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    Magic Bullet Reviews, pricing and alternatives 2026

    Red Giant's color grading and cinematic look suite for After Effects and Premiere.

    From 50€/mo.

    Best for
    Content creatorDesigner
    What it does
    Color grading
    Effets visuels

    Magic Bullet

    ToolTrim Verdict
    4.0/5
    Very good

    Worth it to stay in the Adobe flow.

    View offerExplore around Magic Bullet

    Pricing verified on

    Our take

    Understanding Magic Bullet.

    Magic Bullet is Red Giant's color grading and cinematic look suite, designed to stay in the Adobe flow. Its star product, Looks, lets you apply full cinema grades in a few clicks. The suite adds Colorista (fine color correction), Denoiser (noise reduction) and Cosmo (skin smoothing). For an editor who wants a pro look without diving into manual grading, it's fast and effective.

    Like the rest of Red Giant, Magic Bullet is no longer sold alone: it comes via the Red Giant Complete subscription (~$50/month) or Maxon One. The real trade-off is DaVinci Resolve: free, it's now the most complete grading tool on the market. Magic Bullet mostly makes sense to stay in After Effects/Premiere without switching apps. If you're fine grading in Resolve, you can skip it entirely.

    Practical uses

    • Apply a cinema look to a video in After Effects or Premiere
    • Finely correct colorsColorista
    • Clean up grainDenoiser
    • Smooth skin on video portraits (Cosmo)

    Pros and cons

    What Magic Bullet does especially well — and the limits to anticipate.

    Pros

    • Looks: cinema grades in a few clicks
    • Stays in the After Effects/Premiere flow
    • Fine correction (Colorista) and denoising (Denoiser) included
    • Included in Red Giant Complete and Maxon One

    Cons

    • No longer sold alone: you need all of Red Giant Complete (~$50/month)
    • DaVinci Resolve grades for free and more completely
    • Subscription only, no perpetual license
    • Overkill for an edit with no look requirement

    Magic Bullet: when it makes sense.

    Worth it to stay in the Adobe flow. If you grade in DaVinci Resolve, it's an avoidable duplicate.

    Keep if

    You want to grade and apply a cinematic look without leaving After Effects/Premiere. You also use other Red Giant suites (the bundle becomes worth it)

    Magic Bullet becomes worthwhile when
    • You use it at least once a week
    • The monthly cost (€50) is small next to the time it saves you

    Challenge if

    You're fine grading in DaVinci Resolve (free and more complete). Your edit has no cinematic-look requirement

    Magic Bullet becomes too expensive when
    • You use it less than once a month
    • davinci-resolve (free) already covers the essentials for occasional use

    How much does Magic Bullet cost?

    This tool is included in Ae Red Giant. See pricing and plans on the suite's page.
    Red Giant Complete50€/mo

    Via Red Giant Complete (~$50/month, $599/year) or Maxon One. No longer sold standalone.

    Official pricing sourceverified on

    Best alternatives to Magic Bullet.

    Magic Bullet logo

    Magic BulletCurrent

    Red Giant's color grading and cinematic look suite for After Effects and Premiere.

    4.0ToolTrim score
    Monthly price
    50€
    Free plan
    No
    Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite preview
    Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite logo
    Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite

    Colour grading and cinematic look suite: Looks, Colorista, Denoiser.

    3.5ToolTrim score
    Monthly price
    9€
    Free plan
    No
    DaVinci Resolve preview
    DaVinci Resolve logo
    DaVinci Resolve

    Editing, colour grading, VFX, and audio in one software. Free.

    3.9ToolTrim score
    Monthly price
    Free
    Free plan
    Included

    Magic Bullet Summary

    Category
    productivity tool.
    Price from
    50€/mo (Red Giant Complete).
    Best for
    professionals.
    Avoid if
    You're fine grading in DaVinci Resolve (free and more complete); Your edit has no cinematic-look requirement.
    Alternatives
    Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite, DaVinci Resolve.
    ToolTrim verdict
    Worth it to stay in the Adobe flow.

    Our verdict on Magic Bullet.

    Why this verdict

    Very good

    Magic Bullet is hard to replace short-term, no free tier to test before paying, clearly documented use cases.

    Tool FAQ

    Frequently asked questions about Magic Bullet

    Pricing, usage, alternatives, and context: useful answers before adding one more tool to your stack.

    What is Magic Bullet used for?

    Red Giant's color grading and cinematic look suite for After Effects and Premiere.

    How much does Magic Bullet cost?

    Magic Bullet costs €50/month (Red Giant Complete plan). Price verified on 2026-06-17.

    Is Magic Bullet suitable for beginners?

    Magic Bullet suits most professionals. See the "Who is it for" section for details.

    Is Magic Bullet worth the price?

    Worth it to stay in the Adobe flow. If you grade in DaVinci Resolve, it's an avoidable duplicate.

    What are the best alternatives to Magic Bullet?

    The main alternatives to Magic Bullet are: Red Giant Magic Bullet Suite, DaVinci Resolve. Free alternatives: DaVinci Resolve.

    Is there a free alternative to Magic Bullet?

    Yes, davinci-resolve is a free alternative to Magic Bullet.