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The last Major Issue, No. 3, is the Force Rerender setting I promised to get to earlier. With one setting, Video Gogh manages to introduce a couple of problems, stemming from the fact that the paint effect is generated randomly. The first problem is that the setting isn't really a setting; it's a manual method of clearing the image cache so Video Gogh can, in effect, start calculating fresh. And that's just the After Effects version. If you're in Final Cut or some other NLE, you have to use whatever method of clearing the image cache resident in the host program. If you don't do this, you'll end up with final clips where the paint effect can jump around randomly. As a result, you actually have to remember to set your clip back to the frame you want Video Gogh to start doing its thing, click Force Rerender (or clear the cache) and then render. Huge pain, and it's something that can very easily fall through the cracks when it comes time to render. The second related problem is that Video Gogh can't be used in a multiple machine render, since each computer would generate its own random number to start the painting process, resulting in a disjointed clip. Add in the fact that it is literally impossible to reproduce the same results twice, and Major Issue No. 3 can come close to being a dealbreaker.
[an error occurred while processing this directive]Clip 4: Animated line drawing with Video Gogh's Chalk style applied.
Conclusion
Let's face it: if you have an immediate or future need to create the kind of painterly effects Video Gogh provides, it's definitely worth checking out. Despite the rough spots, Video Gogh is good at what it does. And, as it doesn't pretend or claim to do anything else, we're letting Video Gogh squeak by with a Buy rating. Why not a Neutral rating? Well, if you can live with the issues, as well as the price, Video Gogh fills a nice little niche. Just be warned that you're probably not making an investment in something you're going to use every day, and you and Video Gogh can enjoy a nice, if infrequent, relationship.
RE:Vision Effects Video Gogh is available for Macintosh and Windows for $89.95. For more information, visit http://www.revisionfx.com.
Kevin Schmitt has been a working with just about every aspect of digital design since before it was called digital design. An award-winning multimedia producer, artist, and animator, he is currently the Digital Design Director for StudioAPCO, a creative shop housed at a communications firm in Washington, D.C. By all means, drop him a line at kschmitt@apcoworldwide.com.
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