At first glance, 2024.1 didn’t make headlines with a single marquee effect; instead it tightened the screws on workflow and expanded utility in places that actually matter day to day. Updates focused on performance improvements across the board, quicker render previews, and subtle usability refinements within the Universe panel that reduced friction for artists hopping between applications like Premiere Pro, After Effects, and Final Cut Pro. These changes echoed a pragmatic understanding: tools are most valuable when they remove friction, not add spectacle.
Magic Bullet Looks received a reimagined color management integration, making it faster and more user-friendly. Enhanced support for Unreal Engine integration allows users to leverage the latest version of UE with Magic Bullet Looks, now natively supporting the Movie Render Queue.
Universe 2024.1 offers broad compatibility with leading editing platforms:
is a pivotal software update from Maxon that introduces dedicated cinematic bokeh tools, an optimized engine framework, and major workflow upgrades across the broader Red Giant eco-system. Designed for video editors, motion designers, and visual effects (VFX) artists, this version significantly improves rendering performance while expanding creative styling capabilities inside popular host applications like Adobe After Effects, Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve. Core New Features in Universe 2024.1 Red Giant Universe 2024.1
Create seamless energy shifts with uni.Glow and dynamic camera shakes with uni.CameraShake .
tool by adding a "Light Ball" core projection. This adds a physical sense of "presence" to digital flares, making them look like they are reacting to the glass of a real camera lens. Color Synergy
Maxon has centralized its product management through the Maxon App, which allows users to download, install, and manage all Maxon products, including Universe, from a single interface. The software is available through subscription, with options including standalone Universe subscriptions and the comprehensive Maxon One bundle. At first glance, 2024
, released by Maxon , introduces a redesigned framework and powerful bokeh effects to streamline the post-production process for video editors and motion designers. Operating as a GPU-accelerated plugin suite, it integrates into host applications like Adobe After Effects, Adobe Premiere Pro, and DaVinci Resolve. This release optimizes rendering speeds and adds tools to simulate organic optical behaviors directly inside your timeline. Understanding Red Giant Universe 2024.1
The highlight of Universe 2024.1 is the introduction of two powerful new tools: . Both are designed to produce beautiful, realistic shallow depth-of-field effects and focus transitions with significantly faster rendering performance.
Perhaps most importantly, both new Bokeh tools—along with the existing uni.Blur plugin—are built on a new high-performance rendering framework. This enhancement offers nonlinear editors and compositors a real-time experience with Maxon products. Maxon has indicated that this performance framework will be expanded to other Universe tools in future releases, promising ongoing speed improvements across the entire plugin library. Magic Bullet Looks received a reimagined color management
A new specialized tool simulates realistic camera lens blur and customizable highlights, allowing editors to create beautiful background blur directly inside their timeline.
Target use: music videos, sci-fi interfaces, cyberpunk transitions.
: A dedicated variation of the bokeh engine designed for non-linear editors. It allows creators to transition seamlessly between two video clips using a stylized, de-focused optical blur.