Magic Bullet Looks

[Graham Bernard]

Originally Posted by Ian Stark

I just create the new folder/tab

. . Done that and have a "Grazie Tab" . I then work on and then, having "Grazie Tab" open, I change and adjust a Look.

But, it being a Plug-in and seeing "Untitled Look" beckoning me to rename it - I do so - it being a Plugin and all that - but it doesn't save it and doesn't appear in the Looks Pane.

So, I'm thinking that customising and saving of new looks, in my new tab HAS to go through the Windows system of saving and not the Plug-in "Untitled Look" option.

OK . . .

Grazie

[Hugh Mobley]

I just downloaded demo of magic bullet looks 1.1 and when it got to the install of checking my video card it installed but won't open, I just updated the drivers from Redgiant site for my ati radeon 9200 but it still didn't work, any one know if a Radeon 9600 xt will work or what radeon card will.

[Jeff Harper]

Forgive me Hugh, but I have to at least ask, are you sure you downloaded the correct version? I'm not suggesting you did not, but thought I would ask, as it occurred to me it could happen.

I want to encourage you to not worry about your card too much. I have a Radeon HD 3900 series card, and MB works fine. At least it opens...I haven't used it but am sure it is OK.

I got a Radeon when I needed a new card cause I had heard of so many people with possible Vegas/NVidia issues....it runs fine.

I can't imagine MB wouldn't open because of a graphics card. I can imagine it not performing the best for non-recommned cards, but no more.

[Ian Stark]

Not sure whether we should be starting a new topic here, but I have just discovered something interesting:

Looks IS keyframable.

I just put an instance of Looks at track level and had inadvertently forgotten to turn off sync cursor to timeline. I added a Saturation tool, dialled down the saturation to 20%, then noticed the numerous keyframes that had been created. Out of curiosity I deleted all the intermediates and left only the start and end keyframes. Sure enough, the first one was at 100% and the last one was at 0% saturation. Previewing the timeline shows a steady desaturation from 100% right down to greyscale.

I haven't tried this on any other tools yet but if things like spot exposure work the same way, allowing me to track an object's motion in the frame, I will be delighted.

UPDATE: . . . . . . IT IS!!! Spot Exposure allows you to keyframe the centre of the spot, as well as the exposure %age.

[Alastair Brown]

Hi Ian,

I don't understand what you mean by turn off sync cursor, however............

I have just keyframed a couple of effects at event level. RESULT!

I'm ashamed to admit that once again, I look to have got it wrong (is there a job available for professional getter wronger?).

On the initial dialogue box that opens up for Looks all you do is add start/end keyframes and then with the keyframe selected, open Looks and go and adjust the values. It then alters over time.

So why were we told by Reg Giant that it wasn't an option for this release?

[Ian Stark]

Sync cursor is the little I-beam with a padlock next to it that allows you to sync the position of the cursor in the fx timeline (which is only as long as the event) with the position of the cursor on the main timeline. Of course if the main timeline cursor is moving then any change you make within an effect will cause hundreds of keyframes to be created. I tend to only turn sync cursor on when I want to locate a position for an effect to start/change etc within a clip. Then I immediately turn it off again.

I suspect Red Giant were talking about no keyframing WITHIN Looks and even then they may have been talking about keyframable masks.

Whatever they meant, I care not! This opens up Looks even further as far as I'm concerned.

[Graham Bernard]

I mentioned this back on the 17th. I was needing to duck in and out of the Edit platform of MBLs to make adjusts.

As I was "new" to MBLs I thought that this would be frowned upon as being far too cumbersome - this being a plugin and all?

So this is what I have been doing:

1] At the Sony Vegas FX Menu, Click on the MBLs FX "chain-link" and leave the Sync Cursor on/engaged/clicked

2] Place Vegas cursor where I want a MBKLS change

3] Open MBLs by clicking on "Edit"

4] Do my adjusts

5] NAME, save and duck outta MBLs - NOTICE NEW K/F created!!

6] See the Vegas the flow of the adjustment with the previous and note any further changes to be made in MBLs and leave vegas Cursor at that NEW position

7] DUCK back into MBLs for further adjusts Open MBLs by clicking on "Edit"

8] Do my adjusts

9] NAME, Save and duck outta MBLs - NOTICE NEW K/F created!!

. . and so on and so on . .

Grazie

[Hugh Mobley]

Originally Posted by Jeff Harper

Forgive me Hugh, but I have to at least ask, are you sure you downloaded the correct version? I'm not suggesting you did not, but thought I would ask, as it occurred to me it could happen.

I want to encourage you to not worry about your card too much. I have a Radeon HD 3900 series card, and MB works fine. At least it opens...I haven't used it but am sure it is OK.

I got a Radeon when I needed a new card cause I had heard of so many people with possible Vegas/NVidia issues....it runs fine.

I can't imagine MB wouldn't open because of a graphics card. I can imagine it not performing the best for non-recommned cards, but no more.

no its the right one, sony plug in, and even the free stand alone won't start, it will down load, but it gets to a point in instalation and says video card is ng, i even downloded the new driver off the regiant site under my video card, i have a call into redgiant, i have talked to them twice already

[Ian Stark]

Originally Posted by Graham Bernard

So this is what I have been doing: (etc etc)

Morning Grazie - I believe you're overcomplicating here! All you need to do is create a new keyframe where you want the Look to change, click edit and make the change. No need to name and save each time.

Thanks again for all your help with the stabilising yesterday, by the way. Much appreciated.

Ian . . .

[Graham Bernard]

Originally Posted by Ian Stark

I believe you're overcomplicating here!

Eh? Not If I want to save my Key Frame MBLook as part of my now quickly gathering/burgeoning options for creating further MBLs for further development.

As with any changes, within a Locked Sync Cursor session/option in Vegas, when a "change" happens a KF is automatically created too. Now, the value here, with MBLs, is that I can save and have a pictorial result I can refer to from within MBLs. Hence my added step to type and save.

As I have spent time to create these Looks and invested time in these Looks, I can then recall them in the future. So, a little typing allows me to save the look for future use.

So:

1] Changes make Auto Keyframes - IF Sync is engaged

2] Saving that Look makes them available for recall in the future.

Grazie

[Ian Stark]

Sorry Grazie, my mistake. I'm not talking about creating whole new Looks here, which of course you will want to save. I was talking about tweaking the odd setting to make a Look work better over time in a clip.

Example - I have a shot with a candle flame that is a tad over-exposed. The shot tracks to the left and the candle flame moves in the frame. I want the Spot Exposure, dialled to, say, -1.5 stops to follow the position of the flame - easily done with simple keyframes and not something I would ever want or need to save as a Looks preset.

That's where I was coming from.

Ian . . .