IMPORTANT: The new FCPX 10.0.4 update breaks the preview functionality for Magic Bullet Looks & some other non Red Giant plug-ins.

Do NOT update IF YOU ARE USING LOOKS. If you have already updated, we currently don’t know of any way to roll it back to a previous version. Here’s some more info:

In the latest release of FCPX, Apple fixed a bug  in FCPX 10.0.4 that makes it clearer to plugins about the orientation of the video. However, because of this bug fix, you’re now seeing a flipped image in Magic Bullet Looks. Here’s why:

We already knew about the issue  a long time ago. To make sure you never experienced any problem, we put work-around for the bug in MB Looks. So you never saw the issue, because we already had it covered. However, the work around we created isn’t compatible with the latest bug fix from Apple, so it ends up causing a flipped image.

Here’s the  good news:

• We’re on it and will fix it ASAP
• It does not affect renders, it’s only in the preview.

Again, our recommendation, for now, is that you do not update to 10.0.4 – if you are using Looks. As soon as we have a fix, we’ll let you know.

There are days you wake up and know it’s going to be a good day.  And then there are days where life really surprises you. Today was one of the latter.

This morning we found out that Plot Device, a short film we helped bring to life, was nominated for a Webby Award. I’m not going to lie to you… It’s a big fricken deal. The Webby’s are basically the Academy Awards for Internet content. And while it’s my nature to be humbled by recognition like this, I’m not really comfortable even saying that, because, in reality, this award isn’t really about Red Giant. It’s not for us to be humbled. But we are proud…and extremely excited.

The nomination is for Best Editing – something that can be attributed entirely to Seth Worley, the film’s director.  Seth is an amazing storyteller and, while the nomination is a surprise, the fact that a storyteller as talented as Seth is being recognized for his ability to tell a great story, is not.

Also – I know I said that we’re not feeling humble, but I totally lied. Me and the rest of the folks at Red Giant are actually quite humbled at this moment – Humbled and honored that a film we helped create is considered notable among the fantastic content being produced by the community of visual artists, for whom we work so hard to support.

It’s one thing to make software that your customers love and use in telling their stories. But it’s a whole other thing to tell those same creative people a story and have it pass muster. We’re totally floored by the reaction you’ve had to Plot Device.

I’m not a fan of telling people to rock the vote, and I’m even less a fan of when people email, asking me to vote for a creation in a contest without even considering that there may be someone who is truly more worthy of the win. But if you believe in the importance of acknowledging great work, then head over to the Webby Awards and check out all of the nominations. If, after that, you think Seth deserves the award, great – vote for Plot Device. If not – vote for someone else that worked hard and deserves the recognition that editors so often don’t get.

In the meantime, you can watch Plot Device right here:

Joe, our head of QA, lounging with a good friend. One of these two wants a tummy rub. I won’t say which.

When I tell people I’m an animator, I almost always get asked: “So can you draw me?” Then I have to disappoint them and explain that I mean I am a computer animator, and mostly I move pixels or object from point A to Point B, and then add what Harry Frank likes to call “Zazzle.” At that point, most people are not impressed, and can I pass the ketchup?

Naturally, I’ve always been in awe of anyone who can draw. Don’t get me wrong – I can stick figure with the best of them, but past that, my drawing of a car might be mistaken for a roller skate or maybe a turtle in a wheelchair. So imagine how impressive it must be (at least for me) when someone can draw, not only well, but fast – AND have it match up with the world around them.

Some of you may know Kaylinn Solazzo, one of our Technical Support team, but what you don’t know is that, like many of the people at Red Giant, she is a visual artist. And not just that, she is an amazing compositor… Just not in the way your probably used to. She draws on little scraps of paper and holds them up next to real things and they become part of, and alter, the real world. Here are some examples of her work:

But the world around us changes quickly, So I asked Kaylinn about the challenge of capturing a moment, in a moment.

“I try to give myself three minutes (five, if I haven’t had any coffee) to come up with a doodle and set it in my daily surrounding. You can often catch me telling my coworkers to quit moving as I try place a narwhal on someone’s shoulder or a bear on their lap and snap a quick photo or two with my iPhone. It’s a fun sort of challenge that I like to give myself that doesn’t have to do with anything but being a tiny creative outlet.”

As I said earlier, a lot of people at Red Giant are visual artists, and many more are creative outside the visual medium. I love how different their skills/talents are from mine. It’s both humbling and inspiring to work with people who think differently, and it’s a big part of what makes my Job at Red Giant as awesome as it is.

You can see more of Kaylinn’s awesome work HERE.

(Above photos taken with Movie Looks app for iPhone/iPad)

Digital Production BuZZ is one of the production industry’s longest running podcasts. Each week, host Larry Jordan keeps listeners up-to-date with trends and technologies in digital production and post production.

Earlier this month, Sean Safreed, co-owner and Director of Product Management at Red Giant, appeared on the BuZZ to give his thoughts on ‘Shooting Movies on an iPhone’. Talking to a somewhat skeptical Larry Jordan, Sean opined on whether it makes sense for producers to consider doing post production on an iPhone, what the challenges are and what tools are available.

“It fits the continuum of enabling tools that have gone before. When the first affordable professional mini DV camera – specifically the Sony VX1000 – came along in the mid-90’s, it got Stu Maschwitz [Creative Director for Red Giant's Magic Bullet products] into thinking he could create his own motion pictures.” Said Safreed.

“Next came MiniDV with 24p in the Panasonic DVX100 and then the price came down even more and you were able to get 24p in a Canon HD camera like the HD20 a few years back. And that became a hot indie tool. This is a continuum of that evolution, beginning with a high quality camera in a really small package.

“It’s more than just shooting videos using the iPhone. The [iPhone] 4s camera has shown itself to be a great camera with image stabilisation that is nearly as good, or even better in some cases than a little hand held HD camera. And the big thing this has going for it is the software flexibility. It’s got the capabilities to take the video you’ve got right there on set and then do something with it. You can edit it or add effects like we have done with our Movie Looks tool or use a host of other great image tools on the iPhone.”

Can you really shoot a movie with an iPhone? Do you agree with Sean? Tune in to hear the full BuZZ podcast.
http://www.digitalproductionbuzz.com/2012/03/07/digital-production-buzz-march-8-2012/

Hi Folks -

At the end of last year, we removed Magic Bullet Denoiser from our website, discontinuing version 1 from our product line. At that time, we promised we would release a new version of Denoiser that would be more stable and free to current users of Denoiser 1. And as of today, that’s exactly what we’ve done.

Magic Bullet Denoiser II is here!

Here are the quick points:

• We’ve developed Magic Bullet Denoiser II from scratch (completely new code) to bring you the quality of Denoiser 1, but with more stability. Red Giant owns this code 100% – which means the product is not going anywhere.
• We have spent lots of time developing the default settings for Denoiser II to give you the best possible look as soon as you apply. There’s is always room to tweak setting, but often you won’t need to.
• Currently Denoiser II is only available for After Effects, but it will support multiple host apps in the future (read THIS FAQ for more info).
• Denoiser II is a Free Update for all Denoiser 1 and Magic Bullet Suite users. I repeat: If you already owned a license of Denoiser or bought the Magic Bullet Suite after Denoiser was discontinued, you get Denoiser II for FREE.

If, as described above, you’re entitled to a free update to Denoiser II, you can grab it by downloading the latest Magic Bullet Suite Installer. If Denoiser is new to you, you can get it HERE.

Here’s the FAQ full of great info on the Denoiser II update that should answer any and all of your questions.

As always, we’re committed to giving you the best software, the best user experience, and the best support in the industry. We’re always listening to your questions and concerns and will always be here for you. Reach out to us if you need help.

Special thanks to T. J. Baurain and Joe Pollock for filming the vast majority of the clips in the above video. Other clip credits include:

• Vincent Laforet & Stu Maschwitz (Nocturne)
• Eric Escobar
• Seth Worley (Plot Device)

Last week, I was a guest on Digital Production Buzz with Larry Jordan & Mike Horton where I talked about my job as Director of Communities, our Red Pledge Guarantee, Looks for FCPX, and why you folks (the community of filmmakers, editors, VFX and MoGraph artists) are the most important thing about what we do as a company. If you missed it, you can hear my 7-minute interview right HERE.

Or if you have an hour to spare, you can listen to the whole show HERE.

Hey folks – there’s a ton of great new FREE presets at Red Giant People. Check them out:

Hey folks – We are totally stoked to announce that after working with Apple these last few months, the bug in FCPX has finally been resolved, and, as of today, Magic Bullet Looks is now available for FCPX. Here’s a video with some more info:

As I said in the video, Magic Bullet Looks is available for the next 7 days at 50% off (just $199 – usually $399) , using the coupon code: LOOKSFCPX50

This offer is good for ALL HOSTS supported by Looks, not just FCPX (in fact, buy it for one host, get it for all). The offer expires on 2/6/12 at 11:59PM PST… so get Magic Bullet Looks now!

Also, as mentioned in the video, if you already own MB Looks or the MB Suite, the update to FCPX is FREE. Download the latest version of Magic Bullet Looks with #FCPX support, HERE.

A few weeks ago, I posted a project, inspired by some recent space animation from Trapcode Creator Peder Norrby. It started to have a real 80′s vibe so I went full on cheesy sci-fi. Here’s the result:

Red Giant TV Episode 69 – Cosmodius: Creating a Retro Sci-fi Logo Animation

In this episode of Red Giant TV, Aharon Rabinowitz walks you through the process of creating a Retro Sci-Fi logo. In addition to creating the logo, he’ll show you how to age the video to make it look like it came out of the early 80′s.

Watch the tutorial HERE.

Hey folks – You’ve been asking for it, and, thanks to our exceptional products and engineering teams, here it is: Magic Bullet Suite 11.2

The 2 big highlights in this release are:

• MB Looks is working in Avid Media Composer 5.5 & 6
• The Single Suite installer now has individual product install options

BUY MAGIC BULLET SUITE 11

As a reminder, MB Suite works in OS X Lion, so no worries there. I repeat, we are go for Lion and have been for several months.

However, before the questions start coming in, no, this release does not include MB Looks support in FCPX. Sorry. We’re bummed too. Here’s a video we released a short while ago to explain why.

We’re still waiting on Apple, but we’re confident there will be a fix in the near future. You can read more about that HERE.