You Are Here: Home > Support > SM2.x

Main technical support page
Site map

For more SpiceMASTER help, tips, and techniques… SpiceMASTER has a complete built-in visual help system. Please click the "?" button in the top right corner of the SpiceMASTER window, then anywhere in the interface.

1. The serial number that you sent me for SpiceMASTER 2.5 does not work. Most commonly, the solution is to also enter the name field in our installer exactly like we sent it to you (which may be somewhat different than what your PC automatically enters). Also, keep in mind our serial numbers are cASE-sensitive. If there is still a problem after trying again, please contact us and we will solve it for you right away.

2. I bought the SpiceMASTER 2.5 upgrade, but my older SpiceMASTER CD that is required for installing the upgrade is lost or no longer works. Please contact us and we will solve it for you right away.

3. Can I learn about SpiceMASTER 2.5 away from the computer? Yes, an Acrobat PDF print-optimized version of the SpiceMASTER 2.5 help system is available here.

4. Chroma shifts appear during an effect. With shots that exceed broadcast specs for black levels or chroma, slight chroma shifts may appear during a SpiceMASTER effect, depending on your video hardware. Sometimes it may be slightly noticeable when the rendered SpiceMASTER effect is compressed while the surrounding video is not. It is not actually a SpiceMASTER problem, but a problem with any rendered visual effect, built-in or from other third-parties. Besides shooting properly, one way to typically solve the shift is to apply a dummy (non-acting) effect to incoming and outgoing clips of the SpiceMASTER transition, causing the entire segment to be compressed, but not otherwise changed.

5. SpiceMASTER 2.0 is not visible (Premiere Pro 1.5 only). Our newest SpiceMASTER 2.5 downloadable plug-in is compatible with Premiere Pro 1.5. If you have SpiceMASTER 2.0, you can upgrade for just $49. If you have SpiceMASTER 1.x, you can upgrade for just $89. Details

6. Can't preview properly in Pinnacle Liquid 6.x. Pinnacle has issued a patch to allow all third-party visual effects plug-ins (such as Boris RED and SpiceMASTER) to properly preview. Please download their patch from here.

7. SpiceMASTER crashes or is unresponsive (older Avids only).
If you use an Avid Windows system prior to Symphony 3.01, Media Composer 10.01, or Xpress 4.01, those systems require a CPR (Critical Point Release) update from Avid to run SpiceMaster (or other AVX plug-ins) successfully. You can obtain the CPR if you have an active Avid Support Contract and call Avid Customer Support at (800) 800-2843 Option #2. In earlier Avid systems without the CPR, the following workaround also solves the problem: In the Avid menu, select Tools > Console. In the command line of the console that appears, type "ToggleAVXRedraw". This disables backgound redraw, so that the record monitor is not updated while the AVX UI is displayed. To re-enable backgound redraw, simply type "ToggleAVXRedraw" again.