As this is a review of Pro ImportAE 4.0, I’ll focus on the new things that are supported that were not in PIAE3.0. The two biggest additions, from a filmmaking perspective, is the support for dip-to-color transitions (from both FCP & Avid) and the support of slow-motion effects originated by Timewarp from Avid. Additional options include: the support of Strobe effects from FCP & Avid, support for Multiclip and basic 3D support from FCP, and increased support for particles, replicators, and layers with behaviors in Motion.
Performance
The main performance for Pro Import AE 4.0 was very good. It tries to convert a huge number of things from After Effects, with mixed results due to how complex these things are. For example, it converts text from FCP toAE, but the font isn’t transferred nor is the placement the same. (Automatic Duck's owner Wes Plate noted that this is a limitation with After Effects, not an issue with their conversion coding.) Obviously, that’s not a huge issue to replace. Likewise, it converts the “Distort” feature from FCP to “Corner Pin” in AE, but often is a bit off because these two features don’t function quite the same way. Some things don’t transfer at all, but the importer does make notes in the timeline of effects that PIAE4 couldn’t convert for, which is quite nice. Obviously, there are limits to how much you can have one program behave like another program, so I think the creators of Pro Import AE 4.0 have done a great job.
With that said, I did notice that, for folks who wish to hopscotch from After Effects in Premiere Pro, there do seem to be some problems with the integration of PIAE4 and AE CS3. As such, when I tried to export as a Premiere Pro project, I got an error message and After Effects crashed. I’ve chatted with both companies about that and it is looking like it’s a CS3 issue. In the mean time, you can use Dynamic Link to bring PIAE4 sequence from AE into Premiere Pro. (For filmmakers who want a direct importer from FCP to Premiere Pro, unfortunately, the folks at Automatic Duck stated that they have no interest in creating an importer for Premiere Pro. This is too bad because a growing audience will be seeking that direct interoperability now that Adobe’s editing system is gaining more traction with the increased power of CS3:Production Premium.)
Value
$495 is a pretty serious chunk of money for a file importer, although I don’t doubt that a lot of hard work was put into coming up with a way to translate the way FCP and After Effects interact that is as efficient as this. While there is no one else with a similar product out there, I think more low budget filmmakers might pick it up for cross-platform work if the price was dropped by a $100 or so. Obviously, if you need to go from Avid, FCP, or Motion toAfter Effects, whether due to cross-platform concerns or for the greater control in After Effects, the only place to look is at Automatic Duck’s Pro Import AE 4.0.
Final Comments
While I would love to see them create an actual media exporter for FCP, Pro Import AE 4.0 is a very handy tool. While it won’t transfer everything to After Effects, it transfers quite a bit, which saves a huge amount of time. The difference between customizing and correcting some things that didn’t transfer right versus rebuilding the entire project in AE is massive and well worth a look from any filmmaker that needs that ability. Unfortunately, for those who would like to try before you buy, there’s no demo version available and Wes Plate stated that they have no plans to create a demo in the future.
Ease
of Use
8.0
Depth
of Options
10.0
Performance
9.0
Value
8.0
Overall
Score
8.8
The
director of two feature length films and half a dozen short films,
Jeremy Hanke
founded Microfilmmaker Magazine to help all no-budget filmmakers make
better films. His first book on low-budget special effects techniques, GreenScreen Made Easy, (which he co-wrote with Michele Yamazaki) was released by MWP to very favorable reviews. He's curently working on the sci-fi film franchise, World of Depleted through Depleted: Day 419 and the feature film, Depleted.
