Ultimatte 12 real-time compositing for broadcast graphics production is available in affordable new devices with the same edge handling and colour functionality for HD, 4K and 8K video.
Blackmagic Design has released four new models of Ultimatte 12 real time compositing processors for broadcast graphics production. A new Ultimatte Software Control app for Mac and Windows is also available as a free download, developed to control all Ultimatte 12 models without using a hardware control panel.
The new Ultimatte 12 models are designed to keep the cost of brodadcast-quality keying low for users. Ultimatte’s well-known edge handling capabilities, colour separation, colour fidelity and spill suppression are preserved, however, each device addresses a single television standard, reflected in its name – Ultimatte 12 HD, Ultimatte 12 4K and Ultimatte 12 8K. A fourth model Ultimatte 12 HD Mini is included, specifically designed with HDMI connections for ATEM Mini users who need keying tools for their fixed-camera virtual sets.
Built-in Framestores
Ultimatte 12 HD Mini
All models of Ultimatte 12 include built-in framestores that allow the user to key using stills for backgrounds instead of relying on an external piece of equipment. This means all compositing can be done inside the Ultimatte hardware itself.
Most important is that the new Ultimatte 12 models, including Ultimatte 12 HD Mini, deploy the same image processing algorithms and very wide internal colourspace as the original Ultimatte system. It automatically generates internal mattes adjusted for the colours in each area of the image and processes them separately. This approach results in precise edge detail for elements such as hair that need it the most, and creates smoother transitions between colours or other less demanding objects in the scene.
One Touch for Live
For live production where speed is a priority, Ultimatte 12 applies one touch keying, which analyzes a scene and sets over a 100 parameters automatically, replacing a considerable amount of the manual work involved in pulling accurate keys.
The improved flare algorithms in Ultimatte 12 remove green tinting and spill from live action elements, enhancing the realism of a scene combined with virtual environments. This ability helps deal with shadows cast onto the green screen, and with transparent objects on the set that need to keep their reflections. Ultimatte 12 automatically samples the colours, creates continuous mattes for walls, floors and other parts of the image, and then applies corrections as required.
Specialised Connectivity
The Ultimatte 12 4K and Ultimatte 12 8K models are built with 12G-SDI connections so that users can operate with current HD video formats as well as future Ultra HD and 8K video formats. 12G-SDI supports high frame rate Ultra HD via a single BNC connection that also plugs into all of their regular HD equipment.
Ultimatte 12 8K
The Ultimatte 12 HD Mini model has a feature that converts SDI camera control to a HDMI signal. This feature will allow ATEM switchers, which send camera control over SDI, to control Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Cameras, which connect via HDMI. Users can now add a camera number within the Ultimatte utility to gain control of the camera’s colour corrector, tally and remote record trigger.
All Ultimatte 12 models now include the free Ultimatte Software Control for Mac and Windows. The application’s main window has extensive menus arranged in sections that perform different functions. Although the array of buttons and settings on the interface can be intimidating at first, as they build their compositions, users quickly learn to move instinctively between the settings they use most often. www.blackmagicdesign.com
