Automatic Duck

Press Release: For Immediate Release

Media Contact:

Kevin M. Bourke, BourkePR

781.545.7449

bourkepr AT comcast DOT net

AUTOMATIC DUCK SHIPS Pro Import C3, INDUSTRYÕS FIRST TIMELINE INTEGRATION ENGINE SOFTWARE FOR

DISCREET combustion 3

Powerful Timeline Integration Engine Software Instantly Reconstructs Complex, Effects-Laden Avid or Final Cut Pro Timelines in Discreet combustion® 3 Software

SEATTLE, WA (June 28, 2004) – Automatic Duck (www.automaticduck.com), the creators of Timeline Integration Engine software for digital media artists, today announced the immediate availability of Pro Import C3, the industryÕs first timeline integration software that seamlessly and instantly translates highly-designed, effects-laden Avid or Final Cut Pro editing timelines directly into Discreet combustion 3 desktop compositing and motion graphics software.

Pro Import C3 intelligently reconstructs usersÕ Avid or Final Cut Pro timelines, instantly importing all media and clips while accounting for layer placements and digital media effects – all in a single step. Discreet combustion 3 is the digital media design industry’s award-winning solution for creating effects and motion graphics for video, film, DVD and the web.

“Automatic Duck is renown among digital media artists for our profound understanding of content creation and the nuances of complex, digital media workflows,” said Wes Plate, president of Automatic Duck. “We’ve tapped into this expertise to create a powerful timeline integration application for the industry’s most relied-upon effects and motion graphics design system, and a critical component of our customers’ design workflow – combustion 3.”

"Automatic Duck has established a solid reputation among digital media artists as the leading tool for exchanging complex sequences between editing and effects applications," said Maurice Patel, head of product marketing, Discreet. "We are delighted to welcome them as a Discreet sparks developer. Automatic Duck shares Discreet's philosophy of delivering the ultimate user experience through superior tools for the creation of high-quality content. Pro Import C3 will provide a significant enhancement to the workflow our combustion 3 desktop software motion graphics and compositing customers."

Pro Import C3 for Discreet combustion 3 provides digital media artists with a fast and simple process for reconstructing their creations completed in Avid or Final Cut Pro systems. Whether users are creating complex, multilayered creations, or simply treating single shots, Pro Import C3 provides a seamless extension from the NLE timeline directly into combustion 3. With Pro Import C3, all user media is imported and referenced in the workspace, enabling users to slip and trim shots directly in combustion 3 without having to go back into Avid or Final Cut Pro to re-edit and repeat the export process again. This unique approach eliminates disruptions to the creative workflow process, and enables digital media artists to focus on their work and not the workflow.

Pro Import C3 supports many common effects for both Avid systems and Final Cut Pro systems, including:

Avid Systems

• Dissolves
• Superimpose
• Picture-in-picture, with support for nesting inside PIP effects
• 3D Warp
• 3D PIP
• Submaster
• Flops and Flips
• Matte Key
• Speed Changes
• Freeze Frames
• Transfer Modes from Profound Effects Transfer AVX Plug-in

Final Cut Pro Systems

• Dissolves

• Opacity (from motion tab)
• Position (“center” in motion tab)
• Rotation (from motion tab)
• Scale (from motion tab)
• Flops and Flips
• Speed Changes
• Freeze Frames
• Composite Modes

Additional workflow enhancing features include:

• Layer Name Maintenance: As sequences are imported, layers in combustion 3 take the same name as clips from users’ Avid or FCP timeline, eliminating file name confusion;
• Nested Compositions: Collapsed layers and nested effects are turned into nested composites in combustion, eliminating the need to explode nests before exporting;
• Complete Media Support: Pro Import C3 supports Avid ABVB systems, Meridien systems, Xpress DV and Xpress Pro, Final Cut DV, SD and HD.
• OMF® or AAF Support: Pro Import C3 can import both AAF* and OMF files directly from Avid editing systems.

*AAF support is Windows-only in Version 1.0 of Pro Import C3.

Pricing and Availability

Automatic Duck Pro Import C3 is available immediately and is priced at $495.00. For more information on how to order Pro Import C3, please visit www.automaticduck.com.

About Discreet

Discreet empowers media professionals to realize the visual experience and transform their most evocative and ambitious visions into reality. Discreet's award-winning solutions are designed for digital media creation, management and delivery-across all disciplines from film and television visual effects, color grading and editing to animation, game development, web/interactive, and design visualization.  Discreet is based in Montréal, Québec and is a division of Autodesk, Inc, the world's leading design and digital media creation, management, and distribution company.  Product and corporate information: www.discreet.com.

About Automatic Duck

Automatic Duck is the pioneer of Timeline Integration Engine technology and leads the content creation marketplace with powerful solutions for seamless, comprehensive timeline translation capabilities between Avid, After Effects, Boris Red 3GL, combustion, Final Cut Pro and Quantel via OMF and AAF. For more information on Automatic Duck’s unique Timeline Integration Engine technology, please visit www.automaticduck.com.

Discreet is a division of Autodesk, Inc. Discreet and combustion are registered trademarks of Autodesk, Inc. in the USA and/or other countries. OMF and Avid are registered trademarks of Avid Technology, Incorporated.