“My first experience with FotoMagico was, in a word, magical… so simple… so intuitive… I was blown away.” John Woody
Recognized with over 28 national awards for excellence in video editing and production, including 14 first place awards from the Broadcast Education Association, John Woody knows a thing or two about making “video magic.” With extensive video production and management credentials, including manager of program development at The Learning Channel, John has produced nationally recognized television programs and video productions for top corporations, among the likes of Merck & Co., Inc., MillerCoors, and ESPN. An accomplished videographer, editor, digital compositor, and Apple® Distinguished Educator, John turns to Boinx Software’s FotoMagico in the classroom and professional studio to achieve storytelling magic.
The Gold Standard for Animating Your Stills
Providing video editors and photographers of all levels with a simple way to create customized slideshows, mixing photos with movies, audio and titles, FotoMagico has made a name for itself in the industry as ‘the gold standard for animating stills.’ Professional photographers utilize the tool to showcase their work, while educators rely on the products’ ease-of-use to teach students about video production and animating their stills. With FotoMagico, images come to life in an original slideshow, sprinkled with unique visual effects, stunning transitions, guiding titles, and more.
Boinx Software, the German based multi-award winning developer of cool and unique software for the Mac and iOS devices including the iPhone, iPad and iPod, introduced FotoMagico to the industry in 2003, as a tool to create high quality, live slideshow presentations. Using OpenGL and Mac OS X technologies, the software ensures that slides are presented in best possible quality, with first class pan and zoom effects, smooth transitions and perfectly synced audio. Simplicity and ease of use are key attributes to FotoMagico, as slideshows are created quickly, with just a few clicks of the mouse.
New integration with iMediaBrowser 2 makes browsing for and gathering photos from Flickr or iPhoto albums a breeze, and accessible directly within the application. The FotoMagico Slideshow Assistant provides users with an instant pan and zoom animation for quick slideshow results, while clever controls allow users to further customize their presentations, adjusting slide positions, color, transitions, animation start and end points, and more. The software’s multiple audio tracks and automatic ducking for music, sound effects and narration allow for the effortless collaboration of sound and imagery. A new ‘linked to slides’ audio option allows users to further customize their slideshow soundtracks, choosing whether or not an audio item should move with slides above it, or stay put on one specific slide for a more original show and perfectly synced results.
“FotoMagico is an exceptional tool for visual storytelling. Its simplistic design allows for both novice and advanced users to master the tool within minutes, for maximum creative expression,” says Oliver Breidenbach, CEO of Boinx Software. “It instantly became a fan favorite within the Mac community for building dynamic presentations and stunning videos.”
FotoMagico Gives Video Editors Reason to Cheer!
This past year, video editors were given reason to smile, as FotoMagico amplified its functionality with plug-in support for Apple Final Cut Pro®, Final Cut Express®, Motion®, and Adobe After Effects®. Leveraging the innovative FxFactory Plug-in Platform technology from popular visual effects plug-in company and Boinx development partner, Noise Industries, the Boinx team was able to dramatically expand the capabilities and workflow options of FotoMagico. The new, native plug-in integration allows videographers and motion graphic artists to animate still images and render with flawless results directly within the host applications. This eliminates workflow disruption and time-consuming key frame adjustments, allowing editors and artists to focus on the creative flow of their projects. Videographers can use FotoMagico’s plug-in support to easily turn still images into captivating intros, animated backgrounds, B-roll, and more. “I told my students all the time, if you really want to create a cool and dynamic background, slap some photos together in FotoMagico, put it back into Final Cut and then blur the hell out of it. To me, it is truly the ultimate animated background generator,” says John Woody.
FotoMagico Earns Top Honors in the Classroom…
Professor John Woody has always balanced his professional career with his love for education. A recently retired Professor of Media Arts and Design at James Madison University, a school heavily involved with the post-production industry, John often shared his professional experiences, and video editing tips, tricks and techniques with his students. His style of teaching involved posing real-life scenarios to his students, and providing them with the tools and skills needed to produce professional work as quickly and efficiently as possible. When it came time to video editing and animating stills in the classroom, John called upon his trusted sidekick, FotoMagico. With its ease of use and professional results, the Boinx storytelling software became an instant favorite with his students, and faculty, alike. Students were stunned at their ability to just open up FotoMagico, and instantly create a dynamic slideshow presentation. The quick integration of the software in terms of output into non-linear editing systems such as Final Cut Pro® and After Effects® was perfect for short classroom lessons, allowing students to complete an entire project in one sitting. It gave John’s classes a new found level of excitement and creativity; “Students were so excited by the software that I often found them in the edit room days after class, simply playing with FotoMagico for the fun of it… creating beautiful slideshows to share with friends and family,” comments John.
FotoMagico can be used for a multitude of disciplines within the classroom, from creating documentaries, to audio guides, multimedia presentations, and more. “It is truly a multi-disciplinary tool. Students from all different majors and backgrounds can use FotoMagico for creative projects, ranging from multimedia, to public relations, journalism, designing, and more. "Its ability to be successfully incorporated into so many different projects is amazing… it’s a creative student’s go-to tool,” says John.
To view some of John’s educational work with FotoMagico at James Madison University visit: smad.jmu.edu/
… and Achieves Professional Results in the Real World
Aside from teaching FotoMagico to hundreds of eager post-production students in the classroom, John puts the stellar software to use in his professional work for quick results. Granted an Apple Learning Fellowship in 2009, John set out on a journey around the country, visiting over 40 schools, to produce short videos that defined the Integration of HD in Academic Environments. Throughout the process, John integrated FotoMagico with Final Cut Pro® for creative and fast “Toresults. “To me, FotoMagico is the best tool to really develop stills in motion… beautiful pictures in motion. I was able to capture the essence of these creative departments and people through multiple stills, and piece together stories of learning and creative expression.”
For a variety of corporate videos, John often turns to FotoMagico to mix on-site footage, with still images, corporate interviews, titles, audio, and more. With FotoMagico’s help he is able to produce flawless videos shown to on-site visitors, in corporate boardroom presentations, trade conferences, exhibits, and more. A recent trip to Singapore with fellow photographer and educator, Richard Cawood, was the inspiration for his latest FotoMagico video production, Six Days in Singapore. An exquisite compilation of photos and ethnically charged music, strung together using FotoMagico’s creative transitions and storytelling capabilities, portrays the diverse cultures inhabiting Singapore. Cawood, a new media designer, educator and artist, is a huge fan of FotoMagico as well; “A couple of years ago FotoMagico was a huge lifesaver for me while I was working on a projection design piece for the Miami University School of Fine Arts Department of Music’s performance of the opera Paul Bunyan,” says Cawood. “Without FotoMagico coming to the rescue, the show, quite simply, would not have gone on.”
Tell Your Story with FotoMagico
From the classroom to the cutting room floor, FotoMagico delivers quick results without sacrificing the glossy finish. Boinx Software recently celebrated the release of FotoMagico 3.6, introducing photographers and videographers to new software updates for a more integrated, streamline workflow and pristine results. With each new FotoMagico release, the software becomes more user-friendly and technically sound, amplifying the visual storytelling process for all. “This is a tool that I will always go back to… if I have a story that needs to be told, and images to do so, FotoMagico delivers.”
