Need to integrate standard-definition DV footage into a high-definition production? Instant HD, a $99 plug-in for several popular HD video editing systems, can do the trick at minimal cost.
Users claim the quality of the plug-in is high, allowing up-resed scenes to be integrated into feature film projects.
Instant HD from Red Giant Software, based in San Francisco, works as a plug-in with Final Cut Pro, After Effects, and Premiere Pro. It upconverts DV video into a variety of HD video formats.
With the Instant HD plug-in, users choose from a list of preset HD output resolutions. The application includes easy-to-use controls for output size, filter type, sharpness, quality settings, and anti-aliasing.
Instant HD can also upconvert NTSC or PAL SD to HD, upconvert smaller web video resolution sizes to SD, and upconvert SD video to HD, then downconvert back to SD for higher-quality results.
One gotcha. The plug-in is specifically designed to work with progressive (non-interlaced) images. That means that if you are starting with interlaced video, such as a standard Sony PD150 DVCAM capture, the image must be converted to progressive prior to processing with Instant HD.
If your camera has a progressive mode—like the Panasonic DVX100 or the Canon XL2—there is no need to pre-process the material before using the plug-in.
Instant HD is available now for $99 (download version) and $149 (box version). As a plug-in, it requires a host application (Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, or After Effects) to operate.
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