Innovative NLE software provides enhanced workflows, improved format support, and new cost-effective configurations

Sony Creative Software, a leading global provider of professional editing and authoring applications, today announces the latest upgrade to its Vegas™ editing technology.

Vegas™ Pro 12 adds a host of substantial feature enhancements, performance improvements and workflow innovations to the award-winning NLE, expanding the creative toolkit for editors and content creators at every level of the post-production market. 

Combining a familiar track-based editing interface with a fluid, interactive approach to media production, Vegas Pro 12 is the perfect choice for creative professionals looking for a no-compromise, cost-effective way to express their artistic vision, without the complexities and learning curve typically associated with other solutions.  

Workflow improvements in Vegas Pro 12 include:

· Project interchange: Exchange projects between Vegas Pro 12 and other popular editing platforms.   The built-in conversion software supports .aaf, for Avid Pro Tools 10, .xml for Apple Final Cut Pro 7 and DaVinci Resolve 8, .fcpxml for Apple Final Cut Pro X (export only), and .prpproj for Adobe Premiere Pro CS6 and After Effects® CS6. 
· Expanded edit mode: The timeline can be temporarily split into “A-B roll” tracks at the edit point, with the adjacent clips appearing in a “2-up” monitor view. The sequence can be trimmed while playing, creating a precise, interactive editing experience.
· Colour match:  The Colour Match plug-in offers the ability to match the colour characteristics from one clip to another in the highly versatile and powerful L*a*b* colour space.  
· Smart proxy workflow: When full frame rate playback is difficult to achieve, Smart Proxy files can be used in their place, and the media will automatically and dynamically switch from original to proxy based on the Preview playback settings.  To ensure optimum quality, original media files will be used for the final render.

On the format front, Vegas Pro 12 can now ingest Panasonic P2 DVCPRO and AVC-Intra content, and encode to the highly versatile HDCAM SR™ mastering format, at bit rates up to 880 Mb/s. 

To meet the needs of the broadest range of customers, Vegas Pro 12 will be available in two configurations.

· The Vegas Pro 12 collection follows previous versions by including the Vegas Pro 12 editing application along with DVD Architect™ Pro 5.2 and Dolby® Digital Professional Encoder, for DVD and Blu-ray Disc™ authoring.

· Vegas Pro 12 Edit is a new, lower cost package featuring all of the editing capabilities of Vegas Pro 12, without DVD Architect and the Dolby Encoder software. 

“Broadcasters, indie filmmakers and video professionals worldwide have embraced Vegas Pro not only for its forward-thinking approach to content creation, but also for its undeniable value proposition,” said Dave Chaimson, vice president of global marketing for Sony Creative Software.  “Vegas Pro 12 Edit continues that tradition and sets the new price-performance standard for professional content creation software, with its rich feature set and unmatched return on investment.”

For Sony PMW-F3, F23, F35 and F65 shooters looking to maintain the full dynamic range of their images in post, Vegas Pro 12 uses OpenColorIO technology from Sony Pictures Imageworks and the Academy Colour Encoding Specification (ACES) colour space standard to build a comprehensive S-Log workflow solution. Vegas Pro 12 editors can apply the appropriate LUT (Look-up Table) to the S-Log source material from a list of built-in templates during the post-production process. The finished project can be encoded to a wide range of formats using the ACES colour space standard as well as other popular non-ACES standards.

“Many cinematographers are acquiring in S-Log to maximise the dynamic range and tonal reproduction of their images, but up until now their post-production options have been limited,” said Chaimson.  “Vegas Pro 12 opens the door for content creators to enjoy the benefits and flexibility of an integrated, end-to-end S-Log production pipeline with minimal effort and no additional plug-ins to purchase”

Additional New feature highlights include:

· Shape Masking Tools:  The new rectangle/square and oval/circle Masking Tools make it easy to mask portions of the media by drawing the desired shape over the appropriate areas. 
· FX Masking:  By masking an effect rather than the image itself, it is easier to blur or pixelate an area of a video clip to hide a logo, license plate, or a person’s face.
· Project Media Tagging: Quickly categorise content with customisable media tags, automatically organising the media into appropriately named media bins. For simple searches, content can be instantly filtered using the tags or other metadata.   Advanced searches are saved as smart bins, which automatically update as new matching media is added to the project.   
· Panasonic P2 Support: Ingest P2 media using the Vegas Pro Device Explorer and edit DVCPRO 25/50/100 and AVC-Intra 50/100 .mxf files natively. 
· HDCAM SR (SStP) Mastering: Encode to all flavours of the HDCAM SR mastering format, including the 220 Mb/s SR Lite and the 880 Mb/s SR 444.  HDCAM SR is a very versatile, high-quality recording and mastering format based on MPEG-4 SStP (Simple Studio Profile).  The rendered .mxf files are compatible with HDCAM SR camcorders, VTRs, and SR Memory solid state recording devices.
· Comprehensive S-Log Workflow: Vegas Pro 12 is an end-to-end S-Log solution, with the ability to apply the appropriate LUT (Look-up Table) during the editing process based on the display device and the creative goals of the production team. The edited project can be encoded to a wide range of formats, using ACES-defined colour space standards developed by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences technology committee, as well as other popular non-ACES standards.  
· LAB Adjust Video FX Plug-in and L*a*b* Colour Space Histogram: Manipulate colours in the very powerful L*a*b* colour space. Using the same technology as the new Colour Match plug-in, the LAB Adjust tool takes advantage of the perceptually uniform L*a*b* colour standard to provide dramatic and precise control over the colour characteristics of  the content.

www.sonycreativesoftware.com