This is not entirely true and in any case, do not worry, you can recover your transitions.

In 2011/2013:

• The AVID Studio, Studio 15/17 installers extracted all Hollywood FX data to: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX.
• If you open Hollywood FX using Easy_FX.exe, the interface show the transitions album shared by Avid or S15 / S17.
• If you open Hollywood FX within Avid or Studio 15/17 interface, you also see the transitions album shared by Avid or S15 / S17.
• If you decompress a transition, it extract the data in Avid or S15 / S17 path.

As of November 2014:

• Studio 18 installs all Hollywood FX data to: C:\Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Studio 18\Content\ HollywoodFX . Studio 18 no longer uses the same Hollywood FX or the same data shared by AVID, S15 / S17.
• If you open Hollywood FX by using this new Easy_FX.exe, the interface shows you the transitions album installed by Studio 18.
• If you use Hollywood FX from Studio 18 interface, you also see the transitions album installed by Studio 18.
• If you extract a transition, it now ends up with the Studio 18 transitions path.

1. If you have one or more Studio releases prior to Studio 18 installed on your computer, you now have TWO Easy_FX.exe instances installed. Depending on the instance that you open, you see the shared transitions for Avid, S15 / S17 (with all your old transitions) or only transitions installed by Studio 18. If you use Hollywood FX within studio to change a transition:

• If Hollywood FX is used from AVID, S15 / 17, then the Easy_FX.exe located in C:\Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX will be open.
• If Hollywood FX is used from S18, then the Easy_FX.exe located in C:\Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Studio 18\Content\ HollywoodFX will be open.

2. If you have any 00 - Declic Video transitions installed in folders shared by Avid S15 / S17 data, you just have to run the Install.bat batch file (Version 4.01 or higher) included in the HFX-DVFX-STUDIO-XXX.zip file. All data installed by previous versions will be transferred, so you don’t need to decompress the Declic-Video transitions again. There are more details in the "Studio 18 and the Declic Video Transitions" news article.
3. If you had installed personal transitions shared by Avid S15 / 17, the best and safest solution is to:

• Open the old Hollywood FX file.
• Load transition and them export it using the interface.
• Create a HFZ file (File Menu \ Export HFZ ...)
• Repeat this for each transition you need to export.
• Close Hollywood FX.
• Decompress the HFZ files you just created.

Note : If you need to uninstall Studio 18, you will need to re-do the file association for (InstallHFZ) that opens the (HFZ) file type because Studio 18 removes this association and does not restore the former association.

A Little Trick : If you want to decompress a HFZ file in the transitions album shared by Avid S15 / S17, simply drag the HFZ file onto the InstallHFZ.exe file located under C:\Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX.

HFX Creator tool is the tool to edit, modify and create transitions in Hollywood FX. Our tutorial "Learn Hollywood FX (HFX)" detailed this tool and put emphasis on the conditions to get it.

But Avid Studio manual does not give any information regarding this tool. So we officially sent question to Avid. The answer is unequivocal, it's YES, HFX Creator tool is included in Avid Studio !

With the following clarification provided by AVID: if the HFX Creator tool is not actived by the installation of the Avid Studio software , registered users may ask for a free key in the "Pinnacle Studio forum" for unlocking HFX Creator tool. In any case, the user will *NOT* have to pay for the unlock key.

Easy FX Editor does not support embedding media consisting of HD video files.

But the existing HFX transitions can be applied without problems on HD clips in Studio, although the preview in HFX is not good.

Transitions that you create in Easy FX Editor are slightly different from those available in Studio.
These limits are linked to EASY FX Editor application that was created before HD appeared.

To our knowledge, Easy FX Editor will not be upgraded, no further development schedule.

It's a bug that has been reported to Avid. The latest V1.1 solve the issue.

This bug occurs when you edit a transition withing HFX V6.0 (opened from Avid Studio) and you save the change in HFX V6.0. This operation has the effect of deleting the files located in this folder:

C: \ Program Files ** \ Avid \ Studio \ plugins \ RTFx \ HFxXML
(containing 2434 files)

Solution 1: before you have this problem, make a copy of the file located in the folder
C: \ Program Files ** \ Avid \ Studio \ plugins \ RTFx \ HFxXML.

Solution 2: If it's too late, do a repair using "Bonus Content Avid Studio" (3rd item in the installation panel).

** C: \ Program Files under 32-bit or C: \ Program Files (x86) under 64 bits

Rather simple: hold CTL+ALT while inserting an object, it replaces the current object (by keeping all other properties)

Do you want to know EVERYTHING about HFX ? Do you have problems with Hollywood FX and you want to solve it ? So:

1. Read our tutorial "Learn Hollywood FX"
2. Read our tutorial "My HFX transitions create problems for me"
3. Read our tutorial "Install our free HFX transitions in Pinnacle Studio 9-15"
4. Read our tutorial "Install our free HFX transitions in Pinnacle Studio above Pinnacle Studio 15"
5. Read our tutorial "Installation of Declic Video transitions A to Z"
6. Read our FAQ below

That's all. You know everything we know...

3D objects are files with the .lwo or .hfo extension.
If you want to create such objects, you need to purchase one of the software programs that have the capability to export 3D objects into these file formats : Lightwave 3D or Modo 3D.

Take note that lwo files produced by LightWave 3D should be renamed to .hfo for importing the objets inside Easy FX Editor.

In General :

If you are having display problems, go to the manufacturers website for your graphics card and check if there is a new driver available. Do an update if needed.

Symptoms :

  In viewing some of the transitions in the album, you see some of these symptoms:

• Transition changing directly from A to B without any changes in between;
• Or if the height is stretched and you only see the bottom of the picture;
• Or you see a split image with vertical stripes in a position they should not be in (such as bands 2, 1, 3 instead of bands 1, 2, 3).

On the time line, some of your transitions :

• Are properly displayed if the background rendering isn't activated;
• Are distorted when you run the background rendering.

If you do a background render :

• Some of your transitions are distorted in the final rendering.

Actions :

• Go to the configuration options in Pinnacle Studio "Video and Audio Preferences".
• Change the "full-resolution preview" and "hardware acceleration" options. If a box is checked, uncheck it and vice versa. Then return to the timeline and transitions. If the result is successful, you can put the settings back to their original position (this is recommended).
• By using these check boxes as a switch, you should solve your problem (in fact, by modifying the checkbox, you do a kind of "reset" of the value - that's the reason why you can change it back to their original settings once you have experimented that it works).

NOTE (from R. Felhmann): this kind of problem can also happen if you use a recent hardware with an old Studio version. For example, a graphic card 9600 GT and Studio 11. You might encounter some problems in such case...

History:

Within Easy FX editor, you have made a new HFX and saved it using a name "My-Transition". Deciding later that the FX needed tweaking, you did so by bringing it back into HFX and, after making the required changes you saved it. Instead of just using the "Save" command you used the "Save as" command giving it the same name "My-Transition" and saying yes to the overwrite... When you open HFX, you now have 2 icons in the folder with the same name "My-Transitions", both of which work as the revised version.

The problem:

When you try to delete either one of the icons from within HFX, the remaining icon with "My-Transition" name has its icon displayed as a grey box with the letters "FX" in the middle... The HFX editor crashes if you try to use it and you cannot find a way to delete it or rename it.

The solution:

1. Open Easy FX Editor
2. Drag and drop a transition in the preview window (not the "My-Transition" one, another one)
3. Select SAVE AS and name it as the one which has a problem --> "My-Transition" (should be saved in the SAME folder of course, and overwrite the old one) - again, you have 2 similar transitions
4. Close Easy FX Editor
5. Now, locate the folder in which your transition is stored: This can be done by using the search function and searching for "My-Transition.hfx"
   Generally located at
   C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX\...
6. You should then delete the file My Transition.hfx
7. Open Easy FX Editor, My-Transition.hfx has disappeared

Your problem is solved.

To avoid this problem in the future:

1. NEVER save as with an existing name and overwriting.
2. Do not delete a transition if this transition is currently displayed in your preview window (always drag and drop another transition in the preview window before deleting it)

In some rare cases, it is possible that the Hollywood FX volumes 1 and 3 heading are missing after upgrading to Studio version 12.1. Categories and transitions are still present, but the heading for the transition volume is missing.

If this case, just follow this procedure:

1. Download the FixMissingPixie.pxm file. You can find this file in the download HFX Tools area
2. Make sure Studio 12 is closed, and then double-click on the FixMissingPixie.pxm to run it. You will not see anything running or installing, it will simply add the necessary files.
3. Finally, restart Studio 12 by right-clicking on the Studio 12 icon and select Run as administrator. The Hollywood FX Volume headings should now be visible.
4. If the content is present, but still locked, use your activation key to unlock the locked content. If you need new activation keys sent to you, follow the instructions from this site:

Regenerate Activation Keys

Once the keys are entered, the content should now be unlocked again.

If the content is still missing,execute the file Repair-HFX batch file, or if you prefer to do it by hand using the "Tip-1 My HFX effects have disappeared".

To delete an HFX effect:

1. If Studio is open, close it.
2. In the Windows taskbar, search Easy_FX.exe
3. At the top of the main window in Hollywood FX "menu" Album, check "Show album".
4. In the window of the album tree, click on the category whose contents you want to view.
5. Right Click on the HFX effect that you want to remove, then click Remove.
6. Close Easy_FX Editor.

Now, the chosen HFX has been deleted in Hollywood FX.

To delete an HFX category?
(Note that this will delete all HFX effects in a given category, for example 00-Declic Video )

1. Close Studio.
2. It will be necessary to work with the following folders:
   If you're running XP
   ...Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX\Effects\xxxx
   If you're running Vista or Windows 7/8 :
   ...Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX\Effects\xxxx
   xxxx is the category you want to delete.
3. Save this Hollywood FX directory (in case there is a problem or if you want to restore them later).
4. Right-click on the folder and choose Delete. It should also delete folders Objects and Images
5. To delete the Objects folder:
   If you're running XP
   ...Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX\Objects\xxxx
   If you're running Vista or Windows 7/8:
   ...Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX\Objects\xxxx
6. Right-click on the folder and choose delete.
7. To remove the Images folder:
   If you're running XP
   ...Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX\Images\xxxx
   If you're running Vista or Windows 7/8:
   ...Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX\Images\xxxx
8. Right-click on the folder and choose Delete

Here, the folder no longer exists in Easy_Fx Editor

HFX5 is able to handle PNG format as well as the TGA and BMP format (but does not accept tiff and jpg). HFX6 as well. Studio 9 and 10 can not use PNG files (when placed directly on the timeline) but all later versions of Studio are able to use PNG files directly on the timeline.

So the best choice is the PNG format for both Easy FX Editor versions. Also, you can use BMP for either one if you don't need the transparency feature. In addition, tga file would be quite a bit larger than the equivalent png file. Also, in order to use the alpha channel in a tga file it would have to be saved as a 32-bit file which again will increase it's size.

If you use pictures as a source media for your frame objects (instead of video), sometimes people report problems in rendering or previewing HFX effects. This is linked to the "source interpret" settings.

• For pictures, use "Single image"
• For movies, use "Interlaced Upper First" (or "Interlaced Lower First")

If you can not apply the instructions given in the tutorials on this website, or if your editor is different than the screen capture shown in the tutorials, it may be because your Studio version can not edit the HFX effects. In such cases, your Easy FX Editor looks like this (you only see the "Host") :

A Studio system, newly installed (without HFX Mega, Plus or Pro already existing on the computer) can only open the Easy FX Editor window but does not allow editing the effect components. You only see in such cases the "Host". To be able to edit your HFX effect, you must purchase the activation key called "HFX Creator" (available on Pinnacle e-Store or see our FAQ #29). You are then able to edit your transition components as you wish.

Transition themes contain 16 transitions in general.
Hollywood FX Volume 1 and 2 contain 25 themes each (~400 transitions).
Hollywood FX Volume 3 contains 20 themes (~320 transitions).

Hollywood FX previews are available at the following URL:

• Hollywood FX Volume 1 preview
• Hollywood FX Volume 2 preview
  
• Hollywood FX Volume 3 preview

Hollywood FX V4.x is associated with Pinnacle Studio V8.

Hollywood FX V5.x is associated with Pinnacle Studio V9.

Hollywood FX V6.0 is associated with Pinnacle Studio V10 to V15.

Hollywood FX V6.5 is associated with AVID  and Pinnacle Studio V16 & V17.

When you install Pinnacle Studio V9 and above, HFX is automatically installed with the Bonus Content DVD. Do not use your Hollywood FX CD (this is only valid for HFX Plus/Pro/Mega). Just enter your unlock key into the Windows Menu Pinnacle Studio / Hollywood FX / "Enter your Plus or Pro Serial Number" to unlock it.

Take note that effects made with Easy FX Editor V5 will work on S9 and above.
Effects made with Easy FX Editor V6 will *not* work on S8 or S9.

Hollywood FX Pro can be installed either as a plug-in in Premiere Pro or in stand-alone mode (below V5.5).
In the stand-alone mode, a file HfxEdt5.vfx is located in a folder called Host Plugs in Edition:
C:\Program Files\Pinnacle\Hollywood FX 5\Host Plugins\Edition\HfxEdt5.vfx
Copy this file HfxEdt5.vfx, rename it to HfxEdt5.prm and move it to :
C:\Program Files\Adobe\Adobe Premiere Pro 2.0\Plug-ins\fr_FR\ HfxEdt5.prm

Once this is done, HFX is fully functional in Adobe Premiere Pro V1.x, V2.x, V3.x
For HFX V5.5 and above, no possibility to integrate HFX and Premiere...

You can also check our tutorial: HFX and Adobe Premiere.

In Hollywood FX v. 4.x:

Hollywood FX Plus and Pro are available in English, French and German. Open the Easy Editor (or Edit one HFX transition). Click on Settings and select the language.

In Hollywood FX v. 5.x:

When installing Hollywood FX Plus, Pro or Mega, you will be asked what language you wish to install it in. Select between English, French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Chinese Simplified, Japanese, Korean. To switch languages, you will need to uninstall and reinstall, selecting another language.

In Hollywood FX v. 6.x:

If you have installed Hollywood FX6 and its user interface is in the wrong language, please follow these steps to solve the problem:

1. Go to C:\Program Files\Pinnacle\Studio 10\OEM directory (You may have to change the drive letter or path if you have not installed it in the default location)
2. Run the program hfx60StudioSilent.exe
3. Choose the correct language during HFX installation

Now the problem should be solved

After installing the Studio 10.5 patch, you might experience some problems with the HFX editor language. To fix this issue, please download one of the two ZIP files below, according to the language you want to use.

Change the language to French: ChangeHFXtoFRA.zip
Change the language to English: ChangeHFXtoENG.zip
Close Studio and HollywoodFX Editor. Unzip the downloaded file. Double click on the .PXM file (there will be no message).
Launch Easy FX Editor, the problem is now solved.

1. Basic Hollywood FX transitions
2. Hollywood FX Plus
3. Hollywood FX Pro/Mega
4. Additional Hollywood FX transitions

• CASE 1: the transitions are watermarked because that specific package has not been purchased.
• CASE 2: the transition package has been paid for, but it is still watermarked.

1. Go to Start > All Programs > Pinnacle Hollywood FX for Studio > Enter your Plus or PRO Serial Number.
2. Enter the serial number that came with the Hollywood FX software.
3. Launch Studio to verify that the transitions are unlocked.

Hollywood FX has several versions: V4.x, V5.x and V6.x

V4.x and V5.x only work under Windows 2000 or XP.
V6.x work under Windows 2000, XP, Windows Vista or above

RTFx is a plugin (or filter).
HFX is a transition; an HFX element can also be applied as a plugin (or filter).

Definitions:

Basically, a plugin is a filter which is applied on the whole length of any video clip or graphic (using the Studio video toolbox).
A transition is applied between two clips or graphic (by dragging them from the transition Album)

RTFx :

The library of video effects is divided into five categories:

• Cleaning effects help correct defects in the source video, such as noise and camera shake
• Time effects change the tempo of playback without affecting the appearance of the video frames themselves
• Color effects let you modify the coloration of a clip, whether subtly or dramatically
• Fun effects like Water drop and Lens flare provide extra scope for creativity and fun in your movies
• Style effects like Emboss and Old film let you apply distinctive visual styles for added impact

By installing the DVD Bonus Content, you add the whole package of RTFx available within Studio, in demo version (with Pinnacle watermark). Depending on your Studio version (Plus, Ultimate, ...) , some effects are unlocked.

HFX:

Hollywood FX  includes a large number of 3-D transitions and effects. HFX can be purchased either individually or in larger packs called HFX Plus, HFX MEGA, HFX Pro or HFX Volumes. A free collection is also available in this page.

You can unlock these packs from within the Studio 10 software or purchase the transitions from the estore.

With Studio 15 and above, ULTIMATE pack contain the whole range of HFX Basic / Plus / Mega (they are now called Volume 1, 2, 3)

If you have Hollywood FX Mega, all the packs in Volume 1 will be unlocked except for the last effect pack in Volume 1 called "Multimedia 1".

If you have HFX Plus, most of the transitions in Volume 1 will be unlocked. The bottom row of transitions will still be locked as well as all of the “Multimedia 1” pack.

Hollywood FX Pro is the old name for Hollywood FX Mega. HFX Mega = HFX Pro

This error message appears in two cases:

1. You just downloaded the file InstallHFZ.exe and you tried to double click on it...
2. Your HFX installation is corrupted

First Case:

This file must not be clicked ! The purpose of this executable is to automatically install HFX transitions. This component will be selected when you double click an HFX file and this one does not open ("Open with / Choose Program" and select this executable).
This file, provided by Pinnacle, can help in some cases to obtain more unlocked transitions than usually come with Studio (working only with Studio 10 / HFX V6 or higher).
To use this file, copy InstallHFZ.exe to folder :

..\Pinnacle\HollywoodFX\6.0 (and replace the existing file).

or

...\Users\Public\Documents\Pinnacle\Content\HollywoodFX (and replace the existing file).

Second Case:

Only a re-installation (or repair studio) will solve your problem.

Recurring questions in forums:

• My effects appear in Easy FX Editor but not in Pinnacle Studio, under the transition tab. Why ?
• I have just downloaded some HFZ files, I double click on it, but no transition appear in Studio. Why ?
• I have just created transitions in Easy FX Editor, but they are not appearing in Studio. Why ?

The answer can be found by following the instructions in the link below :
"Tip 1 - HFX effects do not appear in Pinnacle Studio" and "Tip 2 - My HFX thumbnails in Studio are black"

• Locate your previous Hollywood FX serial number for Plus, Pro or Mega. Go to Start -> All Programs -> Pinnacle Hollywood FX for Studio 6.0 for Studio 11 -> Enter your Hollywood FX Serial Number. If this option is not available, open Explorer and go to C:\Program Files\Pinnacle\Hollywood FX For Studio\6.0 and double click on HfxSerial.exe
• Enter the serial number that came with the Hollywood FX software and press OK.
• Launch Studio 11 to verify that the transitions are unlocked.

These steps work with both Windows XP and Windows Vista.

Hollywood FX Volume 1, 2 & 3 / Premium Pack Volume 1 & 2
RTFX Volume 1 & 2

Windows XP: If you are using Windows XP and install Studio 11 on the same system that Studio 10 was installed on, the previous content should already be unlocked if it was unlocked previously. If for some reason they are locked or you have changed computers, simply reinstall the Hollywood FX, Premium Pack, or RTFX discs to unlock the content. If you do not have a disc and the product was purchased via activation, you can regenerate your activation keys. The easiest way to do this is to go to Help -> Regenerate Activation Keys within Studio 11. It will then regenerate keys for all purchased content and unlock it automatically. Another method is to go to the following site and follow the instructions to have your activation keys emailed to you. https://unlock.pinnaclesys.com/premiumcontent/regenerate_keys.aspx?Langue_ID=7

Windows Vista - Case #1:
If you updated to Windows Vista and didn’t format the hard drive, Hollywood FX Volume 1,2 & 3, Premium Pack 1 & 2, or RTFX 1 & 2 should already be unlocked if they were unlocked previously. If for some reason they are not unlocked, please contact technical support for assistance. The exception to this is Hollywood FX Volume 3. If this content is locked for some reason, just reinstall from the disc as it should install normally in Windows Vista.
Windows Vista – Case #2:
If you updated to Windows Vista and formatted the hard drive or purchased a new computer with Windows Vista installed, it is not possible at this time to install Hollywood FX Volume 1 & 2, Premium Pack 1 & 2, or RTFX 1 & 2 using the install discs. In this case, please contact Technical Support for assistance.
The exception to this is Hollywood FX Volume 3. If you have a disc for this content, go ahead and install it. It should install normally in Windows Vista. If HFX Volume 1 or 2 will not install properly from the install disc, please follow the instructions in this page - this FAQ: "Hollywood FX Volume 1 or Volume 2 on CD does not run correctly"

Other Unlocked Plugins

If you upgraded to Studio 11 on the same computer that the previous version of Studio was installed on and the hard drive was not formatted, all plugins should be unlocked already. If you formatted the hard drive, purchased a new computer, or the previously purchased plugins are still locked for some other reason, you will need to have your activation keys regenerated. The easiest way to do this is to go to Help -> Regenerate Activation Keys within Studio 11. It will then regenerate keys for all purchased content and unlock it automatically. Another method is to go to the following site and follow the instructions to have your activation keys emailed to you.
https://unlock.pinnaclesys.com/premiumcontent/regenerate_keys.aspx?Langue_ID=7