Autodesk releases Flame 2025.2
Originally posted on 12 April 2024, and updated with details of Flame 2025.2.
Autodesk has begun its Flame 2025 release cycle, the latest annual series of updates to Flame, its compositing, finishing and effects software
Flame 2025 itself introduces a new Match Grain node, a new lens distortion workflow, and overhauls the handling of user preferences.
The other products in the Flame family – the two cut-down editions of Flame, Flame Assist and Flare, and colour grading tool Lustre – have also been updated to their 2025 releases.
New Match Grain node matches film grain automatically to source footage
New features in Flame 2025 include Match Grain, a new node for matching the grain of footage to that of a source clip, with the option to adjust RGB values, dispersion and scale.
It should provide a more streamlined workflow than the existing Degrain and Regrain nodes.
New workflow for correcting and reapplying lens distortion
Lens distortion workflow has also been overhauled, with a new Lens Distortion node replacing the old Lens Distort node.
Like its predecessor, it can be used to correct or simulate lens distortions in footage, but provides a wider range of options, computing lens distortion from a Lens Grid clip, manually inserted splines, or importing distortion data from 3D tracking software 3DEqualizer.
Users can then apply multiple distortion models to undistort the footage, and output an STMap and Inverse STMap to apply the same undistortion to other clips via the new STMap node.
Flame User Profiles ditched as part of new workflow for managing preferences
Handling of preferences and presets has been overhauled, with Autodesk dispensing entirely with the concept of Flame User Profiles to which version-specific user settings are tied.
Preferences are now organized in a version-agnostic four-level hierarchy (user, project, version, system), and there is also a new option to create centralized presets on a studio network.
Other workflow improvements
There are also a number of smaller workflow improvements to the timeline, to Batch, to the Keyboard Shortcuts Editor, and to the user interface.
Other changes include support for Apple Log color space, introduced with the iPhone 15 Pro, and updates to the SDKs and media formats supported.
Updated 25 July 2024: Autodesk has released Flame 2025.1.
The update introduces new AI features, including a machine-learning slow-mo option in the Timewarp node, and an Inference node for applying custom ONNX AI models.
In addition, a new Frequency node separates clips into frequency bands.
Workflow improvements include the option to tag objects in the Media Panel and Timeline, and to customize the color coding presets.
The Inference node introduced in Flame 2025.1 for running custom AI models gets an update in 2025.2, adding the option to perform inference on designated RGBA channels.
Updated 23 October 2024: Autodesk has released Flame 2025.2.
The update introduces a new machine learning-powered Morph tool for blending together frames from two clips, either to create a visible morphing effect or just to ease a transition.
It is available as a Batch node, as Timeline FX, and as a Transition.
The Timewarp and Inference nodes have been updated, and can now be run in 16-bit depth as well as 32-bit, and on the CPU as well as the GPU on Linux.
Running on CPU is slower, but increases the size of the frames that can be rendered.
In the Inference node, it is also now possible to specify which RGBA color channels to use when performing the inference.
In addition, Background Reactor, which accelerates rendering by processing effects in the background, is now available on macOS as well as Linux.
Pricing and availability
Flame 2025.2 is compatible with Rocky Linux 8.5/8.7/8.10/9.3 and macOS 12.0.1+. It is available rental-only. Subscriptions cost $610/month or $4,870/year.
Flare 2025 and Flame Assist 2025 are also available for Rocky Linux 8.5/8.7/8.10/9.3 and macOS 12.0.1+. Single-user subscriptions cost $2,595/year.
Lustre 2025 is available on Rocky Linux 8.5/8.7/8.10/9.3. Single-user subscriptions cost $4,870/year.
Read a full list of new features in the Flame 2025 releases in the online documentation
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