Red Giant has released new tools for Universe, its collection of GPU based plugins that can create complex animations, unique transitions, and stylized imagery. Universe 3.2 introduces 5 new tools that focus on broadcast, social media, and online content. The update also includes 107 new presets and a refreshed Finisher with 16 image color filters. 

New Tools 

  • Typographic: Lets you design shape and text animations 
  • Reframe: Allows you to create picture-in-picture compositions with complete control over animation and visual style 
  • Warp:Build warping and color separation transitions for videos 
  • Multitone:Stylize images using different color effects 
  • Socialize: Quickly reference common aspect ratios for social media platforms 

Let's dive into each tool a little more. 

Typographic 

Typographic is a titling and shape generating tool for creating quick and easy titles. After applying the utility to a video layer, you can detail complex motion graphics and text animations. The tool allows you to control the animation, text, shapes, and background of the design. It includes 79 shapes, icons, brush strokes, and watercolor textures, but you can also create your own custom elements. The tool also has 60 different presets for lower third, banners, and titles for motion graphics. Typographic is multi-platform compatible, meaning if you start a design in After Effects, it can be saved as a preset and finished in AVID or Premiere Pro. 

Reframe

This tool makes reframing content very efficient. If you have ever created picture-in-picture compositions, you know how detailed the keyframing can become. Reframe makes it simple by giving you control over timing, image borders, and automation. It has a slew of custom options including scale, rotation, cropping, feathering, duration, and more. The tool also has presets that can be customized further. 

Warp 

This tool is exactly how it sounds. It provides a warp transition for clips, but Red Giant includes its own effect controls and parameters. Lens distortion, scale, rotation, radial blur, zoom, and others can all be detailed to your liking. 

Multitone 

This tool is basically a color filter that allows you to add a duotone or tritone effect to your images. If you have ever used the gradient map tool in Photoshop to overlay a color pattern on an image, this pretty much the same thing. After selecting the effect type you can then select the colors to be overlayed on the image. You can then adjust the parameters of the colors. 

Socialize

The convenience of this utility is what makes it stand out. It allows you to preview common aspect ratios for social media platforms. So, let's say you have a 16:9 project, you can apply the Socialize utility to see how the video will look in a different aspect ratio like 1:1. The tool allows you to input any aspect ratio but it also has several presets to choose from. The tool allows you to change the background type and overlay settings. It's important to point out that this tool does not reframe the video for that specific aspect ratio. It's a preview only. If you need an auto reframe tool, Premiere Pro has Auto Reframe in the works. 

Compatibility 

  • Adobe After Effects CC 2017 or later

  • Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2017 or later

  • Apple Final Cut Pro X 10.2.3 or later

  • Apple Motion 5.3.2 or later

  • Avid Media Composer 8.2 or later

  • Magix VEGAS Pro 14 or later

  • Davinci Resolve 14 or later

  • HitFilm Pro 6.0 and later


Pricing & Availability 

Red Giant offers Universe in subscription form. Either $30 monthly or $199 per year. If you happen to be a student or part of academia, an annual subscription is only $99. Additionally, Universe is part of Red Giant Complete, which gives you access to everything, it makes at a huge discount. 

Source: Red Giant

RED Giantred giant universesoftwareupdatesTech
Editing & Post-Production