It is already a bumper month for FCPX plugins and these four new products from Reelpath, Nattress and Pixel Film Studios get added to the list today. Moving picture in picture effects, bouncing and shatter transitions and a good 'ol film look.
Let us start off by looking at Glimmer by Reelpath. Although the plugin only sells for $24.99, there is a lot of clever stuff going on under the hood. It is an advanced picture in picture plugin that not only animates video or a still image on a motion path, it also adds glints, shines and shadows.
We were particularly impressed with probably the longest set of controls we have ever seen in the inspector of FCPX. Checkout the animating help page on the Reelpath site, but be warned, you'll need to scroll. The OSCs look cool too.
We can see this plugin bering very popular amongst promo producers, broadcasters or anyone who wants to add a bit of gloss when they have to to a PIP effect.
Graeme and Wendy Nattress are good friends with FCP.co and it is good to see them back with two new plugins that work on multiple hosts such as FCP7, Adobe Premiere Pro and of course FCPX.
Shatter Transitions is a $49 pack of effects that break apart video or run in reverse to build from the parts. The effects are driven by a shatter map. Earthquake cracks, shooting starts, snowflakes, bricks and more are included, but you can add your own for a custom shatter.
Bounce Transitions is a $49 pack of 'four fun and bouncy transitions' that use realistic motion algorithms for natural moves to animate video on or off. Just pick the number of bounces you want and the plugin will do the rest. The effects as well as Shatter Transitions use the FxFactory plugin management system.
Last up is PROFILM from Pixel Film Studios. this $49.95 plugin discounted down to $29.95 adds one of 30 filmic looks to footage for a cinematic feel. Add real 35mm grain, soften things up and adjust the gamma to get the look you are after.
I am the Editor-in-Chief of FCP.co and have run the website since its inception ten years ago.
I have also worked as a broadcast and corporate editor for over 30 years, starting on one inch tape, working through many formats, right up to today's NLEs.
Under the name Idustrial Revolution, I have written and sold plugins for Final Cut Pro for 13 years.
I was made a Freeman of Lichfield through The Worshipful Company of Smiths (established 1601). Though I haven't yet tried to herd a flock of sheep through the city centre!
Current Editing
2020 has been busy, the beginning of the year was finishing off a new property series (cut on FCP) for Channel 4 called The Great House Giveaway. I also designed and built the majority of the graphics as Motion templates. It has been a great success and the shows grabbed more viewers in the 4pm weekday slot than any previous strand. It has been recommissioned by C4 for 60 episodes, including prime-time versions and five themed programmes. The shows have also been nominated for a 2021 BAFTA.
Although both were postponed to later in the year, I worked again on ITV's coverage of the Tour de France and La Vuelta. 2020 was my 25th year of editing the TdF and my 20th year as lead editor. The Tour was the first broadcast show to adopt FCPX working for multiple editors on shared storage.
BBC's Snooker has played a big part in my life, I've been editing tournament coverage since 1997. I'm proud to be part of a very creative team that has pioneered many new ideas and workflows that are now industry standard in sports' production. This is currently an Adobe Premiere edit.
Covid cancelled some of the regular corporate events that I edit such as trade shows & events. I was lucky however to edit, from home, on projects for Amazon Kindle, Amazon Black Friday, Mastercard and very proud to have helped local charitable trust Kendall & Wall secure lottery funding.
As for software, my weapon of choice is Final Cut Pro and Motion, but I also have a good knowledge and broadcast credits with Adobe Premiere Pro, MOGRT design and Photoshop.
Plugin Design & Development
I'm the creative force behind Idustrial Revolution, one of the oldest Final Cut Pro plugin developers. It hosts a range of commercial and free plugins on the site. One free plugin was downloaded over a thousand times within 24 hours of release.
I also take on custom work, whether it is adapting an existing plugin for a special use or designing new plugins for clients from scratch. Having a good knowledge of editing allows me to build-in flexibility and more importantly, usability.
FCP.co
Now in its 10th year and 4th redesign, running FCP.co has given me knowledge on how to run a large CMS- you are currently reading my bio from the database! Although it sounds corny, I am pretty well up on social media trends & techniques, especially in the video sector. The recent Covid restrictions has enabled live FCP.co shows online. This involves managing a Zoom Webinar through Restream.io to YouTube and Facebook.
The Future
I'm always open to new ideas and opportunities, so please get in touch at editor (at) fcp.co. I've judged film competitions, presented workflow techniques to international audiences and come up with ideas for TV shows and software programs!
