Performance
I tested this software in After Effects on my custom-built computer, which includes an AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor, 1GB of RAM, and an NVidia GeForce 6200 graphics card. Previews are just about instantaneous within the Looks external module. You can page through all of the presets and change parameters pretty much in real time, which is really cool, and a big change from the old versions. However, once you apply the changes, the external module closes and you do have to wait for AE to render the frame.
Using the included presets, I built up some Looks that were similar to custom film Looks I’d made with AE’s built-in tools, combined with various plug-ins from other companies. After much trial and error I got a few to match up almost perfectly, and then ran two renders of the same footage: one render using Magic BulletLooks, and one render using my custom-made Looks. I was very surprised to find that Magic BulletLooks consistently rendered faster than my custom Looks. On the two-strip Technicolor test, Magic BulletLooks took 15 minutes to render a 15-second clip, as opposed to 20 minutes using my custom-rigged method. Older versions of the Look Suite used to take forever to render, which is why I often used faster, yet less-powerful methods to achieve similar results. However, the faster render times on this new version would definitely have me reaching for this over other film look methods in most cases, since Magic BulletLooks seems to produce cleaner and higher quality results.
Before and after shots of the new Two-Tone Technicolor effect. Note how the greens are shifted into the blue spectrum.
Value
$99 for an upgrade is a great deal, especially considering that this is basically a brand new piece of software, not just a bug-fix revision with a few new features. However, I can’t recommend that older users upgrade at this point, because of the current preview output limitation previously discussed. If Red Giant is true to their word and the next version includes support for output to a broadcast monitor, then I would highly recommend just waiting to upgrade until that version is released.
The $399 list price for new users is probably worth the cost, since this is a very powerful piece of software. There are cheaper film-look software packages out there that produce similar results, but they’re going to break down under extreme processing if you’re doing high-end work, especially if you plan on moving into HD footage. For any new users who are serious about getting the best film look possible from their video footage, I’d highly recommend checking out the full Magic BulletSuite, which includes the Looks in addition to Frames, Colorista, and Instant HD Standard. This retails for only $799, which will save you about $200 off the cost of buying them all separately.
Final Comments
Magic Bullet Looks is an extremely powerful piece of software that not only allows you to replicate various film Looks, but also provides tools to drastically change the mood of your scenes. However, the lack of real time output to a broadcast production monitor severely limits its being useful to professionals who need precise control over the color in their footage. Hopefully Red Giant will rectify this problem in the next version, at which point Magic Bullet Looks will far surpass the capabilities and performance of any other film look package out there.
Ease
of Use
2.0
Depth
of Options
10.0
Performance
8.0
Value
8.0
Overall
Score
7.0
Ryan Graham is the director of Livelihood, a critically acclaimed ultra-low budget zombie comedy. He also runs 37.5 Productions, a post production company specializing in giving a Hollywood sheen to independent films. In his spare time he is the lead guitarist for The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad.
