In the tutorial section of the e-magazine and on the website, I have been placing clips showing how to use various plugins from various places. One of the major ones is Maxon which publish a huge array of different plugins. One I use regularly is Universe, and as Maxon has a special deal 50% off on for Universe during Cyberweek, I thought I’d give a run-down of what it is, so you can grab the trial version and have a play.
For those new to this, here is some background info on what plugins are and how they work.
By itself, Adobe After Effects is a pretty amazing. I’ve been dabbling with it on and off since the turn of the century. I do not profess to be an expert by any stretch, but I can make it do what I want it to for the menial jobs I require.
I admire those folk that can sit down with it and whip up a scene from Lord of the Rings in 20 minutes!
But thankfully, if you are also somewhat also graphically challenged, or alternatively, know After Effects really well and can quote every keyboard shortcut off the top of your head, but want to expand your skillset, there are plugins available to assist in a myriad of ways.
As I mentioned, one of my favourites is from Maxon, the makers of the 3D modelling and motions graphics package, Cinema 4D, and is called Universe.
Universe is a collection of 89 GPU accelerated plugins that collectively cover a multitude of areas from Text to Textures and Retrograde footage to Reframe with animated picture-in-picture and much more besides.
The effects and transitions are grouped under specialist headings and these are Stylize, Motion Graphics, Transitions and Effects and Text Generation. As well as the four modules under these headings I have already mentioned, others include Warp, Logo Motion, Socialize and Type On.
Using these allows you not just enormous freedom for your creativity but can also hugely speed up the time it takes to get a certain effect.
I remember well when The Matrix movie was released, and everyone who had access to a copy of After Effects (AE) tried to mimic the effect of the cascading green numbers – and it proved a lot harder than it looked. I don’t think anyone in the After Effects newsgroups I was a part of, managed to master it, not even the famed Trish and Chris Meyer, the AE wizards.
But using Universe I can see for example that the module Text Tile would allow this to be built very quickly. Or, and another favourite here, rapidly create one of those scrolling computer screens the news services are fond of showing us when they do stories about hackers.
If you are into sci-fi movies and want to create what sci-fi aficionados know as a HUD – that overlay image inside the helmet of the hero space warrior showing all sorts of data – there is a module for that too, all totally customisable.
There is serious stuff there too of course, with tools to create transitions to creatively go from one scene to the next, add lens flares, create alpha channels, fix “fisheye” lens distortions and blurring sections of footage such as people’s faces, vehicle licence plates and so on.
You can see the complete list of all the modules here.
One of the great things I like about Universe is that unlike a lot of plugins, it also works with most of the major video editing packages, so if you are not in the Adobe ecosphere – you might use DaVinci Resolve, Vegas Pro, AVID Media Composer or Final Cut X on the Mac – you still have access to them. You can check the compatibility of your setup here.
This means if I am doing something quickly in Vegas Pro – I regularly create short 30 seconds clips – or doing something longer form in Da Vinci Resolve, I can still access any of the Universe modules.
I mentioned at the start there is a trial version you can download, and you get it for your editor (or AE of course) at https://www.maxon.net/en/try.
Universe is a subscription system for AUD$29.20 a month but at present during Cyberweek, Maxon has made it half price using the code CYBERDEAL2022
Two things happened overnight that on the surface are not connected but look a bit deeper and they are.
First off, we had a very impressive thunderstorm and lightning display for over half an hour at about 10 o’ clock that sent Dougie Doggie scampering to hide under the nearest table as is his wont.
And later I got an email telling me my subscription to one of the many, many stock footage websites had expired, and did I want to continue?
Now I dunno about you, but at the height of the pandemic, with little else to do at the time, I decided to dig into all the things I had subscribed to and flush out what I didn’t use, was indulgent or just plain pointless.
Frankly I was horrified at how much monthly was slipping through my fingers with little or nothing to show for it. Subscriptions to Netflix (which I hadn’t used for over 18 months), an emergency warning system for my GPS in case of an accident, the aforementioned stock site(s) an SFX site, a few newsletters I never read and more esoteric dross I have forgotten why I even subscribed to were duly unsubscribed and deleted.
All in all I pulled back about $150 a month.
“What has this got to do with a thunderstorm”, I hear you yawn?
Well, most times I had subscribed to a stock or VFX website was when I needed a one-off image or visual effect. This was usually because I was just too lazy (I kidded myself I was too busy at the time probably) to spend the time and make the effect I wanted using the tools I already had.
And then of course, promptly forgot to unsubscribe before the pay period kicked in after the freebie 10 days or whatever.
Take lightning as an example. You could go and buy an VFX pack for After Effects (assuming you have After Effects) such as those from BorisFX to generate all sorts of light and flare effects and this will serve you very well indeed (we swear by Red Giant modules here by the way).
But if you don’t have that sort of coin and / or don’t have After Effects, you could instead go to www.fxhome.com and download the free HitFilm Express and use its native lightning effect as shown in this tutorial.
My point is that there are lots of ways of creating effects yourself by using freely available resources that cost nothing or at worst, very little.
There are other benefits to this too. Apart from saving money, you get a huge satisfaction in using something you created yourself and additionally, you increase your working knowledge of video making that will be valuable in the future for other projects.
Google’s search engine becomes your very best friend, to use and old cliché!
I’ve been using Red Giant tools for years. Plugins like Trapcode, MagicBullet and Plural Eyes are staples that every serious filmmaker should have in my opinion. Even if you just get Red Giant Universe, you’ll open up a whole new world of creativity.
So, I thought it might be a good idea to regularly feature a Red Giant tutorial to show just what is possible with their tools. Admittedly, having Adobe After Effects is a necessity most of the time, but I am working on the basis that if you ARE a serious filmmaker, you already have this as a part of the Creative Cloud subscription. After Effects is, after all, treated as a definite must have.
Maxon / Red Giant has a surprise June update with enhancements and optimized workflows for Maxon One. This is not just your average anticipated service pack release.
Maxon One artists can put these great new capabilities to work immediately
Cinema 4D 26.1
Volume Builder now features an improved performance thanks to OpenVDB 9 and Booleans can be smoothed based on a radius.
Explore and edit existing Capsules directly from the Object Manager with the new “Edit Asset as Group” command.
Advanced MoGraph artists can now use any object’s Curvature in Fields, to define the strength of falloffs, colors of clones, or alignment of field forces.
Cloth and Rope Simulations can now be influenced by Cinema 4D’s powerful Fields and Field Forces, plus improved performance and collision options.
New Capsules including Surface Imperfections, HDRIs and Redshift Materials.
The Node UI includes a big upgrade in appearance and interaction, making it easier than ever to create and explore Redshift materials and Node Capsules.
Graphs can be organized with dots for better readability.
Nodes can be added to an existing network by simply dropping them onto a wire.
Many visual upgrades to maximize the node editing workflow.
Numerous stability improvements and bug fixes.
Redshift
‘Bokeh’ depth-of-field in Redshift RT.
Blackbody Temperature Controls for volume shading.
Improved CPU performance.
Round Corners included with CPU.
Red Giant
Trapcode Suite 18.1 introduces time-based mapping to complete the Layer Maps feature-set in Particular. Grow Bounds utility now runs natively on M1 machines, and this service pack includes several bug fixes for Particular, Form and 3D Stroke.
Magic Bullet 16.1 brings Halation and Diffusion to Cinema 4D – letting artists add film-like bloom and aberration to their renders in Cinema 4D.
PluralEyes 4.1.12 adds Vegas Pro 18 and 19 as well as RED Komodo compatibility and restores full compatibility with FCPX.
Universe 6.1 provides improved support for AMD graphics cards and a number of bug fixes across various Universe tools.
VFX Suite 3.1 improves the performance of Real Lens Flares and includes several bug fixes.
All updates are immediately available to subscribers via Maxon App and the Maxon website.
Have you always wondered how designers built those spectacular HUDs used in so many sci-fi movies and in games. (If you are not sure what I am talking about, a HUD is a Heads Up Device.
I have fond memories of the first time I discovered I could get Microsoft Word and Excel “talking” to each other. For instance, if I created a chart in Excel from a data set – my staff’s sales figures for the week at that time was a good example – then pasted it into a Word document, if the numbers updated, so did the chart in both Excel AND Word.
Thus was the magic of DDE or Dynamic Data Exchange. And from little things, big things grow, to quote Paul Kelly.
This same magic, albeit far more sophisticated these days, is also used to update calendars, phone apps use it, and hell, the entire Internet-cum-Google universe relies on it just about.
So what does this have to do with video and film making?
Well it’s a sidewise lean into describing what I consider to the very best setup available today in terms of the perfect editing system, which I have been trying to put together for years and years.
You see, over the last few months I have been getting more and more into the Blackmagic Design (BMD) ecosphere. Sure, I still use Vegas for quick and dirty stuff as I know it well after 20 odd years.
But for the projects I am now looking at doing, I have the feeling that the BMD way of approaching things, along with some ancillary products, is a better long-term bet.
At the heart of it of course is the Da Vinci Resolve NLE, now at Version 17 Beta 9, and as stable as anything I have seen (so far). As well as the revolutionary Cut page, in the free version you also get a cut-down of Fusion, BMDs 3D / Motion Graphics editor and of course the basic Fairlight audio system and arguably the best program for colour correcting there is.
If you spend the extra money to get the full version, you also get the BMD Speed Editor hardware controller which I am finding almost indispensable now and the application itself opens up a lot more options to you. At about $550 it is still a bargain..
Yes, the Speed Editor is skewed mainly to being used in the Cut page section of Resolve, but nonetheless it has certainly speeded up my workflow dramatically.
But I have also added the Loupedeck CT controller.
This combination of software and hardware is, to me, brilliant in its own right and while I do have other plugins in the mix too from BorisFX, Red Giant and the like, rounding it all out is the asset logging system from Kyno, and this is where the magic comes in.
Once you have installed Kyno and pointed it to the directories / folders containing all of your video, stills and audio, you can use the system to search for clips that you may want in your current Da Vinci session. Once found, with a mouse click, they can be immediately loaded into your Da Vinci project.
Various options regarding metadata and folders / bins are also available.
To aid in the search, you can also set folders in Kyno to be “drilled down” automatically when searching for clips.
This in my workflow is the Holy Grail; to be able to search through and find relevant clips and basically throw them into specific bins in a project on-the-fly is as good as it gets.
Try the free version of Kyno and see what you think.
Earlier this week we looked at what was suggested as the perfect shooter’s kit based on product (hardware primarily) available over the last 12 months or so. Today I’ll visit with editing / video creation in mind.
NLE
Editing video is a very personal thing and relies on your
own way of doing things, especially the workflow, but also what ancillary
products are available for stuff the editor either doesn’t do, or is not
handled as well as, as creatively as or as efficiently as another application
or ideally, a plugin.
Also giving an edge to Adobe and BMD’s offerings are their cross-platform capabilities – which knocks out Apple’s Final Cut X which is Mac only. Corel VideoStudio and its sibling, Pinnacle Studio are both very able and capable editors, and have companion programs for image editing, but no substitute for motion graphics at this stage. And EDIUS has a very loyal following too of course.
I admit to be a fan of the Vegas family; after all I was an assistant with some documentation, have been in beta programs and written tutorials and other material since version 0.9 (its’ now at version 17) and because of this, it tips the scales for me in that direction.
However.
DaVinci Resolve and Fusion are not to be discounted and if your own NLE has got beyond the point of functionality for you or you are looking at “going up” from a “lite” version of something, they are seriously, seriously worth a look. If you like to keep everything inside the one system, the Adobe Creative Cloud is still for you, but the subscription only model does rankle a lot of people.
Vegas Pro
Motion Graphics
As stated above, a good motion graphics package should work nicely with your NLE, however if you are looking for a stand alone package then the contenders, as well as the aforementioned After Effects and Fusion also must include the venerable Boris RED. It’s been around a LONG time – as long as AE probably as I recall – and is very capable.
If you have never used a motion graphics package before and want a fabulous stand-alone app with its own renderer, then give the RED trial a go. AE is the industry “standard”, but it means you have to go into the Adobe Creative Cloud ecosystem as mentioned, which some are not happy about doing it appears. Fusion from BMD is free, but the learning curve can be a little steep as it uses a node-based metaphor which is somewhat different from that used by both AE and RED.
Vegas Image
Still Imagery
And here we go back to what works best with what, and so its Photoshop with Premiere, Vegas Post’s Image with Vegas. But really, any stand alone package that allows the creation of alpha channel imagery is suitable and this includes those put out by Corel / Pinnacle and MAGIX plus any other number of inexpensive or even freebie offerings.
I use Photoshop primarily, but am gradually migrating to the new Vegas Image as I learn more ‘bout it.
Fx, grading and correction plugins
This one is a toughie. Borisfx, Red Giant and NewBlue all have a suite of plugins for various tasks. Some overlap, others don’t. I reckon the best system is the one employed by Borisfx as you can buy the whole shebang or just “units” containing the functions you want as and when you need them.
As an all-rounder, I’d go for (and personally use) Boris Continuum. For more special-effects-y stuff, Sapphire is probably what you are after and if you are into serious motion graphics work, then you cannot go without MOCHA.
If all you want is a brilliant, brilliant transition maker, have a look at the plugins from Pixelan (the founder, Michael Ferrer wrote THE definitive book for Premiere way back when it was almost the only affordable NLE at version 4.2!)
But overall, your best bet sadly is to win Lotto, and get
the lot! They will all be used at some point in time I guarantee.
Titling
No contest. NewBlue Titler Pro. Just get it, no matter what NLE you use. If for some oddball reason you don’t like NewBlue’s offering, have a look at BluffTitler.
In the real world though, we cannot all know everything
about everything so if I need some serious audio sweetening done, then I’ll
pass it on to an expert in the field. Luckily, I have one in my sound engineer
brother who lives just down the road and eats noise gates, compressors, ring
modulators and decibels for snacks at 2am.
Music Creation
Unless you are a muso yourself and compose your own material (where I recommend Samplitude X as a DAW, but your preferences may sway to other apps such as LogicPro, Ableton, Bitwig or Cubase or even GarageBand depending on your operating platform), then SonicFire Pro is your best friend.
It works as a plugin for many NLEs and the range and breadth of music available is immense. Additionally, what you can do with a music track once loaded into SonicFire Pro is truly staggering and mind blowing.
I’d suggest SonicFire Pro is one of the rare “must have” apps for any filmmaker who hasn’t the time or the inclination to organise their own bespoke scores.
SonicFire Pro
Unless your partner, like mine, is a composer and musician
of course. (And of course the brother as mentioned, is a sound engineer so I
have the best of all worlds).
Other
To make the process of editing easier, there are a number of other things that can be employed and for me, first and foremost is the Contour ShuttlePro. This little device lets you program 15 buttons to dedicated operations for your apps and will switch from app to app automatically as you change – say Premiere to After Effects to Audition. There is also a dual jog / shuttle wheel for fine tuning timeline navigation.
If you are a dyed-in-the-wool DaVinci Resolve user then I highly, highly recommend the dedicated BMD DaVinci keyboard. Not inexpensive I’ll grant you, but once you have used one, you’ll never go back.
BMD DaVinci Keyboard
For a decent mouse, and we all need one, I am now utterly convinced after my recent carpal wrist surgery that the Logitech MX Upright (or one of its derivatives such as the MX Master 3) is the duck’s guts. Again not particularly cheap, but nor is surgery.
Trust me on this one.
And while we are touching on hardware, I have fallen in love with the ASUS 34” wide screen monitor for editing. Beats two (or three) separate monitors hands down in my book.
ASUS Widescreen 34.1″
A flutter with Grass Valley Mync led me very quickly to Kyno for media management, cataloguing, retrieval and archiving. I now find it indispensable with every bit of video, still and audio media I own sitting safely on a Seagate 8TB external harddisk and available with a mouse click, searchable by any number of parameters.
Again, a must have for the serious editor. I’ll say that
again, a must have.
Conclusion
There are a few more things that could easily co-exist with your basics depending on the stuff you play with. 3D modelling and animation programs (we use MAXON Cinema 4D), Microsoft OneNote I find invaluable for random note taking, brain storming, idea creation and a million other things, as it is auto-tragically synced between my desktop, laptop, Microsoft surface and Samsung phone.
And of course you could add storyboarding software, dedicated screen grabbing packages (we use Snagit and Camtasia from Techsmith), script writing programs (Final Draft is our recommendation) and teleprompter software (Teleprompter Pro for less than $9 for us).
Teleprompter Pro
If you do 360° imagery, then you’ll probably have an app
from the camera’s vendor and everyone uses Handbrake for file conversions, just
like VLC is the best media player.
But that pretty much covers it. I am sure if I have missed
anything glaring, someone will remind me very quickly!
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In the “We Didn’t See That Coming But It Makes Sense” department, motion tool / plugin developer Red Giant and 3D software developer Maxon have announced they are getting married!
Or rather, the two companies have “reached a definitive agreement” to “merge under the media and entertainment division of Nemetschek Group. The merger agreement looks to “better serve the post-production and content creation industries,”
That’s how the press release describes it anyway.
In the release, the big wigs from each company had this to say:
“This merger is a major milestone, not only for Maxon and Red Giant but also for the design industry as a whole,” said David McGavran, CEO of Maxon. “Our combined technology and knowhow have the potential to progressively reshape the content creation landscape for years to come.”
And Red Giant’s CEO, Chad Bechert seemed to agree:
“The combination of our companies is an exceptional fit of people, culture and technology,” said Bechert. “We look forward to working together under a shared vision of how to design powerful and approachable software to serve creative artists around the world.”
Apparently, all will be completed in January of 2020 after all the guff of regulatory approval is over and done with. It shouldn’t affect Aussie users too much as both companies are represented here by Sydney based Adimex.
By the way, here at Australian Videocamera our 3D guru Denby Smith has put together a 2 part (so far) in-depth tutorial into using Cinema 4D. If you’d like a copy (which in effect is the last 2 editions of the PDF e-version of the magazine), simply email me at david@auscamonline.com.
You can get a trial, fuly working version of Cinema 4D for Mac and Windows from Maxon.
If you do multi-camera shoots, then you know what a PITA it is to synch the cameras and audio together when editing later. Red Giant’s superb piece of software, PluralEyes gets rid of this issue once and for all found Dr David Smith
Film, Video & Virtual reality 