Stu's mockup

Stu Maschwitz has mocked up a quick concept about running Magic Bullet Looks on the new Apple iPad on his ProLost blog. The gestural interface would be perfect for working with the color wheels in Colorista. Hmmm.... The future is bright! Check out his blog.

Labels: Colorista, Magic Bullet, Red Giant

If you missed the eSeminar yesterday, you can watch it here.

What you missed:

• Steve Whatley of Adobe going through some aspects of After Effects and importing Premiere projects in to AE.
• Harry Frank showing some cool tricks in Trapcode Particular
• Michele Yamazaki of Toolfarm with a quick look at Red Giant's newest plug-in, Magic Bullet Mojo.

Labels: Adobe, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Mojo, Particular, Red Giant, Toolfarm, Trapcode, Webinar

New Free Red Giant Updates:

• Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks v1.2: Includes a fix for Mac users with OS 10.5.7 or 10.5.8 using either a NVIDIA 7300 or a NVIDIA Quadro series card. Read FAQ.
• Red Giant Magic Bullet Colorista v1.0.2: Compatibility issues resolved with Premiere Pro CS4 on Win XP and Vista OS
• Red Giant Magic Bullet Mojo v1.0: Now includes Premiere Pro presets

Download the Updates!

Labels: Colorista, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Magic Bullet Mojo, Premiere Pro, Red Giant

Here's the final edit of the Magic Bullet Mojo ad, done by Aharon Rabinowitz... The Look of a Modern Hollywood Blockbuster in Seconds. Doesn't it make you want to try it out? Buy it here for just $99!


Find more videos like this on MyToolfarm

Labels: Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Mojo, Red Giant

San Francisco, CA, June 23, 2009 - Red Giant Software is proud to announce that Stu Maschwitz is now the new Creative Director for Magic Bullet products. Stu Maschwitz is the original creator of the Magic Bullet Suite of plug-ins.

"In my directing work, on projects big and small, I'm always finding ways that the filmmaking process can be made more efficient, more fun, and more accessible to all budget levels. Over the years I've enjoyed a great relationship with Red Giant Software, who have taken these ideas and turned them into tools that the world can enjoy. It's great to make that relationship official," said Stu Maschwitz.

"The Magic Bullet vision is to create software that gives any production, regardless of budget, the look of a high-end feature film. We are immensely pleased that Stu is dedicating his time and vision to enhance and grow the Magic Bullet tools in 2009 and beyond. He has already begun to work on new Magic Bullet products, and you will see many new and updated tools coming later this year," said Sean Safreed, Co-Founder and Director of Products at Red Giant Software.

About Magic Bullet In 2000, Stu Maschwitz created the Magic Bullet Suite, a set of After Effects plug-ins that allowed users to create film-like output from any video source. Prior to 2007, The Orphanage owned the intellectual property behind Magic Bullet, but the product was published and managed by Red Giant Software. Red Giant Software purchased Magic Bullet from The Orphanage in late 2006. Post-acquisition, Red Giant Software developed the Magic Bullet Colorista and Magic Bullet Looks color tools, which are among the most widely used color correction and enhancements tools on the market. Hundreds of thousands of users rely on Magic Bullet tools to enhance their productions. Consumers turn to Magic Bullet to add style to their home movies and feature film artists add a sense of place, as seen in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

About Stu Maschwitz Stu Maschwitz is a director, author, and champion of what has become known as the "DV Rebel" school of filmmaking, which suggests that high production value can be achieved at any budget level. Hailed by Shoot Magazine as one of the "Ten Commercial Directors To Watch," Maschwitz quickly gained a reputation for tackling extraordinarily complex visual challenges while injecting his signature kinetic style. An innovator in filmmaking technology, Maschwitz is the creator of the revolutionary Magic Bullet software-which gives inexpensive digital video the lush look of film.

About Red Giant Software Red Giant Software offers a vast range of visual effects plug-ins, with over 30 packages designed for Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, and Avid. The product line features industry-leading effects for designing realistic fire, rain, and water; adding popular looks; and creating perfect keys. Red Giant effects have enhanced feature films such as Angels & Demons, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Mummy 3, and Grindhouse, and added sparkle to cable and broadcast content from NBC Universal, Food Network, ESPN, Disney, CNN, Comedy Central, MTV, and TNT.

Labels: Colorista, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Red Giant

Michael Horton posted the details of the next LAFCPUG meeting in our forum: Toolfarm Expert Forums: Colorista at lafcpug, May 27

The meeting is May 27 and Red Giant Magic Bullet Colorista will be featured. Don't miss it!

Labels: Colorista, Magic Bullet, Red Giant, User Group

Purchase Magic Bullet Looks and get the LooksPack: Indie Film FREE. Special Offer ends Today!

Red Giant Software: LooksPack: Indie Film

Independent film director, Eric Escobar offers a collection of 20 original preset Looks. Inspired by classic American independent films, they are divided into Exterior Day looks, with selections such as Ironic Sunshine, Los Angeles, and Mumblefish; and Interior Day looks, such as Apartment in the Valley, Actor's Friend, and Cheap Drinks.

Red Giant Software: Magic Bullet Looks 1.2

Now you can define the style of your video or film with powerful imaging tools. Choose from 100+ Look presets, to help set the mood for everything from a wedding to the next Sundance original.

Red Giant Software Spring Looks Bundle- save $49.00 (Regular $448.00 when purchased separately); save even more when purchasing multiple units!

Labels: Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Red Giant, Sale

Small Budget? Get Big Looks with the Indie Film LooksPack

Independent film director, Eric Escobar, offers a collection of 20 original preset Looks. Inspired by classic American independent films, they are divided into Exterior Day looks, with selections such as Ironic Sunshine, Los Angeles, and Mumblefish; and Interior Day looks, such as Apartment in the Valley, Actor's Friend, and Cheap Drinks.

Features

"Color is visceral. I think of coloring as editing the hue and tone of the raw image to reveal the emotion of the frame. My goal has been to balance that emotion while minimizing process - preserving what the story needs."

"Each family of Looks helps tell a common story that you will make unique when you add it to your image. Some of these looks are complicated, some are really simple. Please use them as a jumping-off point to create your own," says Eric Escobar.

Features:

• Twenty original Looks give that independent-movie look to your own footage
  
• Looks tailored for both indoor and outdoor shots
  
• Additional video examples and training available at Eric's blog, PrepShootPost

System Requirements

Requires Magic Bullet Looks or Magic Bullet Quick Looks for render output.

About the Publisher

Eric Escobar is a San Francisco-based digital filmmaker. His films have screened in the US and internationally. In 2005 his short film, One Weekend A Month, won an honorable mention in short filmmaking at the Sundance Film Festival. In addition to making films, Eric has worked in filmmaking software development at Apple Inc., and Adobe Systems. Currently, Eric is working in a directors' collective called Kontent Films, where he directs commercials and his own original work, helps develop tools for filmmakers, and blogs extensively.

Labels: Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Magic Bullet Quick Looks, Preset, Red Giant

Eric Escobar created a nice tutorial that gives you some insight about Color Correction in Final Cut Pro. He uses Red Giant Magic Bullet Colorista. Eric says:

the one I did for FCP also includes a basic explanation of controlling color using Colorista, although the ideas apply to FCP's 3 Way Color Corrector and pretty much all primary color correction tools out there on the desktop.

• Watch the tutorial (pops)
• Download a free trial of Magic Bullet Colorista
• Buy Colorista and save with Toolfarm's everyday 5% discount
• Learn more about Colorista in our Plug-in Finder

Labels: Colorista, Final Cut Pro, Magic Bullet, Red Giant, Tutorial

New Light Version of Looks Offers 100+ Presets with One Click

San Francisco, CA, January 12, 2009 - Red Giant Software, with popular products including Magic Bullet Suite, Knoll Light Factory and Trapcode Suite, today introduced a new color correction tool suited for budget conscious film makers that want professional quality tools. Magic Bullet Quick Looks, a light version of Magic Bullet Looks) offers the fastest way to give clips a classic film look. Users can choose from 100+ presets to get the look of popular films including: The Matrix, Bad Boys, Saving Private Ryan, or TV shows like CSI.

Highlights

100-Look Library
More than one hundred unique Looks, conveniently organized by category in the Look Library, are a great starting point for defining the mood of any scene. The presets range from simple exposure and film process emulation to radical color changes. Best of all users can use the Look Theater to browse through the library using their own images - finding a look couldn't be easier.

Professional Looks quickly - and on a budget
Quick Looks offers the same professional presets as the more expensive Magic Bullet Looks tool, but offers a streamlined interface without the tools to create custom Looks. Instead, choose a Look from the library, adjust a single Strength control. It's that simple.

Blazing speed with DeepColor RT
Maximize performance with the power of the DeepColor RT engine. Play back SD and HD (720p) projects in real-time by efficiently using the system's graphics processing power. The next-generation DeepColor RT engine preserves quality in every application host so that 10-bit projects remain 10-bit.

For more information, visit our Plug-in Finder.

Why Purchase?

• The fastest way to get classic film looks
• Professional looks at a budget price
• Add warmth to wedding videos, even when shot on cloudy days

Pricing and Availability
Magic Bullet Quick Looks is a light version of the full Magic Bullet Looks tool with the same speed and quality but without editing tools for $99 USD. Quick Looks is a plug-in for both Mac OS X and Windows users running Adobe Premiere Pro, After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Motion, or Avid Xpress Pro/Media Composer. The product is available now for purchase at http://toolfarm.stores.yahoo.net/redgimabuqul.html

About Red Giant Software
Red Giant Software LLC is a San Francisco-based company that develops professional tools for digital video production. Products are available as plug-ins for popular video editing and effects applications, including After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, and Avid. All tools are based on production-proven technology developed by visual effects veterans.

Labels: After Effects, Avid, AVX, Final Cut Pro, Knoll Light Factory, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Magic Bullet Quick Looks, Magic Bullet Suite, Motion, Premiere Pro, Trapcode Suite

Quick Looks is the latest release from Red Giant software and the Magic Bullet collection. Magic Bullet Quick Looks is the light version of the full Magic Bullet Looks, the only difference is that you can't modify the presets like you can with the full Looks. You get the 100 built in presets only, and many users never modify the presets anyway. The presets are awesome. I'll have to put some before and afters up.

Reasons To Buy Magic Bullet Quick Looks

• The fastest way to get classic film looks
• Professional looks at a budget price
• Adjust the mood to match the scene or dialogue throughout your movie
• Shoot your video project color neutral, leaving flexibility to choose the best "look" in post
• Add warmth to wedding videos, even when shot on cloudy days

Quick Looks is available for $99. Buy it from Toolfarm and save 5%! Try a free demo of Quick Looks here

Hosts:Adobe After Effects CS4, CS3, 7, 6.5; Adobe Premiere Pro CS4, CS3, 2.0; Apple Final Cut Pro 6; Apple Motion 3.02; Avid Xpress Pro/Media Composer 5.6+,2.6+.

Labels: Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Magic Bullet Quick Looks, Red Giant

Tuesday, November 18, 2008 Only - 12am PST - 11:59pm PST

When you order Magic Bullet Suite, you will receive a serial number that will work with multiple hosts, including Adobe After Effects, Apple Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro and Avid*.

*Due to technical barriers, Steady and Frames do not support Avid.

In addition to the Red Giant and Trapcode Bundles, we're offering Complete training for Trapcode Particular from Class on Demand. (DVD | Download) Learn more about the sale here.

Labels: Colorista, Instant HD Pro, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Frames, Magic Bullet Looks, Magic Bullet Steady, One Day Sale, Red Giant

After Effects and Premiere Pro CS4 Compatibility Chart

From Red Giant: "We have been testing our products against After Effects and Premiere Pro CS4. For After Effects, some products are ready to go as is, while a few products will require a minor update for installer compatibility. Most versions of our software that are compatible with Premiere Pro will need an update due to changes in Premiere Pro." For full details, view the chart.

Our latest list in our Plug-in Finder; Compatibility with After Effects and Premiere CS4, is updated with new CS4 compatibility information as we receive it.

Labels: Adobe CS4, Magic Bullet, Red Giant

Stu Maschwitz, the guy behind Magic Bullet, has some food for thought on his Prolost blog about merging AE and Premiere Pro in his article What Should Adobe Do with Premiere Pro? Leave comments! Let's get some discussion going here.

Labels: After Effects, Magic Bullet, Premiere Pro

Powerful finishing tools for every editor in one package.

Magic Bullet Suite 2008 is a completely revamped product. Magic Bullet Suite now supports After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, and Avid. The full suite of tools includes Magic Bullet Looks (including Misfire), Magic Bullet Frames, Magic Bullet Colorista, Magic Bullet Steady, and Instant HD for high-quality up-conversion.

Labels: Colorista, Instant HD Pro, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Frames, Magic Bullet Looks, Magic Bullet Steady, Red Giant

The trial version of Red Giant Software Magic Bullet Instant HD Advanced... okay, that is a REALLY long name! This new plug-in for Adobe After Effects CS3 delivers the highest possible quality conversion for SD to HD and is well-suited to prepare analog source footage and DV video clips for inclusion in HD projects. Instant HD Advanced combines de-interlacing and de-noising; advanced pan and scan; and a super-resolution algorithm for providing actual resolution enhancement. The easy-to-use preset menu helps users choose the right HD and 2K output formats.

Labels: Demo, Instant HD Advanced, Magic Bullet, Red Giant

New Updaters Released for Composite Wizard and Image Lounge

(San Francisco, California - May 28, 2008) Red Giant Software, publisher of a line of professional digital video tools, including Magic Bullet, Knoll Light Factory, and all Trapcode products, today released Trapcode Horizon.

This new Adobe After Effects plug-in is a unique mapping tool that ties the After Effects camera to a 3D world. After Effects users can use Trapcode Horizon to create photorealistic backgrounds and QuickTime VR-like experiences.

Red Giant Software also made available Composite Wizard 1.4 and Image Lounge 1.4. These new versions add support for Adobe Creative Suite 3 and Mac Intel. Each product updater is available for $49 USD. To learn more, please visit these links:

• Composite Wizard
• Image Lounge

Trapcode Horizon: Key Features

• Gradient and Image Map Modes
  Choose from gradient or image map modes in the plug-in, each offering a unique way to provide interesting backgrounds. Gradient mode offers both point and line generation. Point mode generates smoothly blended color regions from up to 8 points on the virtual sphere, while line mode creates converging lines of colors that are perfect for generating a sky gradient.
• 3D Camera Integration
  Horizon ties automatically into the After Effects 3D camera, so that the background image is always correctly drawn from the active camera's field of view. The automatic camera motion means that other 3D effects like Trapcode Particular and Form will move correctly with background and provide the viewer with a much-needed orientation in 3D space.

Visit Toolfarm's Plug-in Finder for additional information.

Pricing and Availability

• Trapcode Horizon is available for $99 USD.
• Updaters for Composite Wizard 1.4 and Image Lounge 1.4 are available for $49 USD each.

About Trapcode

Trapcode makes software for visual effects and motion graphics. The focus is on creating robust, user friendly, affordable, and versatile products. Trapcode has nine products: Shine, 3D Stroke, Sound Keys, Starglow, Lux, Particular, Form, Horizon, and Echospace. All plug-ins support After Effects.

Trapcode is a privately held Aktiebolag (AB) based in Sweden. Founded and operated by Peder Norrby.

About Red Giant Software Red Giant Software LLC (http://redgiantsoftware.com/) is a San Francisco-based company that develops professional tools for digital video production. Products are available as plug-ins for popular video editing and effects applications including After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, and Avid. All tools are based on production-proven technology developed by visual effects veterans.

Labels: Composite Wizard, Image Lounge, Knoll Light Factory, Magic Bullet, Red Giant, Trapcode Horizon

Just the facts:

What: SF Cutters next meeting (San Francisco Final Cut Group)

Who:

• Stu Maschwitz, founder of the Orphanage and developer of Red Giant Magic Bullet
• Mark Christiansen, VFX Creator of 'Pirates of the Caribbean' and author of After Effects CS3 Professional Studio Techniques.
• Bob Donlon of Adobe Systems: Many SF Cutters ask for Bob to return after his incredible overview of the entire Adobe CS3 Production Suite last Sept. Bob is back with more specifics on Flash and Audio in Adobe CS3.

When: Jan 31, 2008, 6:30pm PT - 9:15pm PT

Where: Adobe in San Francisco, 601 Townsend, San Francisco, CA 94103
Map

How: Register here

Labels: Adobe, Final Cut Studio, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Red Giant, SF Cutters

The Videoguys rated the top 10 video products of 1007.

1. Adobe Production Premium CS3
2. Apple Final Cut Studio 2
3. Matrox RT.X2 with Adobe Premiere Pro CS3 and Encore CS3
4. Sony Vegas Pro 8
5. Red Giant Magic Bullet Looks & Colorista
6. Newtek TriCaster Studio
7. Pinnacle Studio 11 MovieBox Ultimate
8. Black Magic Intensity Pro
9. Pioneer BDR-202 Blu-Ray Disc Burner
10. Canon HV20 HDV Camcorder

Labels: Adobe, Apple, Colorista, Final Cut Studio, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Red Giant, Sony Vegas

Last weekend I took the family to the Harvest Festival at our CSA. They had a square dance band and my daughter was having a total blast. I wish I had my video camera (and a lighting kit!) but no such luck. I shot some (very dark) video on my digital camera and tried to lighten it with Magic Bullet Colorista. I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Remember that this footage was shot in a dark barn by the light of jack-o-lanterns on a digital camera. The footage is also compressed for the web, so it's noisy. No, it's not awesome looking footage, but compared to what I started with, it's much brighter.

Labels: Colorista, Magic Bullet, Red Giant

San Francisco, CA, October 18, 2007 - Red Giant Software, developer of a line of professional digital video tools, including Magic Bullet and Knoll Light Factory, today announced that the company reached an agreement with Digieffects to acquire Cinelook. This agreement secures Red Giant Software's position as the leading provider of color correction tools to set the mood of a movie. Following the recent launch of Magic Bullet Looks, Cinelook will no longer be sold or developed by either company. Digieffects will continue to offer free technical support to existing customers. Key pieces of the Cinelook technology and workflow may be added to future versions of the Magic Bullet line of tools.

Cinelook users can cross grade to Magic Bullet Looks for USD $199 (regularly $399) and Magic Bullet Suite 2007 USD $399 (regularly $799). A document will be available to help Cinelook users learn more about migrating their projects and workflow to Magic Bullet.

"This cross sell opportunity is the best way for Cinelook customers to get the latest technology," said Robert Sharp, President of Digieffects. "We will now turn our focus to our core products such as Delirium and the line of Buena Software products, recently acquired from Toolfarm."

"Cinelook was one of the first products to process video to emulate film," said Andrew Little, Co-Founder of Red Giant Software. "We are happy to forge this partnership with Digieffects and offer Cinelook customers a brand new playground to have fun and be creative with color correction and movie looks."

About Digieffects

Digieffects is a developer of popular software plug-ins for Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, and Autodesk Combustion. The company has been in the business since the beginning of the 'plug-in revolution' which dates back to 1996. Over the years, Digieffects has had great success with software products like Cinelook and Delirium and is proud to call thousands of video producers all around the world its customers and friends.

About Red Giant Software

Red Giant Software LLC (www.redgiantsoftware.com) is a San Francisco-based company that develops professional tools for digital video production. Products are available as plug-ins for popular video editing and effects applications including After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, and Avid. All tools are based on production-proven technology developed by visual effects veterans.

Labels: Cinelook, DigiEffects, Magic Bullet, Magic Bullet Looks, Press Release, Red Giant

I wasn't at the meeting since I'm clear across the country, so I'm living vicariously through those who were lucky enough to attend. First, Dave Basulto has posted some images from last night's MGLA meeting on his site.

Second, Chris Meyer of Cybermotion had some great things to say about the meeting in a post to the AE List. Imagineer Mocha was shown. It's a planar tracker that uses the technology in the more advanced Mokey and Monet. Chris says, " It did some pretty darn amazing things, including continuing tracks successfully when large portions of the tracked object went off screen."

Marco S. from Digital Anarchy showed PlasmaFX and ToonIt! Chris says about ToonIt! " It was also an excellent example of the role frame rate plays in whether we perceive something as real or fantasy; keeping the result at normal video rate didn't look like you would expect it to."

Peder Norrby showed Trapcode Form (codename Flux). Form is the plug-in that people are really keyed up for the release, which will hopefully still happen this summer. It's similar to Particular but does lots of other cool things. Chris says "The couple of examples Peder showed using displacement maps and alpha mattes were particularly impressive".

Sean Safreed showedMagic Bullet 3 at the meeting. Chris says "...the new UI... it makes things soooo much easier for quick, broad strokes to get the look you're after without having to come to terms with a bunch of sliders (however useful they are)."

MGLA | Join MGLA's Mailing List

Labels: CyberMotion, Digital Anarchy, Flux, Imagineer Systems, Magic Bullet, MGLA, mocha, mokey, monet, PlasmaFX, Red Giant, ToonIt, Trapcode, Trapcode Form

Claudia Crask of SF Cutters sent me some info about the next SF Cutters next meeting is Tues August 28th at dvGarage, 785 Market $5 at the door. Doors open at 6:30 pm, concluding about 9:45 pm.

Sean Safreed of Red Giant is making a limited stop national tour to show off the new Magic Bullet Looks, Trapcode plug-ins which have recently been updated to Final Cut Pro/Motion and Primatte Keyer with Mac and Windows versions.

As part of Magic Bullet Looks you get Magic Bullet LooksBuilder, a stand-alone application that lets you pre-visualize looks on set or anywhere, using a JPEG or TIFF image. Look presets are portable and load into any of the editing hosts, so the same Looks you create on set are the same looks you finish with in the editorial suite. It's no longer necessary to have a complicated finishing system.

Magic Bullet Looks provides hundreds of options with one click. You can get some insight into this new release by reading creator Stu Maschwitz's blog.

Door Prizes! - Red Giant will be giving away 3 licenses of Magic Bullet Colorista and 3 licenses of Trapcode 3S Pack.

Labels: Colorista, Event, Final Cut Pro, Magic Bullet, Primatte Keyer, Red Giant, SF Cutters, Trapcode

From Ko's Ninja Crayon Blog:

After you decompress from SIGGRAPH, remember that the next MGLA meeting is Tuesday, August 21, at Barnsdall Gallery Theatre. It is Plug-In Night 2, with a stellar line-up:

• Imagineer Mocha motion tracker (okay - it's a standalone rather than a plug-in, but it's a heckuva tool)
• Digital Anarchy ToonIt! and PlasmaFX (Jim Tierney will be down to demo)
• Trapcode codename Flux (Peder Norbby is over from Sweden and will demonstrate in person)
• Magic Bullet 3 (the upcoming version of this much-loved film look suite)

$36,000 IN DOOR PRIZES!

Details are online at the MGLA site. They will be posting prizes and sending out a full email in the next week. This will be one of those don't-miss meetings. (And by the way - it's MGLA's 10th anniversary that night as well!)

Labels: Digital Anarchy, Event, Imagineer Systems, Magic Bullet, MGLA, mocha, PlasmaFX, Red Giant, ToonIt, Trapcode

Red Giant has set up a Magic Bullet Beta Application. I would recommend signing up only if you have time to really test the software. It's going to be incredible. Marvellous. Amazing, astonishing, astounding, awe-inspiring, extraordinary. Glorious, great, wonderful. Yep, I know how to use a thesaurus.

Labels: Beta Test, Magic Bullet, Red Giant

Red Giant Software announced the release schedule for several Trapcode plug-ins, Magic Bullet Looks and Instant HD Pro.

The first week of July, Trapcode 3D Stroke, Shine and Starglow, will be available as FxPlug plug-ins for Final Cut Pro, Motion. The three plug-ins will also be released for Premiere Pro and Avid. All will support floating point and will retail at $99 each. I demo'd these plug-ins in Motion 3 at NAB and they're pretty much the exact same plug-ins you love in After Effects. Trapcode 3D Stroke does work a bit differenty, though.

Magic Bullet Looks is scheduled for August availability.

Matt Armstrong at Studio Daily says, "Another thing of note is that Looks will be free to demo, test and use, with purchase only required in order to render it. This means anyone can create looks for your color correction, save then and pass them off to their editor, colorist, producer, in order to give them an idea of the look they are trying to achieve." Don't worry, Toolfarm will have the new Red Giant demos available, too. Yeah, I can tell you were worried for a second there.

Instant HD Pro v1.0 is a new product for upresing footage to HD will be out in August for $399. The original Instant HD retails for $99. The PRO version includes the original Instant HD which has been updated to handle both interlaced and progressive sources for greater flexibility (no more deinterlacing!). Two HD up-conversion options to deliver the results you need. It will sell for $399.

You'll have to wait for September to get your hands on the highly anticipated Trapcode Flux, which will be released as Trapcode Form. I prefer the name Flux. I wonder why it was changed? Form looks quite a bit like Trapcode Particular but it works with shapes and surfaces instead of particles. I've talked to some of the guys beta testing and they're blown away by it. I saw it at Peder Norrby's party at NAB and it does look super cool.

Labels: 3D Stroke, Avid, Final Cut Pro, Flux, FxPlug, Instant HD Pro, Magic Bullet, Motion, Premiere Pro, Red Giant, Trapcode

From Jeremy Hanke, Editor at MicroFilmmaker Magazine:

Thousands of filmmakers are discovering an extremely clever way to encourage potential film investors to finance their films: the speculative trailer. Created by shooting a few key scenes from a script the filmmaker wants to get funding for and editing them into trailer format, a speculative trailer shows the style and look of the final film to potential investors and allows them to see how it might be marketed.

To encourage you to create a speculative trailer for that film you've always wanted to get funded, Microfilmmaker Magazine has teamed up with Adobe to bring you the Microfilmmaker Magazine/Adobe Spec Trailer Contest. A panel of highly regarded filmmakers and editors, which currently includes acclaimed Indie directors Mike Flanagan (Oculus, The Ghosts of Hamilton Street) and Alex Ferrari (Cyn, Broken), will judge these speculative trailers and the top ten will be listed on our website for our readers to watch and vote on.

The winner of this contest will receive the brand new Adobe Creative Suite 3: Production Premium package (featuring Premiere Pro CS3, After Effects CS3, Flash CS3, Encore CS3, Soundbooth CS3, Photoshop CS3 Extended, Illustrator CS3, OnLocation CS3, and Ultra CS3) and Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite 3, for a grand prize total of $2498!

The submission deadline is August 15th, 2007. The top ten will be posted on September 7th, with voting for Microfilmmaker Members available from then until Midnight September 14th. The winner will be declared on September 15th, 2007.(I recommend that anyone wishing to enter this contest read Mike Flanagan's amazingly insightful article on editing trailers first.)Read the complete submission instructions below:

1. Trailers must be no shorter than 60 seconds in length and no longer than 120 seconds in length.
2. Trailers must be in English or have English subtitles.
3. Trailers must have utilized at least one Adobe product in their creation. (This does not have to be a video program such as Premiere Pro or After Effects, but may include Adobe graphic products like Photoshop or Illustrator or audio programs like Audition.)
4. Trailers must be shot for no more than a $500 budget if you own your own camera or an $800 budget if you must rent your camera.
5. 80% of the footage in your trailer must have been shot after June 1, 2007.
6. Trailers must be in either uncompressed Windows video (.AVI) or uncompressed Quicktime (.MOV) NTSC or 24P files burned to DVD.
7. Each DVD submitted must be in a full size DVD case. (CD cases and clamshell cases will not be excepted.)
8. A filmmaker may submit more than one trailer, but each trailer must be on its own separate DVD in its own separate DVD case.
9. Clearly label your DVD case with the following information:
   a) Trailer Name
   b) Director’s Name
   c) Genre
   d) Running Time
         e) Shipping Address
         f) Phone Number
         g) Email
         h) Trailer Budget
         i) Which Adobe Product Was Used in Creation?
10. Clearly label your DVD with the following information:
          a) Trailer Name
          b) Director
          c) Email
11. All submissions must be postmarked no later than August 15th, 2007.
    

Failure to follow any of these ground rules will cause your entry to be disqualified. 

Submit all trailers to:

Microfilmmaker Magazine
c/o Kari Ann Morgan
100 John Sutherland Dr. Ste. 7
Nicholasville, KY 40356

If you have any questions, don't hesitate to email either myself or our PR director, Kari Ann Morgan.

Additional and Legal Information:
Discs that have been mis-burned or do not play properly will be discarded, so please double check your discs before you mail them in.
Trailers will not be returned, so do not send master copies of your trailer.
By submitting your trailer, you give Microfilmmaker Magazine permission to use it in part or in its entirety in advertising related to this or future contests.

Labels: Adobe, Contest, Magic Bullet, MicroFilmmaker Magazine

Studio Daily has posted video of Stu Maschwitz previewing Magic Bullet Looks from Red Giant Software and it is really incredible. You can still get Magic Bullet Suite 2.1 while you wait for the new version to come out.

Watch the Magic Bullet Looks video tutorial

Labels: Magic Bullet, Red Giant, Studio Daily, Tutorial

Automatic Duck and Red Giant Software have partnered to bridge the color correction workflow gap between Apple Final Cut Pro and Adobe After Effects.

As result of this technology collaboration, Final Cut Pro users now have the option to use Automatic Duck's timeline translation tools to export all color correction work completed with Red Giant Software Magic Bullet Colorista directly to After Effects with all settings intact.

"Red Giant Software develops must-have visual effects and color correction plug-ins and has quickly become a staple in the toolboxes of Automatic Duck customers,"said Wes Plate, president of Automatic Duck. "It became very clear to us that customers needed a more compelling solution to help them bridge the color correction workflow gap between Final Cut Pro and After Effects. Our collaboration with Red Giant Software to help Colorista users easily move between Final Cut and After Effects while maintaining stunning image quality adds significant value to customers' workflow experience, and that's a big win for users."

"Automatic Duck makes a great solution for creating a complete Final Cut Pro to After Effects finish possible," added Sean Safreed, co-founder of Red Giant Software. "Finally Magic Bullet Colorista users have the ability to take a complete color correction including isolated masks and exposure adjustments and move them into After Effects. The release of our updated Magic Bullet Colorista 1.0.1 and Pro Import AE 4.0 from Automatic Duck makes the highest quality finish possible with full 32-bit float RGB processing and accurate 10-bit RGB 4:4:4 output in After Effects. This combination is really the missing link for a lot of post users that rely on Final Cut Pro and After Effects."

This collaboration marks the first time that Magic Bullet Colorista, a high-quality color correction plug-in application, can be used as the main color correction tool in Final Cut Pro. Coupled with Automatic Duck, all settings and color correction work can be seamlessly moved to an After Effects timeline. For users, this also means that moving to After Effects allows higher quality 10-bit or higher RGB finishing, as Final Cut Pro only handles 8-bit RGB rendering. Users moving content from Final Cut Pro to After Effects can also maintain full quality for finishing with Black Magic, Aja or Cineform 10-bit RGB SD, HD or 2k media.

Pro Import AE 4.0 is available immediately and is priced at $495. Users who purchased new licenses or upgrades to Pro Import AE 3.0 on or after March 8, 2007 will be offered upgrades to version 4.0 at no charge until December 8, 2007. Users of Pro Import AE 3.0 who purchased before March 8, 2007, as well as users of older After Effects import plug-ins, will be able to upgrade for $195 per license.

Magic Bullet Colorista is available now for $199 USD.

The Magic Bullet Colorista 1.0.1 updater for After Effects is available now for free to all current Magic Bullet Colorista customers. This updater paired with Automatic Duck Pro Import AE 4.0 enables users to seamlessly export high quality color correction work from Final Cut Pro to After Effects.

Labels: After Effects, Automatic Duck, Colorista, Magic Bullet, Pro Import AE, Red Giant

Other new releases include Primatte Keyer Pro 4 and Instant HD Pro

Matt Armstrong, Via Red Giant Software, developer of professional digital video tools, today announced new products that the company will unveil at NAB in Las Vegas from April 16-19, 2007. The product line up includes a new line of Magic Bullet^TM products, a new Trapcode product codenamed Flux, Instant HD Pro, Primatte Keyer Pro 4, and updates to the popular Trapcode motion graphic plug-ins.

Stu Maschwitz, creator of Magic Bullet and Sin City Visual Effects Supervisor, will unveil the all new Magic Bullet 3 during two demos at NAB in Las Vegas, NV. To watch Maschwitz's presentation of Magic Bullet 3, visit Red Giant Software in the South Hall SL3827G and SL3827H on Tuesday, April 17 at 10 am or Wednesday, April 18 at 2 pm. Following Tuesday's presentation, Peder Norrby of Trapcode will preview Trapcode Flux.

Magic Bullet 3
The Magic Bullet line now includes three individual products: Magic Bullet Looks^TM, Magic Bullet Frames^TM, and Magic Bullet Colorista.^TM Magic Bullet Suite is a collection of these tools and also includes Instant HD.

- Magic Bullet Looks lets users define the style of their video or film with powerful imaging tools in After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, and Avid. The new user interface makes it much easier to create Looks and has 32 tools for doing everything from simple exposure adjustment to radical color changes.

Magic Bullet Looks is also a stand-alone design application - giving users the finishing power and on-set creation in one package. Users can take Magic Bullet Looks on set to create looks or presets during production. The presets are portable and load into any of the hosts so the same Looks can be finished in an editorial suite. It's no longer necessary to have a pricey finishing system. Magic Bullet Looks provides hundreds of options with one click.

• Magic Bullet Frames offers fast and high-quality conversion of 60i materials to 24p or just de-interlacing of video in After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Avid, Premiere Pro, and Avid.
• Magic Bullet Colorista is the same exciting color correction tool that Red Giant launched in 2006. New support will be available for After Effects CS3 Professional, Premiere Pro CS3, and the new Final Cut Studio. Also there will be updates for Mac Intel across the board.

Trapcode
Trapcode Flux is the groundbreaking new concept for a particle system. With Flux, users can produce beautiful fluid, flowing organic shapes, and other mesmerizing geometric moving 3D patterns. Flux will include numerous customizable presets and plenty of parameters for advanced users who want to create their own unique looks to stun their clients. Flux is scheduled for release this summer and pricing will be announced at that time.

Red Giant is also offering the popular Trapcode plug-ins for visual effects and motion graphics in the major editing applications. In May 2007, Trapcode Shine, Starglow, and 3D Stroke will be available for Final Cut Pro, Motion, Avid, and Premiere Pro. Trapcode Shine, Starglow, and 3D Stroke will also be updated to include 32-bit float support for all hosts.

Instant HD Pro
Instant HD Pro delivers the highest possible quality conversion and includes an advanced tool set that offers de-interlacing, de-noising, sharpening, re-graining, advanced pan and scan, and the industry's first super-resolution algorithm for editors. In addition, the original Instant HD now features handling of interlaced and progressive sources for greater flexibility.

Primatte Keyer Pro 4
Primatte Keyer Pro 4 brings new levels of power and speed across After Effects, Avid, and for the first time Premiere Pro. New features include easy-to-use Auto setup which makes creating an almost perfect key with one click. De-artificating, the entire Primatte library, and the Key Correct Light Warp feature in Primatte Keyer 4 will all be accelerated for the GPU for up to 10 times faster results. This combination makes bluescreen keying easy and fast and best of all it works right on the timeline.

Pricing and Availability

• Magic Bullet Looks will be available this summer for $399 USD. Upgrades from Magic Bullet Editors will be available for $99 USD.
• Magic Bullet Frames will be available this summer for $199 USD.
• Magic Bullet Colorista is currently available for $199 USD. A Mac Intel update for new application hosts will be available this summer. This will be a free upgrade for existing customers.
• Magic Bullet Suite will be available this summer for $799 USD. Upgrades from any prior version of Magic Bullet Suite will be $199 USD.
• New versions of Trapcode Shine, Starglow, and 3D Stroke will be sold separately in May 2007 for $99 USD each. Users will be able to upgrade to the new versions of Shine, Starglow, and 3D Stroke that works in any host plus After Effects.
• Instant HD Pro will be available this summer for $399 USD.
• Primatte Keyer Pro 4 will be available this summer for $499 USD. Upgrades will be available from any previous version for $199.

And you'll be able to get them all at Toolfarm! We will keep you posted.

Labels: Magic Bullet, NAB, Press Release, Red Giant, Trapcode

Yes, it appears that our news blog has become Red Giant and Boris central lately, but, hey, I go where the news is, you know.

Stu Maschewicz talks about the awesomeness of the new Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite in his ProLost Blog. I saw it in February, and I can attest, it's a totally sick piece of software, and that's sick in a great way.

Rather than a regular plug-in with a ton of sliders, Magic Bullet Looks features a standalone application with its own UI. Called Looks Builder, this application is launched when you apply the Look Suite 3 plug-in in After Effects, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Avid, or Motion. Within Looks Builder, you build and edit looks using Look Tools; modular mini-effects for things like bleach bypass, gradient filters, and film stock simulation. All of these tools work in realtime and can be tweaked and edited in context. All processing is done in floating-point color. With over 30 Look Tools to assemble however you like, you can create an infinite variety of Looks.

Check out Magic Bullet Suite in our Plug-in Finder. Of course, you can check out the new Magic Bullet at NAB. There's so much to see at NAB this year, isn't there!yes

Labels: Magic Bullet, Red Giant

Jeremy Hanke reviews Red Giant's Magic Bullet Colorista and give it a 9.3 out of 10. This is a terrific review. Jeremy is the editor of Microfilmmaker Magaine and always gives a great terrific unbiased review.

Labels: Colorista, Magic Bullet, Red Giant, reviews

Alright, we'll stop being so secretive about it! This will let you plan a bit more. The products below are the products that will be featured at half price during the sale week, only on the dates shown.

• Monday, March 12 - Pro Keying Bundle, reg. $799.00, Today: $349.50
• Tuesday, March 13 - Movie Maker Pro Bundle, reg. $1,699.00, Today: $849.50
• Wednesday, March 14 - Red Giant Bundle, reg. $2,999.00, Today: $1,499.50
• Thursday, March 15 - Magic Bullet Complete Bundle, reg. $599.00, Today: 299.50
• Friday, March 16 - Knoll Light Factory Pro, reg. $399.00, Today: 199.50
  Also, Friday, March 16 - Knoll Light Factory Pro (50% off) + Knoll Light Factory Pro Training DVD (20% off), reg. $478.00, Today: $222.80

Also, Trapcode Suite and Knoll Light Factory Pro + KLF Training (when purchased together) are 20% off all week. See the ad on our home page for the details.

Labels: After Effects, Colorista, Knoll Light Factory, Magic Bullet, One Day Sale, Red Giant

Adobe After Effects New York (AENY) first meeting is set for February 22. There is no fee for this event, thanks to sponsorship from Adobe and Pratt Manhattan. They are covering Maxon Cinema 4D 10 and After Effects Integration, as well as Mograph, Stephen Neary will present "Bigfoot's Eulogy" and Aharon Rabinowitz will be presenting some quick After Effects tips. I met Aharon at NAB NY.

They're giving away LOADS of door prizes including Red Giant Software: Magic Bullet Suite, MB Colorista and Trapcode Suite (all Trapcode Plug-ins), three Wondertouch particleIllusion licenses, GridIron Nucleo and Nucleo Pro, Cinema 4D and Mograph, Sorenson Squeeze Power Pack, Automatic Duck, Digital Anarchy PlasmaFX, Cycore FX and more. Wow.... good stuff, indeed.

Labels: Adobe, After Effects, Automatic Duck, Colorista, Digital Anarchy, Free, GridIron, Magic Bullet, Maxon Cinema 4D, PlasmaFX, plug-ins, Red Giant, Trapcode, User Group

An inexpensive, smart, fast, color correction tool without needing to fully understand the color wheel.

Now that you've locked your edit, it's time to load Colorista to apply a natural finish, and make your image pop. Under the hood is the next generation Magic Bullet engine with real-time processing for quick review and rendering of SD and HD media. Colorista is ready for action with industry-standard color wheels for precise color control. Tweak the image further with saturation and exposure to make it balanced. Plus, isolate areas with an animatable mask shape - the easiest way to light up your talent. Colorista paired with Look Suite are the perfect tools for color finishing.

Colorista ships as a native plug-in for all major hosts applications including Final Cut Pro (FX Plug), Motion, After Effects, Premiere Pro, and Avid AVX 2-compatible systems.

Labels: After Effects, Avid, Colorista, Final Cut Pro, FX Plug, Magic Bullet, Motion, Premiere Pro, Red Giant, Universal