OT - Best tool for photo montages?

goshep wrote on 7/18/2006, 7:54 PM

Hey all,

Been scouring the archives for information to help automate the montage creation process. Ultimate S and Excalibur seem to be popular choices. Are there any distinct advantages to one over the other? Any other applications not mentioned? One thing I'm sure of...the price is right for either application.

Thanks

Comments

goshep wrote on 7/18/2006, 8:15 PM

After looking more closely at Ultimate S, I think it will do everything I need and THEN some. Unless someone has a better suggestion at a better price?

DGates wrote on 7/18/2006, 8:31 PM

Vegas by itself does a fine job.

Jayster wrote on 7/18/2006, 11:04 PM

If you're just looking for the slide show stuff, and not the other features of the Ultimate S or Excalibur, you can get the StillMotion program on VASST.

You can do these things in Vegas, those programs just automate it for you (so it's hugely faster).

There are a number of threads on this forum about this topic. Just search for slideshow of photo montage.

Grazie wrote on 7/18/2006, 11:18 PM

Personally? I like rummaging about with Vegas. I do have Excalibur, and I know there is a lot of automation available within it. But I don't do enough montages or the material is just so tailored to the place within a video I'm doing, that I DO want to get particular with each and every still. Maybe I'm not making sense?

DavidMcKnight wrote on 7/19/2006, 4:29 AM

goshep - download the trial of stillmotion and US2 and check them out. Fully functional for something like 14 days. It's a whole new way of dealing with montages.

Like Grazie, I still like to tweak the results US2 gives me, but US2 provides all the heavy lifting in 1 - 2 seconds. HEL-LO!! And you can play with the parameters and run the script over and over in no time. I also like the fit to markers option, really makes the montage more dynamic.

bw wrote on 7/19/2006, 5:06 AM

Bit hard to say any one is the best but I have found a litte program called FXFoto quite impressive for the price. (not free of course). A nice touch is that when you buy on the net within three or four days you wil get a nicely presentsd CD of the program posted to you.

goshep wrote on 7/19/2006, 5:40 AM

Thanks for the tips. Grazie, you've made perfect sense. I too want creative control but an electronic assistant would be nice. Kinda like a popular artist who sells alot of work. I don't want someone painting the pictures for me. I just want a staff to stretch the canvas, fetch my paint (and beer), etc..

Thanks again all!