Acquisition to Provide Industry Leading Color Expertise and Technology for Long-Term Growth in Autodesk's Digital Film Business

SAN RAFAEL, Calif., April 18 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Autodesk, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADSK) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire substantially all of the assets of Colorfront(TM) Ltd., the leading developer of color correction technology for film studios and digital film laboratories, for $15 million USD. This acquisition will bring comprehensive new expertise in film laboratory processes, digital post-production, color science, image processing and hardware platform optimization to Autodesk. The transaction is currently expected to close in the next 45 days, and is expected to be neutral to Autodesk's earnings in fiscal year 2006.

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Colorfront, a privately held company based in Budapest, Hungary, worked with Autodesk to co-develop the Discreet(R) Lustre(R) digital color grading system. Introduced in April 2003, the Lustre system has been used on feature films such as The Polar Express, The Phantom of the Opera, Pirates of the Caribbean and Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World. Colorfront's product portfolio also includes color correction plug-ins for Autodesk's Discreet systems.

"Autodesk is committed to providing industry leading tools that empower all content creators to better realize their ideas. The acquisition of Colorfront underscores this commitment and is a key component of our film strategy to provide a full suite of integrated end-to-end solutions for everything from pre-visualization through to distribution," said Martin Vann, vice president of Worldwide Sales, Marketing and Support for Autodesk's Media and Entertainment Division. "Digital filmmaking is driving the biggest shift ever in the filmmaking process. By more deeply integrating the industry leading Lustre system technology into our product family, we will be able to offer our customers better workflow and collaboration tools, ultimately enabling a more profitable creative process."

Autodesk offers the industry's most comprehensive set of digital film solutions, including its Academy Award(R)-winning* Discreet(R) Inferno(R) and Discreet(R) Flame(R) systems, Discreet(R) Fire(R) and Discreet(R) Smoke(R) conform and editing systems, Autodesk(R) 3ds Max(R) 3D animation software, Autodesk(R) Combustion(R) paint and rotoscoping software, and Autodesk(R) ToxikTM collaborative compositing software.

"The Colorfront team has a proven track record of innovation and fast-paced development," added Marc Petit, vice president of Product Development and Operations at Autodesk's Media and Entertainment Division. "The integration of Colorfront's skills with our Discreet systems team will benefit all our product lines."

The Lustre system began shipping less than two years ago, and has enjoyed rapid adoption. As commercial off-the-shelf computer performance continues to improve, new opportunities are appearing in television markets. Attracted by new performance levels and the unique creative capabilities that software- based color correction offers, a growing number of commercial post-production facilities are also adopting the Lustre system.

Mark Jaszberenyi, CEO of Colorfront, said, "Colorfront is proud and excited to become a part of Autodesk. It's a logical and welcome evolution of our relationship, giving us the joint ability to drive faster innovation and productization of R&D initiatives. Together, we will be able to ensure continued long-term leadership in the digital intermediate and color grading market."

Mark Jaszberenyi, a film industry veteran and color science expert, will join Autodesk Media and Entertainment Division's R&D team in Montreal, Canada. Colorfront co-founder Aron Jaszberenyi remains onboard in Budapest to manage the integration. Colorfront employees will continue their R&D activities in Budapest, as part of Autodesk Hungary Kft.

About Autodesk

Autodesk, Inc. is wholly focused on ensuring that great ideas are turned into reality. With six million users, Autodesk is the world's leading software and services company for the building, manufacturing, infrastructure, digital media, and wireless data services fields. Autodesk's solutions help customers create, manage, and share their data and digital assets more effectively. As a result, customers turn ideas into competitive advantage by becoming more productive, streamlining project efficiency, and maximizing profits. Founded in 1982, Autodesk is headquartered in San Rafael, California. For additional information about Autodesk, please visit www.autodesk.com.

* In 1998, Gary Tregaskis, Dominique Boisvert, Philippe Panzini and Andre Leblanc were awarded the Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the design, development and implementation of Autodesk's Discreet Inferno(R) and Discreet Flame(R) software.

NOTE: Autodesk, Discreet, Lustre, Inferno, Flame, Fire, Smoke, 3ds max, Combustion and Toxik are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Autodesk, Inc., in the USA and/or other countries. All other brand names, product names, or trademarks belong to their respective holders.

Contacts: Roohi Saeed, 514-954-7296; Nicole Pack, 415-507-6282

Emails: roohi.saeed@autodesk.com; nicole.pack@autodesk.com

SOURCE Autodesk, Inc.
04/18/2005 CONTACT: Roohi Saeed, +1-514-954-7296, or roohi.saeed@autodesk.com; or Nicole Pack, +1-415-507-6282, or nicole.pack@autodesk.com, both of Autodesk, Inc
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