Product: Lustre
Version: 2.6 *
Manufacturer: Autodesk
Price: Low-mid six figures (various configurations offered)

See also the full review of Lustre 2.5

Lustre 2.6 Update

It’s been a few months since my review of Lustre 2.5, during which time Autodesk began shipping an updated version. A few people asked me about the differences between 2.5 and 2.6, and I had to confess I’d not seen the updated version. So finally I got round to looking at it, focussing on the main differences between the two versions.

Well, it should come as no surprise, but it seems that all the changes made were for the better. There is more editorial functionality, some speed-ups, and some improvements to the interface. Perhaps one of the most significant updates is that all Lustre’s project data is now stored in an editable XML format, which means that many editorial changes can now be made on an average computer system offline, and it also hints at the possibility to adjust project files using custom-made scripts.

This release seems to be aimed squarely at solving some of the editorial problems found in 2.5, while version 3.0 will probably focus on much grander improvements and changes, taking advantage of the spoils from the recent acquisition of Colorfront. With this in mind, browsing for footage from within Lustre (which was always painfully slow for large sequences), been overhauled to be feel much more interactive. The long-awaited key number support is now available (as is Avid Log Exchange format support), but it remains to be seen as to how well it works. DPX files output from Lustre will contain the source timecode of the original frames, so in theory it will be possible to reconform rendered data. Output to tape has been simplified, in the sense that there is a function to write a "Telecine Tape" directly from within Lustre, a process that will automatically stripe the tape with timecode and then print the graded sequence onto it. The iconic Autodesk numeric entry calculator, as seen in products like Fire and Flame, has made it into Lustre (although it would also benefit greatly from the semi-transparent overlays found in Toxik).

One of the most visible additions is the new notation and flagging system. Each shot can have notes attached on a grade-by-grade basis, which is extremely useful for collaborative purposes, or even if you’re just forgetful. Each shot can also have user-definable flags attached, so that you can see at a glance whether a shot has been signed off, for example. Both of these are very simple features, but invaluable in a production environment.

Pan and scan can now be done in real-time during playback, the "contrast" grading method is now available in the linear grading mode as well as the log grading mode, and linear mode grading now performs soft-clipping to improve image quality. For those capturing material from an Arri film scanner equipped with an infra-red scanner, Lustre will process the dust mattes it generates for automatic dust-busting. Finally, some improvements have been made to EDL management, including the capability to convert a 24 fps sequence to a 25 fps sequence.

This release still suffers from a few problems left-over from previous ones though. The timeline is very basic, both in display and in making changes to shot timings and so on. The timeline is always shown as a "storyboard" view, with each shot given equal positioning in the timeline, rather than being based on the shot’s actual length (how traditional non-linear editors display them). I’d still like to see the same degree of flexibility working with the timeline as you’d get in something like Smoke.

Most colourists will find little difference in the upgrade to 2.6, as most of the changes affect the editorial or support functionality rather than the way images are graded. In talking to Autodesk’s head of film technology Steve MacPherson about future plans, he told me of the ultimate aim of "accumulated metadata", that is, creating a production chain where information is constantly added to create a final set of images. The benefits of such a chain are immense, it means that work done in pre-production and production are available during post-production and beyond. Aiming for such a system to be included in a grading application seems noble indeed, and suggests that Autodesk is looking two or three steps ahead of where they are already.

Upgrade to version 2.6 is free to Lustre customers with a maintenance contract.

For more information on Lustre, see the Autodesk website

The reviewer’s opinions are his own, and not affiliated with any third-party.

Comment from ramana - 2/25/2006 at 10:07 pm

lustre 2.6 version is better compared to 2.5 but it has its own complexions and troubles. i know no software is a hasslefree to work..over all its good