The Hindu Business Line : Autodesk unveils colour grading software

Autodesk, supplier of 2D and 3D content design software, has introduced a colour grading software for video-based content called `Lustre HD station'. Colour grading refers to reworking on portions of an already filmed sequence (an aspect of post production) to give it a particular look and feel. Areas such as lighting and colour of a filmed sequence can be modified. Common examples are use of sepia tones for flash back scenes, adding fluorescent lighting for disco dance sequences and brightening the colour of clothes worn by actors.

Lustre HD succeeds Autodesk's film-based colour grading software `Lustre Master Station' launched in 2003.

Mr Pankaj Kedia, Regional Manager, South East Asia & India - Autodesk (Media and Entertainment Division), says Lustre softwarewouldcut post-production costs and allow scalability.

Film and TV contents are digitised using a device called telecine that costs about $1.5 million. A telecine cannot be attached to multiple post-production units, hence scalability is a costly option.

"Using Lustre (HD and Master) a single telecine can support up to 6 post-production units," said Mr Kedia. Lustre software cost about $300,000 per suite.

COST EFFECTIVENESS

Mr Kedia is positive that cost effectiveness would spur demand for Lustre HD, as it did for Lustre Master which has sold 20 applications so far and aided over 100 Indian films in colour grading.

The broadcast space, specifically ads, is growing, says Mr Kedia. "The number of ad films and the budget per ad has grown by five times in the last few years," he says.

Five years ago, top brands spent between Rs 5 lakh and Rs 10 lakh an ad including post-production costs of about Rs 2 lakh.

"Today ad spends are between Rs 30 lakh and Rs 50 lakh an ad and post-production accounts for 30 per cent of this spend," he says.

The broadcast space is valued at about Rs 10,000 crore and expected to go up to Rs 14,000 crore this year, he says. Post-production forms 20- 60 per cent of this market.

Autodesk plans to sell over 20 Lustre HD applications over the next three years.

The company plans seminars and knowledge building initiatives. "We will interact with post-production facility owners, users of the Lustre software like colourists and corporates who want a better look for their ad films or other promotional video content," said Mr Kedia.

Chennai has been a fast growing market for Lustre, moving from one application last year to five this year. Lustre is installed in Prasad Studios' digital post-production facility EFX, Ocher studios and Prime Focus, a post-production and visual effects company.

"We plan to launch all future products from Chennai because technology adoption in South India is faster than that in Mumbai and other regions of India," said Mr Kedia.

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