I started editing video using digital tools around the turn of the century. That makes it sound like a l-o-n-g time ago hey? Well I suppose 26 years is a fair whack, especially if you were born after 2000.
Anyway, back then the choice of video editors was sparse, with initially Adobe Premiere and AVID systems being the major choices. I went Adobe, mainly as back then, to acquire an AVID system you had to buy the whole kaboodle – software and hardware – via AVID, so they were sure it was fully compatible. And that was expensive.
The first version of Premiere I played with was version 4.2, and to learn the package, I used a book by Michael Feerer, published by Peachpit Press and called Premiere with a Passion.
Michael later went on to found Pixelan, and this is where this story really starts.
Plugins
Pixelan as a company was formed to create a suite of plugins suitable for digital video editing. If you are not too sure what that means, essentially a plugin is like an app that integrates with a host – such as Adobe Premiere Pro – to perform a specific function or set of functions that either the host cannot do, or to further enhance something the host can do.
For example, in the case of Pixelan, whilst Adobe Premiere allowed transitions, the visual effect change from one video clip to the next, a plugin Michael developed called Spicemaster, enhanced Premiere’s ability a thousand fold from what the basic options were.
As video editing packages matured, and other adjunct programs appears such as Adobe After Effects, Puffin Commotion and BORIS Red, more and more apps began to be developed to add value to the power these programs gave over a standard editing package.
By the mid 2010’s the number of plugin developers was huge. The problem was that any one plugin had to be developed for each of the major platforms, namely AVID with Media Composer, Adobe with Premiere Pro, Apple with Final Cut Pro and finally, a generic platform called OpenFX which included DaVinci Resolve, Vegas Pro, programs from Pinnacle/Corel and others.
As a result, many of the developers found this expensive, and so today the market is pretty much dominated by products developed and distributed by MAXON/Red Giant, BorisFX, NewBlueFX and a number of smaller more specific based developers such as FilmConvert, MotionVFX and FilmLight.
To all intents and purposes, for the average home, hobbyist, short film and vlogger / content creator, and even those who shoot documentaries or events and sport, the first three – Maxon/Red Giant, BorisFX and NewBlueFX probably cover everything you’ll ever need.
Maxon / Red Giant
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be looking into the Maxon / Red Giant plugins to give you an idea of what is available, where you can use them and some sample ideas for your projects.
The plugins I’ll cover will be Universe and Red Giant.
Universe is a library of motion graphics, transitions and effects and is a subset of Red Giant.
Red Giant on the other hand, is a comprehensive toolkit of motion graphics and visual effects with colour grading, transitions and effects complete with design templates.
Both of these are compatible with major editing packages such as Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro X, DaVinci Resolve and AVID Media Composer. Sadly, the latest versions will not work with Vegas Pro, but existing users can get support until early 2026.
If you don’t have a video editing package that supports these plugins, you should be able to get a trail version from the vendor’s website (eg Adobe), or better, DaVinci Resolve is free for bother Mac and Windows from Blackmagic Design. Additionally, I have tutorials on DaVinci Resolve to get you up and dunning within minutes on my website.
Trial versions of the Universe and Red Giant plugins can be downloaded from the MAXON website.
To whet you appetite, here is a sample of effects created using Red Giant.