MovieTools(tm) provides a powerful suite of utilities designed for use in video production with QuickTime(tm). It lets you achieve full broadcast quality when recording animations to video, or when performing rotoscoping and other effects on the Macintosh. It also lets you work with alpha channel information for performing advanced superimposition effects and keying, perform specialized functions for such things as creating 3D viewable video, compare compression artifacts and perform special effects and standards conversion.
MovieTools is intended for use with full-size, full-frame rate digital video QuickTime movies that have been captured from video, or animations and digital video movies created on the Macintosh that will be recorded to video. It supports all NTSC and PAL/SECAM frame rates and bit depths from 32 bits ("Millions of Colors+") to 8 bits, plus all types of compression. By default, MovieTools uses the same compressor used on the original source clip, but you can set MovieTools to use a different compressor and/or settings than were used in the input files.
MovieTools supports all NTSC and PAL resolutions along with film resolutions of 1920 x 1080 pixels or larger, limited only by available memory.
MovieTools supports audio channels in source movies, and will copy them into output files when the function being used makes this approprate.
The Field Rendering function of MovieTools creates smooth motion on movies that will be recorded to video by performing field interlacing. It is intended to be used to process movies -- animations in particular -- that have been rendered at 60 frames per second (50 FPS in PAL). It takes adjacent frame pairs and interlaces them together, creating a final field interlaced movie at 30 FPS (25 in PAL).
Follow this link to a more complete description of the Field Rendering function.
The Movie Interlacing function of MovieTools combines two separate movies into alternating fields to create a stereoscopic movie that will be viewed with LCD shuttered glasses.
The De-Interlacing function does essentially the opposite task of Field Rendering. This lets you take video that has been captured to a QuickTime movie and split the two fields contained in each original frame into separate frames in a new movie of exactly twice the length of the original. The resulting 60 FPS (50 PAL/SECAM) movie is ready for rotoscoping or other effects processing. It creates new frames with line doubling; the two fields extracted from the original frames are thus the same size and aspect ratio as the original frames.
Follow this link to a more complete description of the De-Interlacing function.
The motion that often occurs between fields in captured video causes "line offset" or blurring when viewed on the Mac's non-interlaced display. The Field Interpolation function creates smooth-looking QuickTime movies that will be used on the Mac, as opposed to someday returning to video media. Field interpolated movies can be reduced to any size without the blurring caused by motion between fields. Stills taken from field interpolated movies will also work well as print graphics. The Field Interpolation function deletes one of the two fields from each frame of captured video and replaces it with a field interpolated from the remaining field.
Numerous 3D animation programs allow animations to be created with an alpha channel mask. The alpha channel is stored in the upper 8 bits of a 32-bit image ("Millions of colors+"), and is intended for use in overlaying elements on a background. Many Mac nonlinear editing systems offer additional functionality when a separate movie is available to be used as the alpha channel mask. The Alpha Channel Extraction function of MovieTools lets you extract the alpha channel from a movie into a separate QuickTime movie for use in compositing, keying and other effects.
The Alpha Channel Creation function creates new alpha channel information from a movie and adds it to a background movie. If you've captured video from two tapes -- one the foreground RGB information and the other with the alpha channel -- this function will let you combine the two movies into a single alpha channel movie.
MovieTools can also composite a foreground movie over a background movie using the alpha channel or chroma information of the foreground movie as a mask. This ability to do compositing off-line can save on-line time during digital editing.
MovieTools lets you compare two movies to see their differences. This can be useful for comparing an uncompressed digital video movie with a compressed version to determine how much quality is lost through compression.
MovieTools can perform a number of effects manipulations on movies, including: Flip Horizontal, Flip Vertical, Rotate 180 Degrees, a variety of Film Effects and Convert to Monochrome.
A new option in the Film Effects function lets you give 30 or 29.97 FPS video the look of 24 FPS film transferred to video, complete with 3/2 pull-down interlace on "B" and "C" frames. On "A" and "D" frames, the video is de-interlaced. The net result is that in temporal terms, your video will look like a film transfer.
MovieTools can convert 24 FPS QuickTime movies to 30 FPS or 29.97 FPS video frame rates with 3/2 pull-down exactly as done when film is transferred to video. If you're creating film animation and need to transfer QuickTime pencil tests or animation checks to video for preview, this function will let you create video with a correct playback rate.
MovieTools can also convert 29.97 or 30 FPS QuickTime movies to 24 FPS frame rates and eliminate the film 3/2 pull-down. You need this function if you want to capture from film-to-tape transfers and then edit at 24 FPS (ie. for film offline).
MovieTools can resize movies to convert between various standards. You can resize NTSC standard 640 x 480 or 648 x 486 movies to 720 x 486 NTSC CCIR 601 digital format and visa-versa. You can also resize from 720 x 540 to 720 x 486, which lets you create animations or other movie files at a 3:4 aspect ratio and then convert to NTSC CCIR 601. MovieTools can also handle conversion of PAL 768 x 576 to 720 x 576 PAL CCIR 601 and vice-versa.
MovieTools now gives you control of Gain, Gamma and Black Level for all three (RGB) channels. The Image Control capabilities have been added not as a separate function, but as an option that can be used in combination with most other functions that work on a single (background) movie.
MovieTools requires System 8.6 or later (through OSX/Classic) and QuickTime 4 or later .
OSX/Classic Note: Please note that with a registered copy of MovieTools, you must first start up Classic mode before launching MovieTools. If you launch MovieTools first, and let it invoke Classic mode, it will not be able to find its preferences file, and will reset to demo mode at each new run.
Click here to download MovieTools in BinHex encoded StuffIt format. (578K)
The MovieTools package above is contained in a BinHex encoded StuffIt archive. When you first run it, it will run in demo mode, printing the words "MovieTools Demo" over each frame of the movie being processed.
Click here to download MovieTools in StuffIt format. (425K)
Both of the above packages includes MovieTools' manual as a stand-alone application.
This is version 1.7 of MovieTools. If you are a registered user of version 1.4 or later, the new version will read your existing MovieTools Prefs file. If you have a version earlier than 1.4, you will need to unlock this update using your original key code. (If you don't have your original key code, just call or e-mail us to get it again.)
You can unlock your copy of MovieTools by following the instructions in the Registration window, available from the Edit menu. Registration is $79.95.
To order via our secure PayPal page using either an existing PayPal account, or with your Visa, MasterCard, Discover or American Express card, just click the button below. When you’ve completed your checkout, send us the Registration code for your copy, and we’ll return a serial number to unlock it.
You can also place your order via our secure order page.
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