Boris FX releases Silhouette 2025.5
Boris FX has released Silhouette 2025.5, the latest version of its roto and paint software.
The update extends Silhouette’s AI-base matte workflow, making it possible to select objects using natural-language prompts, and to export the resulting selections as Cryptomatte data.
A new Face ML node automatically generates animated mattes for individual parts of the face.
A VFX-industry standard tool for rotoscoping and roto paint work
First released 20 years ago, and acquired by Boris FX in 2019, Silhouette is a rotoscoping and paint tool.
The software is widely used in production for movie and broadcast visual effects, winning both a Scientific and Technical Academy Award and Engineering Emmy Award in 2019.
As well as the original standalone edition, Silhouette is available as a plugin, making the toolset available inside Adobe software and OFX-compatible apps like Nuke and DaVinci Resolve.
AI-based masking tools now support natural-language prompts and Cryptomatte export
Silhouette’s 2024 releases added an AI-based matte workflow, with the Mask ML node automatically generating a mask for a significant object – like a person or animal – in a frame of video, and Matte Assist ML propagating it throughout the rest of the footage.
Silhouette 2025.5 builds on that workflow, adding support for Cryptomatte ID matte generation to Mask ML and Matte Assist ML.
Rather than exporting a single combined matte for, say, all of the people in a shot, users can now export Cryptomatte data, making it possible to select each person individually, either in Silhouette, or in compositing applications that support Cryptomatte.
In addition, it is now possible to enter natural-language prompts inside Mask ML to select objects, rather than having to click on them manually in the footage.
The main benefit is probably to multi-select objects – for example, to generate masks for all of the cars in a shot by typing ‘cars’.
However, you can use more complex semantic prompts like ‘person wearing pink’, and the process can be scripted to automate workflow.
New Face ML tool for automatic facial segmentation
Silhouette 2025.5 also adds another new AI tool, in the shape of the Face ML node, aimed at beauty and digital makeup work.
It does a similar job to Mask ML and Face ML combined, but is exclusively focused on facial segmentation, automatically generating an animated matte for parts of the face.
There are options to generate mattes for the facial skin, eyes, brows, lips, teeth and beard, and again, the results can be exported as a single combined matte or as Cryptomatte data.
New 3D Scene node lets users work with tracked 3D cameras
In addition, the 3D Scene node introduced in Silhouette 2025.0 has been updated.
In the initial release, it enabled you to import a 3D scene with a tracked camera, place a card in 3D space, then paint onto the card.
In Silhouette 2025.5, the 3D Scene node gets its own integrated tracking capabilities, based on Boris FX’s SynthEyes technology, removing the need to perform the track in another app.
Price and system requirements
Silhouette 2025.5 is available as a standalone tool for Windows 10+, Linux and macOS 12.0+, and as a plugin for Adobe software and OFX-compatible tools like Nuke.
Perpetual licences of the standalone cost $2,195; the plugin costs $1,195. Rental costs $165/month or $875/year for the standalone; $103/month or $545/year for the plugin.
Read a list of new features in Silhouette 2025.5 on Boris FX’s blog
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