Red Giant’s expanding Universe

11 new transition tools and support for Avid Media Composer are amongst the highlights of the latest point release of Red Giant’s Universe.

Red Giant’s Universe collection of GPU-accelerated plugins is expanding all the time and with v2.2’s transition-focussed update now features a grand total of 76 tools for editors and motion graphics artists. That’s neat about the 11 new transitions in the update is that they draw inspiration from the software’s existing tools too, so VHS gets a companion transition that mimics the effect that occurs when a VCR has been used to record over pre-existing footage; Retrograde uses real scans of 16mm and 8mm film to create an authentic film strip transition and so on.

What’s more, the complete set now runs on Avid Media Composer, taking the number of host applications to eight. The other seven are the usual suspects, basically, and include Adobe Premiere Pro CC, After Effects CC, FCP X, DaVinci Resolve and more.

First up are updates to the two tools we’ve already mentioned. VHS gets new VHS noise samples, VHS style text, timecode and function icons, updated presets, and updated defaults. Retrograde meanwhile gets the useful ability to use the original aspect ratio of your footage to apply its effects.

As for the transitions, the other nine not mentioned so far are:

• Carousel Transition: Mimics advancing to the next slide in an old slide projector
• Flicker Cut: Rapidly cuts between two clips or a solid color, and which can invert the clips or add fades
• Camera Shake Transition: Does what it says on the tin
• Channel Surf: Mimics the distortion you'd get by changing the channel on a cathode ray tube TV
• Channel Blur: Blurs each of the RGB channels separately for a unique chromatic effect
• Linear Wipe: Adds wipe mirroring, as well as an inner/outer stroke with glow on the wipe border
• Shape Wipe: Uses an ellipse, rectangle or star shape to move between two pieces of footage. Includes control over points, size, stroke and fill
• Color Mosaic: Overlays a variety of colors in a mosaic pattern as it transitions between two clips
• Clock Wipe: Classic radial wipe transition with feathering and the option for a dual clock wipe

Existing Universe customers can download the new tools directly by visiting the Red Giant website.

And, as is by now traditional, Red Giant is showing off the new software with a short film. ‘Hewlogram’, starring Stargate Atlantis alumni, David Hewlett, can be seen below.