• Price: 949 . 169 . 599

  • Pros: New interface and tools make software easier to use and learn. Useful new paint and motion tools and filters.

  • Cons: Asset management still weak. Many of the new tools are available in rival applications.

  • Our Rating: We rate this 8 out of 10 We rate this 8 out of 10

While we now take integration between video-editing programs and compositing tools for granted, Boris Red pioneered this by running as a plug-in for most of the major NLEs. This set-up allows for the easy transfer of media between editing and compositing tools.

Version 4 of Boris Red attempts to create a more rounded compositing suite that’s approachable for users of Adobe, Apple, and Avid products.

The interface has been given an overhaul that’s reminiscent of the one Adobe gave its video products at the last upgrade. Red 4’s front-end features magnetic windows that snap to each other when resized, a stripped-down array of buttons above the timeline, tabbed compositions, and even a keyframe/timeline track under the composite window.

border=0 /><BR></div> </p> <p> Asset management has always been Red’s weakness when used as a standalone application. The information tab at the top of the Project Window is useful, but there’s still no support for separate bins – which is a major pain. You can’t have different composition types within a single project either, such as one SD and one HD. </p> <p> The Options Palette is an innovative addition, placing common tool settings such as spline, grids and guides, and keyframe interpolation in an easily accessible floating palette. </p> <p> Boris Red’s paint and drawing engine has been granted significant enhancements. Some tools will be familiar from other applications – such as a clone stamp, image-based brushes, rollers, an airbrush, and support for Wacom tablets. Features have been transferred from Boris Blue – the Vector Trace tool for quickly turning parts of images into vector objects, for example. </p> <p> <b>Got the Blues</b> </p> <p> Red includes many of the motion tools from Boris FX’s Continuum Complete 4 plug-in collection. These include the Motion Key filter for removing moving objects from the foreground of a shot, plus a shake-removing stabilizer. The new and useful Motion Path filter distributes shapes evenly along a spline path. </p> <p> Effects filters have been added from Continuum Complete, including Color Match, Halftone, and Corner Pin – and Red’s collection of the old Media 100 Final Effects Complete plug-ins have been overhauled to fit more with Boris FX’s interface conventions. </p> <p> This stuff isn’t as revolutionary as the recently-released Blue – but the concentration on making the software more accessible to users of other applications and fleshing out the toolset means that you’ll be less reliant on After Effects. It’s still best used as a plug-in for an NLE such as Premiere Pro or Final Cut Pro, and its focus is still primarily on motion graphics, but Red 4 covers almost every aspect of compositing with ease </p> </div> </section> <footer> <div class="shareLinks"> <p>Share this</p> <span class="st_facebook_custom" displayText="Facebook"></span> <span class="st_twitter_custom" displayText="Tweet"></span> <span class= Print

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