Survey Says: What Media Plugins Are You Using?

Posted on by Larry

[ UPDATE: Aug. 3, 2024, fixing a ton of broken links. Sorry about that – bad editing. July 22, 2024, with extended tables providing descriptions, compatibility, and links compiled by Paul Greenberg. Thanks Paul!! ]

Earlier this month, I surveyed the readers of my weekly “Edit Smarter” newsletter to learn more about them and the tools they used to edit their projects. I reported earlier on some of the results – but left the hardest question till last: “What Are Your Favorite 3rd Party Plugins or Utilities. Tabulating more than 450 answers took the last couple of days.

NOTE: Here are my two prior reports with survey results.

AUDIO PLUGINS

The Izotope RX audio plugin suite is workhorse used for both music creation and video sweetening. All of the vendors in this chart provide multiple plugins or, in the case of SmartSound, multiple stock music albums.

Here’s the complete list:

Audio Plugin Descriptions and Links
(Links & descriptions compiled by Paul Greenberg)

Name Responses Description Download URL Compatibility
Izotope RX 25% Audio repair and enhancement software. Izotope RX Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, Adobe Audition, Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, standalone
BorisFX Crumplepop 15% Audio restoration and effects plugins. BorisFX Crumplepop Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Avid Media Composer, Audition
Waves 12% Professional audio plugins for mixing and mastering. Waves Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason
AccuSonus (ERA) 10% Real-time audio processing tools. AccuSonus
(acquired by Meta in 2022)
Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
SmartSound 10% Royalty-free music for video production. SmartSound Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, standalone
Those mentioned only once are listed below and total: 28%
Accentize Intelligent audio plugins for mixing. Accentize Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason
Acon Digital Audio editing and restoration tools. Acon Digital Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason, Audition
Acoustica Comprehensive audio editing software. Acoustica Standalone
Apogee Studio High-quality audio interfaces and plugins. Apogee Studio Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason
BeatEdit Automatic beat detection and editing software. BeatEdit Premiere Pro, After Effects
Dolby Vision HDR video and audio technology. Dolby Vision Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Kazrog TrueIron Analog emulation plugin for audio. Kazrog TrueIron Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason
Landr Mastering Console Professional mastering software. Landr Mastering Standalone
LockDown Audio/video synchronization software. LockDown Premiere Pro, After Effects
Marquis Broadcast X2Pro Final Cut Pro audio conversion tool. X2Pro Final Cut Pro
Melodyne Pitch and time correction software. Melodyne Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, Studio One, Reaper, standalone
Native Instruments High-quality audio instruments and effects. Native Instruments Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio
PSP Audioware Professional audio processing plugins. PSP Audioware Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason
Schep’s Choice Curated collection of audio plugins. Schep’s Choice Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason
Sonnox High-end audio processing tools. Sonnox Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason
Sound Radix Auto Align Phase alignment plugin for multitrack recordings. Sound Radix Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Reason
Sound Soap Audio cleanup software for noise reduction. Sound Soap Pro Tools, Logic Pro, Cubase, Nuendo, Ableton Live, FL Studio, Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, standalone
Universal Music Music distribution and licensing services. Universal Music Standalone

 

VIDEO PLUGINS

FxFactory supplies hundreds of plugins for Premiere, Final Cut, After Effects and other software. With so many to choose from, I was not surprised to see it listed so often. Motion VFX provides both an effects engine and multiple effects to run inside it.

The leading response for BorisFX was for Continuum Complete, followed by Mocha Pro. Neat Video provides video noise removal, while Ripple Training provides a variety of utilities and effects plugins.

Here’s the complete list:

Video Plugin Descriptions and Links
(Links & descriptions compiled by Paul Greenberg)

Name Responses Description Download URL Compatibility
FxFactory 11.40% Comprehensive plugin suite for video effects. FxFactory Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, After Effects
Motion VFX 9.40% High-quality templates and plugins for motion design. Motion VFX Final Cut Pro, After Effects
Maxon Red Giant / Red Giant / Universe 6.80% Creative tools for filmmakers and motion designers. Maxon Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro
BorisFX (Continuum/Mocha Pro/Sapphire) 6.50% Advanced visual effects and image processing tools. BorisFX Premiere Pro, After Effects, Avid Media Composer, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Neat Video 6.30% Noise reduction plugin for digital video. Neat Video Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Ripple Training 5.40% Professional training resources for video editors. Ripple Training Final Cut Pro, Motion
Pixel Film Studio 5.10% Customizable plugins for video editing. Pixel Film Studio Final Cut Pro, Motion
Topaz Labs Video AI 4.30% AI-powered video enhancement software. Topaz Labs Standalone
Color Finale Pro 3.40% Advanced color grading tools for Final Cut Pro X. Color Finale Pro Final Cut Pro
LenoFX 2.80% Templates and plugins for Final Cut Pro X. LenoFX Final Cut Pro, Motion
Film Impact 1.70% Video transitions and effects for editors. Film Impact Premiere Pro
Alex4D 1.40% Free plugins and effects for video editing. Alex4D Final Cut Pro
Film Convert 1.40% Film stock emulation plugin for video editors. Film Convert Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Cinema Grade 1.10% Professional color grading software. Cinema Grade Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro
Digital Anarchy 1.10% Unique plugins for video and photo editing. Digital Anarchy Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro
Hawaiki Keyer 1.10% Advanced keying plugin for Final Cut Pro X. Hawaiki Keyer Final Cut Pro, Motion
Keyper 1.10% Plugin for keying and compositing in Final Cut Pro X. Keyper Final Cut Pro, Motion
Motion Array 1.10% Marketplace for video templates and plugins. Motion Array Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Adobe After Effects 0.90% Industry-standard motion graphics and VFX software. Adobe After Effects After Effects
BretFX 0.90% Custom plugins and effects for video editors. BretFX Final Cut Pro
Custom LUTs 0.90% Color grading lookup tables for video editors. (Various) Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Envato Elements 0.90% Unlimited creative assets for video production. Envato Elements Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Hedge 0.90% Backup software for video professionals. Hedge Standalone
FCPEffects 0.90% Plugins and templates for Final Cut Pro X. FCPEffects Final Cut Pro
Nobe Omniscope 0.90% Professional video monitoring tools. Nobe Omniscope Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Plumepack 0.90% Media management plugin for Adobe Premiere Pro. Plumepack Premiere Pro
AEJuice 0.60% Animated elements and plugins for After Effects. AEJuice After Effects
Arctic (Final Cut Library Manager) 0.60% High-quality video editing plugins. Arctic Final Cut Pro, Motion
CommandPost 0.60% Workflow automation tool for video editors. CommandPost Final Cut Pro
CoreMelt 0.60% Advanced video effects and transitions. CoreMelt Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, After Effects
HandBrake 0.60% Open-source video transcoder. HandBrake Standalone
idustrial Revolution Volumetrix 0.60% Plugin for volumetric light effects. Volumetrix Final Cut Pro, Motion
mLUT 0.60% Professional LUTs for color grading. mLUT Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve
PremiumFX 0.60% Templates and plugins for video editing. PremiumFX Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro
Re:Vision Effects 0.60% Visual effects plugins for video editors. Re:Vision Effects Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Those mentioned only once are listed below and total: 15.6%
Adobe Stock Stock footage and assets for video projects. Adobe Stock Premiere Pro, After Effects
Animation Composer Free plugin for animations and motion graphics. Animation Composer Premiere Pro, After Effects
Aurora HDR High dynamic range imaging software. Aurora HDR Standalone
Ben Halsall’s Text Flow Rectangle Plugin for creating flowing text effects. Ben Halsall Final Cut Pro, Motion
Cineflare Professional video transitions and effects. Cineflare Final Cut Pro, Motion
Cinematch Color matching plugin for video editors. Cinematch Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Final Cut Pro
Cocktail Mac utility software for system maintenance. Cocktail macOS
Colorista Advanced color grading tools. Colorista Premiere Pro, After Effects
Creator’s Best Friend Plugin for organizing and managing video projects. Creator’s Best Friend Final Cut Pro
Cullen Kelly’s Plugins and effects for video editors. Cullen Kelly’s Premiere Pro, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve
Dalet Media asset management software. Dalet Standalone
Digital Juice Stock footage, templates, and effects. Digital Juice Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro
Element 3D 3D object-based particle rendering in After Effects. Element 3D After Effects
Excalibur Enhanced workflow plugin for video editing. Excalibur Premiere Pro
ffMPEG Free software for handling multimedia data. ffMPEG Standalone
Frame.io Cloud-based video collaboration platform. Frame.io Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve
Friday Workflow automation software for video editors. Friday Final Cut Pro
Fusion Compositing and motion graphics software. Fusion DaVinci Resolve, Fusion Standalone
GoPro Player Software for viewing and editing GoPro videos. GoPro Player Standalone
IMFTool Media file analysis software. IMFTool Standalone
Intelligent Assistance Metadata management for Final Cut Pro. Producer’s Best Friend Final Cut Pro
Jojo Video editing plugins and templates. Jojo Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, After Effects
Kai’s Power Tools Classic Photoshop plugins for creative effects. Kai’s Power Tools (Sold to Corel in 2000) Photoshop
Keyflow Pro 2 Media asset management for video editors. Keyflow Pro Final Cut Pro
Keylight (Nuke) Advanced keying plugin for compositing. Keylight After Effects, Nuke
Knights of the Editing Table Creative video editing plugins. Knights of the Editing Table Premiere Pro
Lens Distortions Realistic lens effects for video editors. Lens Distortions Premiere Pro, After Effects
LowePost DCTL OFX tools Color grading tools for DaVinci Resolve. LowePost DaVinci Resolve
Lumenzia Luminosity masking panel for Photoshop. Lumenzia Photoshop
Luminar 4 AI photo editing software. Luminar Standalone
Media Info Tool for analyzing media files. Media Info Standalone
Mister Horse Animation composer and motion graphics templates. Mister Horse Premiere Pro, After Effects
Mononodes DCTLs Color grading tools for DaVinci Resolve. Mononodes DaVinci Resolve
Nattress Film Effects Film stock emulation and effects plugins. Nattress Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro, After Effects, DaVinci Resolve
Nobe Omniscope Professional video monitoring tools. Nobe Omniscope Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Noise Industries (FxFactory) Video effects and transitions for editors. Noise Industries Final Cut Pro, Motion
Particular Particle generation plugin for After Effects. Particular After Effects
PCP Effects Video effects and transitions for editors. PCP Effects Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro
Post Haste Project management software for creatives. Post Haste Standalone
PPMulater Plugin for audio post-production. PPMulater Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro
ProList Title and text animation plugin for Final Cut Pro X. ProList Final Cut Pro
ProParagraph Professional text animations for Final Cut Pro X. ProParagraph Final Cut Pro
Rollermouse Ergonomic mouse for creative professionals. Rollermouse Hardware
Shot Anvil Plugin for advanced shot composition. Shot Anvil Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro
SimonSays Transcription software for video editors. SimonSays Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve
Skin Enhance Plugin for retouching skin in video footage. Skin Enhance Premiere Pro, After Effects, Final Cut Pro
Sony Catalyst Browse Media preparation and organization tool. Sony Catalyst Standalone
Stupid Raisins Fun and creative plugins for video editing. Stupid Raisins Final Cut Pro, Motion
Switch Pro Software for video file conversion and analysis. Switch Pro Standalone
Tap5a Animator Animation plugin for Final Cut Pro X. Tap Animator Final Cut Pro
The Final Cut Bro Plugins and effects for Final Cut Pro X. The FCP Bro Final Cut Pro
TKY Marker Pen Plugin for marking and annotating video footage. TKY Marker Pen Final Cut Pro
TrueSync Duplicator Audio and video synchronization plugin. TrueSync Final Cut Pro, Premiere Pro
Video Copilot Visual effects and motion graphics tools. Video Copilot After Effects
VizRT Broadcast graphics and live production software. VizRT Standalone
Yanobox Innovative visual effects plugins. Yanobox Final Cut Pro, Motion

SUMMARY

What struck me was the vast diversity of this list. Yes, longtime favorites were listed, but smaller companies also rated mention. Those links that are missing are for companies no longer in business, or I could not find them on the web using that name.

A comment I saw several times was that editors who were new to buying plugins were looking for recommendations. Any of the popular plugins listed here are respected in the industry for the quality of their effects and the ongoing support from the developer.


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14 Responses to Survey Says: What Media Plugins Are You Using?

  1. Nigel Clark says:

    Pixel Film Studio and Pixel Film Studios are same company. The name of open text responses. Moves them up the list a bit.

    • Larry says:

      Nigel:

      Thanks for the heads up. Yeah, I was dealing with multiple spellings of the same thing throughout this survey. I’m sorry I missed this one.

      I’ve corrected the chart and the table. Thanks!

      Larry

  2. JR2 says:

    This is quite the comprehensive list Larry! I’ve spent over an hour already checking out some vfx tools that were unfamiliar to me and saved it to resume that effort later on.

  3. Thank you for your hard work, it helps us more than you probably realize. It is also now a resource, sort of a recommendation list.

  4. Dennis Mahaffay says:

    Thank you for the work you put into this, Larry. I’m still doing research on the list thanks to you.

  5. Great list, one little change.

    Knights of the Editing Table makes plugins for Premiere Pro (that should be part of the program) not Final Cut Pro.

  6. very helpful summary Larry for us forever NLE Newbies!

  7. Hi Larry:

    Kudos for all your work in compiling this extensive and extremely helpful list. I see many familiar vendors as well as numerous new contenders! Can’t wait to research the latter when I get a moment.

    Cheers

  8. Patrick Flaherty says:

    Larry, I have many of the digital juice products on disc, so I have created a spread sheet for the stock footage. I know because they closed up shop it isn’t very useful. We also use free music from You Tube and music from Adobe that we have a license for. This is really useful information, thank you.

  9. Eric Dean Freese says:

    Sorry to say it, but there seems to be a whole lot of bad links and sites that Chrome flags as security risks.

    • Larry Jordan says:

      Eric:

      Hmmm. I thought I checked these. But I used safari. I’ll check these again.

      It is never my intent to post bad links.

      UPDATE: Yup there were a TON of bad links here. I clearly did not check these closely enough. All are fixed.

      Thanks,

      Larry

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