The Red Giant Universe is expanding again with the release of Universe 1.3, the latest update to the fast growing visual effects environment for Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro X and Motion, Sony Vegas and now, Blackmagic’s DaVinci Resolve. Now with 81 effects, version 1.3 features 13 new tools, seven of which are high-quality plugins from the developer, CrumplePop. The new update also adds support for Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, along with several updates to existing effects.
“The Universe 1.3 update is full of some truly awesome stuff, including tools from CrumplePop, which were never before available outside of Final Cut. This update also features the all-new, highly realistic VHS effect, and support for a new host app: DaVinci Resolve,” stated Aharon Rabinowitz, Red Giant’s head of marketing. “Resolve users have been asking us to bring tools like Knoll Light Factory EZ, Holomatrix and Retrograde into their app of choice, and today we’re excited to make that happen.”
“I love the vast amount of effects I can apply to my footage with Universe. It allows me to create truly unique looks that stand out from what everyone else is making,” said filmmaker Joey Shanks of Shanks FX, who works in association with PBS Digital Studios. “And it’s really nice to know that such a powerful bundle of effects can evolve just like an artist. Universe’s tools are always expanding. It gives me the power to create high-end imagery with a practical workflow.”
New tools for both free and premium users as well as enhanced and redesigned presets to existing tools, the expanded Universe release includes:
Free
CrumplePop Photo 2: Give footage the look of a classic or instant photo. Includes tools for color treatments, vignettes, camera blur and more.
CrumplePop Noir Moderne Light: Create dramatic noir lighting effects with saturation controls, optically captured vignettes, flickering, Venetian patterns and more.
PixelGlow EZ (voted on in Universe Labs): An effect that isolates the brightest pixels and applies a glow in a variety of preset shapes to mimic halos, sparkles and shimmers.
3D Venetian Transition: A transition that divides the layer into vertically rotating sections, while simultaneously revealing a second layer of footage.
Fill Alpha: A simple utility effect that floods an alpha channel with a color, with variable blending with the original; includes a unique, highly requested blending parameter.
Sobel Edges: A useful “find edges” stylize effect with variable blending, using the Sobel gradient method to highlight footage edges.
Premium
CrumplePop Fisheye Fixer: An effect designed specially for GoPro® to correct GoPro fisheye lens distortion.
CrumplePop ShrinkRay: A fast and easy way to make big things look tiny by simulating a tilt shift effect.
CrumplePop Finisher: Use this effect to easily and dramatically improve the image quality of DSLR footage.
CrumplePop Overlight: A lens flare and light leak texture plugin that makes it easy to apply washed-out glows and lens flares to footage.
CrumplePop Grain 16: Using real 16mm film grain, add this effect to footage for the beautiful texture of authentic film.
VHS: Gives modern footage the classic look, color and distortion of old videotape.
Chromatic Aberration: A simulated lens distortion effect that mimics real-world lens aberration, in which there is a failure of a lens to focus all colors to the same convergence point; includes color splitting, lens distortion, blurs and lens textures for added realism.
New Effect Controls in the UI
New to ToonIt Paint: A new Soft Strokes effect has been added to the Paint style drop down menu
A new Sketch Outline effect can be found in the UI of ToonIt Cartoon, ToonIt Paint, ToonIt Outlines, and ToonIt Retouch
New Presets
ToonIt Paint, ToonIt Presets, and ToonIt Transitions: New Presets featuring the Soft Stroke effect
ToonIt Outlines: Four new presets demonstrating the new Sketch Outlines effect
ToonIt Paint: A new preset Water Color, using the existing Watercolor paint effect
Support for Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve
Version 1.3 continues Red Giant’s expansion into new host applications with new DaVinci Resolve compatibility. All of the 80+ Universe plugins can now be used in the Resolve workflow, version 11.1 or later.
“We’re really excited to have more than 80 new OFX effects and transitions available for DaVinci Resolve,” says Dan May, president of Blackmagic Design. “Red Giant makes some of the best motion graphics and visual effects plugins in the industry, and we know our users will enjoy having access to Universe’s free and premium tools right within Resolve 11.”
Pricing & availability
Existing Red Giant Universe users can download version 1.3’s new tools and updates from Red Giant’s website. For new users, Universe is available in a variety of options:
• Basic Membership: Free
• Premium Monthly: $10
• Premium Yearly: $99
• Premium Lifetime: $399
