View Full Version : Is "Magic Bullet" worth it?
Kevman
12-02-2004, 01:42 PM
I LOVE this board! *Barry's book will be here on Saturday and I can't wait (Art History will be here next week, too *;D). *You guys convinced me that the Panny was the way to go, so now I'm getting one before Christmas.
I have a chance to get a slightly used DVX100A for about $2800 (includes 90-day warranty). *As much as I want a NEW one, with the money I save I can almost get the anamorphic lens. *The problem is this package doesn't include the Magic Bullet software. *I currently use Premiere Pro (1.5), After Effects and Edius (all came bundled with the Canopus DV Edit card). *
Honestly, are the "movie looks" contained in the Magic Bullet software worth the investment (I can buy it from the Red Giant site for only $299)? *Any input would be great - thanks.
Barry_S
12-02-2004, 01:55 PM
Magic Bullet can produce really nice looks, but the rendering times are ridiculous. Most of looks can be reproduced with the color correction tools in an NLE or AE. So, I'd get the used DVX and the anamorphic.
Kevman
12-02-2004, 01:59 PM
Thanks, Barry - I'll do it.
The user (and mod) participation on this board is the most impressive I've seen. Keep it up and thanks for the great resource.
Barry_S
12-02-2004, 02:06 PM
Kevman--Happy to help. Enjoy your new DVX.
Alexa
12-02-2004, 03:09 PM
I use it a lot, but agree, the render time is horrendous. That said, I believe "Kai" is beta testing a reportedly newer, faster version. *check FCP forum.
Now, if that is too pricey for you I HIGHLY recommend Film Effects from nattress.com. thats for final cut only, though. His stuff does some similar looks, plus it can make your 60i footage look 24p.
dakotapod
12-02-2004, 03:19 PM
Do the extensive render times result in better quality over similar applications? Or is it just a slow plug-in?
Alexa
12-02-2004, 04:09 PM
Do the extensive render times result in better quality over similar applications? Or is it just a slow plug-in?
I do think the picture quality is a little better with MB. While I really like Film Effects, it can crush some of the colors and blacks too much, on occasion.
Barry_S
12-02-2004, 04:11 PM
The quality is really excellent, but I've got to think it's really inefficiently coded. I get the feeling that to achieve an extra 5-10% in quality, the rendering time gets doubled or tripled. It does give you really great control over the image that goes beyond color correction--like the way the highlights blend into the midtones and shadows. If they can get it to be more efficient, I think it would really rock, but as it is I can get what I want in Vegas without the hassle of waiting all night for a scene to render.
David Jimerson
12-02-2004, 04:19 PM
If any uses Vegas or thinks they might, check out CELLULOID (link in my signature below).
It's a plug-in which uses Vegas scripts to use Vegas's own effects editors to produce looks I think you'll find as pleasing, but the render time is up to 85% faster.
There's a post in Vegas forum as well. *Check it out and compare.
(shameless plug)
I believe the bullet works it's magic (no pun intended) in a higher color space, giving better color renditioning and less artifacting.
Here are a couple tips from MB on speeding up render times..
http://store.yahoo.com/redgiantsoftware/mabure.html