WVU #45 – Instantly Change The Look of Your Videos with Magic Bullet Quick Looks
Posted In: color correction, colorist, magic bullet, quick looks
Comments: 13 Responses
Most people put their videos online without any form of color correction. Which is why most videos all look the same. But with just a little time spent on color correction, you can really make your videos pop.
And one tool that makes this ridiculously easy is Magic Bullet Quick Looks from Red Giant Software. It contains 100 already-done, Hollywood-level presets…all you have to do is select a “look” for your video clip and boom…you will have instantly changed the look of your video, so it looks similar to popular TV shows or movies you’ve seen.
Quick Looks works on major video editing platforms like Sony Vegas, Final Cut, Avid and Adobe Premiere. It costs just $99 (at the time of this post) and you can get a free 15-day trial version by clicking here.
If you want to step up from Quick Looks to the full blown Magic Bullet Looks package, it’s available by clicking here.
Nice effects … Amazing how the mood shifts .. the subtle changes in the viewer (myself) about the video presentation and information when you switch from look to another
Dave,
Thank you so much for all your quick tips. I am learning a ton with your videos and I really like and appreciate your delivery style. Simple. Quick. Valuable.
Cheers,
Isabelle
Dave, Thanks for all you do! I am a member of webvideouniversity, and I can’t figure out how to make the video galleries like you use work. I looked hard at the links you provided, but I didn’t understand. Is there any way you can do one of your video tips to show how it’s done?? I want to display multiple videos on my site, but not with a multi-video player. Thanks very much!
Tina
@Tina – I cover specifically how I build all my sites with the training at Club WVU:
http://www.webvideouniversity.com/index_wvu.html
Oh yeah – another great tip from you Dave! You really do make us experts. I am now considered a Guru with my clients. I just ca’t bring myself to burst their bubble. It just wouldn’t be possible without you Dave.
I am about to buy the Canon camcorder you recommende but do you know if it has a streaming capability? i.e. can you switch it to use as a webcam through USB or would I need a Dazzle? NatB
@Natasha – You won’t be able to stream with that camera using a USB connection…your computer will just think it’s a storage device.
Instead, you need an HDMI or A/V card in your computer (or a unit like Dazzle) to connect the camera.
Dave,
I’m interested in your course, checked out your preview videos. Everything is tidy, well organized in a simple, easy to follow along style. I have a PC and want to download Vegas. I’m a little perplexed. For what we want to do, which is to create web video, Sony seems to offer more in the Vegas 9 Platinum Movie version then the full blown Vegas 9 in terms of sound effects, upload ability to youtube directly, effects and wizards. Before I made the decision to install and eventually purchase, I thought I’d ask your thoughts on this. Is Sony catering to the amateur market and telling the pros, ‘Well, you spent this much. Purchase the extra add-ons yourself.’
Maybe it is just my ignorance, tell me it AIN’T so dave.
@Jack – The biggest difference between Vegas and Vegas Pro, from the average person’s point of view, will be freedom…the freedom to do whatever you want with your video.
In other words, the more you work with video, the more you want to breakaway from all the “presets” that come with the software and create your own unique stuff.
With the lower versions of Vegas you’ll hit your head when trying to break away from presets. For example, you are only allowed a certain number of video and audio tracks to work with (which can really limit what you want to do)…with Pro you have unlimited tracks.
With lower versions, you can’t do 3D composting (move stuff in 3D space). With Pro you can.
And with the lower versions, you must use the presets given to you to create your actual video files. With Pro, you can tweak settings however you like, which can be critical in producing clear videos at a small file size.
But again, none of these things will be obvious when you’re just starting out…only after you dive in, create some videos and then say “I’d like to do this” (only to find out you can’t in lower versions) will the differences become more clear.
The good news is that you can start out with the lower versions of Vegas and upgrade to Pro at anytime…without having to relearn anything. The software still looks, works and acts the same.
That’s why I recommend people always start out with the lower versions and upgrade to Pro when they need to.
so, would it be cool to start out in the lower end with all those presets, see what they can do (Platinum Vegas Movie), and then, with experience, move up to Vegas Pro.
I have been using Pinnacle 12 Ultra plus. I chose it because It looked like the best product at the time. Do you suggest starting over with Sony Vegas, or will Pinnacle suffice?
@John – I recommend Sony Vegas on a PC and Final Cut on a Mac. With either you can start with a lower version of the software and upgrade to professional versions when you’re ready…without having to relearn the software.
Titles like Pinnacle, etc. offer no upgrade path. You get what you get…and if you work with video enough…sooner or later the software will limit you and you’ll have to switch to something like Sony Vegas.
Were you using Vixia HF s10 Camcorder for this video?
@Andy – Yes