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Boris Red 2.1

An advantage that Boris Red can claim over other compositingprograms is that it ships with many presets for effects, textures, fontstyles, and transitions. The options are all available in the librarybrowser.

Point-one updates are usually wispy maintenance releases thatsometimes throw in a few new things to precede the next big release. Inthe case of Boris Red, however, a dot-one update brings a whole bunchof new features that are definitely worth investigating. Boris Red 2.1,an update to the popular effects program, features 3D compositing,titling, effects, image processing, particle effects, and vectoranimation all rolled into one seriously productive program.

For those unfamiliar, Red runs one of two ways. It can run as astandalone effects processing program, similar to Adobe After Effectsor Pinnacle's Commotion. The program will export to several file typesincluding AVI, QuickTime, and Flash. It also can be used as a plug-infor your existing effects program. Red's supported host applicationsinclude After Effects, Premiere, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Media 100,Canopus, Discreet Edit, Pinnacle Purple, Incite, and Ulead MediaStudioPro.

Installation is straightforward, but the program suffers theinconvenience of a dongle; it won't run without the one supplied. Also,while you can load the plug-ins into multiple hosts, the installprogram can only do one at a time, making repetition necessary.

Once loaded, the self-running version of Red (which I will focus on)boots up with an interface familiar to anyone who has used acompositing program before. You've got a timeline, a control window foreffects tweaking, a composite window, a project window for cueing upscenes to render — all the usual suspects.

While the interface may be familiar, the program is filled withsubtle touches that make production go smoothly, along with advancedoptions not found in a lot of competing compositing programs. Oneexample is the timeline's smart view. Basically, it's a mode that showsonly those tracks whose parameters have been adjusted. It's so simple,yet I find it indispensable. Any compositor knows that you spend lotsof time scrolling through endless timeline bars to add and alterkeyframe effects. With one click, this toggle turns on only the onesyou are using.

Another option worth noting is the 3D container. Unlike somecompositing programs, Red can do true 3D, even importing and animating3D objects. What is unique is that you can set up a 3D container trackand create an animated 3D scene, with drop shadows and effects. Andonce the scene is assembled, you can then animate the animation withinyour composition. For example, create a spinning logo as one animation,put it into a 3D container track, and then fly the logo/container trackaround.

The nesting is well executed here. While it takes skill to donesting in other programs, in Red it's a menu click away. These variousnice touches notwithstanding, the big news is the new stuff. Let's divein.

A new feature in Boris Red 2.1, the corner-pin tracker joins the newmotion stabilizer and motion tracker to follow moving elements in yourvideo with accuracy down to 1/256 of a pixel.

Speaking of 3D, Red has always featured true 3D via Z-space options,but Boris FX has upped the ante concerning features like extrudedobjects. Extrusions are only one click away, and the technique willwork with everything from text to imported EPS files. All extrusionelements can be animated, and the commands feature a variety of mappingoptions. You can not only apply antialiasing, motion blur, light, andshadows, but you can slap moving video, multi-colored gradients, textelements, and textures onto your extruded shape. Also, many mappingmaterials are available via presets such as gold, plastic, and glassalong with reflectivity, specularity, and transparency.

The program also now features improved tracking options such as themotion tracker, the motion stabilizer, and the corner-pin tracker.These tools combined can track moving elements in your video, followingalong with pans and camera shake with accuracy down to 1/256 of apixel. Track via four different points, and also track in reverse andin color channels such as luminance and saturation.

Title animation features have also been bumped up with the additionof vector text. Red has always been able to spin, warp, and fly aroundtext via a large group of built-in animation presets. Now that text isfully editable at every step along the way. In addition, you cancontrol words on a letter-by-letter basis and move text along a vectorpath. Vector paths can even be animated. And remember, all of this ishappening in true 3D space.

Vector options are at the core of much of Red's feature set, so itwas a natural development to introduce vector paint and animation. Thismakes creation of effects such as hand-drawn animations not onlyeasier, but also more flexible to change and tweak. The vector painttools can be adjusted for color, opacity, spacing, and angle, and theaddition of onion-skinning makes rotoscoping a breeze.

You can also create vector masks and control the opacity andsoftness for subtle animations on multiple planes. New splineprimitives can be adjusted at the Bezier level and animated in avariety of ways. The primitives — such as circles, stars, andarrows — can be extruded and stroked with animated vector painteffects.

Lots of new effect filters are packed into Red 2.1, including fire,clouds, stars, rain, snow, particles, burnt film, and blur averaging.Many of these effects can interact with your animated elements. Haverain bounce off your logo or snow build up on a flying video window.Very impressive stuff. More textures have also been added, includingpresets for marble, granite, reptilian, wood, and fabric.

Also worth mentioning are the many interface and speed improvementsto the program, including a very welcome RAM preview. Batch export,text import into tracks, sequential image-file animation export, trackauto-naming, intelligent frame caching, and an improved color swatchwindow are all new. Many tweaks here and there really have shaped upthe program and have either broken new ground or at least polished upRed to put it in line with competing compositing programs.

All in all, this is a dazzling upgrade to a program that keepsgetting better and better. What is great about Red — and notavailable in other similar programs — is the wealth of presets.With everything from text effects to color, textures to transitions andbuilt-in animation effects, the program offers ways to apply a presetquickly and make something happen. Other programs leave out thepresets, perhaps because a “true” media artist createseverything from scratch. But who has the time? Not only are presetsgreat around deadline time, but examining these presets can be alearning experience.

Which brings us to the somewhat steep learning curve that new Redusers will unfortunately face. The manual may only increase theproblem. Clocking in at a massive 886 pages, the manual is extremelylong-winded. For example, the entire first page of the first tutorialis solely dedicated to loading a file and renaming it. That said, theexercises are well done and logically arranged to ramp you up tosemi-pro level in about 100 pages.

What works much better than the manual is the help file that comeswith Red 2.1. Other help files will shudder and hide when Red's walksby. This includes not only 600 pages of searchable text with hundredsof images, but also 2 1/2 hours of narrated video. The videos are asconcise as the manual is verbose. You can pick a feature and a shortQuickTime movie guides you right through how to do it, complete withaudio narration.

The help file window, called Intelligent Assistance, stays aboveyour application in a separate window, always ready and willing tohelp. This help system was created by Intelligent Assistance, Inc., athird party that's created other help systems for Final Cut Pro andCleaner, and it's a welcome bonus here.

My only real complaint about the program is that performance of thecomposite window could be a bit perkier. Previewing animations seemedsluggish at times, but dropping down the resolution can greatly speedthat up. The pokiness could be because several elements go on at once,all flying around 3D space. But it's not a huge distraction.

For upgraders, Red 2.1 is a given. It's a generous update fromBoris, and current users will have much to tool around with. New usersshould get ready to put some time into learning, but the payoffs aregreat. And since the program operates with nested animations in real3D, there are many, many possibilities to explore, even in this“minor” update.

Company: Boris FX
Boston; 617-451-9900
www.borisfx.com

Product: Boris Red 2.1

Assets: Among many speed improvements is a RAM preview. Also,tons of new effects filters — many that can interact withanimated elements.

Demographic: 3D compositors who could benefit from extensivepresets and a narrated, video-based help program.

Price: $1,995