisky, senior product manager for Adobe After
Effects. “Having created a full suite of tightly integrated products, Adobe
has taken this a step further by opening up the After Effects environment.
Now third party software and hardware providers can offer customers the
same interoperability benefits.”
Enhanced Media Exchange
After Effects software expands the range of media that users can
incorporate into projects, reinforcing its role as an open media
environment. Users can now import and export files as large as 30k x 30k.
Additionally, support has been added for popular 3D file formats: RLA and
Softimage PIC. A new 3D Channel Pack, available in the Production Bundle,
allows users to integrate 3D elements into 2D composites for a time-saving
compositing process. After Effects 4.1 also supports QuickTime 4.0 export
components, allowing users to prepare streaming audio and video for Web
distribution and viewing.
Uncompromising Creative Control
After Effects 4.1 further enhances the users creative control with a
variety of new features: a flowchart view for visualizing the organization
of compositions and projects; support for saving favorite effects; masking
enhancements; and the ability to apply fill and stroke to text separately.
“The interface enhancements and workflow improvements in After Effects 4.1
make it faster and more intuitive than ever,” said Paul Tuersley, a
London-based freelance animator. “Adobe really listened to users with this
release, giving us an even better tool to produce the highest-quality
motion graphics quickly and cost-effectively and enabling us compete with
the largest companies in the business.”
Improved Performance and Workflow for Increased Productivity A new
unlimited network render engine license, included in the Production Bundle
at no additional cost, allows users to render their projects more
efficiently. The Collect Files command automatically gathers project files
and information for rendering or archiving, while a “Watch Folder”
automatically triggers a network to render a project placed in the waiting
Watch Folder. Users can check the progress of each project by accessing an
automatically created HTML page using a standard web browser.
Comprehensive Dynamic Media Solution
After Effects 4.1 empowers traditional graphic designers to put motion into
their designs. The ability to quickly and easily animate graphic designs
allows users to creatively cross-purpose their work, especially for the
Internet where dynamic content is used to make Web sites stand out. After
Effects 4.1 offers tight integration with Adobe Photoshop, Adobe
Illustrator, and Adobe Premiere.
Standard Version and Production Bundle
After Effects 4.1 is available in both the Standard Version and Production
bundle. The Production Bundle includes all of the features in the Standard
Version plus several key features including a new unlimited network render
engine license and the 3D Channel Pack.
Pricing and Availability
Adobe After Effects 4.1 will be available in September 1999 in the U.S. and
Canada. After Effects will be offered at an estimated street price of
US$699 for the standard version and US$1,499 for the production bundle. The
upgrade from After Effects 4.0 will be available to all users for US$49.95.
Users can also upgrade from version 3.X to 4.1 for only US$299. Additional
upgrade pricing is available on the Adobe website at www.adobe.com. Adobe
After Effects 4.1 is also available as part of the Adobe Dynamic Media
Collection which also includes Adobe Premiere, Adobe Photoshop and Adobe
Illustrator. The Adobe Dynamic Media Collection is available at an
estimated street price of US$1,499 (standard version) and US$2,499
(production bundle, only available through Adobe Solutions Sales Providers).
About Adobe Systems Incorporated
Founded in 1982, Adobe Systems builds award-winning software solutions for
Web and print publishing. Its graphic design, imaging, dynamic media, and
authoring tools enable customers to create, publish and deliver
visually-rich content for various types of media. The company’s products
are used by Web and graphic designers, professional publishers,
document-intensive organizations, business users, and consumers. Adobe is
the fourth largest U.S.-based personal software company, with annual
revenues approaching $1 billion. Adobe’s worldwide headquarters are in San
Jose, California and its web site is located at www.adobe.com.
