Apple Macs are the standard computer platform in the hi-tech world of broadcast video/tv. They are used for graphics in weather bulletins to editing news bulletins and dramas as well as feature films. They are also used to add special effects (SFX) such as laser blasts and spaceships. The reason it is so well used is its ease of use and shear power, especially with the G3 range. The software available is easy to use and affordable. Below are details of software which can be used in DTV with links to further details on the products, their makers web sites and third party sites.
Non Linear Editors (NLE)
3d Graphics
Special Effects (SFX)
Misc
Adobe
Photoshop
This is the workhorse of the graphic artists community. It is
currently at version 6 and as with all Adobe products is very
powerful. You can add or remove features from a photo or video clip,
use filters and create fantastic images with relative ease. There are
hundreds of plugins which you can buy or download to enhance your
works of art. Used in video work you can rotoscope for great pop
videos or do wire-removal, though if you are serious about such work
I would again suggest getting Commotion
Adobe After
Effects
This is a professional SFX package for work with video. As with other
Adobe products plugins are available from third parties It is very
powerful and so takes a bit of learning to get the best out of it,
but you don't need to be a rocket scientist to learn the basics. It
has been used on major films such as "Starship Troopers" and "Men in
Black".
MetaTools
Infini-D
Formerly made by Specular, this is a fantastic 3D animation and
modeller program. It can read 3DMF and DXF formats, and you can
download models from the internet to be used in your videos. It is
now in version 4.5 and is even easier and more powerful than ever
before.
MetaTools
Bryce
This is a unique program for creating 3D worlds such as planets and
galaxies for art work or animations. Using chromakey techniques from
programs like Premiere you can walk around your world, or just create
surreal landscapes. One of my students regularly uses it at college
to create such landscapes for creating record cover designs.
This is basically Photoshop but for video. It is a powerful program and the DV version is being bundled with Apple's Final cut Pro software, but is also being rivalled by Discreet Logics programs Paint* & Effect*. Educational establishments should be able to buy it for for around £600 or so, normally it is around £1,500. It has been used on feature films such as "Lost in Space". At first glance it is a little confusing, but once you have done the tutorials eveything will become clear. You will need plenty of memory to run long video clips. This program allows you to do cloning and wire removal and create animations such as lightning bolts on video, or even create a cartoon from scratch.
Discreet Logics Paint* & Effect*.
These are new programs rivalling Commotion and After Effects. Again they seem very powerful though I have not been able to evaluate them yet.