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SYNOPSIS:
MBE 2 adds ten new looks and a greatly accelerated rendering engine to what was already, arguably, the leading product in the business for adding "film look" effects to digital video. With its improved performance (given a compatible video card), I'd give MBE 2 a 9 out of 10.
PRICE: $395 (individual plug-ins; $99 upgrade from MBE 1); $795 (plug-in suite)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Red Giant Software
www.redgiantsoftware.com
Eighteen months ago I reviewed Magic Bullet Editors for Final Cut Pro, published by Red Giant Software (November 2004, pp. 22-24). Essentially, I gave MBE a solid 7 out of 10 considering the pros of functionality versus the cons of pricing. I suggest referring to my original review as I'm not going to re-cover the same territory here in this follow-up of version 2.
But first, a quick summary of the functionality for those of you new to the software: Magic Bullet is a collection of effects and filters designed to bring the same kinds of effects used in big-budget films to more modest digital video productions. These filters add grain, artifacts, and color manipulation in ways that are generally more subtle than what you'd get with your NLE. There's also more specificity to certain kinds of effects than would make sense to include in a general-purpose NLE's standard effects palette; you can actually mimic the looks and processes used by actual films and TV shows with these filters and looks. All the effects are configurable as well.
Magic Bullet Editors is derived from the Magic Bullet custom effects package designed by former Industrial Light...