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Resources for Avid Media Composer plugins
As a recent FCP switcher, I’m looking for good resources to obtain usable plug-ins for Avid Media Composer.
I am by no means into excessive use of plugins or transitions, in fact – I hate it! That being said, there are times during certain specific kinds of edits where you could really use a quick stylised transition (a brisk wind blur or the like). I know there are some built into Avid, but I was wondering if any long-time Avid users had any specific plug-in bundles/packages they could recommend?
At the moment I have been going out to After Effects to do just about anything like this. It would be amazing to be able to do some simple transitions (that are none-the-less over and above what comes packaged with Avid) inside the app. This is the kind of thing I used to really take for granted with FCP, and when moving to another platform you realise you have a whole library of plug-ins that you really come to rely on that need re-building from scratch.
Another quick question on a similar theme – I’m really unclear as to how best use overlay modes in Avid. It’s a simple right-click operation in FCP, but I know Avid doesn’t work in this way. Does anyone have any suggestions for how to use overlays in Avid (a very simple “add” will usually suffice for me!).
Thanks in advance,
Adam -
6 Replies
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The plug in universe for Avid is much smaller than you had with FCP. You won’t see scores of free or inexpensive plugins from independent developers for Avid AVX.
Boris BCC and Sapphire are common plugin suites on Avid systems. BCC comes with Symphony free…you can purchase it for MC. GenArts Sapphire is very expensive.
Avid MC comes with AvidFX, which is really a rebranded version of Boris RED that runs inside Media Composer. There are many preset transitions and a whole lot more included.
You might want to get started with AvidFX, since you already own it.
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For pug-ins, have you looked into the Avid Marketplace via the embedded browser? It’s “Marketplace” at the top level menus. At least it’s a place to start. Media Composer only supports AVX, so there may not be a whole of of free ones for picture. For audio, you can search for RTAS and have better luck at finding plug-ins – but it may be more hit & miss as far as them working.
I will let others with more “overlay” experience from FCP speak to your other question.
Michael
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I believe you can do an add, overlay,multiply etc in Avid FX. John says i have it for free, but i honestly don’t see it anywhere. Is it under a sub-effect tab?
I do own Boris, and it has a composite plugin that does all the transfer modes.
There used to be a free transfer mode plug in for Avid Ver. 2.5 or 3. from Profound Effects. (a good 6 or 7 years ago) I don’t know that it is still available, or would work with the new versions.Alas, it is not a free function within the timeline.
Glenn
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You may need to install it. Go back to your MC Installer and is if it’s there. Your purchase would have included the license to run it.
Michael
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Hey Glenn,
Unfortunately the Profound plug-in you’re talking about is 32-bit only, and MC is now 64-bit. You would have received your license information and download instructions for Avid FX when you made your purchase. If you already have BCC8, than you’re ready to start creating some awesome effects, as it’s one of the best in the business.
Kevin P McAuliffe
Creative COW Leader
kevinpmcauliffe@gmail.com
Twitter: @kpmcauliffe -
While it took me quite awhile to begin to grasp how it works, Avid FX (Boris Red) is an amazing tool for Media Composer effect filters and transitions. With some basic training–which I did on my own via many on-line tutorials (thanks so much Kevin P McAuliffe and others!) and a lot of experimentation–you can literally create any transition or filter effect you want for Media Composer. I have created dozens. What would really be great is if someplace like CreativeCow would dedicate a space where editors can share their creations, to build a library far superior to what one can find for FCP. If something like this is feasible, I would be most happy to share my creations with others.
For those new to Avid FX willing to give it a go on their own — big tip — Shut off that damn RED KEY!
Steve Rogalinski
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