For those who don’t know the tool: Vegas Pro (formerly Sony Vegas) is a Windows-first nonlinear editor built for fast timeline cutting, finishing, and delivery, with tight audio tools, broad format support, and a workflow that stays nimble even when projects get messy.

Boris FX announced the acquisition of Vegas Pro, Sound Forge, and Acid Pro from MAGIX Software GmbH. The deal folds a long-running Windows NLE and two established audio tools into the same product family as the company’s existing VFX, motion graphics, audio, and photo toolsets, and it also brings new AI technology into the organization.

The product development teams and engineers behind Vegas Pro, Sound Forge, and Acid Pro will come over with BorisFX, with teams based in Madison, Wisconsin, and Germany. And to get all that rolling, the Vegas Pro 2026 release is the first major update in this new setup, introducing new features across the lineup and signalling that more development and integration work is planned beyond this initial drop.

If you learned to cut on Vegas Pro (Sony Vegas, previously) back when the last millennium was still the current one, you are not alone. I first used Vegas Pro more than a quarter of a century ago, and my knees just filed a bug report about that fact.

Vegas Pro 2026 aims straight at speed, stability, and staying local

Vegas Pro is available in three editions: Vegas Pro, Vegas Pro Plus, and Vegas Pro Ultimate. The 2026 release introduces major new features across the lineup, with an explicit focus on workflow and stability. The core editing workflow adds advanced 2D and 3D titling options, support for NVIDIA Blackwell GPUs, a newly updated AI model, AI-driven transcription and voice generation tools, and support for the ProRes RAW format.

There is also a new integrated title package called the Continuum Title Pack, described as a collection of 2D and 3D motion graphics and titling tools from the Continuum toolset. It includes 70 drag-and-drop presets, and it is designed to let users design, extrude, deform, and animate titles and graphics without leaving Vegas Pro.

On the performance side, the Blackwell GPU support is positioned around accelerating playback, compositing, effects processing, and rendering, and it also calls out smoother handling for 4:2:2 footage by removing the need for software decoding for AVC or HEVC formats on supported systems. On the codec side, Vegas Pro 2026 adds native, Apple-certified ProRes RAW support on Windows, with RAW parameter control inside the application, including colour space, ISO, and white balance.

Depth masks, transcripts, and voiceover, without the cloud detour

The Enhanced Z-Depth Effect is an AI-based depth model trained by the in-house machine learning team, with the goal of more accurate, higher-resolution depth masks and improved foreground and background separation. It is aimed at practical compositing-style use, like placing text behind people or adjusting background treatment quickly.

Speech-to-Text is a fully offline voice-over transcription with no internet connection required, with support for over 100 languages, text-based editing, automatic subtitle creation, and unlimited transcriptions with multiple model options to balance quality and performance. This offline transcription feature is available exclusively with Vegas Pro subscriptions.

Text-to-Speech is also described as offline, creating voiceovers locally on a PC with no internet connection required. It supports 9 languages and 54 voices, allows unlimited voiceover lengths, and includes adjustable speed, pitch, and volume controls. It is also available exclusively with Vegas Pro subscriptions.

Subscriptions also include access to a Storyblocks media library inside Vegas Pro, offering royalty-free stock footage, music, and sound effects directly in the application.

Plus and Ultimate lean into effects and audio

Vegas Pro Plus includes everything in Vegas Pro and adds tracking and masking tools, motion graphics and particle effects, audio editing, and AI-driven audio cleanup. It includes Mocha Vegas planar tracking, described as a way to track surfaces and objects, create masks and roto shapes, stabilise footage, and apply tracked effects using the same planar tracking tech used in other products. It is integrated directly within Vegas Pro Plus. It also includes Particle Illusion Pro, a real-time GPU 2D and 3D particle engine with thousands of presets and customizable emitters, available as a plugin.

Vegas Pro Ultimate includes Vegas Pro Plus and adds two VFX plugin packages, AI-powered audio clean and stem separation, and photo editing and digital artist tools. It includes Mocha Pro and Continuum, plus CrumplePop SoundApp as a standalone audio toolkit, and Optics as a photo editing toolkit available as an Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Lightroom plugin and as a standalone application.

Pricing is clear, and licensing is not “one size fits all”

Vegas Pro and Vegas Pro Plus are available with subscription or perpetual licensing. Vegas Pro Ultimate is available as a subscription plan.

Monthly subscriptions are $17.95 for Vegas Pro, $24.95 for Vegas Pro Plus, and $39.95 for Vegas Pro Ultimate. Annual subscriptions are $99.95, $149.95, and $199.95.

Upgrade and support plans are listed at $143.95 for Vegas Pro and $199.95 for Vegas Pro Plus. Perpetual licenses are $219.95 for Vegas Pro and $299.95 for Vegas Pro Plus.

A practical gotcha lives in plain sight: offline Speech-to-Text and offline Text-to-Speech are subscription-only features in this release, so your licensing choice directly affects your feature set.

The toolbox effect, now with fewer missing pieces

The product family list includes tools for video editing, VFX, motion graphics, audio, and photography plugins powered by AI, and it includes – as you damn well know – products such as Silhouette, SynthEyes, Continuum, Sapphire and Mocha Pro, alongside Vegas Pro and multiple audio tools like CrumplePop and Sound Forge. Currently it is not included in the Suite, just in the family – but we’ll see what happens there.

For my own day-to-day, that combination feels like a pretty complete toolbox, because it covers editorial, tracking, roto and paint, camera solving, and a lot of audio cleanup and finishing in one place, with fewer reasons to go hunting for another wrench mid-project.

Sound Forge

Sound Forge is a dedicated environment for detailed audio work beyond the timeline, positioned for precise editing, mastering, and restoration. It is also a comprehensive tool for audio recording, editing, sound design, and mastering, built around a single audio file workflow.

Features cited include recording up to 32 channels at once, automatic record start, a second-source audio option, restoration tools, quick dialogue editing, applying effects, and WaveColor visualisation, plus fast background operations intended to save time. It is integrating seamlessly with Vegas Pro or working alongside a preferred digital audio workstation.

Acid Pro

Acid Pro is the third new tool in the Boris -Verse, and it is a loop-based music software designed to make it easy to create songs and beats without prior experience, built around a simple workflow and a large collection of royalty-free loops. It includes automatic pitch and tempo matching, live preview, multitrack recording, editing, and mixing.

It also includes hit-point markers for tight video sync and an intuitive timeline arranger. In other words, it sits right where a lot of editors first meet music creation: quick structure, quick iteration, and fast alignment to picture, without pretending every user wants to become a full-time producer overnight. That last part is a personal reaction, not a spec sheet.

Training and upgrades

To celebrate the launch, Vegas Pro users can claim complimentary access to the Vegas Pro Essentials training series, a premium download normally priced at $49.95. The 22-part course includes more than three hours of instruction, with included footage, project files, and high-resolution lesson videos, and it is available until Friday, December 5, 2026.

Customers who own any previous version of Vegas Pro or Sound Forge can upgrade to the latest versions at a single, simplified price until Friday, December 5, 2026, via the webshop.

https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/vegas-pro/
https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/sound-forge/
https://www.vegascreativesoftware.com/acid-pro/
https://borisfx.com/

The post Boris FX welcomes Vegas Pro first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

For those who don’t know the tool: SynthEyes by Boris FX is a dedicated 3D camera tracking and matchmoving software used across film, VFX, and advertising production. It interfaces smoothly with Nuke, After Effects, Fusion and other DCC applications, delivering fast, precise solves for integration of CG into live action. Part of the Boris FX Suite, SynthEyes sits alongside tools such as Mocha Pro, Continuum, Sapphire, and Silhouette, forming a tightly integrated pipeline of visual effects and finishing plugins.

Free matchmove mastery – for a limited time

Boris FX has announced SynthEyes Essentials, a new training series designed to teach both the conceptual foundations and practical workflows of matchmoving in SynthEyes. The package, usually priced at USD 95, is available as a free premium download until 31 December 2025.

The offer includes over three hours of professional instruction, spread across eighteen videos, with accompanying project files and sample footage. The series is taught by Boris FX product specialist Christoph Zapletal, a long-time VFX artist and trainer – and Digital Production’s own Compositing, Flame and Star trek Author.

Topics include matchmove theory, camera solving, AI-assisted workflows, roto masking, lens distortion management, mesh generation, and object tracking. Boris FX positions the series as a comprehensive, concept-driven training rather than a feature-by-feature tutorial. If you want to learn what you are doing, and not just which button to press, this is the course for you.

What do you get?

Across eighteen lessons and twelve blocks, SynthEyes Essentials builds a structured learning path from theory to application. It starts with conceptual understanding, progresses through tracking, solving, calibration, and ends with practical export and integration workflows. Each block is designed to be modular, allowing artists to focus on specific parts of the matchmove process or follow the series sequentially for a full onboarding to SynthEyes.

Foundations and Core Concepts

The course opens with an Introduction and a clear explanation of the Underlying Concepts of matchmoving. These first lessons establish the theoretical foundation of what camera solving actually does, namely mapping 2D image data into a consistent 3D coordinate space. Christoph outlines how SynthEyes interprets motion, focal length, and parallax, giving artists a solid base before they begin working hands-on. This section sets the tone for the entire training: conceptual understanding first, tools second.

Tracking Workflows

Once the principles are clear, the series moves into practical tracking. Lessons on Automated Tracking and Supervised Tracking demonstrate SynthEyes’ two primary approaches to extracting tracking data. Automated tracking covers point generation and solving for shots that can be processed algorithmically. The supervised section focuses on when and how to step in manually: tuning track points, correcting drift, and controlling motion paths when the automated system struggles. Together, these chapters establish a complete understanding of tracking strategies for real production footage.

Solving and Refinement

The next stage is “The Solver Room”, where all the accumulated tracking data is converted into a working 3D solve. The solver section demonstrates how SynthEyes interprets the camera’s path and reconstructs the scene’s geometry. The training then introduces Roto Masking, showing how to isolate moving foreground elements or exclude unwanted regions from the tracking process. This not only improves accuracy but also keeps solves stable in complex or occluded shots.

Lens and Calibration

Zapletal then focuses on optical parameters in three consecutive chapters: Lens Distortion, Lens Calculation, and Lens Calibration. These lessons explain how real-world lenses introduce distortion, how SynthEyes models and compensates for it, and how to calculate or calibrate lenses from footage or reference data. This block is particularly useful for artists working with varying cameras or mixed-format source material, where lens data is inconsistent or missing.

Coordinate Systems and Scene Setup

The two lessons titled Coordinate Systems Part 1 and Part 2 explain how SynthEyes handles scene orientation, scale, and alignment. Understanding coordinate spaces is crucial when exporting solves to downstream 3D applications such as Nuke or Maya. These chapters ensure that solved data lines up correctly with CG scenes and compositing environments, avoiding scale and rotation mismatches in later stages of production.

Mesh Generation

The Mesh Generation Part 1 and 2 chapters explore SynthEyes’ built-in mesh tools. Artists learn how to create proxy geometry that helps verify solves, anchor objects in space, and visualise tracking quality. These lessons demonstrate both automated and manual mesh workflows, preparing users for typical use cases like ground plane setup or background modelling for compositing reference.

Object Tracking

Next, Object Tracking Part 1 and Part 2 move beyond camera solves to show how SynthEyes handles independent object motion. This section is key for shots with multiple moving elements—cars, props, or handheld devices. It explains how to isolate and track objects independently while maintaining a consistent world space between multiple solves.

Export and Integration

The final three chapters deal with transferring the finished solve to other applications. Zapletal demonstrates exporting cameras, point clouds, meshes, and nulls to standard 3D and compositing packages. Topics include export format choices, scaling conventions, and verification of data integrity. The course closes with best practices for integrating SynthEyes results into downstream VFX or editing pipelines.

Availability and next steps

Artists can download SynthEyes Essentials for free via the Boris FX webshop until the end of December 2025. From 1 January 2026, it will be priced at USD 95 for the premium download, though the videos will remain freely viewable on the Boris FX website. As with any training-based workflow adoption, users are advised to validate techniques and settings against their own production data before deploying in critical pipeline stages, but, after we have seen a few of the videos, this one will be useful for pretty much everybody.

The post SynthEyes Essentials Training is here and Free for the Holidays first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.