BOSTON — Visual effects house Zero VFX (www.zerovfx.com) has launched its first software plug-in via its newly-formed software division, Code Zero Software. The Compression Preview plug-in enables After Effects artists to preview sequences prior to rendering; check for unwanted artifacts, banding and color shifts; and make tweaks and changes to the compression parameters to ensure the best possible end product.
Zero VFX has teamed up Noise Industries and Ephere to help market, sell and support Compression Preview (http://compressionpreview.com), which is available immediately for $49.00.
Jaime Fortuno-Lavin is the lead commercial compositor for Zero VFX and has been using Compression Preview on client work. "We worked on a Web pre-roll spot where our actor was over a white cyc - we were of course working and delivering at full res, which meant we couldn't see what the piece looked like once it got compressed all the way down for distribution. Once it was compressed, a strange lighting aberration showed up. We were able to fix it and re-deliver super fast, but still, it was from this experience that we realized there were no good tools out there to help. Now there is!"
Compression Preview works with After Effects CS5.5, 6, CC and CC 2014. It is available for both Windows and the Mac.