Just a note on 3 awesome tutorials we posted today:

RGTV Episode 47: Tiny Inventions

Red Giant Quick Tip#16: Creating a Flare Preset Slider for Knoll Light Factory EZ

If you’ve ever wondered why our products are so good, I’m going to let you in on our big secret for supreme software awesomeness:

We use our own products.

That’s it. That’s the secret. We create products we love and use every day. And I’m not just talking about Harry Frank, Stu Maschwitz, and myself.

Virtually everyone at Red Giant is creative in their own way, but almost everyone at Red Giant has a real interest in creating art – whether it’s video, photography, or some other medium. Even our QA team and our accountant have a passion for film-making, visual FX, photography or motion design.

Case in point: Joe Kadera – QA Engineer. Below is a tongue-in-cheek, short film he worked on with a friend, as a continuation of a project they started in high school. You can see a ton of work and love went into this enjoyable film-noir short (although – warning: there is a bunch of violence in there):

iPod/iPad-Friendly Version on Vimeo.

About his job and his passion, Joe says:

“Ultimately, I want to be doing something like what I did on Joe Saturday in the movies, that is to say, everything. But I also have more fun working in a small team like I can do with my friends now than I would on a big project. Special effects in general are some of the most interesting things for me to work on.

At red giant, I get to work a lot with the same software I used when I made Joe Saturday, and work with when I do my own movie work, but I get to make sure that it is working as it should for everyone else. Most of my day consists of playing with sliders and writing up bug reports, but I’m pretty good about getting in the zone and it doesn’t bother me as it might some people. Occasionally I create some pretty cool effects while I’m testing that I am able to put into use in my own projects at home.”

You can get some cool behind the scenes footage and other info on Joe Saturday at the official website.

Hey folks – We have a new version of Plastic Bullet! It’s a free update for current customers.

Plastic Bullet Version 1.1 is a major update, with faster developing, higher resolutions, and Facebook and Flickr support! New sharing and resolution options can be accessed through your device’s Settings app.

Get it and learn more here.

Here’s a high-res photo I recently took on my iPhone 3GS (You get even bigger pictures with the iPhone 4). I took it from the balcony that Superman lands on in the original film – The Daily Planet Building. My wife works there. I swear. I love living in Metropolis… er… New York.

Click on the image to see it at Full-Res.

iPod/iPad-friendly version on Vimeo.

Coming Soon: An episode of Red Giant TV,  featuring Tiny Inventions – a talented team of artists that bring life to real-world models, through a unique combination of After Effects animation, still photography, stop-motion, hand drawn-imagery, and puppetry. You will experience what true creativity and talent can yield, with the right set of tools.

Then you will want to cry because you’ll only wish you could do something this cool.

As I mentioned in a previous post, we recently had the Red Giant company meeting. After the meetings broke on Wednesday, and people started getting back to the usual day-to-day, Harry Frank and I decided we would film a tour of the Red Giant offices in Portland.

iPod/iPad Friendly Version on Vimeo.

OK – it’s not The Godfather, but it’s not Bio-Dome either. Sad to say that we had a really great interview with Debbie Rich, one of our newest team members, but as it turns out, we actually hit the record button twice (stopping the recording right away). Consequently, from the time the interview is over (when we hit the record button again) until the next one, we have about 20 minutes of video of Harry’s feet along with audio of the RG team describing our favorite scenes from “Desperate Housewives” in detail (this is mandatory viewing at RG – and there is a test, or we don’t get paid).

Oh, and BTW – we used Harry Frank’s Looping Backgrounds for Trapcode Suite for all of the lower thirds. Harry didn’t want me to print that, but I must not have heard him when he said it.

Next time write your own blog entry, buddy.

Let me just cut to the chase here and say that if you love the iPhone Apps “ShakeIt Photo” and “CrossProcess” but always wanted to work with them on a big screen in Photoshop or your video editor – you’re lucky day is here. Introducing Nick Campbell’s Vintage Film for Looks:

iPod/iPad friendly version on Vimeo.

OK – now for the story behind the product.

I’m one of those people that, when I set my mind on something, I find a way to make it happen. I’ve wanted to find a project to work on with Nick Campbell (also known as the GreyscaleGorilla) for a long time, but there didn’t seem to be an opportunity. He’s incredibly talented as a photographer and designer, and guy who’s always excited about the things he’s working on. It gets me excited to be creative too.

I have both his iPhone apps, and use them all the time. I also watch his tutorials whenever possible, and check out his 5-Second Projects for inspiration.

A recent CrossProcess photo shot on my iPhone.

So, when it became my job to manage the development of the Guru Presets here at Red Giant, the first phone call I made was to Nick.  “How do you feel about making ShakeIt Photo and CrossProcess for Magic Bullet Looks?” I asked him.

At this point, I think you know the answer he gave me (I guess that’s what happens when you put the punch line before the story – but whatever). But it wasn’t enough for Nick to rest on his laurels. And given the vast toolset in Magic Bullet Looks, he was able to greatly expand upon his work to bring you what is one of my favorite Red Giant Products of all time.

Everyone I have shown this too during the beta process has said things like “Damn, that’s awesome” or “That’s truly inspiring” or “I am out of the office, but will be checking email periodically” (OK – that last one was not a winner, but I know that if they were in the office they’d have loved it).

I am really happy with the way it came out. Nick is a great guy to work with and a true artist. I can’t wait to do more cool things with him.

I hope you enjoy this exciting Guru Preset Pack of 32 Looks that (with the exception of the 4 AE-only Templates), can be used in Final Cut Pro, Motion, After Effects, Premiere Pro, Avid, Vegas, and Photoshop – if you have Magic Bullet Looks, PhotoLooks, or Quick Looks. You can share these looks from program to program to create a hip vintage style that you will get nowhere else (except maybe your iPhone).

To make Vintage Film for Looks even more valuable, there are 4 free kick-ass tutorials from Nick, right here.

If you like these Guru Presets, don’t forget we have many others from talented folks like Harry Frank, Nando Costa, Cassidy Bisher, and more. You can find tons of Free presets as well at Red Giant People.

You might not know this, but, at least in part, Red Giant Software is a virtual company. While our development and support teams are based out of Portland, OR, many of us live in other cities like New York, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Fort Wayne, Los Angeles, and even that giant city above the United States (I think it’s called Canada).

The entrance of the Red Giant office in Portland, OR. From this picture, you might surmise that we are a green-friendly company. Nothing can be further from the truth. Our gas-powered bicycle jetbacks are just off-camera, being refueled.

Twice a year we meet as a whole company to brainstorm, find solutions to challenges, and share ideas.

Sean Safreed gets tips on growing mutton chops from Joe Kadera.

And eat.

We each give departmental presentations to talk about things like what we’d like to do in the next few months, ways we’d like to improve on what we have, and some of the new super-secret software goodies we have in the pipeline (hint: think light sabers and fembots).

Andrew Little talks about new markets (like iPhone apps and Sony Playstation), I talk about communities and social media (how to waste time while still getting paid), and Darth Vader gives us a very stern talking to about fire safety.

Stu Maschwitz (@5tu) tweets out that his presentation is going really well, while the rest of the team waits "patiently" for him to get back to it. Up front: Andrew Cheyne and Karen Gautier. In the back: Some guys who wandered in to the meeting and sat down. No one said anything. It was awkward.

The best presenter gets a chance to go on to the final round of "American Presenter." Simon can be pretty brutal, but Paula is always encouraging. Who's the other guy? (pictured: Joe Kadera, Debbie Rich, John Kerr)

We, at Red Giant, are a family. And while getting together for these meetings is serious business, we work hard to keep it fun and positive and to not take ourselves too seriously. We know that, at the end of the day, these meetings are really about you, and our finding ways to best support you through our great products and training. And they are, of course, always a good excuse to eat.

We're smiling, but secretly we're wishing the waiter would put down the camera and start taking our orders. Especially our drink orders.

Thanks for all of your support! We look forward to hearing from you.

Shameless plug: Random Plastic Bullet photo of Nate Sparks, Jeremy Hill, Joe Kadera, and Mandi Vernoy.

Buckle up baby! Color correction just got awesome!

Magic Bullet Colorista II is here, and it’s taking names. It’s seriously supped up and ready to unleash color in your timeline. You can learn more about it here. Or just give in the inevitable… and buy it here.

Here’s a first look at what’s new in Colorista II, from the DV Rebel himself, Stu Maschwitz.

In these episodes of Red Giant TV, Aharon Rabinowitz sits down with VFX legend John Knoll to talk about John’s work at ILM, how he got started, what it takes to make it as a vfx artist, and some of his favorite projects.

Watch the interview with John Knoll – Part 2

View the Bonus Material

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In celebration of our interview with VFX legend John Knoll, get 20% off Knoll Light Factory and Knoll Light Factory for Photoshop. Both products qualify for FREE 64-bit updates (Adobe CS5 compatible) as soon as they are available.

The sale runs through Monday May 31, 2010 at 11:59 PM PST (California). To find out when the sale ends in your time zone, visit the World Clock site.

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Photoshop co-creator, John Knoll, developed Knoll Light Factory to mimic the reflections from a very bright light source as seen through a camera’s lens. It’s proven to be one of the most popular plug-ins for both Adobe Photoshop and After Effects. Knoll Light Factory for Photoshop goes far beyond the typical lens flares found in Photoshop, with over 100 great presets, real-time previewing, and 19 powerful flare tools for creating your own custom effects. (Learn More)

Download trial version

Buy now for $119.20 (Save $29.80) Note: includes FREE 64-bit update (Adobe CS5 compatible) as soon as it is available.

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Created by John Knoll, Star Wars effects guru, Knoll Light Factory is one of the industry’s most popular motion graphics tools. It is most famous for its high-fidelity simulations of light effects called flares, which simulate reflections from a very bright light source as seen through a camera’s lens. Knoll Light Factory for Photoshop is Hollywood’s go-to tool for adding interest to text or logos or extra pop to FX explosions. Works in After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, Motion, and Avid. (Learn More)

Download trial version

Buy now for $319.20 (Save $79.80) Note: includes FREE 64-bit update (Adobe CS5 compatible) as soon as it is available.

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Free Stuff

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Free Presets for Knoll Light Factory Pro

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Introducing 10 new awesome presets for Knoll Light Factory Pro from Veteran motion graphics and VFX artist David Vinson. These flares reminiscent of popular films, tv shows, music videos and commercials, will work in After Effects, Final Cut Pro, Motion, Premiere Pro, and Avid Express and Media Composer. These presets are free for limited time.

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Download the free presets.

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Free Training for Knoll Light Factory

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Knoll Light Factory Training covers version 2.5, used by thousands of motion graphics artists and editors to create light effects and transitions. Professional trainer and motion graphic designer, David Vinson shows you how to simulate the sun or other light sources, enhance text or logos, intensify special effects shots like explosions and more in this 90 minutes of advanced training.

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Watch the training.

iPod/iPad friendly version on Vimeo.

Introducing Red Giant Software’s Plastic Bullet: A Photo App with infinite possibilities.

Plastic Bullet puts the fun, spontaneity, and unpredictability of plastic-fantastic toy cameras right into your pocket. Just tap to turn your photos into gloriously unpredictable works of art, then tap again to change the look.

Get it on your iPhone now, for just $1.99 at the Apple App Store: itunes.apple.com/us/app/plastic-bullet/id372405516?mt=8