Final Cut Pro Interface
Trapcode Starglow has been ported to run as an FX Plug in Final Cut Pro 5.1.4 and later. NOTE: Earlier versions of Final Cut Pro do NOT support FX Plug plug-ins. You will need to purchase an upgrade to Final Cut Pro 5.1.2 or later to use FX Plug plug-ins.
Interface
Trapcode Starglow offers nearly the same controls as the After Effects version, except for the presets under the Preset menu in each of the Colormap sections. The Starglow Filter is accessible from Effects > Video Fitlers > Trapcode > Starglow.
Final Cut Pro 5.1 and later does not support group hiding and revealing, meaing the interface for all control is shown and will require scrolling.
Colormap Presets
Starglow does not feature built-in presets under the Preset menu. This is a limitation of the Apple's FX Plug format.
Note: Presets are available as Favorites that you can drag and drop from the Effects tab or from the project window. Simply load this project by opening the Starglow filter in the original package. Simply drag and drop the preset onto a clip or Text object to apply a Starglow preset.
Floating-Point Support in Final Cut Pro
The Trapcode Starglow filter will support greater than 8-bit per channel output, but you have to change the Sequence settings to render using high-precision YUV. Choose Final Cut Pro > Audio/Video Settings... and then click the Sequence tab. Click the Edit... button to change the Sequence settings. You can then access and modify the Video processing options. Click the Render all YUV material in high-precision YUV button. See "Using the Video Processing Tab" in the Final Cut Pro manual for more information.
Preview Issues in the Final Cut Pro 6 Canvas window
The Final Cut Pro 6 Canvas window will show the results of Starglow rendering, but until the timeline is updated, the output will only show 8-bit rendering, no matter how the Sequence setting Video Processing option is set. This is due to differences in the way the Unlimited RT and Safe RT render engines are used to generate effect previews. When an effect is applied and adjusted, the Unlimited RT engine is used to generate the frame preview and ALWAYS clamps the output. This means that previews of high values in Streak Length and Boost Light can be very different from the final rendered image. To get an accurate preview, use the Sequence > Render All > Both (Option-R) to update the timeline.
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Final Cut Canvas Unrendered Boost Light=5 | Final Cut Canvas Rendered Boost Light = 5 |
Known Issue - Low Streak Length values causes artifacts
In Final Cut Pro, if you are using a YUV codec, source media that has or generates an alpha channel and the Streak Length controls is set to less than a value of 6, the plug-in can produce green artifacts outside the area of effect. The workaround to this issue is to create a Sequence that renders only in RGB using the video processing setting in the Audio/Video Settings... dialog. Or create the effect as media in Motion and embed the .motn file into the timeline.