(Image: Pic supplied)
A new visual effects company based in York is making Hollywood-quality filmmaking accessible to independent creators.
PXLD AI Ltd, a spinout from the University of York, has developed software that places actors into virtual worlds using footage from any camera, from IMAX to iPhone, without altering their original performance.
Dr Will Rowan, CEO and co-founder of PXLD AI Ltd, said: "Actors spend years perfecting their craft, and filmmakers use their performance to invite us into whole new worlds.
"Until now, the technology to build those worlds was either out of reach or swapped the actor for an AI lookalike.
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"PXLD solves this.
"A filmmaker can shoot on top of a York car park and finish that same scene on a New York skyscraper at night, and the performance is still the exact one the actor gave on the day."
The technology can change lighting, generate clean backgrounds, and integrate all elements of a scene while preserving the actor’s emotions, micro-expressions, and overall performance.
This addresses a major limitation of traditional green-screen methods, which require frame-by-frame editing and often produce unnatural results.
Dr Rowan said: "Every glance, micro-expression and emotion is kept, with tools that disappear into the work.
"We grew out of research here at York, and this investment will put PXLD in the hands of filmmakers worldwide."
The venture was developed through the University of York’s School of Arts and Creative Technologies (ACT) and further refined in the Department of Computer Science.
PXLD’s commercial journey was supported by the University of York’s Impact Acceleration Account (IAA), along with £20,000 in follow-on funding from the AI Superconnector scheme.
The company is now entering a new phase of research and development following a completed seed funding round.
PXLD was founded by Dr Will Rowan, James Gardner, and Professor Will Smith.
Dr Rowan and Mr Gardner were recently named 2026 Young Entrepreneurs of the Year for the North East, Yorkshire and the Humber at the UK StartUp Awards.
The company says its technology is designed for filmmakers, broadcasters, advertisers, content creators, and VFX teams.