Autodesk Intros HD Color Grading System for Post Production

Autodesk Lustre HD is a new digital color grading system designed for working on HD commercials and motion pictures. The line of Autodesk Lustre nonlinear digital color grading products have been used to grade Academy Award-winning films such as the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy and "King Kong," the company said.

Autodesk said it's now seeing a growing demand for specialized digital color grading tools in the TV industry, and for many films, especially those shot in HD. The HD grading system provides real-time primary and secondary color correction capabilities and real-time video formatting, using advanced Graphics Processing Unit technology (available in commodity graphics cards).

Autodesk said its HD system offers colorists a nonlinear environment for interactive grading sessions--in direct collaboration with producers, directors, art directors and cinematographers--to permit the immediate adjustment of colors and the overall "look" of an HD project.

Autodesk Lustre HD is now being beta-tested. Beta sites include The Video Lab in South Africa and Digital Pictures Melbourne in Australia, among others.