In Review: Boris Continuum Complete 6

DV by Ned Solz

If you could only purchase one comprehensive set of plug-ins for your NLE, the answer is simple: Boris Continuum Complete. Currently at a well-seasoned version 6, BorisFx offers Continuum Complete for AE (After Effects and Premiere), FxPlug (Apple Final Cut Studio and Final Cut Express), AVX (including Media Composer 3.5, Newscutter, Symphony and a version specific to Avid DS 10 or greater) and Sparks (Flint, Flame, Inferno and Smoke). Sparks remains at version 5 for the moment. The ability to support such a wide range of NLE and motion graphics/compositing packages is in itself a tribute to Boris. The fact that the performance and quality is consistent across all of these diverse hosts is nothing less than miraculous.

Boris Continuum Complete is a collection of over 200 filters in categories including 3D objects, Colors and Blurs, Effects, Keys and Mattes, Time, Distortion/Perspective, Generators, Lights, Shaders, Wipe Transitions and OpenGL. While the filter collection remains consistent across the various supported platforms, the filters are naturally subject to whatever features or limitations the host application offers.

For example, Fx Plug architecture offers fewer options for on-screen controls than do AE versions. The AVX version offers integration with After Effects, allowing the transfer of BCC keyframes created in After Effects to be transferred to the Avid timeline. Also, the AVX version now supports Avid’s new AVX 2 HUD UI along with the new advanced keyframing. The Fx Plug version allows real time previews through the fx plug architecture, while the AE version supports After Effect’s lighting and camera systems. The AE version lacks the preset browser found within the FxPlug version. FxPlug also allows filters to be combined in what is called a BCS filter, to be discussed below. read more...