HitFilm 2 Ultimate

PVC by Kevin McAuliffe

This "Not-so-new" compositing app packs an unexpected punch!

You have to be brave to create a "new" (even though we are now at version 2) compositing application to attempt to compete against not only Apple's Motion 5 (for FCPX editors), but also the immense stranglehold that After Effects has on the market today. FXHome is looking to do that with HitFilm 2.

My initial introduction to FX Home came in the form of EffectsLab Pro way back in 2007. An interesting compositing application that let you add things like muzzle flashes, lightsabers, lens flares and particle systems. I had a few issues with it, and needless to say, ended up kind of forgotting about FXHome for a while. That changed again a few years, in 2011, with the release of HitFilm. The only problem I had was that I was primarily a Mac user, and Hitfilm was a Windows only application. I had Bootcamp, so I took it for a whirl, and though it was pretty cool for what it was, and then (to be honest), kind of forgot about it again. That all changed on November 1st of last year, with the release of HitFilm 2 Ulitmate (HF2U).

HF2U is an editing/VFX/compositing application that at first glance people might dismiss, as a "Not as good as After Effects or Motion 5" application, but FXHome has taken big strides to make HitFilm 2 Ultimate a real contender, and a definite option for editors and compositors looking to take their work to places that only 3rd party plug-ins could go in AE and Motion 5. Now before I move on, we've still got that little problem of the "Windows only" application. Not anymore. When I started using HF2U a year ago, I started asking the question that I'm sure was asked a lot.....and a lot..... and a lot, and that is "When is the Mac version coming?" Well, FXHome decided to let the userbase decide by Kickstarting the Mac version, and needless to say the interest was immense. When they launched the Kickstarter campaign, they were looking for 25,000 GBP (FX Home is located in the UK) to get the Mac version off the ground. When they were done, they had more than doubled that at over 58,000 GBP ($93,000 US), which I'm sure not only blew away FXHome, but any skeptics as well! read more...