Getting new plug-ins always excites me a lot. Maybe too much. They have the ability to add
extra umph to my videos and help me achieve the vision I have in mind for each one. So
what are the top 5 plug-ins for Final Cut Pro right now that will help you achieve your
vision for videos in 2020?
I’ll preface this by saying, this list is in no particular order. And all of these plug
ins do cost a decent amount of money, so if you’re not looking to spend, then look away
now.
The first plug-in is from CoreMelt, and it’s called Lock&Load. I held off from buying this
for awhile because I thought I was somewhat satisfied with Final Cut Pro’s built in
stabilizer, but turns out, I wasn’t satisfied. I should have bought this a long time ago.
Essentially it’s a stabilizer for Final Cut Pro that claims to be ‘the fastest and
most powerful film and video footage stabilizer for Final Cut Pro’. I think I saw they claim
it’s 4x as fast as the stock stabilizer and it really is. This thing is freaking fast.
Stabilization-wise it definitely is an improvement compared to FCPXs stabilizer. It even allows
you to track certain areas or subjects in your shots. It also has the capability to
reduce rolling shutter, which is something FCPX has, however Lock&Loads is absolutely
an improvement. I think getting this plug in is essential for anyone that shoots handheld,
doesn’t own a gimbal, and/or just isn’t satisfied with what Final Cut Pro’s stabilizer
can do.
The next plug in is called mTransition Shine by MotionVFX. This plug in isn’t going to
be for everyone, but I think you could use it to improve your videos in quite a few circumstances.
It comes with 50 transitions that basically wipe from shot to shot using beautiful light
leaks and sun flares. Normally plug ins like this I find cheesy, but these are really well
done in my opinion. They look natural and quite professional. You can change the color
of them, the blur amount, the saturation, the general location the wipe enters and exits,
etc. I think these would be of most use for travel videos, promotional videos for resorts
or tour companies, drone videos, and wedding films.
The third plug in is called Neat Video. If you’re subscribed to my channel, you may
have already seen my review video praising this plug in. It is one of my most used plug
ins because my camera is pretty terrible in low light situations. Neat Video is a plug
in that reduces digital noise and grain found in footage, so if you’re shooting in dark
settings like in certain buildings or at night and you’re having to bump up your ISO to
compensate for the lack of light, I would consider picking up this plug in. It seriously
works like a charm with smoothing over footage and taking out all that ugly noise. This plug
in would be ESPECIALLY beneficial to you if your camera isn’t great in low light, and
useful if you do real estate videography, wedding videography, commercial projects,
event videography, and drone videography, among others.
The fourth plug in is called mFlare 2 by MotionVFX. MotionVFX makes some of my favorite plug ins
and this one may be my favorite. mFlare 2 comes with 100 realistic light flares that
vary from organic sun light effects to science fiction light effects to anamorphic options,
all powered by a built in Mocha tracker so you don’t have to keyframe anything. Unless
you want to of course. It’s pretty easy to use and it gives you so many options to
play with, to tweak the light effect the way you want. Say if you like an effect, but you
wish it had some more orbs, or bigger orbs, or smaller orbs, you can enter the editing
screen and customize them easily. This plug in can honestly be useful to any type of filmmaker.
Any time there’s light in the shot, (which there usually is), this plug in can help to
create an awesome atmosphere.
The last plug in is called Slice X, by Coremelt. Slice X is a big time saver and can come in
handy in a lot of situations. It is a shape masking tracker that allows you to mask out
something and track it with a built in Mocha Tracker. This saves you time so you don’t
have to tirelessly keyframe trying to keep the mask in line with the subject. So basically
it will allow you to track a certain area in your shot and allow you to isolate effects
on it. You can add a blur effect, you can color correct that tracked shape, you can
add a glow effect, you can sharpen, pixelate, etc. This plug in will make your job easier
in the editing room and save you quite a bit of time and concentration. Side note, this
plug in seems to do the best with tracking faces. I’ve occasionally had issues with
tracking certain objects in certain situations, but overall it does fine.
There’s a company called Lens Distortions that makes some cool looking overlays and
plug ins that I have yet to try out. If you happen to have one of their products let me
know what you think about it in the comments section. I’m curious to know your thoughts
because I have been interested in them.
Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this video and hopefully it gave you some insight on
what plug in or plug ins you could purchase for the new year. Consider subscribing to
my channel if you want to see more videos like this, alongside filmmaking tips, editing
tutorials, and short films. I will see you guys next week! Have a great day.