html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Artlist has discontinued all of the FXhome applications, including HitFilm, its editing, compositing and effects package, and Imerge, its image-editing app.Users will be able to use their existing software indefinitely, but it will not be updated to support new hardware or operating systems, and it will not receive active product support.The change actually came into force on 15 January 2025, but we felt it was worth covering, partly because it hasnt had a lot of coverage on mainstream news sites, and partly because of the speed of the collapse: these are applications, that just three years ago, had millions of users.A well-established firm with a 20-year track record, and over 6 million usersFounded in 2001, FXhome was a well-established developer of image- and video-editing tools.Its best-known product, all-in-one video editing, compositing and effects package HitFilm provided an affordable alternative to tools like Adobes Premiere Pro and After Effects.A number of prominent motion graphics and VFX artists started as HitFilm users, one notable example being ActionVFX founder and former HitFilm YouTuber Rodolphe Pierre-Louis.When stock media company Artlist acquired FXhome in 2021, it estimated that FXhome had a user community of over 6 million artists.At the time, the two firms said that it was business as usual, and that the buyout would help to position Artlist alongside companies like Adobe.A poorly received switch from perpetual licenses to subscriptionsThe following year, Artlist did what many users had speculated and some had feared it would do to FXhomes software, switching HitFilm to a subscription model.HitFilm Express, the old free edition of the software, was discontinued, and Artlist introduced new subscription tiers that included access to Artlist stock assets.Perpetual licenses of the old Pro edition were discontinued the following year.The move prompted a backlash in the user community, summarized in this YouTube video.Although HitFilm Express was replaced by a new free edition, it featured only basic video editing tools and export resolution was capped at 1080p.The UI was also redesigned with what Techradar described at the time as a big, forever-present Upgrade button, noting that the aggressive upselling did not leave a good taste in the mouth.Continuing lukewarm reviews, and migration of users to competing appsThe ubiquitous upgrade buttons were also singled out by PCMag two years later in a lukewarm review that compared HitFilm unfavorably to Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve.Judging by comments in the HitFilm Reddit community, users were already turning to DaVinci Resolve the free edition of which is capable of 4K export as an alternative.Late last year, Artlist conceded defeat, announcing that it would stop accepting new subscriptions for HitFilm and take down the old FXhome website on 15 January 2025.The firm also discontinued Imerge, FXhomes still-image-editing software.FXhomes other products had already been discontinued: Ignite Pro, its collection of plugins for compositing and video editing apps, in 2021, and older still image editor Photokey by 2023.FXhome and Imerge now officially discontinued: no further updates or product supportUsers with paid subscriptions have now been switched to non-renewing plans with some additional effects, but no third-party software.It remains possible to activate and use HitFilm including the free edition and older perpetual licenses but users will not receive product support once their paid subscription ends.The software will not receive future updates, and Artlist says that it cannot guarantee that older software will activate or run seamlessly on newer hardware or operating systems. Read Artlists FAQs about the discontinuation of the FXhome softwareHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.