While I'm awake, a couple of other follow ups:

1. I agree that real time preview is a necessary development, but I think that's one of the lower priorities for me (compared to, say, keyframes). It is very quick to skip out to the timeline and preview then go back and tweak. Personally, in practice I haven't found many circumstances where that's been a major headache (although I thought I would). It's not that often I have a piece of footage that changes it's characteristics so significantly over a period of time that a Look in one place wouldn't work later in the same clip. Maybe if I'm tracking across a scene and the lighting changes from one area to the next, then I may need to tweak - but in reality I would try to be aware of those kind of things while shooting and avoid them where possible.

Much more desirable for me initially would be the ability to preview to firewire so I can immediately see how an adjustment will appear on a production monitor - even a static image would be useful.

2. What's the standalone version? Not sure I've seen one!

Demo or Full - I have no watermark.

Standalone - I have a shortcut on my Desktop which says "LooksBuilder" and when I lcick on it I get all the tools that are present in the plug-in and it says, to be precise: 1.0.3, but I can't import an avi into it. I can import a JPG.

As to how I would use MB Looks it is to use it as part of my normal workflow with the OTHER plugins I use within Vegas. Not to have a workflow that ain't doing that is a real PITA. Going IN and OUT to have a sneak peek isn't a plugin - IMO. As to getting it right on the shoot, er yeah? I'm kinda not looking to play "catch-up" with looks. More of a way to access my own creativity to getting a further look out of the spectacular footage I do get! However, I was looking to having a sleeker and consistent with the other plugs I use as an option for Vegas than at present -IMO!

Grazie

I'm fairly sure I read somewhere on Red Giant's websote that Looks Builder is designed to test an effect on a JPEG/PNG and to be able to save those settings to share with others?

Ian

Yes, quite correct!

Thanks for reminding me.

Grazie

Ah, OK, I see what you're talking about.

The Looks Builder is a free (I think) tool that allows you to try out Looks on stills, save the Look, share it with others etc. You won't get an avi to work with Looks Builder - it's just for stills. And there won't be a watermark either as it's a full version. That, I guess, is where the 1.03 comes in to play.

EDIT: Sorry, I see the other Ian got there first!

What's the version number on the Vegas plug-in?

Still not convinced about your argument that it's not a real plugin because it doesn't operate the same way as other plug-ins. But, in fairness, I also use After Effects and am quite comfortable with that way of working. I just think of it as building a Look on a still frame, then applying that Look to the footage. I wouldn't personally do any colour correcting on moving footage anyway. But then again, being able to scrub to see how, say, a spot exposure or gradient would work on footage with a camera move, would indeed be useful. Not a showstopper compared with other existing Looks deficiencies though (IMO).

And I wasn't trying to challenge you on whether or not you're getting good footage in the first place - my point was that I would try to avoid situations where the lighting conditions changed significantly in a single shot, whether or not I was planning to use Looks. That's just what I would do - not suggesting in any way that your way is wrong or that your footage isn't spectacular!

I still maintain that, for me at least, even with those few features not present, this is a magnificent collection of tools that I will employ on every production from now on.

Plugin in Vegas is 1.0.3

Also, being fair, I guess I've been spoilt by Vegas having real time plugs that work as part of my workflow and subsequently my thought processes. So now I want the same from any plugins I use! This is my experience of plugins WITHIN Vegas. And when I don't get that, you should know I do let the developers know about it.

As to this being " . . a magnificent collection of tools " it surely is. And more: I like the way I can manage my creative attempts; name them; group them and recall them AND see the tool chain set that created them.

Having realtime out to my monitor would be very welcome indeed!

Question? Apart from the "Custom Tab", how can/would I add my OWN tab? Something like a project subset would be neat.

I'll get back to "David" about my version number today. Hey-ho!

Grazie

If I understand you correctly you're looking to add new tabs to the Looks default tabs (on the left of the screen). If that's the case, you can easily do that by creating new folders under the /Program Files/LooksBuilder/Looks folder then Save Look As into that folder. Hope that helps!

Weird about the serial number. As I say, I am on 1.01 and I just d/l'd the package again - same version! Hmmm . . .

Oh yes . . yes you does!

Now that is a fine bit of sideways thinking! This is what you need to do too with the Scripts Dropdown Menu in Vegas.

Email gone to "David" we'll see.

Cheers

Grazie

Hmmm . . that's a bit of a workaround? I'll try something else - I have a thought about it.

Hmmm. . .

Grazie

I just create the new folder/tab at the same time as saving the Look with Save Look As, all in the same dialogue. Piece o' cake!

. . 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

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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

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

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 . . .

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

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 . . .