Slapshot releases first tools in AI-powered VFX toolkit

Part of a new breed of tools that will accelerate aspects of the VFX workflow, Snapshot is launching with its first tools covering Roto and retiming.

Slapshot is a new VFX platform that leans heavily into AI to get several specific jobs done.  It’s debuting with two tools, AI-Powered Rotoscoping and Generative Retiming, with the company saying that more are to be released in the coming months.

AI-Powered Rotoscoping: Revolutionising the traditionally labor-intensive Rotoscoping process, Slapshot allows users to select and isolate elements in just a few clicks with results exportable in industry leading formats such as EXR, JPG, and MOV in hard and soft mattes. 

Generative Retiming: This tool uses AI to predict and generate new frames, enabling video extensions of up to 200%. Simply upload a video, input the desired length for the retimed version and export the results.

Slapshot has been developed by VFX outsourcing specialists Hotspring, and the company is well aware of the contested reputation of AI in the industry.

"It's important to understand that AI-Powered Rotoscoping and VFX are not intended to replace traditional Rotoscoping in Film, TV, or Commercial Production,” says Hotspring & Slapshot Managing Director, Ben Stallard. ‘ Instead, it serves as a complementary tool used alongside traditional techniques when appropriate. Whilst AI Roto adds efficiency and provides options faster than before, it’s rarely intended to produce final results in high-end productions. Its primary role is for tasks like temp work, editing, or background elements in appropriate shots. This technology enhances workflows without replacing the precision of hand-done roto in professional pipelines."

Slapshot is built around what the company says is a fast, efficient and secure web interface for hosting and working with video. That lends itself to a robust cloud infrastructure compatible with the latest AI models, supporting resolutions up to 6K. And it’s got room to expand too.

“One of the things we’ve spent a lot of time on is building a platform that can scale out to support a whole host of AI technologies, not just rotoscoping,” says Jon Mason, Co-Founder and CEO. "There’s so much great research happening in this space that we thought it was super important to build an application that would allow us to onboard these technologies as rapidly as possible, and that’s exactly what we’ve done with Slapshot. It’s going to drastically reduce the time it takes for the latest research to make it onto the screen." 

No confirmed pricing yet, though its marketing materials make much of the creator economy. You can access the free trial at https://slapshot.ai/.

tl;dr

• Slapshot is a new VFX platform leveraging AI to improve workflows, debuting with AI-Powered Rotoscoping and Generative Retiming tools.
• The AI-Powered Rotoscoping tool streamlines the rotoscoping process, allowing users to isolate elements with minimal effort and export results in various industry-standard formats.
• Generative Retiming utilizes AI to predict and generate new frames, enabling users to extend video lengths by up to 200% simply by uploading a video and specifying the desired duration.
• Developed by VFX outsourcing specialists Hotspring, Slapshot emphasizes that its tools are meant to complement traditional techniques, enhancing efficiency rather than replacing the precision required in high-end productions.