Adobe Ultra is a discontinued vector keying application, helping produce blue-screen/ green-screen effects for video (although the background can actually be any color). Ultra performs complex image analysis to produce high quality chroma-key effects in less than ideal lighting environments. Ultra also included

virtual set On-set virtual production (OSVP) or also known as virtual production or virtual studio is a technology for television and film production in which LED panels are used as a backdrop for a set, on which video or computer generated imagery can be d ...

technology, which allows the keying of a subject into an animated virtual 3D environment. Since its discontinuation as a standalone product, the functionalities of Ultra have been incorporated into other Adobe products, namely

Adobe Visual Communicator Adobe Visual Communicator is a Windows-based video-broadcasting software that enables teachers, lecturers and students to create presentation videos by using graphics, Content (media and publishing), audio, and special effects and present in email ...

(since 2007),

Adobe Premiere Elements Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based and non-linear video editing software application (NLE) developed by Adobe Inc. and published as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud licensing program. First launched in 2003, Adobe Premiere Pro is a success ...

(since 2008), and

Adobe Premiere Pro Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based and non-linear video editing software application (NLE) developed by Adobe Inc. and published as part of the Adobe Creative Cloud licensing program. First launched in 2003, Adobe Premiere Pro is a succes ...

(since 2010). Ultra was previously known as ''Serious Magic Ultra Key'', and was acquired when Adobe purchased Serious Magic Inc. in 2006. Unlike many of the other applications in the

Adobe Creative Suite Adobe Creative Suite (CS) is a discontinued software suite of graphic design, video editing, and web development applications developed by Adobe Systems. The last of the Creative Suite versions, Adobe Creative Suite 6 (CS6), was launched at a re ...

, Adobe Ultra only runs on the

Windows operating system Windows is a group of several proprietary graphical operating system families developed and marketed by Microsoft. Each family caters to a certain sector of the computing industry. For example, Windows NT for consumers, Windows Server for ser ...

Incorporation into other products

Ultra as a standalone application was distributed with Adobe Creative Suite 3 (released March 2007) but noticeably absent from CS4 (released October 2008) and CS5 (released April 2010). After CS3, the keyer from Ultra was integrated into two other Adobe products – Visual Communicator 3, and Premiere Elements.Adobe Blogs: The Video Road: What About Ultra,

/ref> ''

3'' (released in September 2007) had the full vector keyer control of Ultra built into it, along with some simplified virtual sets. The vector keyer could also be activated for live footage, allowing a single computer to key 3 cameras, display different backgrounds for each camera, and stream the result out live to the internet using

Flash video Flash Video is a container file format used to deliver digital video content (e.g., TV shows, movies, etc.) over the Internet using Adobe Flash Player version 6 and newer. Flash Video content may also be embedded within SWF files. There ar ...

. ''

7'' (released in October 2008) provided a new feature called VideoMerge. VideoMerge allowed keying effects to be performed in the editing process, rather than requiring extra steps in an external program or mode. As of Creative Suite 5 (released April 2010), a plugin labeled 'Ultra' is now present in ''

''. It is a powerful but simplified keying solution compared to Adobe's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the fi ...

and more extensive ' Keylight' plugin for ''

Adobe After Effects Adobe After Effects is a digital visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing application developed by Adobe Inc., and used in the post-production process of film making, video games and television production. Among other things, After Eff ...

''.

References

External links

Adobe.com: Ultra
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ultra Adobe software Adobe Creative Suite Discontinued Adobe software