SYNTHETIC APERTURE'S ECHO FIRE VIDEO PREVIEWING NOW AVAILABLE FOR WINDOWS

Accurate Realtime Video Previews in Adobe After Effects and Photoshop via FireWire

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA -- August 12, 2002 -- Synthetic Aperture today announced the release of Echo Fire 2.1 for Windows, bringing accurate video previewing via FireWire to Adobe After Effects and Photoshop under Windows 2000 and XP.

"We're pleased to be able to offer to Windows users the type of accurate previewing our Macintosh users have been enjoying," said Robert Currier, President, Synthetic Aperture. "With the growing presence of FireWire ports built into PCs, realtime previews are now available without having to purchase a special-purpose PCI card."

Basic differences between computer and video monitors--including gamma and color encoding differences, the lack of interlacing and overscan on computer monitors, and the smaller color gamut available with video--make it difficult to properly evaluate video projects on a computer monitor.

Using a standard OHCI-compatible FireWire (IEEE-1394) port, Echo Fire offers realtime previews of After Effects compositions and Photoshop documents on an NTSC/PAL video monitor, avoiding the problems of computer monitor-based previews.

Accurate Video Previews

By plugging directly into Adobe After Effects and Photoshop, Echo Fire gives accurate video previews as you work with your familiar tools. Echo Fire displays the current After Effects composition and the current Photoshop document on the video monitor, properly formatted, regardless of pixel aspect ratio or composition size.

Previews in After Effects are realtime and include audio. Unlike RAM-based previews, Echo Fire can display previews of virtually unlimited length.

More Than Simple Previews

Echo Fire does more than just preview projects on a video monitor. It can also overlay test and diagnostic information on the preview, including a waveform monitor, vectorscope, safe action and title area limits, and a variety of color bar test patterns. Echo Fire can evaluate the video signal, verify overscan limits, and calibrate the video monitor, all with the same tool.

When working with 16:9 aspect ratio anamorphic video, Echo Fire performs aspect ratio conversion to give an undistorted display, with a choice of cropping or letterboxing.

Video Color Picker

Echo Fire provides a special Video Color Picker for use in Photoshop. The Video Color Picker previews your color choice on the video monitor, showing exactly what the color will look like. The Color Picker also flags any "illegal" color that exceeds broadcast limits and will "legalize" the color at the touch of a button.

Compatibility

Echo Fire for Windows works with Microsoft Windows 2000 and Windows XP, Adobe After Effects 5.0 or later, and Adobe Photoshop 5.5 or later. For video output an OHCI-compatible FireWire port using standard Microsoft drivers and a compatible camcorder or FireWire-to-video converter is required.

Pricing and Availability

List price for Echo Fire for Windows is $275. Echo Fire is available through a network of resellers and directly from Synthetic Aperture. A demonstration version is available from the company's web site.

About Synthetic Aperture

Founded in 1995, Synthetic Aperture is a provider of practical tools for digital video and audio. In addition to Echo Fire, Synthetic Aperture publishes the Color Finesse advanced color corrector for Adobe After Effects and Apple Final Cut Pro, the Video Finesse filters for Adobe Premiere, a line of digital video clip art collections, and the popular free utility Test Pattern Maker.

Further information on Synthetic Aperture may be obtained by calling (949) 493-3444, accessing the company's Web site at http://www.synthetic-ap.com, or by emailing sales@synthetic-ap.com.