Boris FX expands with the incorporation of SilhouetteFX and Digital Film Tools.
In a significant move, Boris FX, the home of creative and time-saving applications and plug-ins, has announced the acquisition of Digital Film Tools and Silhouette. This merger brings together two powerhouses of the VFX industry, promising a synergistic blend of innovative solutions for filmmakers and artists worldwide.
The Birth of New Innovations
The team behind Digital Film Tools developed custom tools due to the lack of desired looks and effects, and Silhouette, a high-end rotoscoping, paint, and effects tool, was born. Over the years, Silhouette has been used in blockbuster films such as Avatar, The Hobbit, Wonder Woman, Avengers: End Game, and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw. Matt Mueller, Head of Optical at Weta Digital, considers Silhouette an essential tool, while Eddie Soria, Digital Paint Lead at Weta Digital, uses it daily for paint shots.
The recent additions to the Boris FX product line include Silhouette 2025 and SynthEyes 2025.5, each featuring advanced AI-powered tools and workflow enhancements.
Silhouette 2025: Revolutionising Rotoscoping and Painting
Silhouette 2025 introduces new AI-driven features in its roto and paint software. These include a single-click AI tool for generating masks directly from source footage, AI tools for refining masks, generating depth maps, and glitch fixing, new annotation tools to aid compositing workflows, Matte Assist ML and Matte Refine ML for improved matte extraction and refinement, noted as powerful tools for detailed rotoscoping.
SynthEyes 2025.5: Streamlining Matchmove Tasks
SynthEyes 2025.5 enhances matchmoving workflows with AI-driven ML (machine learning) Motion Estimation tracking for handling complex shot tracking, flexible Lens Workflow exports enabling better integration with lens-based workflows, Mesh-to-parent tracking allowing more advanced tracking relationships, and overall streamlining of matchmove tasks by eliminating common workflow hurdles.
The Future of VFX with Boris FX
The acquisition of Silhouette and Digital Film Tools marks a significant step forward for Boris FX. Silhouette joins Boris FX's flagship products Sapphire, Continuum, and Mocha Pro, which is also an Academy Award-winning product in the Boris FX family. Top artists at VFX studios like Weta Digital, Framestore, Technicolor, Deluxe use Silhouette, and with this acquisition, they can expect even more advanced tools and features.
The upcoming Silhouette 2020 release is a GPU-accelerated node-based compositing application with integrated Mocha planar tracking and hundreds of features. This release will be showcased at IBC (September 13-17, 2019) at Boris FX stand (7.A65).
All the original founders from both Silhouette and Digital Film Tools are joining the Boris FX team, ensuring a seamless transition and continued innovation in the VFX industry. The latest significant innovations are concentrated in Silhouette and SynthEyes as of mid-2025, suggesting a bright future for these powerful tools under the Boris FX umbrella.
Digital Film Tools features over 100 filters and thousands of presets, including color grading presets inspired by Academy Award-winning films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Apocalypse Now, Blade Runner, Back to the Future, and Gone with the Wind. The team behind Digital Film Tools developed custom tools due to the lack of desired looks and effects, and this tradition of innovation continues under the Boris FX brand.
[1] Silhouette 2025 Official Press Release
[2] SynthEyes 2025.5 Official Press Release
[3] Boris FX Acquires Silhouette and Digital Film Tools
Technology advances are highlighted in the official press releases for Silhouette 2025 and SynthEyes 2025.5, each featuring new AI-powered tools that revolutionize rotoscoping, painting, and matchmove tasks within these powerful applications.
The recent acquisition of Silhouette and Digital Film Tools by Boris FX brings together technology powerhouses, promising a synergistic blend of innovative solutions for filmmakers and artists worldwide. With advanced workflow enhancements, these tools are poised to shape the future of VFX technology.
