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Motion Graphics & Animation

Red Giant (Maxon)

Maxon's plugin suite for After Effects, Premiere and Resolve: Trapcode, Magic Bullet and Universe, with AI-powered Scene Light.

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Best for
Pro: editors and motion designers
Free plan
Free trial only
Agent-ready (MCP / API)
No
Platforms
Windows, macOS
Last verified
Oct 15, 2026

Overview

Red Giant is the plugin layer many After Effects artists use for particles, flares and finishing. Maxon says it also runs in Resolve, Final Cut and Apple Motion. Maxon’s Red Giant 2027.0 notes describe Scene Light as AI-powered true 3D lighting that travels even behind foreground objects; the rest of the suite is conventional effects and finishing tools. We didn’t capture current prices.

Who it's for

A good fit if you are…

  • Motion designers and editors who want particles, glows, flares and finishing effects inside their existing editor
  • People who want one plugin subscription across hosts

Another tool may suit you better if you are…

  • Anyone who wants a standalone app
  • Beginners looking for a single free tool

Pricing

Subscription, also bundled in Maxon One. No price is quoted here. As of Oct 2026, verify.

  • Includes Universe plugins, Capsules and Cineversity training, per Maxon.
  • Runs in After Effects, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Apple Motion, Final Cut Pro, Avid, Autograph and Cinema 4D, per Maxon.

Prices as of Oct 2026 (checked Oct 15, 2026), verify before buying. Source: vendor pricing page.

Key features

  • Trapcode Particular and Form particles
  • Magic Bullet Looks colour grading
  • Real Lens Flares, keying and VFX tools
  • Scene Light (2027.0): AI-powered true 3D relighting of footage that Maxon says reaches behind foreground objects
  • Maxon Studio template library

Integrations: After Effects, Premiere Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Apple Motion, Final Cut Pro, Avid Media Composer, Autograph, Cinema 4D.

Agent-ready? No. Plugin suite; Maxon's page lists an AI-powered Scene Light effect but no agent or MCP access.

Pros and good to know

Drawn from the vendor's own documentation and public sources.

Pros

  • Works inside the editors people already use
  • Long-running toolset (Maxon says over 20 years)
  • Template library included
  • Scene Light adds AI-powered relighting in 2027.0

Good to know

  • Subscription pricing
  • Plugins need a host app, which may be paid too
  • Requires a MyMaxon account and EULA acceptance

Alternatives

  • Adobe After Effects: Adobe's motion graphics and visual effects app, with an AI Assistant (public beta), AI-powered Object Matte and a large plugin ecosystem.
  • Autograph (Maxon): Maxon's free motion graphics and VFX compositing app, with a built-in MCP server for AI assistants.
  • Cinema 4D (Maxon): Professional 3D animation software built around MoGraph, with Redshift rendering and a built-in MCP server.

Sources

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