Mocha Pro 4 debuted today and having been able to explore it as part of the “Beta Team” I can tell you that the new features are fantastic.
Truth be told, Mary Poplin gave me my first view of some of the new features at NAB in April.
But it wasn’t until I got my hands on the beta that I began to grasp the leap in productivity with the new features.
First, here’s the official list:
Key Features
•Academy award-winning Planar Tracking
•Roto and making tools
•Object, wire & rig removal
•Lens distortion correction
•3D camera solver
•Screen insert compositing
•Stabilize with AutoFill render
New in #MochaPro Version 4
•Stereoscopic 3D workflow for tracking, roto, camera solver and more
•Python scripting
•Customizable keyboard shortcut interface
•New support for Adobe Premiere Pro CC masks (copy/paste to Premiere)
•Improved Nuke support for roto and tracking nodes
•Improved user interface
•Improved media support
Working in 3D and now 4K I am thrilled to see Mocha Pro 4 supporting both. The tracking tools seem smoother than ever.
I tested the water with the 3D support by doing what in 2D is simple, but until now in 3D it was a Titanic shipwreck, removing wires in a moving shot. It is static shot, it’s a breeze, but in a dolly shot, it’s another story.
With Mocha Pro 4, it went back to being a breeze. I will warn you though it does take a little bit to get up to speed on the workflow. Mocha Pro 4 is amazingly powerful tool but I am nowhere near the playground that Mary Poplin lives in! I swear she could do it in her sleep, literally! I also like the new support for Adobe Premiere Pro CC masks. Being able to copy and paste them back-and-forth into a Premiere Pro Project makes the workflow much easier. The customizable keyboard shortcuts made it much easier for me to adapt the workflow to what I’m used to on my keyboard.
I have to tell you that I am one of those who was always a little confused with Mocha AE. There is a bundled version that is included with After Effects, Premier Pro, HitFilm and others. Then Mocha had another version that was a paid version. To make things much more easy for everyone to understand, Mocha has come out with Mocha Plus 4. And they got a killer deal if you upgrade from the Adobe bundled Mocha AE CC.
By far though I must give a shout out to both Ross Shain and Mary Poplin. They are to truly outstanding individuals who understand and live this product and not and are not afraid to share their knowledge. Customer service to them really is everything, not just lip service. And that is something that in our industry has been lacking in many companies.
I was one of those people who always heard of Mocha but was afraid to jump into that pond. I thought the water was just too deep for me to swim through. But with Ross’s encouragement and Mary’s tutelage I have, all a long long way. I’m certainly no expert but I’ve been able to accomplish the task that I need to without counting my head against my editing table. Again guys, big kudos to you and thanks for all the great tutorials that are available online and on your site.