I’ll say it again, one of the best improvements to your workflow is finding ways to speed up common tasks. This could mean learning or programming a couple of keyboard shortcuts, getting your default settings in order, or just some good old-fashioned practice.
It can also mean picking up some plugins that take the hassle right out. Speeding up your edits may be a good resolution for the new year.
Editor Billy Rybka has some great tips for working in DaVinci Resolve and one of his latest videos is a list of four plugins to help save time on your next edit. He clarifies that he uses all these plugins, so there’s some good backing behind what he recommends.
Coming up first is LensMaster Flares by Learn Now FX. It offers a variety of pre-built lens flare templates using Fusion which can be easily customized to match your shot.
There are 40 presets to get you started and while you shouldn’t overuse effects like this, sometimes it can be a huge help to punch up a shot here or there for some added drama.
On top of the presets, the plugin features 13 different lens flare options and a texture library with 10 different glass reflections so you can build your own.
This plugin does work on the free version of DaVinci Resolve and it can make use of GPU acceleration to get it done quickly and without clobbering your PC as you edit. It is a paid plugin at $39, but Rybka says it is well worth it.
Since video editors can’t forget about audio, the next plugin on the list is Alex Audio Butler by Unimule. It has four distinct plugins that will help you mix all types of audio on the project and seriously help speed up your editing workflow. And, if you haven’t gotten too deep into audio editing this might be a good place to get started.
Alex Audio Butler offers different options for different track types with options being Master, Music, SoundFX, and Voice. It analyzes your audio and creates some basic settings that will adjust your audio.
For example, if he stops talking, the plugin will recognize that and ramp up the music to fill the space automatically. It is another paid plugin at $89, though the time you save on audio mixing is invaluable.
Another audio plugin takes the next spot: the ERA 5 Bundle from Accusonus. Whereas the Alex Audio Butler is for mixing, the ERA 5 Bundle is for cleaning up your audio.
It includes a massive amount of tools, including a Noise Remover, Voice Deepener, Voice AutoEQ, Voice Leveler, Reverb Remover, De-Esser, De-Clipper, Plosive Remover, and general Audio Clean-Up.
These are all commonly seen audio issues, even if the audio is generally very clean to start. A little noise removal here or some plosive removal there can help things sound a tad better.
The best part for beginners and for saving time is that Accusonus trimmed down the controls to a single dial with a few options. It’s straightforward and makes a quick impact. This one is certainly pricey with subscription options or a one-time payment of $249. It’s expensive but good.
Finally, Rybka’s top plugin is Reactor from We Suck Less. It’s a plugin that adds a ton of new tools to the Fusion page in Resolve. It is actually able to pull from a crowd-sourced repository of tools instead of being a simple one-off plugin.
Independent developers and creators make their own plugins or tools, upload them, and then allow you to access them through Reactor. It’s technically free, though you can donate to the creators if you benefit from using them.
Two of Rybka’s picks for plugins are Real Shadow from Learn Now FX and MT_GlitchTools by Bryan Ray/MuseVFX. These are nice, fun effects to use.
Do you have any favorite plugins for your editing?
[source: Billy Rybka]
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