How Video Effects Take Film From Ordinary to Remarkable

Quick – think of your favorite movie!

No matter which film came to mind, whether it was a romantic comedy, drama, or action film, it’s bound to be full of video effects – some you may not have even noticed!

Video effects software and CGI have become increasingly popular and accessible to both independent and high-budget filmmakers as they create videos with stunning details, manipulations, and edits. Armed with the right tools and the knowledge of what effects you want to add, any kind of video can rise to the next level and become a visually stunning work of art.

Types of video effects

To create next-level movie magic on film, it’s best to learn the various types of video effects to choose from. 

Visible effects vs. invisible effects

Most VFX can be broken down into visible effects and invisible effects.

Visible effects give the video an unmistakable look and feel that viewers recognize as they happen. These special effects include changes in speed, animated transitions, reflections, slow motion, distortions, filters, color grading, sound effects, or 3D elements. When the video editor is good at their job, these effects enhance the storytelling, change the mood, and improve the visuals.

Invisible effects are effects in movies and videos that the audience doesn’t register because the goal is for them not to be noticeable. Film editors do these with various editing tools and typically include color correction, fixing shaky or glitchy footage, or more subtle changes meant to make something look more or less realistic. 

Commonly used video effects

There are so many special effects that can be added to films, but they usually depend on the software or video effects app a filmmaker is using and what it has to offer. Regardless, there are some commonly used video effects that most tools have in their arsenal. 

• Color correction: Fixing problems in film footage, like exposure, brightness, shadows, or white balance. There’s also secondary color correction, which allows for fine-tuning or even changing colors altogether.
• Color grading: Adding color to adjust the mood or feel of the film.
• Video stabilization: Sometimes, filmmakers end up with footage that’s a little shaky, which can be fixed with a video stabilizer. 
• Slow or fast motion: This works by manipulating a video’s playback speed to add humor or tension to a scene. It also helps draw the audience’s attention to a key detail or moment. 
• Motion tracking: Editors use motion tracking to apply an effect or “pin” something to a specific object in a video image. For example, filmmakers use motion tracking to place a video on a TV screen during a scene where characters are watching the news.
• Light leaks: When the lens and camera seals aren’t aligned correctly, light enters the lens, potentially distorting the footage. While this can be hard to control when filming, post-production can add or edit leaks when necessary.
• Camera blur: Changing the camera's focal range blurs a clip of footage. It only blurs the keyframe that has been selected, not the whole image.
• Masking: Masking is when editors select a specific piece of video or use overlays to hide, reveal, modify, or duplicate specific footage. Once the mask footage is isolated, it can be edited or manipulated further.
• Cropping: This is the process of moving or adjusting the edges of an image or video clip. With this technique, you can remove unwanted or distracting portions of the video clip or alter dimensions.

No matter what type of look you're going for, like adding smoke, fog, or glitch effects, video editing software gives filmmakers the creative edge for their projects. Whether the footage is shot on a smartphone or a high-definition film camera, VFX gives them many possibilities.

Best video effects software

Video effects software allows users to edit or alter video files with custom effects. These tools often have a range of features, from special effects to CGI elements. They’re most commonly used by film producers, artists, and special effects engineers as they create films, TV shows, or other visual media. 

To qualify for inclusion in the video effects category, a product must:

• Let users alter or overlay video files with custom, imported, or pre-configured effects
• Be able to work with other video products and export finished files into various file types
• Provide an effects creator allowing users to edit effects to their specific needs

* Below are the top five leading video effects software solutions from G2’s Summer 2022 Grid® Report. Some reviews may be edited for clarity. 

1. Adobe After Effects

Adobe After Effects is a powerful video editing solution that adds a variety of effects to any video. It’s used by motion graphics and visual effects artists to uplift the art of motion design. After Effects gives creators a long list of features designed to bring video to life.

What users like:

"This is the best platform that allows me to apply digital visual effects and motion graphics. I create stunning compositions in Adobe After Effects, then I apply so many effects to my images and video layers. Then I render a professional video with fantastic and phenomenal effects.”

- Adobe After Effects Review, Shaheer G.

What users dislike:

“The most problematic thing is its complexity. It's harder to learn than it seems. Once you do learn it, the bugs and the computing power required to run it smoothly with advanced transitions are just too much.”

- Adobe After Effects, Lalit A.

2. Blender

3D modeling, animation, and video editing: Blender can do it all. As an open-source 3D creation suite, Blender gives designers the freedom to create anything they can imagine on film. 

What users like:

“I like that it is open-source and accessible for all. I can do everything that is required to make animations, gaming, or video effects.”

- Blender Review, Garvit G.

What users dislike:

“I think the only downside I can think of is that the UI for newcomers can be a little overwhelming at first. It has improved a lot, but sometimes finding a specific feature isn't easy. It’s still evolving over time but again, that does make it tricky after some updates when a feature has been moved to another panel or has been renamed to something else entirely.”

- Blender Review, Jonathan S.

3. Wave.video

Wave.video combines a live streaming studio, video recording app, thumbnail maker, and video hosting platform in an all-in-one video tool for creators. It also boasts over 200 million stock footage photos, audio tracks, and over 1,000 customizable video templates.

What users like:

“Wave.video is a great software for beginners. It’s an all-in-one video editing software that’s easy to use and has features like captioning, audiogram creation, text-to-speech, and other useful add-ons. You can also adjust the size of your video. I love that I can edit individual details within the video which is something I can't do in other video editing software programs.”

- Wave.video Review, Michele D.

What users like:

“I think its video editing UI still needs improvement. It is not as intuitive as I would expect. What I primarily miss is the lack of separate tracks for everything: video clips, images, and audio. The good news though is that they are working on it so I hope it will be a lot better in the near future.”

- Wave.video Review, Laszlo C.

4. Motion

Motion is a powerful motion graphics tool that makes it easy for designers to create cinematic 2D or 3D titles, realistic effects, and fluid transition effects in real-time. It’s optimized for Apple Silicon and Apple Neural Engine so creating visual effects and motion graphics is effortless.

What users like:

“Motion is so incredibly easy to use, and its integration with Final Cut Pro is awesome. I love the interface and how powerful it is. Creating my own titles and motion graphics is a pleasure.”

- Motion Review, Matt C.

What users dislike:

“I think the one downfall to Motion, which has gotten better, is the time it takes to render and save videos. Especially with the videos that have a lot of movement to them, which creates a larger file size. Also, it seems that the compression you receive with Motion isn't to the degree of the compression you get with other software options.”

- Motion Review, Danny G.

5. RedGiant Effects Suite

RedGiant Effects Suite is a bundle of nine tools designed for editing, visual effects, and motion design. No matter what type of look and feel you’re aiming to create, chances are good RedGiant has the features and functionalities to make a stunning video.

What users like:

“The effects suite offers so much! RedGiant takes your videos well above and beyond what you could hope at just a few clicks. What I love about pretty much all RedGiant products is how much time they've put into them. The amount of presets that come with this, that need almost no tweaking, is fantastic!”

- RedGiant Effects Suite Review, Todd F.

What users dislike:

“This takes lots of computing power to use, almost all of the plugins in this suite make it harder to use in mid-range computers.”

- RedGiant Effects Suite Review, Arulanandhan S.

And... action!

These special and unique effects can take all different types of video footage to the next level. From home videos to Hollywood movies, your next video project will be spectacular – especially when you find the right software for your needs.

Take your video effects up a few notches by incorporating features you’ll only find in animation software.