Performance
I suspected that all of this programmable variety and realistic effects would make me offer a prayer of thanks for the batch render queue or, at the very least, offer a good reason to upgrade machines again. ‘Twas not so. This is one lean, mean destruction machine. A pleasant surprise since I was expecting the opposite.
Utilizing this plug-in exacted no more of a speed penalty at render than any other of the “corruption” filters I have. And all of these filters are faster than many of the coloration and stylization filters. So, whether you are applying this filter to fifteen second segments for rotoscoped special effects or borrowing a style page from the movie Cloverfield and having large segments of video with “damage”, Damage delivers - quickly.
Interference Category: Television interference at it's CRT best, or worst as the case may be.
Value
So, is it worth it? This is a tough one. Obviously, $100 is a little pricey for a “one-trick” pony. Unlike color adjustment or special effect aura type of plug-ins, Damage is less versatile and easy to amortize over multiple projects. There are some other image damaging effects available as part of larger plug-in suites that cost about the same as Damage does by itself. But, I can tell you from personal experience, it’s hard to use those other options out there and be satisfied with the results after using Damage.
If you are a casual plug-in collector and don’t have a specific project in mind, you’d probably be better served to bookmark Digieffects web site for later reference if the need arises for this type of look. Casual users simply aren’t going to recoup the expense.
However, if you have a project in the queue that needs the kind of visuals Damage creates, it’s totally worth it - both in quality of results and time saved trying to key frame these types of results from other plug-ins.
Also, if you truly derive pleasure from destroying perfect good footage, the cost of this plug-in is much cheaper than hiring a psychiatrist to tell you why you feel that way. Plus, you’ll get the same therapeutic value.
Skew Category: Bad antennas, bad ghosts, bad image hold is all classically good.
Final Comment
While it may not be as versatile as some other plugins out there, what Damage does, it does very well! For any filmmakers who are getting into post-apocalyptic sci-fi (or simply want to make the next J.J. Abrams style suspense film), this is an easy purchase. For filmmakers with less targeted tastes, this may be one to wait on until projects or films that require its unique abilities arise.
Ease
of Use
9.6
Depth
of Options
10.0
Performance
9.0
Value
7.0
Overall
Score
8.9
Mark Bremmer has operated his own commercial studio for 15 years. He’s been fortunate enough to work for clients like Caterpillar, Amana, Hormel Foods, Universal Studios Florida, and The History Channel; producing stills, digital mattes and animations. Mark contracts regularly as an art mercenary with production houses that shall remain nameless by written agreements. His production pipeline is Mac-based, with the FCP Studio2 workflow. He loves Shake and Motion. And his family.
