For those who don’t know the tool: Adobe makes After Effects, a compositing and motion graphics workhorse that also plays with Premiere Pro and Frame.io when shots and notes need to move fast.

The April After Effects drop

After Effects 26.2 lands as an April 2026 update and it keeps the scope tight: one new matte tool, one new workflow search, one new timeline interaction, one more flexible SVG import path, and a practical expansion to the recent 3D push with displacement on parametric meshes.

Object Matte wants fewer roto nights

The headline feature is the Object Matte tool. It targets a familiar pain point: selecting a subject, isolating it, and keeping that isolation stable as the shot moves.

The tool aims for single-click subject selection, then isolation and tracking inside the composition. The promise is speed: select the subject, get a matte, keep moving. In practice, this changes how you might block out a comp. Instead of postponing roto until you can afford the time, you can rough in isolation earlier and start testing blends, grades, and effects while the matte exists.

For supervisors and leads, the bigger value is consistency of first passes. When a team can generate a usable starting matte quickly, you spend less time aligning everyone on what “good enough to start comp” means.

One caveat stays evergreen: automatic mattes can fail in exactly the shots you care about most, like hair, motion blur, transparency, or foreground occlusion. Treat the output as a starting point, not a verdict, and plan time to inspect edges and motion. New tools and innovations should always be tested before use in production.

Quick Apply is the new muscle memory

The update adds a single search field that can find and run things without hunting menus. Quick Apply searches for any effect, animation preset, or menu command, then applies or runs it instantly.

This sounds like a small convenience until you map it onto a real session: you are jumping between effects, toggling panel actions, bouncing through commands, and repeating the same few operations across dozens of shots. A unified search box shifts that from navigation to recall. If you know the name, you get there.

Proportional Scrubbing makes After Effects offsets feel intentional

Timeline fiddling gets a new interaction: Proportional Scrubbing, or dragging a selected property text value to distribute changes across multiple layers proportionally, designed for faster multi-layer adjustments.

That proportional part matters. Traditional scrubbing tends to move everything by the same amount. Proportional changes can create graded offsets and cascades without setting up a dedicated rig first. It is the kind of feature that does not replace expressions, but it can reduce how often you reach for them in the first place.

It also encourages a safer style of iteration. When you can explore offsets quickly, you can try a few motion ideas in seconds, then commit to a more structured setup only if the idea survives review.

SVG import gets to choose between surgery and speed

Vector graphics ingest continues to mature. The update adds the option to import SVG either as footage or as a composition. The official behavior is clear: import as a composition creates editable vector layers, while import as footage rasterizes into a single layer. The point for that workflow sits in Import SVG files as footage or as a composition.

This matters because SVG is not one kind of asset. Sometimes you want to animate individual elements. Sometimes you want a single layer that behaves predictably, renders quickly, and stays out of the way.

If you import as a composition, you get editability. If you import as footage, you trade that for simplicity and fewer layers. Both approaches can be correct in the same project, depending on whether the vector asset is a hero element or just a graphic patch.

If your pipeline uses SVG as a handoff format from design, the choice helps you decide where complexity belongs. You can keep vector structure when animation needs it, or flatten when the comp needs to stay light.

Displacement on parametric meshes pushes the After Effects 3D lane further

The 3D work in recent releases keeps expanding, and 26.2 adds displacement support for 3D materials on parametric meshes. The feature description frames it as using height data to push a mesh into 3D space for texture or detail, with the details covered under Displacement Options.

This builds directly on earlier 3D additions already inside the app, including the ability to create parametric meshes and apply Substance materials. The value in displacement is control. Flat materials can look like stickers on geometry. Displacement can make the geometry respond to height information, turning simple shapes into surfaces with depth.

Sensible rollout advice

Install the update, then run it through your own shot types. Test the Object Matte tool on the footage that usually breaks automation. Test Quick Apply on your most common commands and see whether it replaces any custom shortcuts. Test proportional scrubbing on your typical layer stacks and verify results across precomps and nested workflows.

Most importantly, validate the timelnie and render behavior on real deliverables before you roll it out across a show.

https://helpx.adobe.com/after-effects/using/whats-new.html

The post Adobe After Effects 26.2 adds Object Matte and more first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Neat Video is a GPU-accelerated denoising plug-in for NLEs, compositors and grading systems, including Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion and Baselight. It builds device specific noise profiles and applies spatial and temporal filtering inside the host application.

OFX plug in across Windows, macOS and Linux

Neat Video v6 is available as a plug in for OpenFX hosts on Windows, macOS and Linux. Version 6.1 of the Neat Video v6 plug in for OFX hosts adds support for Baselight 7. This extends compatibility for grading workflows using OpenFX on macOS and Linux in that host.

Expanded support in other hosts

According to the vendor, version 6.1 adds compatibility with the latest versions of several major host applications. These include Premiere Pro 2026 on Windows and macOS and After Effects 2026 on Windows and macOS. On macOS, version 6.1 supports Final Cut Pro 12 and Motion 6 from Apple. The plug-in is compatible with standalone versions purchased from the App Store as well as bundled versions of Final Cut Pro 12 and Motion 6 included in Apple Creator Studio. The vendor states that the Neat Video 6.1 plug in functions identically in both cases, allowing users to switch between those versions if required. Support for Baselight 7 has also been added, as noted above, via the OFX plug in.

Default Noise Profile and Filter Preset controls

A key update in version 6.1 is the introduction of new controls to simplify using a fixed noise profile and filter preset when working with a series of clips with the same noise. The stated aim is to speed up the overall setup process when applying multiple instances of the noise-reduction effect to similar materials.

Users can now set the Default Noise Profile using the current noise profile. This is implemented through a new button with a popup menu in the Device Noise Profile panel and through new commands in the main menu under Profile.

Similarly, users can set the Default Filter Preset using the current filter settings. This is available via a new button with a popup menu in the Filter Settings panel and through new commands in the main menu under Filter. When the filter is applied to additional clips in the same series, new instances automatically load the Default Noise Profile and Default Filter Preset.

The improved representation of the names of the current noise profile and current filter preset makes it clear when defaults are in use. Their names are displayed in the Device Noise Profile and Filter Settings panels.

The Input Data Gain section in Preferences is disabled when the Default Noise Profile is used. The vendor states that this is because the actually applied gain is determined by the Default Noise Profile in that case.

Reset controls and minor fixes

Version 6.1 adds a new Reset button in the Device Noise Profile panel and a corresponding command in the main menu under Profile to reset the current noise profile. A new Reset button with a popup menu has also been added to the Preferences dialog. This allows users to reset settings on the current page, reset settings on all pages, or re enable all optional messages and dialogs that were previously disabled.

Neat Video 6.1 is available as a free update for licensed users of version 6. Users of earlier major versions can upgrade with a discount. Demo editions are available for evaluation. As always, new tools and updates should be tested in a controlled environment before deployment in production.

// https://www.neatvideo.com/blog/post/neat-video-61-host-support-better-workflow
// https://www.neatvideo.com/download/history/ofx-plugin

The post Neat Video 6.1 updates OFX and host support first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Placement in the Pipeline and the Ecosystem: For those who don’t know the tool: Apple Creator Studio is Apple’s new subscription bundle for Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Motion, Compressor and company. It collects the firm’s long-running apps under one roof, apparently to remind users they still exist.

Old tools, new subscription

Apple has announced Apple Creator Studio, a new subscription at 12.99 dollars per month (129 dollars per year) that combines the company’s creative and productivity apps into a single plan. The bundle launches on 28 January 2026 with a one-month free trial and discounted student pricing.

The offer includes Final Cut Pro, Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, and MainStage, along with premium templates for Pages, Keynote, and Numbers. Freeform will join later this year. Family Sharing allows up to six users. For those who prefer traditional ownership, Apple confirmed that all pro apps will remain available as one-time Mac App Store purchases, a wise reassurance given that some of these apps see updates about as often as Halley’s Comet.

AI headlines, unclear substance

The bundle carries the usual 2026-era headline, F***** AI everywhere. But Apple’s newsroom announcement remains vague on technical details, and none of the tools appear to have been rebuilt or meaningfully modernised.

Final Cut Pro adds Beat Detection, which uses an AI model from Logic Pro to mark beats on a timeline. Editors can align cuts to music, though this feature has been available in competing NLEs for years. Montage Maker auto-edits footage based on the best visual moments, and Auto Crop reformats clips for vertical output. A Transcript Search and a Visual Search are supposed to help locate shots, though Apple did not explain how the algorithms evaluate content.

Logic Pro, MainStage, and Pixelmator Pro each receive AI-branded updates too, with Apple promising enhanced creative tools. No performance data, model types, or reproducible benchmarks have been published.

Motion and Compressor are included in the bundle as if they had recently evolved, but even the most charitable user would struggle to find significant updates from this decade. Their interfaces and functions remain nearly identical to releases from the late 2010s.

Pixelmator and productivity perks

The more active development clearly comes from Pixelmator Pro, which finally arrives on iPad with Apple Pencil support. It gains a Warp tool and cross-platform compatibility. Apple also introduces a Content Hub offering stock-style assets across its apps. Subscribers to Pages, Keynote, and Numbers gain access to premium templates and beta tools such as Magic Fill for spreadsheet completion and a text generator for presentation outlines. Apple calls these AI-powered, though again, details are thin.

The audience question

Creator Studio’s real target appears to be users deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem, those who already own Apple hardware, sync files through iCloud, and occasionally edit or compose but do not rely on frequent software updates. For professional postproduction environments, the package’s low entry cost may seem attractive, yet its long-term reliability is uncertain. Update history for Motion and Compressor suggests Apple’s creative maintenance cycle is, at best, intermittent.

Services first, creatives second

Apple’s newsroom release ties Creator Studio to record-breaking 2025 services revenue. The company’s real strategy seems less about improving the apps and more about turning previously static tools into a recurring-revenue stream. The 13-dollar monthly price places it below Adobe Creative Cloud, though it is limited strictly to macOS and iPadOS devices. Some features require Apple Intelligence-capable hardware, further narrowing the audience. Apple has not disclosed regional rollout details or whether the AI models run on-device or in the cloud.

Verdict for production

Creator Studio simplifies access for hobbyists and educators who want Apple’s tools for occasional use. Working editors, compers, videeogrpahers and musicians expecting frequent feature releases or pipeline stability will likely stay with established platforms. As always, professionals should test any new Apple suite in a controlled environment before integrating it into live projects.

We’ll see when it is released, and how the update cycle will develop.

The post Apple Bundles Its Ageing Pro Apps in Subscription first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Such devices have existed as gyrocompasses for navigation since the beginning of the century and even Einstein was involved in their further development (although the earliest approaches date back to 1743).

Enough history, our current devices for determining rotations and accelerations are tiny marvels of nanotechnology without actual gyroscopes. Instead, they are IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units), which are based on silicon surface micromechanics and can now be mass-produced at very low cost. This is why they can be found in almost every mobile phone, the remote controls of games consoles, TVs, and also in drones, gimbals and numerous cameras (sadly, also in cruise missiles or intercontinental ones). We’ll stick with the term ‘gyro’ here, as this is the term most camera manufacturers use.

The hardware

Image stabilisation in the camera or lens is already dependent on IMU chips. For some time now, many cameras have also been able to indicate in two axes whether they are being held horizontally – just like the artificial horizon in an aeroplane. However, it is only recently that some manufacturers have been recording the information from the IMU together with the video, e.g. Sony in the current high-end devices and, since firmware version 7.9, Blackmagic in the Pocket models. This means that this data is generally available for use in post-production, whereas previously, an action cam, a mobile phone or a separate measurement sensor had to be mounted on a camera frame.

Why the effort?

What are the advantages? The stabilisation in the camera is often designed for sharp hand-held photos with longer exposure times. Moving shots are much more difficult to stabilise because the control software cannot always distinguish between desired and undesired movements. It is also unable to work in advance to optimise image stabilisation over the duration of the exposure.

Conventional post-production stabilisation software, on the other hand, works on the basis of pure image analysis. It is therefore also not always able to distinguish between desired and undesired movement and can easily be confused by moving objects in the foreground. This also applies to short-term disturbances such as flares in backlighting and, last but not least, rolling shutter (RS) effects, which cannot always be distinguished from movements in the image. With sources prone to RS, such as hybrid cameras or smartphones, this leads to the infamous ‘jelly’ effects, which are even more noticeable after stabilisation. The problem is explained well here in a video from Stanford University.

Sony Catalyst

Even the free version of this software called Catalyst Browse can use the gyro sensor data from cameras such as the A7S III (DP 21:05) or the A7 IV (DP 22:05) (according to Sony also the A1, A7C, A7R IV and
A9 II). At first glance, it only seemed to work with Sony lenses, but with third-party lenses it depends on the manufacturer and possibly the adapter used. The beautiful Sigma lenses from the “Art” series work with E-mount or the MC-11 adapter, according to users on the net it should also work with branded adapters and Canon lenses (not tested by us).

Unfortunately, no data is recorded with manual lenses, such as vintage glass from Zeiss, at 100 or 120 fps in any case. The gyro sensor data was also recorded if the internal stabiliser was already running during recording. If the stabiliser is set to “Standard”, i.e. it only works with mechanical tracking of the sensor, it has quite an effect, especially with small shaking movements in static hand-held shots.

With the new “Active” setting in the A7 IV, which also works with slight cropping via firmware, slow, controlled movements were also calmed down well. Overall, however, we would recommend switching off the internal stabilisation if you want to work with the software. The internal functions are not so good at dealing with intentional camera movements and are of little help against the rolling shutter – walks with the camera look much better in Catalyst.

Of course, Catalyst Browse cannot compete with DaVinci Resolve (DR for short), but it offers quite good options for initial colour correction including waveform display. Alternatively, you can also leave log recordings in their original form, as stabilisation with gyro sensor data – unlike image-based stabilisation – is not dependent on good contrasts. Fortunately, even the free version supports high-quality output formats such as H.264 in 10 bit and 4:2:2 with a high data rate (up to XAVC Intra).

Quality fanatics with enough storage space could also output in DPX, but this is basically nonsense, as the cameras only output GOP codecs with gyro sensor data. The analysis is very fast, the rendering rather slow. On the Mac, it is somewhat disappointing that ProRes is offered up to 422 HQ, but only in HD or with a maximum of 2K. Quite incomprehensible, as the other formats allow up to 4K. The stabilisation reduces the resolution in any case, depending on the crop adjustment, but not by half. Nevertheless, the free version already offers external monitoring via Blackmagic interfaces, ensuring precise image control during colour correction. It also shows all the metadata of the clips, and you will find much more than DR is prepared to read at Sony. However, batch rendering is only possible here with identical settings for the sources.

The full version of Catalyst Prepare offers ProRes HQ in 4K, but still no ProRes 4444. There is also the export of DNxHD and audio in WAV or MP3 (yuk). The functions for organising your media are considerably more extensive and copies can be created with checksums. It even offers a rough cut via storyboard and export as EDL. With a monthly subscription for €13.95, this version doesn’t cost the world if you just need it for a project. A detailed overview of the Catalyst versions can be found here.

Blackmagic

With firmware 7.9.1 (the x.x.1 update contains important bug fixes), the Pocket models from Blackmagic finally offer the recording of gyro sensor data – the hardware was already available from the start. Unlike Sony, the data is recorded regardless of the type of lens. However, for lenses with their own stabilisation, this must be switched off, otherwise the function will be suppressed. In the “Setup” menu of the Pocket 4K there is also a switch for “Lens Stabilisation”, which must also be deactivated. With electronically coupled lenses, the transfer of the focal length works automatically; with manual lenses, you have to enter this in the “Slate” when shooting. Unfortunately, subsequent entry in the DR metadata list does not work – an annoying trap, as manual lenses seemed unsuitable during our first attempts.

Fortunately, this is not true, because if we had already entered the correct focal length for the shot, the results for manual lenses were just as good as for electronically coupled lenses. Sony could certainly do the same, but they want to sell their own lenses. Blackmagic, on the other hand, has its own cameras and (at least so far) does not use gyro sensor data from cameras like Sony or GoPro. Although the gyro sensor data is continuously recorded, DR has so far only used the focal length of the first frame. A zoom during the recording therefore still leads to unsatisfactory results.

The analysis in DR 18.0.1 when set to “Camera Gyro” takes the same time as with “Perspective”, but the results are much better. This is especially true for RS, where side effects are particularly noticeable in the image-based methods after stabilisation. This ‘jelly’ effect is largely eliminated with Sony and Blackmagic using a gyro sensor – after all, the manufacturers know their own sensors and their readout speed. All that remains is a slight flickering of high-contrast, horizontal structures with vertical vibrations, which is visually almost reminiscent of poor de-interlacing. It is difficult to tell whether this is due to briefly increased motion blur caused by fast, hard impacts or to residual compression or stretching caused by RS. Adobe’s After Effects offers a function called “Camera Shake Deblur”, but this hardly brought about any improvement in our test clips.

You should definitely practise the strenuous, dancing gait with the camera, where you don’t straighten your knees and don’t put your heels down. The results will be much better if you work with shorter aperture angles than 180 degrees. Unfortunately, this can disrupt the cinematic illusion of fast movements, so you may have to add artificial motion blur in post after stabilisation. This is especially true for spatial resolutions above HD if the temporal resolution is only 24 to 30 fps. In contrast to the image analysis, only the “Strength” factor is offered for the gyro sensor, without “Cropping Ratio” or “Smooth”, so that you have somewhat less control over the stabilisation, similar to Catalyst Browse. Cropping is stronger at the highest value for Strength than with optical analysis, but so is image stabilisation.

The new Pocket 6K

At this point, we would like to take a brief look at the new Pocket 6K model. In terms of price and functionality, it lies between the first generation (see DP 01/20) and the 6K Pro (see DP 01/22). It has the sensor in common with the latter and is identical in almost all other respects. It only lacks the internal ND filters and the brighter screen. So if you don’t fully trust the internal mechanics and prefer to use your own filters and like to work with a viewfinder in bright light, this model is a good choice. Including the OLED viewfinder, it costs no more than the 6K Pro without it. Both 6K models are ideally suited for image stabilisation, as there is still enough resolution for 4K or UHD even after the necessary cropping.

The new firmware

There have been a few more changes with firmware 7.9. In particular, the edge enhancement for the focus area, which was previously criticised by many users as inadequate, can now be set very flexibly, including the choice of colour and continuous control of the contour display. The autofocus has become considerably faster and more accurate with the appropriate lenses, even if Blackmagic cannot compete with Sony or Canon in this area. It is not without reason that the cameras have “Cinema” in their name and are aimed more at scenic work, where human focus assistance is usually used. Nevertheless, there is already an app for this: “Focus Puller” by Robert Meakin enables remote control via Bluetooth and even continuous AF on iPhones with LIDAR (albeit without object recognition).

Recording to SSD via USB-C is said to have become more reliable with 7.9.1 and you can now change the recording medium directly in the GUI. Control via ATEM mixer supports the use of the Pockets as a studio camera. However, in addition to all the improvements, there is also one point of criticism: the previously grey recording button has now been coloured red and only has a red ring when recording is in progress. This is not as obvious as the previous display, even if the running timecode is displayed in red. At this point, many people would like to see the previous appearance again.

Gyroflow

A free alternative is this donationware for all three platforms, which was recently further developed to version 1.2.0. It supports the widest range of cameras and also allows the use of additional sources for the stabilisation of cameras without gyro sensor data. These sources include iPhones with the GFRecorder or Androids with Sensor Logger, as well as GoPro from Hero 5 and other action cameras and even separate IMUs. Of course, such sources must be synchronised with the desired video. The software offers full support for this, in addition to a generally well-functioning auto sync, there are differentiated intervention options.

Not only can you load recordings from the above-mentioned Sony cameras directly, but with the new version you can also load recordings from cameras from Blackmagic or Red. However, ProRes from the pocket cameras does not contain any gyro sensor data. It should therefore be BRAW, in which case the programme uses the motion data it contains. The SDK from Blackmagic must be installed beforehand, but Gyroflow automatically points this out with the first BRAW clip and installs it on request. If at least the camera and lens are still available when metadata on the focal length is missing, Gyroflow can even solve this problem.

For perfect results, you still need a lens profile. This can be created directly in Gyroflow using the test chart and analysis programme. The software then asks whether you would like to share it with the community
Community – which is of course only fair, as is a donation to this excellent project. You can already find ready-made profiles for many combinations on the net using the search command. You will also need the exact value for the rolling shutter. The readout times for numerous cameras can be found at CineD, for example; if necessary, you can also visually adjust the value on a particularly conspicuous individual image.

The adaptive zoom can be controlled by other parameters, so that Gyroflow offers the most comprehensive adjustments for optimum results. Of course, this takes time, but the programme can deliver results comparable to those of commercial applications even with the standard values.

Gyroflow also leaves nothing to be desired when it comes to output; the stabilised material can be exported in very high-quality formats, but can also be compressed directly with x264 or x265 in good quality. Alternatively, you can output the stabilisation information generated in the program. With an OpenFX plug-in, this information is available directly in DR and other NLEs; all you have to do is enter the full path of the *.gyroflow file.

This means that all sources that the relevant video programme can process can be used without conversion. As BM has the above-mentioned SDK for BRAW with support for gyro sensor data, there is nothing to prevent third-party manufacturers from integrating further options. Conversely, it would be great if BM could use the data from Sony cameras, as the stabilisation in DR is at least as good as in Catalyst.

Comment

All three options deliver better results with unsteady shots than stabilisation by analysing the image content via software, especially with regard to rolling shutter artefacts. This puts Blackmagic’s pocket cameras largely on a par with the hybrid cameras from Sony or Canon in this area, albeit only after processing in post. The performance of Gyroflow is particularly impressive and does not have to hide behind the commercial solutions.

It would be desirable for DaVinci Resolve to be able to use a subsequently entered focal length, or even the recorded focal length per individual image for electronically coupled lenses. This would make it possible to realise the famous ‘Vertigo’ effect with counter-rotating zoom from the hand. Further utilisation of the gyro sensor data is conceivable in conjunction with the photogrammetric determination of 3D camera paths for VFX – there is still a lot of potential for development.

The post “Gyroscopes” for image stabilisation in post-production first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Uli Plank.