Posted by Craig McDaniel on Jul 14, 2012 | 1 comment

Software Review
TWIXTOR V5

Publisher: RE: Vision Effects
Platforms: PC & Mac
Description: Editing/Time Remapping
MSRP: $329.95 / 595.95(Pro)
Expected Release: Available Now
Official Website: http://www.revisionfx.com
Samples: http://www.revisionfx.com/products/twixtor/
Demo: http://www.revisionfx.com/products/twixtor/
Special Discount: N/A
Critique Issue: Issue #77 (07/12)
Critiqued By: Craig McDaniel
Final Score: 9.5

It seems every time I click on someone’s internet video I’m starting to see high speed slow motion. How can this be? Who are these kids and what cameras are they using? It wasn’t until I started seeing Go Pro footage that looks to be running 600 frames a second that I thought “this has to be a program”. And it is, it’s called “Twixtor” and it does a hell of a job. Now I will be honest, there are some really impressive videos
out there that have used Twixtor with some amazing results, but I would be willing to bet those amazing shots came with a lot of trial and error. Looking over the web I’ve come across some, well to be truthful, crappy results, too. Twixtor is not a miracle program (what is really?) in order to get the best results you have to shoot it right.

Most consumer cameras top out at 30fps, Prosumer at 60fps and then you have sports cameras like the Go Pro that also reach 60fps. If you’re looking for that super slow motion look, you’ll want to max out your cameras frame rate capabilities, which means you’ll probably shoot 60fps. So, since we are talking micro-filmmaking, I doubt most of you are going to shoot on a camera (film or digital) that has the capability to capture authentic high speed photography. That is where a program like Twixtor comes in. The program creates in between frames to “smooth” out your footage and it also can achieve pretty impressive “ramping” type results. Sure you could use your editing program to slow your footage down, and in some cases it will work fine. But not like Twixtor can do. As of this review, Final Cut and Premiere handle the slowing/speeding of footage differently than Twixtor. It’s Twixtor’s handling of the individual frames that makes all the difference. You’re going to see less ghosting/artifacts and superior tracking using Twixtor instead of the standard options your editing platform provides.

Ease of Use

Being a plug in, it’s a relatively smooth install. After installation, your program of choice should recognize the plug in and you’ll be ready to go. Applying the effects is pretty easy if you understand the basics of your editing platform controls, but don’t expect quick flawless results. Your footage has to be shot with this effect planned to look its best, so keep that in mind. You’re not going to go out and shoot on the fly 24fps footage, drop it in Twixtor and come out with Zach Synder’s wet dream of a shot. It’s just not going to happen, if you’re expecting that you will probably be disappointed.

A simple Google search shows that you can find dozens of people who have made some great videos who are willing to share their techniques. I highly suggest checking these out; it will save you some trial and error. But at face value, program-wise Twixtor is easy to use and does what it claims to do. It’s your job to give it some great material to work from. I definitely recommend checking out the tutorials supplied on the Twixtor site. You can find several helpful instructions to guide you through some workarounds. For instance, at first you may have an issue trying to extend your clip (to a length longer than its original duration) for super slow motion in Twixtor. Things like this will pop up, and the more you know going in, the less of a headache it will cause.

Depth of Options

It’s a plug in designed to blend frames, and it has enough options to keep you happy. It’s not just about slowing down or speeding up. You can change frame rates in general, taking 30fps footage and getting a better 24fps output is certainly a great option, this should work for converting any frame rate you require. As far as I know, the amount of frame rate changes you can implement to clip is limitless, given your OK with waiting for a long render to create new frames. The amount of controls given to each keyframe is pretty impressive. Where to speed or slow your footage is easy to control, where to ramp and how you want the velocity to be affected is also at your command. I hate to make the depth of options section seem so short, but Twixtor was designed to do a certain task well, and it achieves that flawlessly.

Performance

My first email from Re:Vision described “The major change from  version 4.5 to 5 is improvement in speed, which is approx. 30 to 40%.  We try to revise our products to coincide with the release of upgrades to the platforms we support.”. I have not used version 4.5, so I can’t compare, but I’d say the speed of Twixtor is excellent. I never experienced any sort of problems with speed or getting the software to do what it’s supposed to do. Twixtor just does it, again mentioning the rendering, but that is to be expected in some cases.

Comparing footage from the standard editing platform speed control with Twixtor will usually show the difference in results. Everyone’s footage is different obviously, but you can expect to see more ghosting/flickering and all around more motion blur with your new frames using Final Cut or Premiere. Twixtor blends these frames extremely well, and while nothing can compare to authentic high frame rate footage, Twixtor can give you comparable results. Considering it’s a plug in you can run it from your platform of choice, there is a version for just about every editing software package out there (Final Cut, Avid and Premiere Pro on the upper end to stuff like Sony Vegas).

It should be noted that I am currently running Adobe CS5 for Premiere and After Effects and those are the programs I am basing the Twixtor plug in review on. From my research, Twixtor has a small issue changing the clip length with Final Cut, this however is not a slight against Twixtor or its design. It’s the fact that Apple does not allow plug-ins to alter clip duration in Final Cut.

Here is a video I shot on the fly, just a simple shot of wine being poured into a glass.

The slower the footage gets the more the “pixel blending” becomes evident towards the bottom of the glass. Liquid is always going to be a troublesome issue with a program like this. So pay more attention to the actual pouring stream, pretty impressive. Some of the best results I’ve seen have the subject being shot at 60fps, but slowing down to “mime” the effects of slow motion, this will help Twixtor blend the frames with more detail. Of course that is impossible to do with fast moving liquid.

I think everyone should check out this video. I don’t know these guys, nor did I have anything to do with this video. But wow, pretty great result.

Impressive use of Twixtor

Value

When you’re paying $300-$600 for a program, you must consider value. Twixtor is a plug-in, so you might feel even the cheaper option is pricey. I think it comes down to “Do you need this for your project?” and that is a very important question no matter what software you’re considering. Is your film or video designed from the start to include this type of imagery? Or do you just want to have some ramping shots because it looks cool? If you need the type of results Twixtor provides then I say it is worth the price tag. See for yourself and check out the demo. Give it some time with some good footage and I think you’ll like the results.

Final Comments

I consider myself one of the “old school” filmmakers. This doesn’t mean I only shoot on film (truth be told, I haven’t shot on film in a long time), it just means that every flashy new effects program doesn’t really impress me all that much. That is not to say the game hasn’t been changed over the last 10 years, because without a doubt it has. What I’m getting at is flashy software tends to take away filmmakers’ knowledge of a little thing called “restraint”. Taking my opinion on this topic, I think it says a lot from me to praise a program like Twixtor. It’s just up to the filmmakers out there to use it wisely.

I guess the first thing people think of when they see slow mo or ramping is an action film; sure that effect has littered the screen for years now. Personally I’m a little bored of it, but to each their own. It’s a style of filmmaking that has an audience and, if you want to achieve it on a low budget, you’re going to need Twixtor to do it right.

Breakdown
Ease of Use	10
Depth of Options	10
Performance	10
Value vs. Cost	8
Overall Score	9.5