Review: wondertouch particleIllusion 3.0 Special Effects Software (page 2)
Not For Beginners
particleIllusion is easy to use, but it is not an application for beginners. There are no colorful buttons or assistance wizards. Although there is a small manual, a good Help system and 22 minutes of video tutorials, you'll need to be a self-starter willing to use the Internet to really get going. If you have that kind of savvy, you'll find what you need. For example, you won't be able to dump your DV video into the application, so you need to render it out to a compatible format first. This isn't unexpected for animation professionals who are used to working with uncompressed TGA image sequences, but consumer videographers might find this surprising. (DV support may be on the way, however.)
Awesome
There is a $99 consumer version that is limited to a single layer (among other things), but the full app, at $399, would be a great addition to any post house that uses lots of effects. The company is growing, so look for Mac versions and plug-ins for After Effects. We can describe the effects to you and even show you some stills, but you really should go to the wondertouch Website and download some sample movies. Our final recommendation is an easy and uncontroversial one: go download the demo and try it. Check out the smoke trailer and the beautiful and surprising natural-looking waterfall effects. Just don't blame us if you lose the next four hours of your life with the most addictive application since Solitaire.
TECH SPECS
Version: 3.0.1
Platform: PC
Operating System: Windows 98/Me/2000/XP
Processor: 500MHz
RAM: 128MB
Display Card: OpenGL support recommended
Demo Version: watermark
Upgrade: $75-$150
STRENGTHS
- Beautiful effects
- Unbelievably fast previews, renders
- Tons of new effects updated monthly
WEAKNESSES
- Cannot import native DV
- Isolated hardware compatibility problem
SUMMARY
Beginners will be blown away at the beauty of the effects and animation professionals will gasp at the speed.
D. Eric Franks is Videomaker's Technical Editor.
$399
wondertouch LLC
906 Dinard Dr.
Manchester, MO 63021
(636) 225-7861 ext. 1
www.wondertouch.com
