Blackmagic in free Fusion frenzy

Following in the footsteps of its decision to let people use DaVinci Resolve for free, Blackmagic Design has unleashed another software powerhouse upon the world at no cost.

Fusion 7 is described by BMD as “the world’s most advanced visual effects and motion graphics software” and is said to have been one of Hollywood’s leading visual effects and motion graphic tools for over 25 years, used on thousands of film and television projects.

The tools available in the suite include 3D compositing, paint, rotoscope, retiming, stabilization, titling, a 3D particle generator and multiple keyers. It’s all node-based (like Resolve) and, frankly, quite a lot to get your head around. But if you’ve got the enthusiasm, the projects and the time, the software should be able to do almost anything, it seems.

Blackmagic aren’t stupid of course – there is a paid version as well ($995 USD) but this really is for the kind of people who won’t even blink at the price since it offers functions such as network rendering, 3D production tools, and multi-user project management.

About the only thing the paid version offers that anyone will wince at not getting in the free one is OFX effects compatibility (which lets you plug in tools from other vendors). Fusion 7 is said to come with a variety of inbuilt tools though so this may not be much of an issue.

Get your grubby mitts on the download (for Windows only at the moment) at https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/products/fusion