Value
$1699 is a huge amount of coin for a microfilmmaker to drop on an after market plug-in. If you do a lot of quick graphic work, it's definitely worth it. The good news is, if you have a specific project that you want to use it for, GenArts allows for monthly software 'rental' for $169 per month, which is very reasonable for the level and amount of effects and control you will get.
When pressed to compare it to something currently available, the closest thing on the market would be Boris Continuum Complete, which is significantly lower in price. While I must admit that I don't have a great amount of experience in Boris, I can say that the output I have seen from Sapphire is much more realistic than examples I've seen from past releases of Boris Effects.
Video Example of some of the options in Sapphire.
Final Comments Probably a better rental than a purchase for most microfilmmakers, it's great to get your hands on something that can create many of the effects you see on the big screen. Next month I will be reviewing Class On Demand's brand new Sapphire Tutorial Videos, which should prove useful for plunging right into this program, especially for filmmakers who are choosing the rental option for Sapphire!
Ease
of Use
10.0
Depth
of Options
9.0
Performance
8.0
Value
vs. Cost
6.0
Overall Score
8.0
A.J. Wedding is a graduate of Western Michigan University and has won festival awards for his first feature film, "Pop Fiction". As a writer/director, he has won several awards for his short films, and recently garnered worldwide distribution for a feature film titled “The Disappearance of Jenna Matheson” releasing this year. His hit web series, “Infamous” created an instant fanbase, and spawned interest from networks to create a tv series based on it. A.J. currently works with The Production Green, directing and editing commercials as well as developing his next feature film, "Junior Crew."
