Sitni Sati is preparing the release of FumeFX 7.5 for 3ds Max, introducing NVIDIA CUDA acceleration for smoke and fire simulation. The developer reports a performance increase between two- and five-fold compared to CPU-based simulations.

The GPU acceleration targets volumetric fluid effects such as explosions, smoke and fire. It supports both simulation and real-time viewport preview. In official demonstrations, the feature ran on an NVIDIA RTX 4090 and produced detailed motion and shading.

No more memory crashes

A common limitation of GPU fluid solvers is restricted video memory. Sitni Sati claims that FumeFX 7.5’s GPU solver automatically falls back to CPU once GPU memory is exceeded. This prevents crashes and lets complex simulations complete without manual intervention. The hybrid approach allows artists to benefit from GPU speed while maintaining the stability of CPU computation. The developer also states that the GPU solver maintains visual detail and motion quality where other sparse fluid solvers may lose resolution. At press time, this claim has not been independently verified.

What remains to be clarified

As of the current beta, Sitni Sati has not published detailed release notes specifying which FumeFX features are fully CUDA-enabled. It is unclear whether all node types, caches, and modifiers run on GPU or whether some processes remain CPU-bound. Likewise, parity between GPU and CPU results, regarding noise behaviour, reproducibility, and memory consumption has not yet been confirmed by third-party testing.

Implications for production

GPU acceleration promises faster iteration for artists working with smoke, fire, and explosion setups, particularly on modern CUDA-based hardware. The automatic CPU fallback adds safety for heavy scenes that exceed GPU resources. Studios should nonetheless test the new GPU mode thoroughly within their pipelines before relying on it for client work, as simulation consistency and cache behaviour can vary across hardware configurations. FumeFX 7.5 remains in beta. Sitni Sati has not yet announced a release date or updated pricing.

The post FumeFX 7.5: Fire Meets GPU soon first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Boris FX Continuum 2026 continues the developer’s long-running effort to automate routine postproduction work through machine learning. The 2026 release strengthens AI masking, compositing, and keying features while speeding up overall processing across multiple effects.

Masking and isolation

The PixelChooser, Continuum’s core masking and isolation framework, has been overhauled with AI segmentation tools. The new Face ML model automatically detects and isolates facial regions such as eyes, lips, teeth, and surrounding skin. By defining specific facial areas, users can target effects precisely or exclude them entirely, reducing the need for manual rotoscoping.

Complementing this, Matte Refine ML analyses existing mattes to restore or enhance fine edge detail. Elements such as hair strands and semi-transparent surfaces are now easier to preserve in composites. The PixelChooser also gains six additional matte and mask modes—Pre, Post, Both, Stacked Composite, Alpha Masked, and Alpha Composite—offering flexible control over whether masks are applied before, after, or alongside effects. Both Face ML and Matte Refine ML are available inside Beauty Studio, within the PixelChooser itself, and as standalone filters in the Key & Blend category.

Smarter face detection

Face Detection via Mocha adds automatic recognition and tracking of multiple faces within a clip. The feature integrates Mocha’s planar tracking, allowing individual faces to be followed accurately across frames. Once detected, Continuum effects can be selectively applied to specific tracked regions, streamlining retouching or compositing tasks that previously required separate mask layers.

Updated Primatte Studio

The Primatte Studio keying module has been rebuilt for Continuum 2026. According to Boris FX, it now employs a new 3D keying algorithm combined with integrated AI Denoise for cleaner source plates. Expanded Light Wrap and Spill Suppression controls offer greater realism when blending foregrounds into new backgrounds. The new Colour Link function automatically adjusts the hue and luminance of the keyed subject to match the underlying background input, reducing manual colour correction work. The redesigned custom toolbar centralises keying parameters, creating a more efficient, single-pane workspace for editors and compositors.

A persponal Note: We do love Ben’s tutorals but for this one: Turn on the automatic german translation, and enjoy a very hearty giggle – the confidences of the synthetic voice (that sounds nothing like Ben) talks about primates is… top-not unintentional comedy!

AI-powered transitions

Two new machine-learning transitions extend Continuum’s effects library. Jump Cut Fixer ML uses AI-based optical-flow analysis to generate seamless dissolves between two adjacent shots. By reconstructing motion between frames, the tool can mask timing gaps or abrupt cuts, preserving narrative flow without additional editing. Built-in colour adjustment parameters and interactive on-screen widgets enable further control over the dissolve timing and strength.

Depth Wipe ML, the second new transition, uses AI-generated depth maps to move beyond flat 2D wipes. Instead of a simple horizontal or vertical reveal, the effect creates a transition that passes dynamically through the 3D space of the image, wiping from foreground to background. The effect includes more than fifteen presets for rapid setup and provides controls for animation, blending, and dissolve shaping.

Enhanced legacy tools

Continuum 2026 revisits several of its longstanding effects. The Scanline effect recreates the appearance of vintage CRT displays, now adding adjustable parameters for glow, noise, and vignette intensity to deliver more authentic analogue texture. Lens Blur expands to support full HDR workflows and introduces a Depth Mask ML option that allows defocus or rack-focus effects to respond accurately to depth information.

The Colour Link filter, also available as a standalone effect, gains a Diffuse Colour Displacement texture option that improves colour blending and realism when integrating keyed subjects into complex backgrounds. Particle Illusion benefits from smoother animation interpolation, a reverse-animation toggle, and a newly curated emitter library designed for modern compositing environments. Meanwhile, Lens Flare has been optimised for performance and now renders up to four times faster than before. Title Studio improves type handling with expanded font-family support and more stable character rendering across different hosts.

Faster AI models

Continuum’s existing AI-based effects have been refactored for speed and quality. Retimer ML can now accommodate mixed frame-rate sources within After Effects, avoiding frame mismatch issues in complex sequences. UpRes ML incorporates NVIDIA Super Scale models, offering higher-quality image enlargements for up-conversion tasks. Depth Map ML produces cleaner, more consistent mattes suitable for grading or selective blurring operations. Motion Blur ML introduces adaptive sampling and synchronisation with Beat Reactor, enabling rhythm-driven motion-blur intensities. Frame Fixer ML receives refinements for handling trimmed or incomplete frames in Avid Media Composer projects, improving overall frame reconstruction reliability.

Continuum honoured with an Engineering Emmy

In October 2025, the Television Academy presented Boris FX Continuum with an Engineering, Science & Technology Emmy Award. Founder and CEO Boris Yamnitsky accepted the award together with long-time team members Peter McAuley, Jason Clement, and Mike Escola. The accolade recognises Continuum’s three-decade contribution to visual-effects and compositing workflows, marking it as one of the industry’s most influential non-linear-editing plug-in suites.

Yamnitsky described the award as both humbling and affirming, recalling the product’s beginnings as code written in his parents’ basement and its early adoption within emerging NLE systems such as Media 100 and Adobe Premiere. The Emmy recognition also highlights Boris FX’s commitment to broad platform support. Continuum has long maintained compatibility across Avid, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Vegas, Filmora, and Final Cut Pro, reflecting the company’s belief that every editor deserves access to the same toolset regardless of host application.

For the record

Boris FX presents the 2026 release as a continuation of this Emmy-recognised legacy, extending Continuum’s compositing foundation with new AI-driven technologies. As always, postproduction teams are advised to test AI-masking accuracy and stability within their own workflows before integrating the update into production pipelines.

borisfx.com

The post Continuum 2026: AI masks, fixes, and faces 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.

RE:Vision Effects has released REZup Version 2, its updated video and animation upscaling plugin. The launch date is 4 August 2025, and the announcement emphasises improved upscaling with two newly integrated machine-learning models. REZup remains structured as two plug-ins—Resize (for upscaling or zooming) and Enhance (for refining image quality)—now enhanced with fresh capabilities.

Built-In Temporal Denoising and Colour Handling

REZup V2 adds a built-in temporally denoise option to suppress noise during upscaling. It also refines colour-space handling, making transitions and grading more reliable across varied footage.

Two ML Models — One for Everything, One Just for Faces

The update introduces two new machine-learning models:

• DNN 3 is a general-purpose model suitable for wide-ranging content, from live-action to rendered 3D animation.
• DNN 2 is optimised for faces and close-ups, promising detail retention such as fine hair strands, and even performs well on anime-style footage.

The company highlights that the models are “particularly adept” at 4× upscaling, for example transforming HD to 8K. Other scaling factors are shown in RE:Vision Effects’ demo videos.

Performance and Compatibility

REZup V2 supports AMD, NVIDIA, and Apple Silicon GPUs, and is expected to work with Intel Arc B60 discrete GPUs—though Intel users are invited to report test results. The company notes that upscaling from 1080p to 8K demands at least 8 GB VRAM; GPUs with more memory (12 GB to 96 GB) will handle higher resolutions more smoothly.

Pricing and Update Strategy

REZup V2 is priced at US $189.95, with an upgrade path from Version 1 available for US $39.99. The plugin is also included in RE:Vision Effects’ Effections bundle.

Host Application Support

The update is compatible with a wide range of host applications, including Adobe After Effects and Premiere, Resolve and Fusion, Apple Final Cut Pro, Assimilate Scratch, Nuke}, HSA-Art Diamant and Film Buster, Flame, Boris FX Silhouette, and other OpenFX-based hosts. A note indicates DNN 2 and 3 are not yet available on Flame Linux.

Combining with Twixtor

When used alongside Twixtor, REZup Resize enables reframing VR footage or remastering high-resolution content with no quality loss.

Note to readers: Confirm VRAM, host compatibility, and scaling results in your specific pipeline before adopting REZup V2 for critical deliverables.

The post RE:Vision Effects ups the ante with REZup V2 (and yes, it’s 4× sharper) first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Jürgen Firsching.

Sapphire 2025.5 adds AI-driven masking via Mocha’s interface. Object Brush ML creates editable splines with a click, trackable via Mocha’s planar tracker. Matte Assist ML generates animated mattes from a single frame. Both tools enable fast, accurate isolation of effects like Glow or Zap—without leaving Sapphire.

VHS Damage: Retro Revival with a Modern Twist

Sapphire 2025 brings back the ’80s with its new VHS Damage effect, meticulously crafted using textures sourced from original tapes. This effect emulates the nostalgic look of analog video, adding authentic wear and tear to your footage.

Lens Flares: Eight New Ways to Shine

The Light & Flares category expands with eight new lens flares, enhancing your lighting effects arsenal. These additions offer more options for creating rays, glows, glints, bokeh effects, streaks, light leaks, and flashbulbs.

Visual Consistency Across Hosts

Sapphire 2025.5 delivers a unified UI overhaul across the Preset Browser, Effect & Transition Builder, and Flare Designer. The redesign includes optimized control grouping, streamlined parameter access, and GPU-accelerated UI responsiveness—enabling faster navigation, effect construction, and real-time flare design within a modernized visual framework.

OpenColorIO Integration

Sapphire 2025 continues to support OpenColorIO (OCIO) for consistent color management across applications. The Flare Designer and Builder applications now feature an OCIO panel, allowing users to manage color output confidently. Additionally, the S_OCIOTransform effect enables the application of OCIO transforms within any host application, bringing OCIO color management to platforms that have yet to adopt the standard.

Pricing and Availability

Sapphire 2025.5 is available through Boris FX. For detailed pricing information and to download a free trial, visit the official Sapphire product page.

Note: Always verify new features in a controlled environment before integrating them into critical projects to ensure compatibility and stability.

The post Sapphire 2025: Now with More Zap, Less Crap first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.

Sketchsoft has released Feather 1.1, an update to its Photoshop plugin aimed at post-production professionals who like their edges soft—but not too soft. The plugin enables more precise feathering of layers and masks, tailored for VFX workflows where control and consistency matter more than vague promises of “AI magic.”

Feather 1.1 introduces support for mask-based feathering, allowing users to apply custom edge softness directly to layer masks, vector masks, and adjustment layers. This addresses one of the more frustrating limitations of Photoshop’s native tools, which tend to be more interested in feathering your patience than your layers.

Each feathering effect is applied per layer, and yes, that includes Smart Objects and rasterised layers. The plugin now also supports feathering based on layer masks and vector masks—handy if you’re juggling complex layer stacks and would prefer not to go blind doing it.

The plugin has also been given per-layer settings, so no more diving into global preferences like it’s 2007. Settings for each layer include the mask type, feathering radius, and falloff, the latter determining how gradually the feathering fades out (in other words, how mercifully soft your soft edges are).

Real-Time Previews, Minus the Guesswork

New in version 1.1: real-time previews directly inside the plugin panel. Feathering adjustments are now visible immediately, with no need to render or export for a sneak peek. This feature supports zooming and panning, so users can evaluate edge softness across the entire canvas, not just in the dreaded top-left corner.

For users stuck on older versions of Photoshop, good news: Feather 1.1 now supports older Photoshop builds, though Sketchsoft hasn’t specified how far back in time it’s willing to go. Likely not as far as CS6, but enough to keep legacy workflows afloat.

Pricing, Platform, and Production Readiness

Feather 1.1 is compatible with Photoshop 2023 and earlier, though specific minimum system requirements aren’t detailed. Users are advised to consult Sketchsoft directly for compatibility specifics. Pricing? Sketchsoft say 14,99$, permanent license.

Given the specificity of the plugin’s features and its focus on Photoshop integration, Feather 1.1 is likely to appeal to VFX artists, compositors, and post-production professionals who need non-destructive and layer-specific feathering with preview capabilities.

As always: new tools should be tested thoroughly in non-critical environments before being thrown into the fray of live projects. Production artists value stability and predictability over novelty—and rightly so. Feather 1.1 seems promising, but as with all things post-production, verify before you rely.

Get it in the Apple App Store.

The post Feather 1.1: Sketchsoft’s Plugin Now Adds the Missing Softness first appeared on DIGITAL PRODUCTION and was written by Bela Beier.