Vfx developer Profound Effects has announced that its workflow automation tool for Adobe After Effects, Useful Assistants (UA) 1.7, is now available for shipping. Version 1.7 will attend to Adobe After Effects needs, offering 118 time- and money-saving assistants (32 more from previous versions) available for free download by registered owners on the Profound eXchange.
The assistants that come with Profound Effect’s new tool, such as Arrange Layers as Grid (arranges the selected layers in a grid centered in the composition) and Distribute Layers With Gap (distributes layers horizontally or vertically using a specific gap distance between the layers’ bounding boxes) have already received praise from the likes of Daniel Wilday of M360 who notes, "It does exactly what I needed. This will save me a ton of time." Phil Spitler of Freelance Motion Graphics notes that the savvy tool allows him to focus on the parts of his work that most interest him: "On more than one occasion I have spent my time doing the aspects I enjoy instead of the mundane tasks that the UA scripts can do for me."
Current UA owners can upgrade to version 1.7 for $25. If you purchased the product after February 1, 2005, you are entitled to a free upgrade (see store for details). For new users, Useful Assistants carries a list price of $195. For more information on Profound Effects and Useful Assistants, visit www.profoundeffects.com.
