Skip to main content

Blackmagic Design dramatically cuts price of Fusion 9 Studio to $299

Following the pattern established with the last major update to DaVinci ResolveBlackmagic Design announced a new low price for Fusion, its compositing and special effects program. Although it has been used on many Hollywood blockbusters, Fusion 9 Studio is available for a consumer-friendly price of $299, the same price as Resolve and a significant drop from the previous cost of $995. Unveiled at SIGGRAPH, Fusion 9 Studio also gains numerous features, including a brand new virtual reality toolset, a new motion and camera tracking technologies, enhanced keying controls, and improved performance.

With the new VR tools, Fusion 9 Studio users will be able to edit immersive video projects in a true 360-degree workspace when using VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive. Thanks to graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration, Blackmagic Design claims users will be able to interact with elements in a VR scene in real time, while a new 360-degree virtual camera can render out entire scenes in a single pass. The program also supports stereoscopic 3D content.

Additionally, new tracking tools will help speed up workflows. The planar tracker automatically calculates two-dimensional motion planes for compositing elements onto moving objects. The company says this is most useful for replacing flat objects, such as signs. Fusion 9 Studio also gets new camera tracking technology that can analyze the motion of a live action camera and accurately recreate its motion path in a three-dimensional virtual space. This enables users to more easily composite elements in the scene as the program handles the movement and perspective animations automatically. The camera tracker can even determine characteristics of the lens used, like focal length and distortion, and use that information to generate even more lifelike composites.

For green-screen work, Fusion 9 Studio also introduces new keying controls that let users fine-tune their masks for the cleanest possible results.

In addition to the new low price, multi-user teams in a network environment will benefit from simplified purchasing that does not require a separate license for each rendering node, nor any sort of subscription fee. Additionally, the base version of Fusion 9, which lacks some advanced features, will continue to be available for free. Both versions are available for download now from Blackmagic Design.

Daven Mathies
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Daven is a contributing writer to the photography section. He has been with Digital Trends since 2016 and has been writing…
How to remove location data from your iPhone photos
How to transfer photos from an iPhone to an iPhone

We all love making memories, and a great way to collect those memories is to take a quick snap of a gorgeous landscape, a party in full swing, or a particularly incredible meal. The Apple iPhone now also adds a location to your pictures, meaning it can collate those images together into a location-themed album, or show you all the shots you've taken in a specific location. It's a fun little addition, and it's one that adds a lot of personality to the Photos app.

Read more
‘Photoshopped’ royal photo causes a stir
The Princess of Wales with her children.

[UPDATE: In a message posted on social media on Monday morning, Princess Kate said that she herself edited the image, and apologized for the fuss that the picture had caused. “Like many amateur photographers, I do occasionally experiment with editing," she wrote, adding, "I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused."]

Major press agencies have pulled a photo of the U.K.’s Princess of Wales and her children amid concerns that it has been digitally manipulated.

Read more
Nikon sale: Get up to $700 off select Nikon cameras and lenses
nikon d780 review product  1

Crutchfield has a huge sale on many different Nikon cameras with some of the best camera deals that we’ve seen in a while. With nearly 30 different items in the sale, the best thing that avid photographers can do is take a look for themselves. However, if you want a little insight before you dive in, take a look at what we have to suggest below.

What to shop for in the Nikon sale
Nikon makes some of the best DSLR cameras around with our overall favorite -- the -- available for $2,197 reduced from $2,297. The camera is perfect for both photographers and videographers with a 24.5-megapixel full-frame image sensor. Its rugged magnesium-alloy body is weather-sealed against dust, dirt, and moisture so it’s great for all occasions. The Nikon EXPEED 6 image processor is optimized for low-light performance while maintaining long battery life with an autofocus sensor module with support for 51 focus points. You just need to add a lens to reap the benefits with features like the 273-point phase-detection AF system detecting and tracking subjects throughout the entire frame.

Read more