What is Magic Bullet Grinder?

Get video out of your DSLR and into your timeline fast. Magic Bullet Grinder is the easiest tool for transcoding and managing video from digital SLRs. Grinder is a simple stand-alone batch processing tool that takes your list of files, adds timecode, offers a proxy option, gives format choices for codec output.

The idea for Grinder came 'straight from the movies'. Stu Maschwitz, Creative Director for Magic Bullet products at Red Giant, came to us with a problem. Stu couldn't easily get a set of transcoded files from footage that he shot on his Canon 5D Mark II.

The solution for Stu needed to have three features:
- One, a master file that Stu could immmediately use to create the final rendered cuts for his finished piece.
- Two, a proxy version of that file which is small enough to send to Stu's editor in a different city.
- Three, since Canon cameras do not natively generate timecode, Stu needed a way to match the main formats to the proxy formats. For this, he wanted a timecode burn-in that appears in the files, a feature which is very common for telecine film.

The development of Grinder found all of these solutions, and that is what you are reading about right now.

 

 

What is transcoding?

Transcoding is the direct digital-to-digital conversion of one encoded file format to another. The purpose of transcoding is to convert data into a format that is more suitable for your work.

Grinder can simultaneously transcode as many files as there are cores. If you have 8 cores, Grinder works on 8 simultaneous files. On a 4 core machine, 4 files. NOTE: There is an 8 core cap; if you are on a 12 core machine, Grinder will only use 8 cores.

 

 

Main Features

Grinder is a stand-alone application that will typically reside in your Applications folder. Its features include:

  • A simple batch processing interface that requires a few easy steps.
  • Timecode support for any .mov file including original Canon format files.
  • Support for ProRes 4:4:4, HQ, Standard, LT or PhotoJPEG media for online work.
  • Support for proxy formats in ProRes LT and PhotoJPEG media, ranging from quarter resolution to 1080p.
  • Batch processing that is multi-threaded for speed.
  • Conform files to one frame rate. Convert 30p and 60p media to 24p or 25p for high quality slow-motion use.
  • Timecode/frame number burn-in for easy matching of specific frames from offline to online media
  • Automatic file name burn-in for proxies to track offline files.
  • Three options for Timecode handling, including using your camera's EXIF data as timecode.
  • File name options and templates to customize the main and proxy output.