For those who don’t know the tool: Autograph is a motion graphics, VFX, and compositing app that mixes 2D and 3D, supports OpenFX, and fits alongside Maxon Cinema 4D, Red Giant, and Universe workflows.

The free license that actually means free

Maxon now offers Autograph team licenses completely free for commercial use, starting May 7, 2026. Teams of any size can use it at no cost, and the same free commercial stance also applies to individual use. Studios, agencies, brands, educators, and in-house teams can use the team licenses. The terms describe no output limitations, no time restrictions, and no conditions for using Autograph in commercial work.

The free team setup also keeps the command-line functionality and Python support included. Team usage also does not get limited to, or counted as, the seat count in the team license agreement, because users can run Autograph beyond the seat limit under individual accounts. So, one VFX-Artist can EASILY fill the pipeline for dozens or hundreds of compers. As it always has been ;)

Standards, plugins, and the “please do not break our colour pipeline” list

Autograph supports USD, OpenEXR, ACES, OpenColorIO, and OpenFX. If your pipeline already speaks those dialects, you can keep your existing expectations about interchange, image containers, and colour management, then see how Autograph behaves under real shots. On the effects side, Autograph integrates with Universe and select Red Giant tools. The Red Giant tools include Magic Bullet Looks, Cosmo II, Mojo II, Optical Flow, Real Lens Flare, Renoiser, Shine, and Starglow.

Autograph also launches with support for third-party OpenFX plugins from RE:Vision Effects, BorisFX, and Digital Anarchy, with those plugins available through their own marketplaces. If your facility already lives on OFX, that matters a lot more then anyone likes to admit.

Training and onboarding, with fewer excuses

Autograph users get full access to the excellent Cineversity Training library, including an Introduction to Maxon Autograph multi-part series led by Chad Perkins. That should help teams onboard faster, or at least fail faster, which also counts as progress. On the distribution side, Autograph team licensing became available beginning May 7 at the Autograph page on maxon.net.

Small print energy, big pipeline implications

Maxon Autograph 2026 is here

Autograph is a unified environment combining 2D animation, compositing, and 3D capabilities, aimed at motion designers, 2D and 3D artists, compositors, and content creators. The whole thing leans on speed, an intuitive workflow, and a quick learning curve, unlike your current wokrflow of hoarding After Effects presets and hoping nobody opens the comp.

As always, test new tools and new licensing models before you bet a delivery date on them, even when the price tag reads zero.

Where this lands in the DP universe

If you have been following the Autograph saga , free commercial team use removes the usual tax where you spend weeks proving a tool works, then spend months arguing about who pays for it.

The new kid on the block!

It also makes Autograph a much easier sidecar in a compositing pipeline, because adoption friction drops. You can pilot it on a real project, with real plates, and real colour management, without waiting for a purchasing window.

If your artists already lean on Red Giant style effects, the built-in integration path matters, but the licensing for those tools still remains separate. And if the rollout goes through the Maxon App, expect the usual studio questions about installs, updates, and permissions.

Pricing

Autograph team licenses are free for commercial use.

https://www.maxon.net/de/article/maxon-makes-autograph-free-for-teams?srsltid=AfmBOoonp5vfGFNA–bYMgL5ol-M1Jx5GN4ljh323-5jIVkxiGayKhpJ
https://www.maxon.net/autograph

The post Autograph, now free for teams first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Maxon has shipped Red Giant 2026.0 and Universe 2026.0. The update lands as part of Maxon’s September bundle of yearly releases. On paper: “powerful new features.” In practice: bug fixes, workflow tweaks, and more Capsules to click on. The plugins work the same way they did last week, just slightly less likely to break.

Capsules: Even more presets

Maxon pushes “Effects Capsules” as the headline feature. A Capsule is essentially a prebuilt preset, but calling them “Capsules” makes them sound less like presets you forgot you already had.

Capsules save clicks: drag them in, adjust a few sliders, done. They are useful for standardised looks in production environments, though no new technology hides underneath. If you like your plugins dressed up with names from pharmacy shelves, Capsules are your friend.

Resolve finally gets interactive overlays

For DaVinci Resolve and Fusion users, Red Giant now supports on-screen position controls. This means you can grab handles directly in the viewer instead of typing numbers into fields. Adobe hosts already had this, so really, Resolve just caught up. For anyone switching between Adobe and Blackmagic pipelines, this removes a small but persistent irritation.

Magic Bullet Looks

Magic Bullet Looks is the backbone of Red Giant’s colour suite, and its main update is stability. The release notes list fewer crashes, smoother playback, and improved handling of multiple Looks across clips. Colourists can continue grading without watching Resolve sulk mid-render. No new Looks or features arrived, but reliability is the bigger win here.

Universe 2026.0

Universe updates to version 2026.0. The “news”: smoother UI, cleaner interaction, some performance improvements. The Generators list, Grids, Line, Knoll Light Factory EZ, Text, has not changed. No fresh filters, no surprise tools. If you liked Universe before, you still do. If you were waiting for something new, keep waiting.

Trapcode Particular

Trapcode Particular and its siblings in the Trapcode Suite receive bug fixes only. The notes highlight fewer crashes in After Effects when caching large simulations. No new emitters, no GPU breakthroughs. The particle engine remains the same, just with fewer opportunities to take After Effects down with it.

VFX Suite: quiet housekeeping

VFX Suite tools like Supercomp and King Pin Tracker also get stability fixes. Supercomp behaves more reliably in After Effects renders, and King Pin Tracker hands over its data without mangling keyframes. If you wanted a new tool for compositing, this isn’t the release. If you wanted Supercomp to stop misbehaving, this is it.

Subscription only

Red Giant is only available via subscription, either standalone or as part of Maxon One. Prices remain unchanged. The perpetual licence, like VHS tapes, is not coming back.

Practical advice

Red Giant 2026.0 is a maintenance release with Capsules and a polish for Universe. Install it if you want fewer crashes and smoother overlays. Skip it if you hoped for new effects.

As always: test before dropping updates into live production. Marketing might say “next-gen,” but the safest workflow is “nothing breaks mid-delivery.”

The post Maxon drops Red Giant 2026.0 first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

We had the pleasure of talking to Simon Hall from Blackmagic Design about Fusion, AI and the community. Simon Hall knows post-production from both sides of the suite. Before stepping into his current role in business development at Blackmagic Design—where he focuses on post-production and supports the Resolve ecosystem across EMEA—he spent over a decade getting his hands dirty in the edit bay.

Starting as an offline editor and later working as a Smoke operator in a northern UK studio, Simon eventually moved to London to take up a training role—merging his technical know-how with a knack for sharing knowledge. His past as a freelance editor kept him close to the tools, even as his focus shifted to product strategy. Over the past ten years, he’s been a key figure in shaping DaVinci Resolve’s growth from a specialist grading tool to a full-fledged post-production platform with a massive user base.

DP: Fusion 20 marks a huge step forward, and the community has been very enthusiastic. What was the motivation behind this release, and what can users look forward to in future updates?

Simon Hall: We are a company that really does value user feedback. What the devs always want to do is to take user ideas and integrate into the software. As you can imagine, those lists tend to be very long. SO we have to pick and choose what we do. Our motivation as a company is to give people the features and workflows they want. We will continue to try to get the best out of our software. Because we like making people happy at the end of the day.

DP: The Integration in Resolve was a great idea – as it was to keep the Standalone Edition alive which is favoured by many professionals for performance reasons. Can we expect full feature parity (i.e. all Resolve OFX plugins available in the standalone Fusion)?

Simon Hall: Some of the open effects are obviously designed for colour. So that’s why you may not find them in fusion studio. But the devs try and get parity as much as they can. Over time, what will happen is hopefully we’ll start to get parity between the two applications. The open effects that are available in resolve are then also available in fusion.

DP: When you’re developing both editions, is there an ideal use case in your mind for when users should use each version?

Simon Hall: If you’re doing things like shot clean-ups, you’re doing some matte painting, you’re doing some tracking, my recommended workflow is to use fusion in resolve.
I always tend to steer people towards fusion studio when you’re doing sort of heavy VFX work – You’ve got a couple of hundred nodes, you’ve got 3d models, you’ve got particle generators. As soon as you start to do something that becomes quite complex, you’re going to get performance enhancements in fusion studio. The one thing that fusion studio can do that resolve can’t, is to use network rendering.

DP: Both Resolve and Fusion include very useful ML tools like the Magic Mask. What’s next on your roadmap for neural-network features? Any change to see an integration with tools like ComfyUI? What is Blackmagic Design’s long-term vision for applying machine learning across the industry?

I could talk about what we’re thinking, but the truth is-we don’t really know. There’s no set roadmap. That’s just kind of how things work at Blackmagic. We don’t always know what’s coming. Our approach to AI is focused on speeding up workflows-not replacing the person in the chair. That’s the goal behind all the AI we’ve built so far. Also at the moment all of our AI processing happens locally-on your system.

We don’t send your files anywhere to train the AI.

There is one exception, and that’s the scene extension feature. It’s not in the public beta yet, partly because it uses Blackmagic Cloud. Since the system needs to understand the image, it does have to send it up to the cloud for processing. We’re still figuring out how that will work, especially in terms of using it with a cloud account, which may involve some cost. Our AI is meant to help-not take over. So when it comes to the kind of AI that generates full scenes or content, like the comfy UI stuff, I could be wrong, but I don’t see us going in that direction.

DP: The community loves that Blackmagic hasn’t adopted a subscription model—but new features still cost money to develop. Are there any plans to introduce an upgrade-pricing scheme in future releases?

Simon Hall: Potentially in the future, we might charge for upgrades. A lot of this software development takes time, money, and people-we’ve got a growing team of developers. But I don’t think this is going to turn into a subscription. Grant himself really doesn’t like the idea of locking people out of their own work; he thinks it’s unfair. Long-term, yeah, we want to make things sustainable, but nothing’s been decided yet.

It kind of became a hot topic at NAB because Grant mentioned it in his video. What surprised us was how many people actually supported it-people who really want Resolve and Fusion to keep developing and improving. And if that means maybe paying, say, a $50 update once a year, or per version, a lot of folks were like, “Yeah, you know what? I’d be fine with that.” Especially considering we’ve never really charged for updates before.

DP: You surely know the Fusion Forum WSL/Steak underwater. Do you incorporate feedback from the user community into your ongoing development?
Simon Hall: Yes, absolutely. And yeah, great name-“We Suck Less.” The Fusion community there is full of really smart people writing macros, scripts, all sorts of things. A lot of our product specialists are on that forum. I don’t know if you know Steve Roberts-he was one of the original guys behind Eyeon. When we acquired Fusion from Eyeon, Steve came over with it, since it was basically his baby. He’s still a member of the forum and still checks in. We all do, really. I’ve even picked up scripts from there.

There’s one I use all the time-it animates to the beat of music by analysing the audio. I use it constantly, though I’ve forgotten what it’s called. So yeah, we’re definitely across that forum. And when people post feedback or feature requests there, the developers do take a look-just like we do across other forums-to see what the community is talking about and what they’re asking for.

DP: Is there one feature you’d most like to add or change for yourself?
Simon Hall: Yeah, one thing I’d really like to see in Fusion 20 is a bit more “smart assistance” when building node trees-especially in 3D scenes. Sometimes I’ll go to connect something, like a camera, and it just doesn’t work. Then I realize I’ve missed a node-maybe I forgot to add a 3D plane or something in between.

What I’d love is if Fusion could recognize that kind of situation. Like, if I try to connect two nodes, and it doesn’t work, the system could say, “You’re probably trying to do this,” and automatically drop in the missing node-like a 3D merge or a plane-so the connection makes sense.

Basically, a bit of smart logic that fills in the gaps when I miss something. That would really help, especially when working quickly. So yeah, that would be my feature request-something like a smart assistant that helps you build the flow correctly when it sees what you’re trying to do.

DP: Do you have a favourite movie (or specific shot) that was created using Fusion?

Simon Hall: Oh, there are quite a few-especially if we’re talking old-school Fusion. One of my favourite shots was in the film Swordfish. It’s about hacking, with a young Hugh Jackman and John Travolta. The opening shot, where someone’s left a claymore mine and the camera moves through the explosion in what looks like a frozen moment-that whole sequence was done in Fusion. That was back in the Eyeon Fusion days, and I always thought it was a fascinating use of the tool.

In more recent films, there are a few standouts. The Martian used Fusion heavily, and Top Gun: Maverick-which has been one of my favourite films in the last few years-used it for a lot of shot cleanups. The grading on that was done in Resolve. There’s also a TV show called Bosch on Amazon Prime. It’s been one of my favourite series for a while. Fusion was used extensively on that as well-for scene extensions, keying, and shot clean-up. So yeah, those are some of the highlights for me.

DP: Thanks for your time, Simon :)

The post The (further) development of Fusion. first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Manuel Kotulla.

In a move that’s sure to delight post-production professionals and surprise exactly nobody, RED Digital Cinema has announced that the latest beta version of REDCINE-X Pro now supports Nikon’s N-RAW format. This development is particularly significant for users of Nikon’s flagship mirrorless cameras, the Z9 and Z8, which utilize the N-RAW codec for high-quality video capture.

Streamlined Workflow for Nikon Users

With this update, editors and colorists can now import N-RAW footage directly into REDCINE-X Pro, allowing for a more streamlined and efficient workflow. The integration facilitates seamless color grading, editing, and mastering within a single platform, reducing the need for multiple software applications and minimizing potential compatibility issues.

Availability and Pricing

The REDCINE-X Pro Beta with N-RAW support is available for download on RED Digital Cinema’s official website. As this is a beta release, users are encouraged to test the new features thoroughly before integrating them into critical projects. For the latest information on pricing and system requirements, please visit the REDCINE-X Pro download page.

The post REDCINE-X Beta Embraces Nikon N-RAW first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

WRetargetTool offers Maya users a flexible, no-cost solution for animation retargeting, particularly for character animation and mocap (motion capture) work. Compatible with Maya 2019+ and designed to optimize workflows for character-based animation, this open-source tool allows users to easily transfer motion between 3D models, accommodating various rig structures with little fuss.

Developed with practicality in mind by Walter Delgado, WRetargetTool aims to remove some of the complexity that can often bog down retargeting workflows. Rather than relying on Maya’s built-in retargeting setups, which are known for their steep learning curve and limited flexibility, WRetargetTool provides an intuitive alternative. The tool’s user-friendly approach to retargeting makes it a promising addition for animators who need fast and reliable motion transfer without extensive setup.

Adaptive Retargeting for Diverse Rigs

WRetargetTool addresses a common challenge in character animation: transferring motion between rigs with different skeletal structures. Whether working with custom rigs or mocap-ready skeletons, animators can use WRetargetTool to streamline retargeting without dealing with incompatible rig setups. For animators used to the limitations of native Maya solutions, this flexibility might feel like a breath of fresh air.

Direct UI Integration with Maya

The tool integrates seamlessly into the Maya interface, allowing users to work within their established workflows. The process is simple: import the source and target models, apply WRetargetTool’s functionality, and execute the transfer with minimal manual adjustments. This design supports real-time testing, so artists can assess the results immediately and make refinements on the go.

While many animation retargeting tools cast a wide net, WRetargetTool zeroes in on character animation and mocap, two areas where retargeting typically comes with extra complications. By honing in on these functions, the tool minimizes superfluous features that often add unnecessary weight to retargeting software, keeping it lightweight and efficient for production. However, like any newly developed software, WRetargetTool should undergo rigorous testing within a controlled environment before being adopted into active production workflows. While promising, it’s worth noting that open-source tools sometimes require extra customization

Price

The tool is entirely free – but you can “pay as much as you want” and might want to do so, if it is helpful! Download links and setup instructions are available on the official GitHub repository here.

The post WRetargetTool: Free Animation Retargeting Tool for Maya first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

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Blackmagic Design’s latest DaVinci Resolve 19.1 release packs a punch for VFX artists, editors, and colorists, offering enhanced multicam editing, updated audio controls, and new visual effects tools. Professionals working in post-production, from VFX-heavy compositing to game cutscenes, can expect more precision and flexibility in workflows that demand control and efficiency. Here’s a rundown of the new features.

Fusion Gains New Effects and USD Export

The Fusion page benefits from several visual updates, including new effects generators. Users can now swiftly create background effects like stage curtains, star fields, and gradient or radial lines. These additions allow VFX artists to set scenes or transitions without building custom assets from scratch.

Fusion’s title templates have also expanded, offering options like glass, rainbow, and gradient outlines for varied title aesthetics. Professionals handling interlaced footage will notice Fusion now honors upper and lower field dominance settings, preserving interlace integrity throughout the VFX pipeline. Perhaps most notable, though, is Fusion’s new USD export functionality. Compositions can now be exported as USD (Universal Scene Description) assets, capturing all geometry, lighting, and cameras within a scene. This feature caters to studios integrating USD pipelines, particularly relevant for teams utilizing hybrid production workflows or advanced 3D compositing.

New Color Grading Tools

Color grading in Resolve 19.1 now includes a feature to copy the active node stack layer from one timeline clip to others—allowing colorists to streamline grading across multiple clips. DaVinci Resolve Mini Panel users also gain an easier way to edit custom curve control points, thanks to a new setting directly on the panel. The enhanced node management aims to speed up grading adjustments for shots requiring similar looks.

Improved Audio Controls in Editing and Fairlight

In the edit page, Resolve 19.1 introduces a dedicated trim slider within the audio inspector. Now, editors can balance individual audio channels directly from source clips, making multichannel audio management simpler and quicker. This slider allows independent or collective channel adjustments—a welcome addition for those balancing complex sound environments. New menu actions also facilitate swift selection of the nearest in, out, or roll edit points, streamlining common edit functions. Additionally, audio ducking has been expanded, allowing selection of multiple tracks to serve as ducking triggers for nuanced audio layering.

Fairlight users will appreciate improved control over track management. Audio tracks can now be duplicated or disabled via the track header’s context menu. Duplicated tracks mirror all media, settings, and automation of the original, giving audio engineers more flexibility in sound experimentation. Track and bus reordering is now easier, thanks to drag-and-drop functionality in the mixer. Visual waveform overlays now appear for both active and adjacent clips during trimming, enhancing precision when cutting or adjusting audio transitions.

DaVinci Resolve Studio’s Advanced Features

Resolve Studio 19.1 brings a suite of professional-grade updates, including object mask caching improvements. When editing clips with the object mask node applied, edits made earlier in the clip’s chain are now retained, ensuring consistency. Studio users also gain support for spatial photos and videos, allowing editing, color grading, and effects to be applied for viewing on devices like the Apple Vision Pro. This expansion into spatial media caters to the growing demand for immersive content in post-production.

The update also addresses job management in the render queue, allowing users to reorder jobs via drag-and-drop. Priorities shift often in post-production, and this new feature reflects real-world workflow needs. Another addition is the support for encoding in 10-bit H.265 Main10 format on Windows, yielding higher-quality renders for final delivery. File synchronization has also been streamlined; users can now sync bins from file folders automatically, a small but meaningful feature for maintaining organized projects.

Fact Check for Production Use

As with any new release, production artists should evaluate DaVinci Resolve 19.1’s features for compatibility and stability within their pipelines. The DaVinci Resolve 19.1 update is available as a free download here.

The post DaVinci Resolve 19.1 Enhances Multicam, Audio, and VFX Workflow first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Pepe Buendia Rubio, a 3D Artist, shared an early glimpse of these tools on LinkedIn. The detailed post breaks down some of the key features and includes real-world use cases. For a more visual example, check out the ArtStation posts by Agus Gonzalez Lanzi, a VFX professional who is testing the new toolset. His work demonstrates the software’s ability to handle complex simulations with ease (Artstation Profile, Demo).

This update, still in its early development phase, promises to give artists more precise control, particularly when working on complex VFX scenes.

At the core of the update is the ability to create and manipulate curves to generate highly realistic cloth behavior in CGI. The toolset offers enhanced dynamics that streamline the process of cloth animation, enabling users to create more realistic folds, drapes, and cloth deformations with minimal effort. This should appeal to anyone tired of wrestling with complicated workflows that slow down post-production.

For those diving into VFX production, the new tools support smoother integration into existing pipelines, thanks to their compatibility with Houdini’s procedural systems. Whether you’re animating an action scene for film or generating assets for a game, these new cloth dynamics tools promise flexibility without sacrificing stability.

The post New Cloth Creation Toolset for Houdini: A First Look first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Pixell’s software specializes in boosting video quality while keeping artifacts in check, a common issue when working with lower-res footage. Unlike many tools that compromise on quality, Pixell employs advanced neural networks to upscale footage, making it ideal for studios that frequently work with a mix of 2K, 4K, and even 8K projects.

The software leverages machine learning to adapt to different footage characteristics – especially VFX shots – ensuring that the upscaled images look clean and stable without introducing unwanted noise or blur. This could be a game-changer for VFX workflows, where high-quality visuals are non-negotiable. Sign up for the free Beta Version here

Key Features

One standout feature of Pixell is its ability to upscale without needing extensive GPU resources. Most video-enhancing software relies heavily on high-end hardware, but Pixell reduces that load, making it accessible even for smaller studios that don’t have cutting-edge machines. It’s running in the cloud :) Or, as we call it, somebody else’s computer. For detailed documentation on setting up and integrating Pixell, you can visit their official guide here.

Conclusion
Pixell’s approach to video upscaling aims to simplify what has traditionally been a resource-heavy, time-consuming task. By making its AI more accessible to artists working in VFX-heavy industries, it might just find its niche among studios looking to balance quality and efficiency. As always, verify its performance in your pipeline before full deployment—it’s a no-brainer when dealing with mission-critical visual effects work.

The post Pixell Upscaling System for VFX Artists first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.