Hey Everyone!
I just can't stop tinkering with Pixel_Encoder, and this update is the culmination of a few pretty fun ideas I've been kicking around. Some of them are definitely more niche than others. The most exciting difference for most users will probably be the massive (not saying that lightly!) performance improvements. BUT, we've got some other fun things in here too. So, without further ado, let's dive in!
If you run into any issues with the update, please reach out to me at contact@megakrunch.com.
As I'm sure you guessed by now, this update introduces a new set of features I'm calling the "Chaos" tools as well as a couple new pattern presets and some huge performance improvements. For a full changelog, feel free to skip to the bottom of this post, but, for those of you who want a little more detail, keep reading!
The Chaos tools are really built with the idea of being a "when it makes sense" kind of tool. I think they'll be an interesting way of adding some extra flair/glitchy-ness when you need it. I don't imagine most designers will use them all the time (feel free to prove me wrong), but I decided to create them for the few times that they would come in handy. Personally, I've used them to create some "corrupted data" type effects, and I think they look great for that.
When enabled, the chaos tools takes the user-selected chaos parameters and uses them as guidelines to randomly resize the individual pixel patterns of an image. I.E. think of it like Pixel_Encoder randomly adjusting the "Pattern Size" parameter for each tile instead of the whole image. In my testing, this typically looks best when used with Scale Lock turned on, but I encourage you to test it out and see what looks best with your own footage!
Update 1.6 also introduces two new pattern presets, "Diagonal (Left)" and "Diagonal (Right)." These were built with the new chaos tools in mind, and I think they look great when paired together. On their own, they create a neat pixelated cross-hatching effect. Plus, they can be layered on top of each other to create an interesting mesh pattern.
This is bound to be the most dry part of the blog post, BUT it's also the part that will affect your workflow the most. In this update, I was able to work out some optimizations to how Pixel_Encoder handles image data. These changes should equate to a very noticeable improvement in both final rendering and previews.
I still see room more more optimization down the road, so, hopefully, I'll be able to include even more performance improvements with the next update.
For a full list of changes, take a look here:
Added Chaos Tools. Users can now control intensity, animation speed, seed value, and chaos behavior within Pixel_Encoder.
Added two new pattern presets "Diagonal (Left)" and "Diagonal (Right)."
Hugely improved performance by adjusting how Pixel_Encoder processes image data
Moved Pixel_Encoder from "Will Cecil" sub-directory to "MEGAKRUNCH" sub-directory
Got any suggestions for a future update? Shoot me an email at contact@megakrunch.com and let me know!
To update Pixel_Encoder on your machine, you can download the newest version using the same download link you used originally. Either through your confirmation email or by logging in here. If you didn't create an account when your originally purchased, you can create one here using the same email you purchased with and your orders will automatically sync up!
You can purchase Pixel_Encoder by clicking here.
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To put it succinctly, Dither Decay is a stylistic dithering plugin built with the intent of adding texture and extra visual flair for your projects. That can be in the form of adding a slight "dither grain" to make your footage look more nostalgic or completely overhauling your footage into a crazy glitchy nightmare. Ultimately, the choice is yours!
Either way, Dither Decay is a great tool to add to your VFX toolbox, and, in this blog post, I'll explain a little more about my personal philosophy behind Dither Decay as well as what I believe makes it so unique.
If you have any questions about Dither Decay, feel free to email me at contact@megakrunch.com.
Great question! Dither Decay is built around a concept called "dithering." Dithering is a technique that was created in the early days of computers (think 1950s-1970s) to cheat around the hardware limitations of the day. Back then, computers were only capable of producing a small range of colors.
So, in order to trick the human eye, computer scientists created algorithms that would take the color of an image and reduce it down to a smaller color palette. This would effectively trick people into thinking there were more colors than there actually were. In other words, dithering was like a computer's way of mixing paints to create a new shade.
Dither Decay takes the traditional concept of dithering and kinda turns it on it's head. Rather than trying to fool the brain into perceiving more colors, I built Dither Decay as a way of using dithering for stylistic choices. Of course, you can still use it to reduce the palettes of your videos for a classic dithering look, but it's got a whole lot more functionality than that.
Dither Decay in it's current form consists of two primary parts, dithering and color swapping. Dithering, as stated above, is the actual process of reducing the colors in your image. Dither Decay currently has 5 different algorithms for accomplishing this. Floyd-Steinberg, Burkes, Banding, Bayer 4x4, and Bayer 8x8. These are the actual algorithms used back in the 70s. You can't get more authentic than that.
The first three algorithms are all a process called Error Diffusion. I won't go into too much detail (there's a great wikipedia page on Error Diffusion if you want to learn more!) but, essentially, error diffusion is the dithering equivalent of "carry the one" across your image. If one pixel gets overcorrected, the next pixel get under-corrected. Resulting in a fairly evenly balanced image.
The other two algorithms, Bayer 4x4 and Bayer 8x8, are a process called Ordered Dithering. If Error Diffusion is when you carry the one, Ordered Dithering is when you tell the one to get lost. It's less "accurate" and produces a distinct pattern across your image.
Dither Decay uses these 5 core algorithms and expands on them in some critical ways. First of all, they can all be adjusted to use varying levels of detail. This gives you the ability to really fine tune how aggressively you want your video to be altered.
If you set the detail to the highest it'll go, you'll have a very very subtle effect. Just some minor texture will appear around your footage. On the flip side, if you set the detail as low as it'll go, your footage will be completely mangled and pixelated. Both can produce really interesting results!
The other thing that Dither Decay does different is how it handles color. Using the Color Fidelity slider and the Palette drop-down menu, you can adjust how these algorithms function on a fundamental level. Color Fidelity will adjust how precisely your colors will be adjusted.
Higher color fidelity equals more accurate color, lower color fidelity means lower accuracy. Again, you can get some pretty subtle and pretty wild results depending on how you use this slider.
The second thing that Dither Decay does wildly differently is that it can remap the colors of your image to any other palette. Dither Decay has 11 built-in palettes that I created for you to play around with. Some are more extreme than others. But, Dither Decay also supports custom color palettes using the color swatches in the "custom palette" drop-down. Using the custom palette, you can tell Dither Decay exactly how you want your footage to be remapped. Just don't forget to select "Custom Palette" from the drop-down "Palette" menu in order to see your changes.
Personally, I could spend hours using Dither Decay without ever touching the color remapping features. I just love how the dithering algorithms look. But, having the ability to easily remap your color palettes opens the door to millions of stylistic choices. Perfect for when you're working on a music video and want to feature an artist's brand colors or if you're making an ad for a new fashion line and you need some extra color to stand out.
That's a lot of information! So, to put it briefly, I created Dither Decay as a new tool for achieving a variety of cool dither-based effects, some subtle and some not so subtle. As with all my plugins, I encourage you to experiment and try using it in ways I haven't even considered yet!
Who can blame you! You can purchase Dither Decay here.
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When I started this website, I didn't have any real expectations for it. It was just a side project to host a funky pixelation effect I figured out how to do. Lo and behold, nearly 3,000 orders later and this side-project has turned into a full-time job for me. Which- is just amazing! I can't thank you guys enough for your support over the past year and a half! But, it does mean that some things I thought would be good enough in the beginning are turning out to be a little less than ideal. Specifically, the name of my business.
So, that's where MEGAKRUNCH comes in! From now on, I'll be operating my business as MEGAKRUNCH and not WillCecil.net. Don't worry though! Not all change is bad, and I think this will ultimately result in a lot of benefits for everyone. I'm sure you have plenty of questions about all this, so, in this blog post, I'm gonna quickly explain to you why I'm re-naming and what all this is gonna mean for you.
HINT: This is one of those rare moments in life where there is no bad news! So, feel free to kick back and enjoy the read!
Great question, me! The decision didn't come out of nowhere. In fact, I've been debating whether or not re-naming was the right choice pretty much ever since I started my business. In the back of my mind, I always knew that I'd want to re-name to something more substantial down the road. Well, now's the time! So- why?
There are a LOT of reasons, but, primarily, I'm re-naming so that things will feel a little more official around here. I love the personal connection I'm able to sustain with so many of my customers, and, trust me, that's not going anywhere. But, at the end of the day, this is a business and I try to treat it as such. What that means is that there's a level of professionalism that I want to maintain with myself and with all of you. And, to me, running a business under my own name as opposed to a proper business name will always feel contradictory to that professionalism.
In a lot of ways, it won't. Of course, moving forward you'll need to visit megakrunch.com instead of willcecil.net to access your downloads, purchase new plugins/assets, get in touch with me, etc. Don't worry, I'll be sending out some email reminders just incase you forget. Additionally, willcecil.net will start redirecting you to megakrunch.com. That may not be the case for forever, but you'll have plenty of time to adjust to things.
To contact me, you'll also need to start emailing contact@megakrunch.com as opposed to contact@willcecil.net. The contact@willcecil.net email will remain live for a while incase there are any stragglers out there, but it'll eventually go away so please keep that in mind.
Lastly, those of you who are on my email list or who have purchased a product and receive email announcements when new updates are released, you'll soon be receiving those emails from MEGAKRUNCH and not WillCecil.net. Emails can be finicky sometimes, so please keep an eye on your spam folders incase anything goes awry! And... that's pretty much it! I'll still be the one receiving and replying to all of your support questions, I'll still be the one making these crazy plugins, and I'll still be doing everything I can to help you guys add grungy new effects to your projects!
If you have any questions, please shoot me an email at contact@megakrunch.com (new email, remember!). I love hearing from you all, and I'm happy to answer any questions that this blog post didn't already answer for you.
As always, I wish you all the best of luck on your current/ongoing projects and I'm excited to show you what else is in store for MEGAKRUNCH!
Cheers!
-Will C.
Make sure to follow MEGAKRUNCH on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for future updates!
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Hey everyone!
While this isn't a massive update, I think it presents some really powerful new features that you're gonna love, along with some overdue housekeeping. Pixel_Encoder has already evolved WAY past what I had originally dreamt it to be, and I only have you guys to thank for the support in getting it there. So- Thank you! Alright, enough chit-chat. Let's get into it!
If you run into any issues with the update, please reach out to me at contact@willcecil.net.
The primary focus of update 1.5 are the two new features, Scale Lock and Original Color Sampling, and I'm absolutely thrilled to see how you guys use them in your projects. These features have completely changed how I approach my own projects, and I've only just scraped the surface. I'm sure you guys are gonna take them to new heights!
Additionally, (This will look familiar to those who read the most recent CRT Converter update blog) I was able to add support for older versions of macOS! Woo!
For a full list of changes, take a look here:
Got any suggestions for a future update? Shoot me an email at contact@willcecil.net and let me know!
To update Pixel_Encoder on your machine, you can download the newest version using the same download link you used originally. Either through your confirmation email or by logging into my site here. If you didn't create an account when your originally purchased, you can create one here using the same email you purchased with and your orders will automatically sync up!
You can purchase Pixel_Encoder by clicking here.
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Hey everyone!
First off, I hope you're all doing well and enjoying life! I'm excited to get this update out to you as I think it's a real game changer for CRT Converter, and, hopefully, it'll make your projects even better than they already were. Without further ado, let's dive right in!
If you run into any issues with the update, please reach out to me at contact@willcecil.net.
In my opinion, the glow and vignette features really help "sell" the effect, so with this update I wanted to focus on refining the glow features within CRT Converter to function as well as they possibly could. I'm happy to say that the glow functionality is in a great spot, and I think it'll serve everyone way better now!
Additionally, I also was able to squeeze in better support for older versions of macOS! For a full list of changes, take a look here:
Got any suggestions for a future update? Shoot me an email at contact@willcecil.net and let me know!
To update CRT Converter on your machine, you can download the newest version using the same download link you used originally. Either through your confirmation email or by logging into my site here. If you didn't create an account when your originally purchased, you can create one here using the same email you purchased with and your orders will automatically sync up!
Once downloaded, simply re-install the new version by replacing the old file in your MediaCore folder. Finally, re-launch your editing software and you'll be good to go!
You can purchase CRT Converter by clicking here.
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I've loved glitch art for about as long as I've been using computers, but I never actually tried to create any until around 4 or 5 years ago when I made a horror short film for one of my college classes about a serial killer with supernatural glitch-y powers (It's a long story).
At the time, I tried following along with some tutorials, but I was never able to really wrap my head around them. Eventually, I was happy settling for some pre-made animations that I could just slap onto my timeline and call it a day. But, looking back, it's always irked me about how the effects I used weren't quite right. I mean, they were fine... but they weren't great.
When I set out to create Glitch Control, I wanted to build a tool for users to quickly and easily create custom glitch animations that were perfect for their projects. Why spend hours looking for a preset that just so happens to look how you want it to, when you can spend five minutes and get the perfect look on your own?
Great question! Glitch Control, as of now, has 4 modules that each perform their own effects. These modules are RGB Controls, Displacement, Stretch, and Color Cycle. Let's break it down and explain what each one does.
RGB Controls - RGB Controls allows you to create the classic RGB split effect with the click of a button and the drag of a slider. Add some animation to the red, green, and blue sliders to achieve a nearly instantaneous glitch effect that will feel both familiar and personal.
If you've seen any of the other posts about Glitch Control, you may be asking what I mean by the "modular framework" I keep referring to. Well, by grouping the effects into separate modules rather than one big culmination it allows you to maintain greater control over which effects do and don't get processed by your computer.
Long story short, if you want to use one effect, but you don't want to use another, you don't have to waste time rendering them both out. Thus, saving you time on your renders and giving you a smoother experience while you edit.
Convinced you need Glitch Control in your life? You can purchase it here.
]]>Hey everyone!
I'm thrilled to release this update for CRT Converter, and I think you guys are gonna love it. To quickly summarize, Update 1.3 makes CRT Converter easier to use, faster to preview/render, and much more powerful. Additionally, update 1.3 brings compatibility for Premiere Pro. Woo!
If you run into any issues with the update, please reach out to me at contact@willcecil.net.
Just like Pixel_Encoder's recent update, update 1.3 turns CRT Converter into a native Adobe plugin. So, starting now, you can use CRT Converter the same way you would use any of your other plugins. Simply open your project, select a layer, and apply CRT Converter from the Effects windows.
If you guys are interested, I'd be happy to write a more in-depth explanation of every little new feature, but here's a quick list of the important stuff:
Not to mention all the quality of life additions that you get by using a native plugin. Things like better expression support, cleaner project files, and workflow improvements. That list could probably go on for days.
If you read the blog post about the recent update to Pixel_Encoder then this section will feel very familiar to you!
CRT Converter now has a watermark licensing system implemented. What this means for you is that, after you install and use CRT Converter for the first time, you'll see a large "X" watermark over your image. This can easily be removed by clicking the "register" button and entering the license key provided with your download.
License keys will be provided for free to anyone who purchased CRT Converter prior to Update 1.3. To obtain your free license key, simply fill out the form here or click the button below.
Please be aware that I will be manually fulfilling all license requests, so it may take some time to process everything.
You can purchase CRT Converter by clicking here.
]]>When I initially created Pixel_Encoder, all I wanted was to create an interesting ASCII-inspired effect. I had no idea that in the coming months Pixel_Encoder would be used by hundreds of artists to create their own content for the world to see. It's been an incredible journey so far, and I can't thank you guys enough for your support.
In Update 1.4, I've essentially re-created the entire product from the ground up to make it even more powerful and easier than ever to use in your existing workflows.
Of course, product-changing rollouts like these are rarely free of issues, so if you run into any problems whatsoever, please feel free to reach out to me at contact@willcecil.net.
Happy encoding!
Update 1.4 brings Pixel_Encoder into the native plugin world. What does this mean exactly? Well, starting now, you can use Pixel_Encoder the same way you would use any of your other plugins. Simply open your project, select a layer, and apply Pixel_Encoder from the Effects windows.
And not only that, this update brings TONS of new features including:
Additionally, Update 1.4 brings new security measures. There's been a considerable uptick of third-party sites stealing and distributing my products over the last year, so, to combat this, I've implemented a watermarked licensing system.
What this means for you, is that, after you install this update and apply it for the first time, you'll see a big "X" across the image. This is a simple watermark that can be removed by entering a license key.
License keys will be provided for free to anyone who purchased Pixel_Encoder prior to Update 1.4. To obtain your free license key, simply fill out the form here or click the button below.
Please be aware that I will be manually fulfilling all license requests, so it may take some time to process everything.
You can purchase Pixel_Encoder by clicking here.
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