Strata ships VideoShop 4.0/3D

Strata Inc. in late November shipped VideoShop 4.0/3D, the first desktop video-editing package to support 3-D special effects, according to the company.

VideoShop is a nonlinear video-editing application that Strata acquired last year from Avid Technology Inc. Strata said the new version allows users to import animated 3-D objects and map video onto the shapes (see 07.07.97, Page 19).

Based on QuickTime, Strata has also given VideoShop 4.0/3D a new user interface that closely resembles Strata's StudioPro, the company's 3-D modeling package.

Strata has added TuneBuilder, a music editing plug-in from AirWorks Media Corp. of Edmonton, Alberta, that edits audio clips to match exactly the length of a video segment without abruptly cutting off the sound, Strata said.

VideoShop 4.0/3D also features a new Bin window for collecting and saving various files for reuse, and a selection of time-varying (or tweenable) filters.

Strata said Power Mac-only VideoShop 4.0/3D supports most Adobe Photoshop plug-in modules and QuickTime compressor-decompressors.

"It's much easier to use than [Adobe] Premiere," said Michael Wollner, founder of WollnerStudios, a multimedia design firm in Sherman Oaks, Calif. "I'll never go back."

Wollner said the software's new 3-D track lets him see transitions in real time and works well with Strata's 3-D modeling packages. "The whole thing's pretty intuitive," he said.

VideoShop 4.0/3D costs $495; owners of previous versions can upgrade for $89 during a limited period, Strata said.

Strata Inc. of St. George, Utah, can be reached at (801) 628-5218 or (800) 787-2823; fax (801) 628-9756; sales@strata3d.com; http://www.strata3d.com.