The HitFilm video editing suite by FXhome may not be as well known as Apple’s Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere, despite the fact that it is every bit as fully featured and capable. HitFilm is a lightweight, easy-to-use software package, making it the perfect choice for both experienced video editing professionals as well as those who are just getting started producing social media video content.
One of the most impressive aspects of hitfilm is its speed – during our testing, the package was ultra-responsive, with zero lagging whilst scrubbing around the timeline – even whilst using high-resolution source footage. A range of color depths are supported in resolutions of up to 8K, and your final export can be generated in glorious 32-bit floating point color. The latest version of the software – 2022.1 – has added enhanced GPU-acceleration support, enabling 2x faster exports and 8x faster playback.
There is currently no universally supported plugin format for working with video content, so video editing software often lives or dies on the quality of the plugins that are supplied with each individual software package. It’s only natural then that FXhome has invested considerable time and resources into creating several world-class video editing plugins to complement their hitfilm software. Here are just three of the best:
Mocha Hitfilm
You may already be aware of Mocha Pro; this software has been around for some time in various guises including Mocha AVX, Mocha for Adobe, and Mocha OFX. Mocha is the absolute gold standard when it comes to motion tracking, and FXhome knew that they needed a compatible version of this essential software package if their hitfilm video editing suite was to be a success.
The hitfilm version of Mocha sports a streamlined interface providing quick access to all of the motion tracking tools that you’ll need to quickly create professional grade results. Whilst FXHomes own 3D Camera Tracker plugin is capable of replicating some of the features present in Mocha, the quality of the image stabilization offered by Mocha Hitfilm is quite simply second-to-none and complements the features of FXhomes own tools perfectly.
Boris 3D Objects
If your project requires you to implement complex 3D objects, the Boris 3D Objects plugin for HitFilm is an absolute must. This plugin is identical to the version found in the free versions of HitFilm, so if you have just upgraded to the professional version there is no learning curve to worry about here. The 3D Objects plugin can import 3D objects directly from Cinema 4D, includes hundreds of drag and drop presets, and auto-animation functionality for title rolls, crawls, fades, and zooms.
The Boris 3D Objects plugin can be considered a free demonstration and offers a great value upgrade path to the full Boris FX Continuum plugin suite that boasts even more advanced functionality in several widely used video-editing techniques. The best part is that the Hitfilm version of the software is significantly cheaper than those for Final Cut and Adobe Premiere, making this the ideal implementation of Boris 3D Objects for those who are just starting out or are working to a limited budget.
3D Camera Tracker
Foundry’s 3D Camera Tracker plugin has been a staple of the more “professional” video editing suites for years now and has been used in countless blockbuster movies from the likes of Pixar, Disney, and other leading studios. Integrating this plugin with HitFilm was a major priority for FXhome for some time, and its eventual release in April 2020 caused a huge amount of buzz amongst the Hitfilm community.
The 3D Camera Tracker plugin integrates motion tracking and match-moving tools directly with the Hitfilm timeline, allowing artists to create a virtual camera whose movement matches that of the original camera without ever having to leave the HitFilm environment.
3D Camera Tracker replicates the motion of a 2D camera with an animated 3D camera, allowing artists to composite 2D and 3D elements accurately and with reference to the original camera used for the shot. There are seemingly endless options for refining your results, advanced 3D preview functionality, and dozens of additional options to improve your efficiency and accuracy on even the trickiest of tracking-based tasks.
Wider Plugin Compatibility
The latest version of the Hitfilm software adds support for Adobe After Effects plugins, effectively adding support for thousands more industry standard plugins that were previously only available to users of the much more expensive and complicated Creative Suite software library.
FXhome is committed to further improving their Hitfilm software suite in the future, so if you haven’t tried it yet, what are you waiting for? What’s New in Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve 18?