Red Giant's Magic Bullet 14 and Trapcode 16 Are Jam-Packed with Awesome

Red Giant made two big announcements yesterday that are sure to pique the interest of its users. First up, the company released Magic Bullet Suite 14, an update to its legendary color grading and finishing tools that also offer exceptional film looks. Second, they also updated Trapcode to version 16, its visual FX and motion graphics software featuring 3D FX and particle simulations.

Let's take a look at all the new features included in each update.

Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite 14

Magic Bullet is one of the original color correcting and film looks tools to really explode onto the post-production scene years ago. It now features seven separate tools for color grading, finishing, and film looks, and is a great addition to any post-production system to make projects look more professional and cinematic.

Version 14 includes new and updated features in Magic Bullet Looks 5, such as over 100 new presets that match popular looks from movies and TV shows. Presets are a great way to get started on color grading a project with 300-plus presets now available.

Other new features and tools in Looks 5 include a new LUT browser, Huenity (customizable hues), support for Tangent, Color Remap, improved color handling, a search function for presets, and a channel mixer.

Magic Bullet Colorista V has also been updated with its own LUT and preset browsers, the ability to create and save LUTs, a new and improved HDR color render engine, and a saturation EQ.

If you're a Final Cut Pro X user, there is a problem between the new FCP X update and Big Sur. Red Giant says they're currently working with Apple to fix the problem, but if you've updated FCP X or macOS, there isn't an installer for Magic Bullet Suite 14.

Red Giant Trapcode Suite 16

Red Giant has also released the industry-standard Trapcode Suite 16, which includes a major update to Trapcode Particular 5. VFX artists can create organic 3D effects in Adobe After Effects, in addition to complex motion graphics and realistic effects, such as fire and broken glass.

There are now 16 particle systems available, a new emit from parent functionality, new physics models, more behaviors, new presets, and the ability to import Cinema 4D files (.c4d).

If you're using After Effects and creating complex and organic particle effects, Trapcode Suite is a must-have for VFX artists. Red Giant also released minor updates to Trapcode Mir and Trapcode Form, most importantly Cinema 4D file import.

Red Giant Trapcode Suite 16 and Magic Bullet Suite 14 are both $999 for a single-user perpetual license.