My Secret to FCPX Color Grading - Magic Bullets Mojo

On a regular basis, viewers tend to ask me how I edit my videos to be so colorful. Well, it's no secret that I use Final Cut Pro X as my main video editor. My secret weapon, however, is a plugin called Magic Bullets Mojo. Watch for examples of color correction and how I use this color correction software to my advantage!



Magic Bullets can be downloaded here: http://www.redgiantsoftware.com/products/all/mojo/

Red Giant is most well known for their full version of Magic Bullets that often plugins into major applications like Adobe Premiere or Adobe After Effects. Magic Bullets Mojo is a dialed down version of the application, giving you addition Final Cut Pro X Effects to add more in depth color grading to your video. While there isn't much wiggle room beyond the effects, you can adjust each color correction to your liking using a variety of sliders. At the price point of $49.99, I think this plugin is a must for any amateur/intermediate YouTuber, videographer or filmmaker using the latest version of Apple's Final Cut software!

Any questions are welcomed in the comments below. Thank you for watching/commenting/rating/subscribing! You guys rock!

Update on Aug 26, 2012 at 1:36 PM by Sean Boughner

Red Giant Software also make Trapcode Soundkeys; which is a great plug-in for working with audio and adjusting levels in your compositions. There is a great lesson on CreativeCow.net on how to work with Trapcode Soundkeys by Aharon Rabinowitz.

http://library.creativecow.net/articles/rabinowitz_aharon/waveform_1.php

Why Everybody Needs the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II Lens

Sitting in at around $100, the Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 is Canon's most inexpensive lens to date. I was lucky enough to receive this lens as a gift, but it is safe to say this is one of the most fun to use lenses in my camera bag. The small and compact body is made completely from a hard plastic, including the mount. This in turn allows the lens to be very light weight.

This post is dedicated to all of my friends and followers who have started up a hobby in DSLR photography and HDSLR video production. With the start of your new hobby, I advice you to look into the future purchases of a good piece of glass. Now that doesn't mean you have to drop two grand on a new lens, but just be advised of what the quality of the lens you are buying. In this instance, and at this point in time, I recommend all of my friends to consider the purchase of this Canon prime lens. The 50mm f/1.8 lens is not only something to consider because of its price, but instead its useful features.

So you are probably asking yourself, why would I need a 50mm lens when I have a lens that can surpass it at 55mm and even go as wide as 18mm? The answer is simple. One of the many benefits of a prime lens (and this one in particular) is the constant aperture reading. Unlike many variable focal length lenses, prime lenses have one and only one aperture reading. Take a look at your 18-55mm kit lens. You will notice the lens probably has a reading of f/3.5-5.6. This means the lens will only have a largest aperture reading of f/3.5 at the widest 18mm, and only a maximum of f/5.6 when zoomed in to the 55mm focal length.

This particular lens offers great performance in low light situations. In detail, this lens in particular has a large aperture of 1.8. In turn, that means the tiny iris inside of your lens will be open to it's full extent allowing more light into your camera's sensor. With that large aperture, you also gain the incredible depth of field we all know and love. Considering the lens has such a wide and large aperture, the focus is very sharp. In fact, if used properly, this lens can focus on the subject's nose, and already have the eyes out of focus. In my month or two of testing, I found this lens to be sharpest at f/2.8. Since many of you are using your DSLR cameras for video productions, you most likely will be filming indoors. The Canon 50mm f/1.8 will work to your advantage because it will be able to pick up every ounce of light available in your shooting environment.

A cool "artsy" effect you can add to your images is an out-of-focus light effect, called bokeh. With the Canon 50mm f/1.8, you have the key to the ultimate bokeh experience!

No matter what you plan to use your DSLR for, or no matter what brand you use, I advice each and every one of you to invest in a "nifty-fifty" lens. The quality you can achieve with these lenses are just truly magnificent. At an inexpensive price of a $100-$150, there should be no reason this lens is not in your camera bag.

Before I end this post, I would like to remind you all that this Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 lens is in fact a full-frame lens. If you use this lens on a crop body camera, such as the Canon EOS Rebel line (XS, XSi, T1i, T2i, etc) and Canon EOS line (Canon 40D, 50D, 60D, 7D, etc), you will be getting a focal length of about 80mm (50mm x 1.6 Crop Factor). In turn, that will cause the image to appear more zoomed in, than if you were to achieve 50mm on an EF-S lens. 

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, feel free to leave a comment below and I will respond as soon as possible.

Flickr Photo Gallery: http://www.flickr.com/brandongoldman