FilmConvert's Nitrate Upgrade Will Make Our Lives a Lot Easier
FilmConvert, the popular film emulator plug in, has a major upgrade coming out, enticingly named Nitrate.
Back in 2017 at NAB, FilmConvert came to our attention with an impressive camera-matching demo for color grading called Cinematch. With Nitrate, FilmConvert unfurls the first enhancement of the effect plug-in since its release in 2012. For those who don’t know, FilmConvert allows editors and cinematographers to bring the grain and the color effects of their favorite Kodak and Fuji film stocks to video footage, regardless of the camera it was shot on, or the camera sensor that captured the color.
FilmCovert has been a destination plug-in for freelance shooters and editors, first because of its accuracy emulating these pro stocks, and second, for the ease with which it plays across NLEs: Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut X, DaVinci, Vegas, Avid, even Photoshop. With continuous camera-specific updates, FilmConvert has only grown in power and popularity.
So how enhanced is the upgrade? Pretty enhanced, it turns out, with more colors in the plugins and a noticeably more fun user interface.
Cineon Log profiles are included for the Fuji and Kodak stocks. With the added power in color grading features and grain simulation you could convincingly design your own film stock, you genius geek. And with Nitrate’s logarithmic image processing, you won’t lose any dynamic range in your footage.
The grain adjustments now allow you to set the appearance of grain in shadows, highlights and mid-tones using an intuitive curve GUI. The inclusion of the Cineon Log profiles of the original FilmConvert film stocks allow you to dial in contrast and saturation without losing the distinctive color settings of that favorite film stock. And the new curve controls can customize the highlight and shadow roll-offs of FilmConvert’s stocks as well.
Your current or archived project with its FilmCovert effects will play just fine with Nitrate. It is a paid upgrade, and Nitrate will be available first on Premiere Pro and After Effects on Windows and Mac OS, with other NLE’s coming by the end of 2019. The exact release date is unclear at the time of this article.
