- Why is there no Windows version of ImageFlow for After Effects?
- We are a small mac focused development company, and our main priority is tools for creative Macintosh users. However we are investigating tools to allow us to bring ImageFlow to windows users but cannot commit to any fixed date yet.
- Do I have to buy FxFactory to use ImageFlow?
- No, you must install FxFactory but you do not have to purchase it, ImageFlow can be purchased for $99US independently of FxFactory.
- Is ImageFlow Leopard compatible?
- All versions after 1.0.3 of ImageFlow are fully Leopard compatible, this is a free upgrade, download it here.
- Whats the largest supported Image Size?
- ImageFlow may have problems with Images larger than 4084x4084 depending on your graphics card. We recommend you scale images down to smaller than this size. The procedure to scale down images in a batch using iPhoto is covered in the docs and in the ImageFlow online tutorial
- Do the effects preview in realtime?
- Yes, you need to switch on "unlimited RT" in Final Cut Pro and then all the generators will play in realtime on the timeline. For best results set playback resolution and frame rate to dynamic and you will be able to get real time preview even on older hardware. In Motion the effects play in realtime as a default.
- How do I make each image play exactly once with no repetition?
- In ImageFlow 1.0.3 a "loop images" checkbox was added to all plugins, if you deselect this option then the images will play through once only and after that stop displaying images.
- In Final Cut Pro how do I set the duration of a generator to longer than two minutes?
- Double click on the generator in the timeline, then set the generator duration in the top left text
box in the viewer window next to the stop watch icon. You can then drag out the clip in the timeline to be up to the duration you set for the clip. You can create generators 4 hours long if you want. I have personally rendered imageflow sequences which were 40,000 frames long to use as background projection animations. In Motion you can set your duration as long as you want just by dragging on the timeline.
- Why are my images out of order?
- First please upgrade to ImageFlow 1.0.2 and FxFactory 1.0.7, there was a bug in earlier versions which could cause some images to be out of order.
Second, with "multifader","multigrow","multiswoosh" the default for those plugins is random positions and with those settings its possible that "image 2" will come before "image 3" due to the random positions. if you want to make sure that images are always in the correct order then uncheck the "random x","random y", "random z" check boxes or adjust the random spread to be smaller which will make sure that images stay in the correct order.
- Do the photos have to be equally scaled and ready to go within the folder or do I have control over each picture within the plug-in? Do the pictures have to be locked to the same duration? How much control do I have over this aspect?
- At the moment ImageFlow generates animations based on treating each picture the same. This is to simplify setup and because there's really no good way of creating an interface inside motion or fcp that would let you scale/animate each picture seperately. So scaling and duration are the same for each image. If you want to change them, then make multiple copies of an imageflow plugin and drag them to multiple points on the timeline and change durations or scales for each copy of the plugin seperately. I am working on a new animation parameter for a future version which will allow timings to be changed for every image.
The documentation includes instructions on how to scale all images the same using iPhoto, which only takes a few minutes. The whole workflow still saves you hours over having to animate every image as a seperate layer (believe me I've been there).
- Can I have QT video files in the chosen folder as opposed to stills to achieve moving video?
- ImageFlow is designed to work on Images only. A future plugin pack will perform manipulations on video layers similar to the way imageflow works on stills.
- How do I minimize flicker or strobing in my rendered animations?
- Unfortunately animations of still images sometimes produce unwanted artifacts when viewed on field based viewing devices (broadcast monitors or domestic tv sets). The best way of eliminating these is to apply motion blur to your animation. Future versions of Imageflow will include a built in motion blur option, for now you need to estimate your direction of image movement and apply a directional blur or zoom blur filter to the imageflow generator.
Use either the NI Fast Blur XY or built in Directional Blur. Match the angle of the image movement and adjust the strength to compensate for your image speed. Generally you only need a very slight directional blur of amount 1 or 2 to eliminate flicker. If the images are moving towards you apply a slight directional blur. In Final Cut Pro, try the built in flicker filter.
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