Digieffects Natural Forces

Published On: 02/16/12 06:02:04 PM

Works with Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, Apple Final Cut Pro, Autodesk Combustion, and Boris Red. Price: TBA

The market for plug-in visual-effects software is a tough one with tight margins. Users don't want to pay all that much for an added effect or two, yet companies are expected to do enough R&D to constantly introduce new versions.

Longtime developer Digieffects (the company brags that it's been coding plug-
ins since the effects market took off in 1996) took a leap of faith with the release
of Natural Forces at NAB Show 2009. The new plug-in is being touted as a
do-it-all natural-phenomenon generator for flashes, fire, snow, rain, smoke, clouds,
electricity, stars, and other fractal-like looks. Why's this a gamble? It replaces one-off Natural Forces filters such as Vapor and Aqua that were introduced at last year's show. The company says the product will be affordable, but that means it must sell enough copies to replace those one-shot revenues.