Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/526086
PLUG-INS UPDATE www.postmagazine.com 14 POST JUNE 2015 GENARTS UPDATES SAPPHIRE WITH MORE 'BUILDER' TOOLS CAMBRIDGE, MA — Genarts (www.genarts.com) recently announced an up- date to its Sapphire 8, which includes the Builder tool, allowing users to create custom effects and transitions inside Adobe CC and Avid Media Composer. Using a node-based workspace, Builder lets users stack and connect Sapphire effects in ways that were not previously possible in these hosts. Sapphire 8, currently shipping, offers a handful of correctional and stylis- tic Builder effects to use out of the box: GoPro Fixer, blurred masks, stylized vignettes, textures, as well as others. All of these effects were made using Builder, and are easily editable — as is any other Sapphire preset. With the latest update, 8.1 (released in April), GenArts has added more Builder effects and transitions to the mix, including Grunge Treatment, a grun- gy, very colorful cartoon look; Advanced Day for Night (pictured below), which color corrects footage and adds lighting to any hotspots, such as street lights; and Home Movie, part of a collection of old camera looks. Builder's functional enhancements include a transparent background option for previewing effects, sticky notes in the workspace, a "save" option to save a single node as its own preset, and an insert option to link multiple Builder effects together in the same workspace. GenArts has a number of trial options, including free trials, short-term sub- scription licenses and permanent licenses. TIFFEN UPGRADES DFX DIGITAL FILTER SUITE HAUPPAUGE, NY — The Tiffen Company (www.tiffen.com) has released Ver- sion 4 of its Tiffen Dfx digital filter suite. A special effects software tool, Tiffen Dfx 4 expands its video and still image effects package. Version 4 adds OFX plug-in support, making it compatible with digital intermediate programs such as Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve and Assimilate Scratch, as well as with The Foundry's Nuke. The Dfx 4 upgrade also includes support for the Sony Vegas NLE, as well as 12 new visual effects filters, 93 new historical photo- graphic processes, 30 new motion picture film stocks, a speed increase in GPU acceleration, floating point precision for a non-destructive workflow, and Retina display support for Macs. The stand- alone version of Dfx 4 is cur- rently available for $129.99. RED GIANT UNIVERSE VERSION 1.4 OFFERS NEW VFX TOOLS PORTLAND, OR — Red Giant (www.redgiant.com) announced an updated and expanded Red Giant Universe with Version 1.4, which delivers more visual effects options. Version 1.4 introduces eight new tools to Universe, four free and four premium, growing the library to include 89 visual effects and tran- sitions. The update also offers new host support for FXHome HitFilm 3 Pro, allowing users to work across multiple host apps — including Adobe After Ef- fects, Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro X, Apple Motion, Sony Vegas and Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve — with the same effects. New premium tools include Knoll Light Transition, which uses animated Knoll Light Factory flares; Picture in Picture that easily composites and frames one layer of footage over a larger layer; and a Texturize effect that allows us- ers to quickly give footage a Walking Dead-style grungy, textured treatment. Free tools include Magnetic Displace, a new transition that pushes away or pulls in footage from a center point, distorting the footage in a circular shape; Soft Edge Wipe, a linear wipe transition with an adjustable feathered edge; and Elliptical Distortion, an effect that warps footage spherically, with aspect controls for elliptical options. Red Giant Universe Version 1.4 is available for free to current users and in a variety of options for new users. BORIS PREVIEWS CONTINUUM COMPLETE 10, MOCHA PLUG-IN BOSTON — Boris FX (www.borisfx.com) offered attendees, at this year's 2015 NAB Show in April, previews of technology the company plans to deliver later on this year. Boris' Continuum Complete 10 will feature Mocha integration, allowing users to easily send material back and forth between BCC10 and Mocha for tracking work. The upcoming release — anticipated for the fall IBC 2015 timeframe — will also feature integration with Maxon's Cinema 4D. Boris also plans to offer plug-in versions of Mocha for applications such as Avid, After Effects, Premiere and Resolve. This will be the first time the stand- alone application is being offered as a plug-in solution.