New Features

Storybuilding Suite

• There is now a list view when adding scenes to a storyboard. It works when replacing as well!
  

• There are several icons added to the scenes in the library in both the thumbnail and list views when adding or replacing scenes. This is what they mean:

  • Pencil (While adding) - this is the selected scene in the storyboard.

  • Pencil (While replacing) - this is the scene about to be replaced in the storyboard.

  • Light blue tick - this scene is used somewhere in the storyboard.

  • White tick with blue circle - the selected scene. It will either be added or will replace the current scene in the storyboard.

• When previewing a scene the last used data from the storyboard wide preview is used instead of the default data.
• In the advanced text properties panel you can now return any color to default!
• Two additions to the way we manage your Storybuilding Suite passwords:
  • We now enforce password change every 90 days.
  • We remember the last 12 passwords that user used, and you are not allowed to use them again.
• You can now upload JET files to your user or scene asset library and use it instead of MP4s as your dynamic video assets. Not sure what JET files are? Look at the Scene Tools section below.
• In the Storybuilder, leaving a scene with logic rules panel open, means it remains open when you return to it.
• To support our rich text capabilities you can upload TTF and OTF files into a scene library's assets section.
• In the Generate Videos section, when asking to see the API example, the example was updated to the API v2 standard.
• Files with special characters such as & can't be uploaded to the asset libraries.
• When something goes wrong while trying to preview a proper error message appears explaining the reason.
• When creating parameters, choose Advanced Options. Use the Parameter Description to automatically create a drop-down menu in Quick Form (found under the Generate Videos section) by separating values with semicolons. For example: Silver ; Gold ; Platinum. The spaces around the semicolons are important too.
  

Scene Tools and Graphics

• Scene Builder now installs on After Effects CC 2019! Yippy!
• JET files are Idomoo's proprietary video file type. Our engine is blazing fast when it uses JET files. You can now export JET files from AE instead of MP4s by using the Idomoo Video 2.0 Output Module. Use the JET files as video assets in placeholders.
• When aiming your video to be broadcast in several mediums you sometimes need to have the video rendered in more than one aspect ratio, for example both 16:9 and 1:1. If you work with a common center, so that everything that's important to the viewer is presented in the middle you can use our crop function to render the 16:9 and then crop it to 1:1. This is currently available only through API and for full service clients.
• We have integrated a new motion blur algorithm that makes rendering motion blur even faster.
• When using video shot in portrait mode as an asset in a placeholder the video is rotated so it's facing the right way up.

Scene API

Read more in the developers' site.

• Developer Mode - As a developer, and while working on developing your API calls, you no longer have to waste valuable rendering credits. Instead you can now use our developer mode. This will substitute credits for a watermark, and some extra limitations you can learn about in the API Interface article.
• Shorten Scene- It is useful to be able to set the duration of a scene by using the end time of another scene. This is mainly for when you have a multi layered scene API call, with one scene used as a background and all other scenes placed on top in various locations. You'd then like the background scene to end when the last foreground scene has ended. Use these new parameters under the scene object:

  "duration_upto_unique_scene_id"
  "duration_addition"
  "unique_scene_id"

• Crop Output- As mentioned in the above Scene Tools and Graphics section, you can now crop your output by using the following parameter in your output object:

  "crop_to_ratio": [4.0,5.0]

• Added an error message if in output > gif > start is bigger than the available duration.
• The parameter "gif_fps" in "output" > "gif" is now mandatory.

Metadata API

Read more in the developers' site.

• Metadata API now works with all our environments. Use the same endpoint as you would for generate API calls.
• You can now delete and rename scenes through metadata API.
• You can now delete a scene library through metadata API.
• Getting information about a scene now also returns the following data for all placeholder layer types:

  "is_hidden"

  
  And the following data for text placeholder layers:

  "wrapping_shrink"
  "wrapping_breakline"
  "wrapping_minimum"
  "wrapping_truncate"
  "wrapping_truncate_string"

Bug Fixes

Storybuilding Suite

• We had some problems with our number and date formatting. We ironed it out—pressed and ready to go.
• In storyboard validation rules Exist didn't work. We though if it's there, it should work, so now it does.
• After changing a font in the advanced text properties panel, the formatting was reset. Now it stays put, like a good doggie.
• In the advanced text properties panel, Shrink kept staying on, even if you turned it off, like spam. Now it goes away on request.
• There was a problem going back to your default font. It's now working.
• The reset to default button now works as it should.
• CTA buttons with UTF-8 characters are now reported as needed to Analytics.

Scene Tools

• When using Truncate it left an extra space after the last word. Now that space is no more.
• We didn't know how to calculate the leading between two lines of text if the second line was empty. Now we do know.
• We calculate the bounding box for point text layers more accurately now.
• Baseline shift was not being shrunk when shrink was on. Now it is.
• Highlight color behind text was appearing lower than it should on some fonts. We made sure those fonts are treating just like others. Equality!
• When a video placeholder had animation it was exported with that animation baked into the video. No longer.
• The bounding box for a text layer is now calculated with all text animation switched off.