Cartoonize Video Footage with ToonIt!

On 19th June, 2007, Digital Anarchy, creator of digital imaging filters, announced the release of ToonIt!, a software pack consists of filters that adds a cartoon look to digital video. Now users can create cartoon-like videos at home via automatic filters. However, the $299 or RM990 price tag will be an obstacle for Digital Anarchy, considering that most consumer camcorders offer similar effects pre-installed.

“Until now there hasn't been a high-quality way to create these effects that isn't very labor intensive,” said Stan Schwartz, co-founder and President of Toonamation. “We're delighted to bring that capability to you, here, first, through the ToonIt! plugin and our partnership with Digital Anarchy."

ToonIt! is composed of 4 filters:
Roto Toon - flattens color shades and provides control over outlines, shading, and halftone effects.
Outlines Only - creates a black and white comic book effect by detecting outlines and removing color entirely.
Goth Toon - dabbles with high contrast imaging by utilizing an internal color rotoscoping
Blacklight Edges - locates pronounced edges and adds a neon glow to them.
A number of styles can be applied to footage, such as Flat Cartoon, Graphic Novel, Line Art, Stipple and Pen & Ink. Digital Anarchy also claims that ToonIt! reduces temporal artifacts commonly found in other cartooning software.



Images taken from: digitalanarchy.com


Other features include:

• Beautiful Variety of Styles.
  
• Create complex looks such as Flat Cartoon, Graphic Novel, Line Art, Stipple and Pen & Ink.
  
  
• No Resolution Limits
  
• ToonIt! supports footage with any resolution or size.
  
  
• No Hand Masking or Rotoscoping
  
• Each toon effect is generated automatically. While there are customizable controls in the plugin, no manual or frame-by-frame work is needed.
  
  
• Customizable Looks
  
• There are many possible approaches to get the best result for different types of footage with 40 different parameters available to adjust the plugin results.
  
  
• Temporal Noise Reduction
  
• ToonIt! keeps the results consistent over time, frame-by-frame. There is no jittering when played back at full speed, which is a common problem for software trying to achieve the cartoon effect.

ToonIt! 1.0 will be available in late June through July 4^th only. ToonIt! is compatible with the following NLEs: After Effects 5.5 and higher, Final Cut Pro 4.5 and higher, Motion 2.1 and higher, and Premiere Pro 2.0 (Windows only) and higher. To view some footages that has gone through ToonIt! editing, click here.

Source: awn.com
digitalanarchy.com