I have been leaning on Red Giant plug-ins for some time now because of their amazing ability to create complicated looks without a complicated process. When I need to use a new plug-in or tool to get a specific look, I always dread the learning curve.
The easiest to use color correction tools.
But with Red Giant's Magic Bullet Suite, I know I will be able to pick up the tools and use them as soon as I install them. This is an overall review of the Magic Bullet Suite, but you can search Microfilmmaker's Software Section to see full reviews of each of Red Giant's Magic Bullet products if you'd like more detailed information. Here's a rundown of the amazing tools that come within Magic Bullet Suite:
Magic Bullet Colorista II
A high-end color system that is simple to use.
Magic Bullet Denoiser 1.0
A single-click video-noise remover with powerful detail estimation.
Magic Bullet Frames 1.1
Takes your interlaced video and gives it a true 24 frame progressive look.
Magic Bullet Grinder 1.01
Converts your DSLR footage to edit-friendly formats, generates timecode,
and gives you useful proxies all at one time.
Magic Bullet Instant HD 1.2
Quickly converts SD footage to HD with amazing results.
Magic Bullet Looks 1.4
A powerful look generator with a bevy of great tools.
Magic Bullet Mojo 1.2
Amazing presets for color correction, with automatic skin tone recognition.
Magic Bullet PhotoLooks 1.1
The same amazing tools available within your editing system now available for your still photos.
Magic Bullet Misfire
A great tool for creating old film looks, scratches, and grain.
Ease of Use
Each of the plugins can be added to a piece of footage in a moment, and the adjustments are very simple. With Magic Bullet Looks you are given an interface that allows you to drag and drop FX onto your footage and immediately see the result. With Grinder, Frames, and Instant HD, it is a very simple interface that gives you results very quickly. There is nothing worse than a plug in that takes longer to learn than your editing software, and Red Giant seems to know this. Every product I have used that they have developed is simple, straightforward, and fast.
Denoiser can handle anything from basic noise reduction to more serious noise reduction created by bad camera work. (Bad camera work not unclouded).
Colorista II is hands down the easiest to use color correction tool on the market. It has primary and secondary adjustment windows, and can be quickly tweaked with a click of the mouse. It may not have all of the adjustments of a program like Color, but for an easy to use plug-in there is nothing better. (For more on this, check out Mark Colegrove's in-depth review. Mark actually feels Colorista II is as powerful as Color and doesn't require you to leave your editor.)
Another amazing look that we were able to get with a fraction of the time of any other toolset.
Depth of Options
It's often that your projects introduce brand new problems that you have to solve every day, and having more tools in your bag helps you solve those problems faster. The tools within Magic Bullet Suite are comprehensive, and while you can get a very good look with a single click using the presets, there are many details you can adjust to fine tune and get the exact look you are trying to achieve. Certain plug-ins such as Magic Bullet Denoiser and Frames don't require much adjustment, but it's nice to know that you have the options when necessary.
One of the great tools in the suite that is often overlooked is Magic Bullet Misfire. Misfire helps you create an old film look by adjusting several different elements like Funk, Vignette, Splotches, Dust, Flicker, and several other useful options. (Fans of Robert Rodriguez' Grindhouse films have seen the big screen examples of these plugins at work.)
Using the tools within MB Looks is as simple as dragging and dropping.
Performance
I was able to completely adjust the color and look of my recent web series Infamous using Magic Bullet Suite, and I did it within the deadline given to me by the studio. I have also used Magic Bullet Looks, Mojo, and Colorista on the latest Mike O'Hearn project "Alter Ego" with amazing results that you can see in these screenshots. Mike wanted to have an overly contrasted, grainy image for several of the scenes, and it was fast and easy thanks to Magic Bullet. I can't say enough about the performance of their products as a whole. When you want great results without a ton of time, Red Giant's Magic Bullet Suite should be your go to tools.
Create strong color adjustments while keeping the integrity of the skintones in your project with Magic Bullet Mojo.
Value
If you are considering buying even just two of the plug-ins that are included in Magic Bullet Suite, you should consider purchasing the entire suite. If you were to buy all of the plug-ins separately it would cost you over $1400, while the entire suite is just $799. It's certainly a large purchase for a Microfilmmaker budget, but the more tools you have, the more you can do. I often find myself getting paid to do simple little conversion jobs or color sweetening that I can do with a single plug-in in an hour, so the Suite pays for itself pretty quickly.
Final Comments I don't know if I can say enough about Red Giant products. I have always been a fan of Magic Bullet Looks and continue to get more acquainted with the other available Red Giant plug-ins every day. I haven't found one of their products that hasn't been useful to me, whether it's within the Magic Bullet Suite or among the products they purchased from Trapcode. I have yet to be disappointed.
Ease
of Use
10.0
Depth
of Options
10.0
Performance
9.0
Value
vs. Cost
8.0
Overall Score
9.0
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."
I have been leaning on Red Giant plug-ins for some time now because of their amazing ability to create complicated looks without a complicated process. When I need to use a new plug-in or tool to get a specific look, I always dread the learning curve. 
