Thanks for asking. We believe the answer is no, but we are double-checking with Magix about this. The option/solution is to upgrade your Magix software, if that is feasible for you.

Please let me know if you have other questions.

Sincerely,

Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com

We have completed further testing with Magix and have confirmed that our Magix Movie Edit Pro plugins work fine in Movie Edit Pro 18 too. :)  I have updated the initial announcement here to reflect that. Thanks.

As noted earlier, our Magix Movie Edit Pro and Video Pro plugins page is at http://www.pixelan.com/magix-plugins.htm

Please let me know if you have other questions.

Sincerely,

Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com

Michael,

By no mean extensively tested, but I just put CreativEase on my 'editing' computer and find that it works also with MEP 17 which is still installed from years ago. Clip is of a 'Tour Down Under' street race also a few years ago.

I've not had time to half begin to explore all the plugins (I decided on the Super Bundle) but without question my initial impressions are WOW! Here's a salvador daliesque soccer shot using one of the 'Depth' Flow Texture presets:

ADDED: Seems to work as well with the older Video Pro X 2.5, ver 9.0.7.14, though the choices appear under 'Additional Effects' rather than a separate Pixelan section. To Pixelan's credit they make use of the 'Common' folder so a plugin is available to all installed Magix programs.

Regards,

Carl

Thanks everyone for taking a look, even if you do have an earlier version of Movie Edit Pro or Video Pro X than what we officially announced is supported.

CreativEase and SpiceMaster are the two plugins from us that can work in MEP 17, but not our other plugins due to their hardware-accelerated nature. Likewise, as noted here by others trying it, that is also true for earlier versions of  Video Pro X, such as 2.5.

We didn't test in all earlier Magix versions while coordinating with the Magix engineering team, but maybe we should of done more of that. ;)  Please post here if you have further such discoveries, although I doubt anyone will be able to go back further than what has been already mentioned (MEP 17 and VPX 2.5) since Magix's plug-in architecture itself is relatively recent.

All of our Magix plugins are summarized at http://www.pixelan.com/magix-plugins.htm

Sincerely,
Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com

Greetings,

Being apt to nearly shout RTFM now and then, I'll quietly share a tip for those trying the Pixelan plugins. It's obviously MEP / VPX effects window specific so seems not to be mentioned elsewhere. If you have applied an effect you could click again on the specific plugin option in the effects list to make changes, but this seems easier especially if you have most recently been perhaps adding any other effect that brings up the key frame section. 

Also useful (right click menu) for removing an effect!

Regards,

Carl

Thanks Carl for adding that tip!  :)

Sincerely,
Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com

Michael, Carl,

Bought CreativeEase to keep you company, Carl. 

1. First of what I expect may be many. (Maybe we can keep them in this 'Pixelan' thread for now.) Can you or Michael set me straight on this basic point please?

2. It's a rich web site, but can you also please point me to an introductory tutorial that doesn't list features or tips but steps through a few worked examples from start to finish. Preferably a video.

3. And finally (for now), can I use the large choice of masks ('Spices'?) for a standard reveal? Such as a circular section of the clip expanding or contracting over a background, e.g. solid black? Effectively I want to apply the mask without a CreativeEase effect, as that's a weak spot in MEP's repertoire.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Hi Carl,

Thanks for becoming a Pixelan user. :)  As far as I am concerned, continuing this thread with whatever questions or comments you or others may have about our Magix plugins is great. Our tutorial-oriented pages for Magix users are here:

For CreativEase:  http://www.pixelan.com/ce/help-techsupportfaqs.htm  (scroll down past the FAQs)
For SpiceMaster:  http://www.pixelan.com/sm25/help-techsupportfaqs.htm#magix
For 3D Six-Pack:  http://www.pixelan.com/3d/help.htm#learn (scroll down past the FAQs)
For DissolveMaster:  http://www.pixelan.com/dissolvemaster/help-magix-movie-edit-pro.htm
For FilmTouch:  http://www.pixelan.com/filmtouch/help-magix-movie-edit-pro-plugins.htm

Our Youtube channel at http://www.youtube.com/user/pixelansoftware also has lots of movie examples and some video tutorials, but unfortunately since we are new to the Magix plugins world, we do not have Magix-specific video tutorials. However, take a look at the above pages... they should help a lot to get you going. And of course, we are always happy to answer questions or explain a particular technique further, whether in this forum or if you contact us directly at support@pixelan.com

Sincerely,
Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com
 

Thanks Michael, but how about starting with my questions 1 and 3?

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Carl,

Oh, sorry. I didn't realize your screen image had a question embedded in it. :)  The default effect is still applied, even if you click the red cross hotspot to not apply your settings choice. Why? It is still applied because you dragged CreativEase onto a clip in the first place. There is no way in the plug-in architecture to undo your drag via a plug-ins dialog box. So you still need to take the step of removing the applied effect from the clip. Sorry about that, but that's the way plugins curretly work in the Magix environment.

Regarding question 3, to do reveals and other transitions, CreativEase is not the right plug-in. SpiceMaster is the master of softly/organically masking in a dynamic, flowing way on clip to the next, or even just having it held over time. I encourage you to try the SpiceMaster demo if you haven't already, and to take a look at our many SpiceMaster example movies at http://www.pixelan.com/sm25/examples.htm

Please let me know if you have other questions.

Sincerely,

Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com

Thanks Michael. BTW, why do you keep calling me Carl?

Re my question #1. No, I didn't drag anything to the target object. As I said, "I've just opened BlurPro and done nothing else."

Is there really no way to cancel or exit if you change your mind at that point? As it stands, I have to use Reset video effects. That's no great hardship but does seem an odd design flaw. I don't think I've ever come across a dialog window that won't let you close it without any action.

I'm sure that maybe I'm missing something basic here, but so far I don't see it!

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Terry,

Sorry about the name mixup. I must of glanced at the wrong person in the thread while writing that.

Well, to get BlurPro to show its dialog box in the first place, you dragged BlurPro from Magix's Effects tab > Extra effects > Plug-ins area onto the clip, correct? That's what I meant. I agree there should be an easier way to remove it than using Reset video effects. But for plug-ins with custom dialogs, my understanding is there's no alternative currently in Magix's plug-in architecture, although I think it's a very good request for Magix to consider.

Please let me know if you have other questions.

Sincerely,
Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com

Well, to get BlurPro to show its dialog box in the first place, you dragged BlurPro from Magix's Effects tab > Extra effects > Plug-ins area onto the clip, correct?

No, after installation, to my surprise, I didn't need to do that. The Pixelan menu appeared automatically as shown in my screenshot.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Michael,

You wrote "The default effect is still applied, even if you click the red cross hotspot to not apply your settings choice. Why? ... Sorry about that, but that's the way plugins curretly work in the Magix environment." This in reply to Terry's question not mine :-), but I was planning to ask it and a few related ones anyway.

I was certainly confused by the hint 'Exit Without Changes' as the action of the green tick and the red cross seemed identical when wanting to experiment with just a change within one effect. More a worry is that the standard Windows 'Close' button is affected as well which I've never seen issue a warning other than alerting for unsaved work. Hopefully these inconveniences in the Magix setting will get fixed in time.

Terry,

Welcome o the group. Be sure you check out the 'Load Saved Settings' option. You know I'm a champion of 'roll your own' and am seldom impressed with extravagant lists of presets and templates but I found the presets an invaluable learning tool.

Regards,

Carl

Well, I remember now in Magix there is one other way to delet an applied effect a bit easier -- see the screen image below. There's a little area under the effects listing that has a small menu to delete any individual applied effect.

I will double-check with our main engineer about the applying and delete behavior in Magix. Yes, BlurPro (or any other CreaivEase plug-in effect) will show its dialog as soon as you double-click its name under the Pixelan section in the Effects tab -- while a clip in the timeline is selected. Sorry I wasn't clearer about that. And yes, it will end up applied as a default effect to the selected clip even if you click the red X to cancel out.

Sincerely,
Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com

Sorry, it looked embedded in fine here. As an alternative, look here:
http://www.pixelan.com/ce/magix-delete.jpg

Sincerely,
Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com

Well, I remember now in Magix there is one other way to delet an applied effect a bit easier -- see the screen image below. There's a little area under the effects listing that has a small menu to delete any individual applied effect."

 

Did you read my earlier post?
"As it stands, I have to use Reset video effects."

Hopefully you can fix that Pixelan bug and allow cancellation of a dialog in either the standard Windows manner (click top right X), or with your red 'Exit without change' button.

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Terry,

Yes, I did read it. ;)  "Reset video effects" I see as an option when I right-click the clip in the timeline. When using that, ANY video effects applied to the clip will be reset. The area in my screen image below the tabs, however, presents a way to individually remove only the CreativEase effect from a clip -- without removing any other effects that may also be involved. Thanks.

~ Michael

Michael,

Understood, thanks. Yes, that's a useful work-around pending the bug fix. During my experiments though I'm keeping it simple and applying only CreativeEase effects. And using a single keystroke (F6) to do the reset, which is faster than using the mouse.

Terry, East Grinstead, UK 

Gentlemen,

I purchase the whole kit and have been learning how to use everything. I am puzzled by the problem that was mentioned of not being able to cancel the effect by clicking on the red X at the bottom of the effect dialog box or the red x (Windows close style) at the top of the dialog box. When I click on either I get a Warning dialog, "Exit Without Changes?" and "Ok" and "Cancel." Doing Ok leaves the effect without applying it.

Carl mentioned that the red X and the checkmark at the bottom of the dialog box seemed to do the same thing. If this was the case, then it has been fixed.

Note that if an effect has already been applied, then it will still be there, unchanged.

If you mean that there is no way to remove the effect already applied by going through the effect dialog box, then no, as far as I can tell, there is no way to do it there. But then why would one want to? There is no need to reopen the dialog box, just simply do as Terry does, delete the effect using a shortcut, which, in my version, MEP2014, is Ctl+Alt+-. Terry, how did you get F6 to do this? Did you add this shortcut yourself?

As Michael Freerer mentioned, the effect is listed in the keyframe window and can be turned off/on there and the standard popdown menu is also there to delete the effect, copy it, etc.

On another point, here is a question that I sent to Pixelan on Friday:

With 3D and the others effects (I have them all), I noticed that the effect does not resize with the window. For example, if I have a video wall with 4 videos or images and I apply an effect, ex. 3D, DepthFX Transition 02, to one of the images, it applies it as though the image were full-size on the screen, it does not apply it just to the image window. It would be nice to have it apply in the resized window. I think I have a workaround, but it requires exporting the image and effect and then importing the processed file and resizing. Is there any other way to do this?

Here is the reply (I combined 2 into 1, hopefully correctly). I downloaded the 3 revised transitions plugins and I am testing them:

Our head engineer has figured a way around the Magix limitations that we can include in our code, but there still may be some circumstances where it does not limit the transition as desired in a video wall. For example, if the clip also has a video effect applied, then even Magix built-in transitions switch to a "do not resize with the window" mode.

The most reliable way to get the desired result is to apply 3D6 between two sources on the same track. When 3D6 is applied to a single clip, it seems to resize properly if applied at the clip's end, but only on the first track but this is not true IF the two overlapped clips have a video effect applied. Same is true for Magix built-in transitions in this situation. Everything switches to "does not resize with the window" mode. We see similar issues with built-in Magix transitions... some apply in the resized window if at start, some if at end, some (like Waves) - never. It's an SDK plug-in code issue they need to solve. We will bring it to their attention.

Note we also added a Reverse check box feature which allows all 3D6 transitions to be reversed in action (with not-scaled clips).

I will open a new discussion topic when I have some results. So far, it looks good.

Hi John,

Well, I've seen no communication or update to fix the bug that Carl and I were describing but maybe I've missed it.

This is what I mean:

Or for better quality:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/4019461/Pixelan-CreativeEase-Bug.jpg

Note that you might already have effects (zoom, pan, section, brightness, fade, etc) already applied that you want to keep. That's why you might be unable to simply use F6, hence Michael's work-around.

Can you show us a screenshot or two of your work please?

--------------------

I changed the assignment for resetting video effects to F6 myself, in Settings > KB shortcuts, which is much easier for me to use - and I use it a lot!

--
Terry, East Grinstead, UK

Sorry I haven't gotten back onto this forum to announce the update yet. Yes, a few days ago we did a minor update in our transitions plug-ins (in coordination with Magix) to address the delete issue previously identified in this thread, and to workaround current limitations in Magix's plugin architecture about using plug-in transitions in video wall situations.

Also, in 3D Six-Pack we added a very handy "reverse" checkbox in the controls that reverses the flow of a 3D transition's action, so every 3D Six-Pack preset now has double the usefulness for Magix users. :)

Note that our effects plug-ins -- CreativEase and FilmTouch -- are not affected by the above issues.

For those of you who already have bought any of our transitions plugins, simply go back to your download email and freshly download any of the following you have from us: 3D Six-Pack, SpiceMaster, and DissolveMaster. Install over your old build. No need to uninstall the older version first. The enjoy the improvements. :)

Don't have your downlod email, or yourlink has expired. Then go to our "Request a Re-download" form at http://www.pixelan.com/help-redownload-form.htm and you will get a fresh link within the same day.

Sincerely,

Michael Feerer
Pixelan Software
http://www.pixelan.com