Company
Reviews & Awards
Composite Wizard
"While After Effects has a nice selection of compositing tools, Red Giant Composite Wizard provides nearly two dozen filters that makes green screening easier than ever...Composite Wizard works easily well on video assets and text. It also provides a wonderful complement to Primatte Keyer."
MacDirectory - Trey Yancy Read more
Datamator
"At $99, Datamator seems like even more of a bargain."
Trusted Reviews - James Morris Read more
Key Correct Pro
“(Using) Red Giant Software's Key Correct 16-bit Spill Killer along with the all important Light Wrap in my final composites really helped to marry the elements."
The Ebeling Group - Melanie Franciosi, working on American Chopper for Discovery Channel Read more
“…the edge tools in Key Correct enabled us to maintain a natural look on the big, layered composites all while keeping render times manageable."
Himani Productions - Kevin Kutchaver, working on Lost Read more
Keying virtual backgrounds for "Hellevator" (Using Key Correct Pro, see page 2 of article)
Broadcast Newsroom - By Heath McKnight Read more
Knoll Light Factory Pro
Tutorial: Beam Me Up! How to Make Your Own Transporter [Using Magic Bullet Looks and Knoll Light Factory]
Blogcritics - Ed Driscoll Read more
"If you want the best results you need to use Knoll Light Factory."
Digital Arts - Neil Bennett
5 Cows (out of 5)
"When it comes to lens flare no one does better than Red Giant Software's Knoll Light Factory."
Creative Cow - Aharon Rabinowitz Read more
"I am now a big fan of Knoll Light Factory. While the focus of the plug-in is narrow, it's impact on a scene can be significant. Motion Graphics needs a little flash, and this plug-in provides it in a big way. Ease of use, fast renders, the huge amount of presets and stability of the program make it a perfect choice for directors, editors and motion graphic artists."
Renderosity - Ricky Grove Read more
"Knoll Light Factory is an easy way to add some motion and interest to an otherwise static title, sweeping a slick-looking light effect across a title with a few keystrokes."
Videomaker - Ed Driscoll Read more
Magic Bullet Colorista
"AE users will certainly want [Magic Bullet] Colorista, as will anyone looking for consistent colour-correction tools."
Digital Arts - Neil Bennett Read more
"...anyone looking for a cross-application, cross-platform colour correction tool would do well to take a close look."
Mac User - Ben Frain Read more
"My conclusion after working with Colorista is that you can benefit from using this Magic Bullet plug-in if you’re running several different applications."
IT Enquirer - Erik Vlietinck Read more
Music Video Fun [Using Magic Bullet Colorista]
Digital Films - Oliver Peters Read more
Highly recommended
"I'm ready to make Colorista my desktop color corrector of choice. This decision is partly based on my good experience with the Red Giant team and its other products."
Digital Content Producer - Steve Katz Read more
9.3 (out of 10)
"...the folks at Red Giant have decided to make things easier for filmakers, by giving them many of the most powerful tools found in the professional grading packages, while removing a lot of the confusing controls that were rarely used."
Microfilmmaker - Jeremy Hanke Read more
"You could also use any 3-way color corrector, but Colorista is superb."
Broadcast Newsroom - Mike Jones Read more
"The first question that most people would ask, myself included, is why would anyone want another 3-way color corrector? The short answer is that it produces much better results. That’s a great reason to supplement any default FCP tool with that from another developer."
The Editblog - Scott Simmons Read more
"Colorista brings powerful yet streamlined color-correction capabilities to your favorite video editor or motion graphics program."
Mac|Life - Helmut Kobler Read more
"Colorista is a powerful yet inexpensive three way color corrrector."
Digital Producer - David Basulto Read more
"Colorista 1.0 is an extremely impressive initial release. The incredible precision and quality of image you get from this plug-in is exciting, and this is definitely a plug-in to keep your eye on..."
Videomaker - John Burkhart Read more
Color By The Numbers: One Insider’s Guide to Color Grading In Final Cut Pro
DV - Oliver Peters Read more
Color By The Numbers: One Insider’s Guide to Color Grading In Final Cut Pro
DV - Oliver Peters Read more
Magic Bullet Frames
8.8 (out of 10)
"Now you can buy Frames as a standalone package for $199, which is an incredible value for everything you get here. Not only are you getting the best 60i to 24p conversion tool available, but you're also getting four other plugins! That boils down to $40 per plugin, which is quite a bargain considering their high quality and usefulness."
Microfilmmaker - Ryan Graham Read more
Magic Bullet Instant HD
"Red Giant's asking price seems like peanuts considering the usefulness of this software."
PC Pro - Peter Wells Read more
"...it will definitely be one of my go to tools!"
Filmaking Central - David Basulto
"Red Giant provides a neat working solution with Instant HD."
Mac User - Peter Wells Read more
"Realistically, you can't expect the results to fool everyone but, the outcomes are excellent."
DV - Mark Christiansen Read more
"Almost as fast as its name implies, Red Giant Software Instant HD scaling plug-in re-sizes footage quickly, up-converting digital video to a variety of high-definition formats."
American Cinematographer - Doug Bankston
"Pros: Easy to use, great quality output, little to fine-tune, many formats/sizes supported.”
IT Enquirer - Erik Vlietinck Read more
Magic Bullet Instant HD Advanced
"My bottom line is that [Red Giant] succeeds. Instant HD Advanced fits the bill just as they advertise. They have provided a simpler workflow, faster results and a higher quality output to an already excellent and useful editing tool."
Kenstone.net - Steve Douglas Read more
Magic Bullet Looks
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
"One of the scenes in [The Curious Case of Benjamin Button] is a fable told by Cate Blanchett. We were looking for ways to set this scene apart and decided to give it an old movie look, since it’s a movie-within-a-movie. To that aim, we settled on treating these shots with Magic Bullet Looks. The final version that appears in the film was processed through [Adobe] After Effects where we ‘baked in’ the effect. There are also a few other scenes throughout that received a little Magic Bullet love," said Angus Wall, editor of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.
Videography - Oliver Peters Read more
Tutorial: Beam Me Up! How to Make Your Own Transporter [Using Magic Bullet Looks and Knoll Light Factory]
Blogcritics - Ed Driscoll Read more
"If you're a Premiere Pro user who wants to get ahead by adding some spice to your production, consider some Red Giant plugins. I am confident that you will not be disappointed!"
Genesis Project, - Dennis Radeke, Adobe Systems, Inc. Read more
Editor's Choice
"- the best effects are the ones the audience doesn't see. In that respect, Magic Bullet [Looks] really is magic."Computer Video - Peter Wells
Best Buy
"The LookBuilder has one of the best designed interfaces around."Digital Arts - Neil Bennett Read more
Most Influential Tools of 2007
"Magic Bullet Looks however offers the same power, functionality and complexity of grading options as Color but does so in a much more accessible and functional suite."Broadcast Newsroom - Mike Jones Read more
Vanguard Award
Digital Content Producer - Read more
Mac User - Peter Wells Read more
"Pros: Many effects possible, fast, flexible capabilities, inexpensive. Cons: None that I can see."
IT Enquirer - Erik Vlietinck Read more
Mac User - Mark Bennett Read more
"Magic Bullet Editors [now called Magic Bullet Looks] is the perfect tool for achieving a stylish film look or an authentic-looking, classic.”
Macworld - Robert Ellis Read more
"Now, with apps such as Imagineer mocha-AE ($299) and Red Giant Software Magic Bullet Looks ($399), which were both released within the last six months, you can do much of the work that up until recently required top facilities with big expensive iron systems."
Digital Content Producer - Dan Ochiva
"I’ve been using Magic Bullet since 2003 and have been consistently amazed by the power of the software and the incredible results it produces. I’ve tested countless other film look packages that have tried to be contenders to Red Giant’s throne, but I always come back to Magic Bullet."
Microfilmmaker - Ryan Graham Read more
"Very, very good tool, best plug-in of the test."
Digital Production (Germany) - Robert Seidel
Red Giant Software Magic Bullet Looks is a joy to use and delivers stunning looks to your digital video. It allows editors to use this tool in different applications (e.g., both After Effects and Premiere Pro). That flexibility is key and reminds us that the Looks software team is looking after its editors. The power is there, too, with improved Power Mask features allowing editors to be selective about the application of their looks. The possibilities seem endless. That's just what we like to see in an application like this.
Videomaker - Mark Montgomery Read more
"Few effects plug-ins offer such a wide range of filtering and grading tools ine one low cost package."
DV - DV Staff Read more
"If you’ve got the budget, Magic Bullet Looks has the mojo."
Mac|Life - David Biedny Read more
"The new Magic Bullet Looks has been perfected into a tool so vital and adaptable that it reside in every editor's toolset."
TV Technology - Geoff Poister
"In terms of flexibility and quality, Magic Bullet Looks goes far beyond the tools that the host applications offer."
Computer Video - Uli Plank
"I will often use FCP’s 3-way color corrector for a “primary grade” and then stack more instances of the 3-way, Colorista, Face Light and/or Vignette, using them for a “secondary grade”. If I need more of a stylized look (glows, selective focus, etc.), then Magic Bullet Looks has become my 'go to' weapon."
Digital Films - Oliver Peters Read more
"Between picking shots that worked within the confines of what we could achieve with the gear we had, along with some basic color correction in Final Cut Studio using Magic Bullet Looks, the project looked much better than it had any right to, considering the budget was about $200."
Pro Video Coalition - Art Adams Read more
"In post, you can adjust the gamma curves to replicate how light reacts on film rather than the more linear look of video. With some good grading, using something like Magic Bullet Looks, you can create a fairly convincing facsimile of film."
Arbernaut Blog - Jason Arber Read more
"Magic Bullet can create some powerful atmospherics. It can generate a Matrix-like green tint, or those CSI: Miami orange-sherbet skies,or a soft film-like sheen with plenty of diffusion, or anyplace in between."
Nuts & Volts - Edward B. Driscoll, Jr.
"In my opinion, at a price of $399 US, this plug-in is one of the best deals you will find. I have been using Magic Bullet Looks for a couple of months, and I can easily say that I would use it on every project I work on. Your work NEEDS a color correction pass once the edit is done, and for me, Looks will give your producer what they want every time. If you are even thinking about picking up Magic Bullet Looks, you should seriously consider just picking up the Magic Bullet Suite."
Digital Post Production - Kevin McAuliffe Read more
"One tool that I really like for specialty grading is Red Giant Software’s Magic Bullet Looks. The software was developed by effects director Stu Maschwitz. Unlike other plug-ins, Looks is really an integrated suite of effects and filters all rolled into one package. It runs under many NLE hosts, but is probably most optimized for Adobe After Effects."
Digital Films - Oliver Peters Read more
Tutorial: Create a Broadcast Spot and Webisode with RED and Final Cut Pro [Using Magic Bullet Looks] (requires a Premium Content subscription)
Studio Monthly - Studio Monthly Read more
Magic Bullet Mojo
"It's a simpler, trimmed-down version of the suite. Need to warm the color temperature of your actor's skin while making shadows and backgrounds cooler? Simple. A single slider adjusts both elements in unison...It's pretty cheap too, which makes a reasonable excuse for an impulse buy."
Millimeter - Dan Ochiva Read more
Magic Bullet Quick Looks
"$99 for over one hundred looks is an excellent deal, considering that works out to less than one dollar per look. If you are working on a (very) tight budget, and can't afford Looks, pick up Quick Looks, and then upgrade at a later time!"
Pro Editing @ Home - Kevin McAuliffe Read more
"So if you do want to extend the range of appearances available to your favourite professional-grade video editing app, Magic Bullet Quick Looks offers decent value."
Trusted Reviews - James Morris Read more
Essential Final Cut Pro Plug-Ins
"This is a fantastic idea for editors looking to easily and affordably get into Magic Bullet's amazing suite of tools and plug-ins. Once you purchase, download and install the plug-in, it appears under the Effects Tab, in the Video Filters folder. It's only one filter and you drop it onto the video you want to change."
Broadcast Newsroom - Heath McKnight Read more
Magic Bullet Steady
“The plug-in dealt remarkably well with the footage and the end result was a massive improvement.”
PC World - Neil Bennett Read more
“As for [Magic Bullet] Steady’s antishake abilities, you may wonder why you need them when both After Effects and Final Cut Studio’s free Motion 3 app already offer similar features. The simple answer is that Magic Bullet Steady is quicker and easier to use.”
Mac|Life - Helmut Kobler Read more
“The Steady filter is fairly intuitive, easy to apply and considerably quicker than Final Cut's Smooth Cam filter.”
Los Angeles Final Cut Pro User Group - Steve Douglas Read more
Magic Bullet Suite
4.5 (out of 5)
Computer Arts (France) - Stephane Nicolle
4.5 Cows (Out of 5)
"Overall the suite is sweet. Apart from a few hiccups, this set of plugins is awesome. It covers a lot of ground and can be used by all AE artists. Lots of controls for the control freaks, one-click presets for the newbies, and everything in between. I would concur with the review of a couple years ago--MBS 2008 is an outstanding buy and well worth the price tag of a $199 upgrade, $399 cross-grade, or $799 (new). "
Creative Cow - Tim Johnson Read more
Best Buy
"Overall, it’s an essential purchase for music-video makers, ad directors, and anyone who wants to give their work a truly professional visual appeal."Digital Arts - Richard Wentk Read more
"[Magic Bullet Suite] there is, quite simply, nothing to touch it."
Mac User - Martin Southwood Read more
"Video pros now have a real option when it comes to creating true filmlike quality."
Macworld - Anton Linecker Read more
"Magic Bullet Suite is probably the best film FX software available."
Digital Creative Arts - Ross Bradley
"Magic Bullet is a fantastic toolset."
Creation International - Dick Hobbs
"It would be sheer lunacy to fail to add Magic Bullet to your workflow considering it only costs £200."
Computer Arts - Rob Carney
"All my thumbs up for the Magic Bullet Suite!"
Kenstone.net - Steve Douglas Read more
"There’s really a lot of things that this package can do and you might not use everything on one job. But then if you put them all together and use them to complement each other you just might find Magic Bullet Suite 2008 cab help put a polish on your edit that isn’t possible with the stock Final Cut Pro tools alone."
The Editblog - Scott Simmons Read more
PlaneSpace
Tutorial: Introducing Red Giant PlaneSpace
Digital Jiuce - Kevin P. McAuliffe Read more
Primatte Keyer Pro
"Primatte Keyer offers excellent results, and does so almost instantly."
3D World - Chris Kenworthy
"I had never done green screen work, but took a workshop at NAB and learned all I could. You can use the Keying filters in FCP, but a much better product is Primatte Keyer 4 by Red Giant Software. It makes popping the key simple and effective and as close to one button removal as you can get."
Digital Journalist - PF Bentley, World-renowned photographer Read more
Psunami
"Yes, it only does one thing, but it does it well. Very convincing underwater footage can be created with Psunami when combined with volumetric light and caustics."
Millimeter - Steve Katz
"We've explored a number of ways to create water effects from scratch for still and motion graphics. But there are innumerable situations where simple displacement maps and lighting effects, like those we've learned, won't do the trick. And so we turn to effects plugins that promise to take over where our manual skills leave off. Today we look at one such plugin--Digital Anarchy's Psunami for Adobe After Effects."
Digital Producer - Dave Nagel Read more
Radium Glow
"Radium Glow takes the term "glow" to another level."
Animation Artist - David Basulto Read more
"Radium Glow is a must have for any Motion or After Effects user. It is an extremely solid, highly customizable tool that will add amazing “glows” to your footage. We give it 5/5 stars for abilities and price (just $99!)."
Filmmaking Central - David Basulto
"To see where Radium Glow has the edge over the built-in AE Glow, I tried a few comparison tests, using motion graphics samples and some high definition footage."
Gray Machine - Harry Frank Read more
Text Anarchy
“Text Anarchy is itself a whole world of effects.”
Spectrum - David Duberman Read more
"I am amazed at the number of controls that the plug-in provides and the complexity of effects that it can create... At first glance, Text Anarchy 2 represents an amazing collection of text effects with more possible adjustments than any creative professional would ever want. The documentation is remarkably extensive and well written. The plug-in is basic enough that a user can become productive immediately... This one is a must have."
Kenstone.net - Ned Soltz Read more
ToonIt
"No other plug-in out there does this cartoon look as well."
Studio Monthly - Marc Franklin Read more
"Most large video-effects filters collections – and many NLEs – include filters that claim to turn real-world footage into cartoon. However, every one we’ve seen has been rubbish. ToonIt isn’t perfect, but it’s the best we’ve seen so far..."
Digital Arts - Neil Bennett Read more
“You have surely seen the many commercials on television and in film where the actors have been transformed to cartoon versions of themselves. [ToonIt] is a real time saver for anyone who wishes to recreate much of the cartoon like effects that seem so ubiquitous as of late."
Kenstone.net - Steve Douglas Read more
Tutorial: Create a Custom Cartoon Effect with Red Giant ToonIt (requires a Premium Content subscription)
Studio Monthly - Sean Safreed Read more
Trapcode 3D Stroke
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
9 (out of 10)
"With the Trapcode 3S Pack, Red Giant Software has once again proven that it's one of the top plugin companies out there."
Microfilmmaker - Ryan Graham Read more
"Full-featured, fast, and come with good support and a large user community."
SF Cutters - Rich Young Read more
Tutorial: Create Animated Titles with Trapcode in Final Cut Pro
Studio Monthly - Sean Safreed Read more
Trapcode Echospace
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
"Trapcode’s Echospace plug-in is one of those tools that’s so useful, you want to cry, “Why isn’t this built into After Effects."
Macsimum News - Dennis Sellers Read more
Trapcode Form
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
"Trapcode Form offers plenty of bang for the buck." (Access to Review requires a Premium Content subscription)
Studio Monthly - David English Read more
8 (out 10)
Microfilmmaker - Ryan Graham Read more
Tutorial: Creating Design Elements in Trapcode Form (requires a Premium Content subscription)
Studio Monthly - Harry J. Frank Read more
Trapcode Horizon
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
"While Trapcode Horizon is great with panoramic photography, it can also be used for projecting layers of masked objects. More than a one-trick pony, Horizon provides a playground for the imagination."
MacDirectory - Trey Yancy Read more
“Trapcode Horizon is a great companion to the other 3D plugs such as Particular and Form, etc.”
- Aldy Waani Read more
"This is a must-have plug-in for 3D environments inside After Effects.”
Motionworks - John Dickinson Read more
Trapcode Lux
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
"I give Lux a Strong Buy recommendation."
Digital Media Net - Stephen Schleicher Read more
Tutorial: How Trapcode Lux Rocks Your Lighting Setup
AV Video Producer - Kevin McAuliffe Read more
Trapcode Particular
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
"While many plug-in suites and compositing applications include particular systems, none measures up to the mighty Particular."
Digital Arts - Neil Bennett Read more
Recommended
"Particular is stunning. It’s beautifully put together and the creative possibilities are endless. As of now, all other third-party particle systems are redundant; if you’ve got After Effects, go out and buy this as soon as you can." (Click Read more to open PDF.)
Computer Arts - Computer Arts Staff Read more
"It’s easily the most interesting particle generator I’ve ever seen".
Studio Monthly - Jay Holben Read more
Award of Excellence
"Anyone needing to do particle effects in Adobe After Effects will find Particular to be their new favorite plug-in."DV - Matt Silverman Read more
9 (out of 10)
"With silky smooth particle generation, a great preview ability, and the ability to interface with Knoll Light Factory, Particular is turning a lot of heads."
Microfilmmaker - Jeremy Hanke Read more
Tutorial: Creating a Carpet of Clouds with Trapcode Particular (requires a Premium Content subscription)
Studio Monthly - Pierre Michel Read more
Tutorial: Add dust in Adobe After Effects using Trapcode Particular
Motionworks - John Dickinson Read more
Tutorial: A Poetic Film Fest Trailer with After Effects and Particular (requires a Premium Content subscription)
Studio Monthly - Pierre Michel Read more
Tutorial: Create a Fluid Plasma Effect with Trapcode Particular (requires a Premium Content subscription)
Studio Monthly - Harry Frank Read more
Tutorial: Creating Shimmering Glitter Using Trapcode Particular
Creative Cow - Michael Park Read more
Tutorial: Creating Animated Backgrounds
Digital Producer - Kevin McAuliffe Read more
8.5 (Out of 10)
"The key feature of Particular 2 is the depth of options. I reckon you could spend the better part of a year working inside of Particular 2 only to discover new features everyday."
Microfilmmaker - Nikc Miller Read more
8.5 (Out of 10)
"The key feature of Particular 2 is the depth of options. I reckon you could spend the better part of a year working inside of Particular 2 only to discover new features everyday."
Microfilmmaker - Nikc Miller Read more
Trapcode Shine
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
9 (out 10)
Microfilmmaker - Ryan Graham Read more
"Well, I'm sold on Shine. And for tightwads like myself, Shine's low price tag and fast render times make it, well... shine."
Creative Cow - Dave LaRonde Read more
"Full-featured, fast, and come with good support and a large user community."
SF Cutters - Rich Young Read more
Trapcode Sound Keys
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
Trapcode Starglow
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
9 (out 10)
Microfilmmaker - Ryan Graham Read more
"Full-featured, fast, and come with good support and a large user community."
SF Cutters - Rich Young Read more
Tutorial: Create Animated Titles with Trapcode in Final Cut Pro (requires a Premium Content subscription)
Studio Monthly - Sean Safreed Read more
Trapcode Suite
Creative Cow - Jim Harvey Read more
Warp
"The quality of the results can of course not be discussed; they’re simply excellent if not perfect."
IT Enquirer - Erik Vlietinck Read more
"...for reflexions and for setting up 2D planes in 3D, this plug-in is a good choice."
Digital Production (Germany) - Andrea Zerr
Composite Wizard
Datamator
Key Correct Pro
Knoll Light Factory Pro
Magic Bullet Colorista
Magic Bullet Frames
Magic Bullet Instant HD
Magic Bullet Instant HD Advanced
Magic Bullet Looks
Magic Bullet Mojo
Magic Bullet Quick Looks
Magic Bullet Steady
Magic Bullet Suite
PlaneSpace
Primatte Keyer Pro
Psunami
Radium Glow
Text Anarchy
ToonIt
Trapcode 3D Stroke
Trapcode Echospace
Trapcode Form
Trapcode Horizon
Trapcode Lux
Trapcode Particular
Trapcode Shine
Trapcode Sound Keys
Trapcode Starglow
Trapcode Suite
Warp