Sapphire 7 (Review)

Posted by Mark Colegrove on May 30, 2013 | 0 comments

Software Review
Sapphire 7
Publisher: GenArts
Platforms: Mac & PC
Description: Video FX Plug-Ins
MSRP: $1699 New, $499 Upgrade, $169.90 Monthly Rental
Expected Release: Available Now
Official Website: Click Here
Samples: Click Here
Demo: Click Here
Special Discount: N/A
Review Issue: Issue #87 (05/13)
Review By: Mark Colegrove
Final Score: 8.3

GenArt’s Sapphire has been one of my go to effects plug-ins for the last few years, and I was eager to see what the new version had to offer. Although the price point is a bit steep, you’ll find tons of effects that prove quality can live alongside quantity quite nicely, more so than many of the other massive FX bundles. It’s available for just about any platform you can imagine (on both Mac & PC) including After Effects & Premiere, Avid, Final Cut Pro 7 (not  FCP X just yet), Autodesk, Nuke, Sony Vegas, and more.

Ease of Use

After quickly running GenArts’ installer, you’ll instantly find Sapphire effects conveniently organized amongst your others. Since I was installing the After Effects version, I was pleased to find most of what Sapphire has to offer is readily available in Premiere Pro as well. Applying an effect is just as easy as you would any other, and most are easy to figure out right away, while some require a little bit of tinkering.

One of the things that makes this version of Sapphire much easier to use right out of the gate is the wealth of presets already included for each effect… about 2,500 to be exact. In the previous edition, while the additional ability to save and load presets was a great feature, I quickly found that most effects didn’t install with many (or any) preset looks. It was good to see that they’ve addressed this issue in the new version, and most effects have arrived with at least 7 or 8 presets already built in, so you can easily slap one on a clip, and easily figure out what certain filters are capable of without having to tinker endlessly. It’s also great if you are constantly under tight deadlines in your workflows, and don’t have time to tinker endlessly with effects.

Depth of Options

Sapphire’s options are virtually endless. Right off the bat you’ll have over 240 new effects at your fingertips. From image adjustment tools, to lighting and distortion effects, and of course (my personal favorite) tons of the transitions that we’ve become accustomed to seeing regularly on TV in the last few years. A quick way to spice up your production is a quick glow or lens blur transition, and it’s never been easier to apply. One of the new transitions is a pretty cool little film roll, seen here:

 

There’s also a vastly improved “zap” effect, which even allows you to manipulate lightning in 3D space.

Additionally, the lens flares have been greatly enhanced to encompass much more natural, camera-realistic flares.. You can quickly beak away from your editing software and tweak your flares in the built-in “lens flare designer.”

The level of control you’re given over each effect could be a bit intimidating for the new user. Since Sapphire is intended for a experienced editors and motion graphics professionals, you’ll find that even in a simple effect, like Gamma, for example, your given many more levels of control beyond what is normally available in your built in gamma controls.

Performance

The single most remarkable filter new to version 7 is a little effect called “Beauty.” Sapphire 7 utilizes a smart edge detection for many of the its new effects, and this one packs a punch. Think of it as the video equivalent of your photoshop repair brush. You can instantly smooth out wrinkles and blemishes on your subject with little or no tweaking, and the render times are minimal. Furthermore, it doesn’t smear your edges (like hair, etc) like a simple blur effect would.

This sample below comes directly from GenArts, as I feared some of my interview subjects might be offended by their before and after pictures, but rest assured, it works just as well with any footage (even poorly lit) as it does here with their demo assets.

Sapphire 7 takes much better advantage of the GPU for much of it’s processing, and version 7 is a lot faster than the (already fast) previous edition. Avid users will even notice that many effects render in real time, though even as an Adobe user myself, I didn’t notice any slowdown or hitching during playback of a heavily effected clip, even without the aid of additional help from the GPU.

Value

While there are no shortcomings in the quality department of Sapphire, the price point for the full license hovers right around $1700, which may be pretty steep for many of the microfilmmakers out there. GenArts offers a trial version so, you may want to give that a shot first before committing the big bucks.

Additionally, users now have the option to “rent” the software for $170 per month, so if you just need it for one project, you could potentially include it in the budget, and pick it up on a month to month basis as needed.

Final Thoughts

While the price point is pretty steep, I can’t imagine going back to a pre-Sapphire existence. Many of the effects have become a regular part of my effects stable, and with the addition of Beauty and many easy to go to presets for my hectic workflow, I consider Sapphire 7 a big upgrade.

Breakdown
Ease of Use	9.0
Depth of Options	10.0
Performance	10.0
Value vs. Cost	7.0
Overall Score	8.3