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Review: FXhome’s HitFilm Pro 12 for editing, compositing, VFX

By Brady Betzel

If you have ever worked in Adobe Premiere Pro, Apple FCP X or Avid Media Composer and wished you could just flip a tab and be inside After Effects, with access to 3D objects directly in your timeline, you are going to want to take a look at FXhome’s HitFilm Pro 12.

Similar to how Blackmagic brought Fusion inside of its most recent versions of DaVinci Resolve, HitFilm Pro offers a nonlinear editor, a composite/VFX suite and a finishing suite combined into one piece of software. Haven’t heard about HitFilm yet? Let me help fill in some blanks.

Editing and 3D model Import

Editing and 3D model Import

What is HitFilm Pro 12?
Technically, HitFilm Pro 12 is a non-subscription-based nonlinear editor, compositor and VFX suite that costs $299. Not only does that price include 12 months of updates and tech support, but one license can be used on up to three computers simultaneously. In my eyes, HitFilm Pro is a great tool set for independent filmmakers, social media content generators and any editor who goes beyond editing and dives into topics like 3D modeling, tracking, keying, etc. without having to necessarily fork over money for a bunch of expensive third-party plugins. That doesn’t mean you won’t want to buy third-party plugins, but you are less likely to need them with HitFilm’s expansive list of native features and tools.

At my day job, I use Premiere, After Effects, Media Composer and Resolve. I often come home and want to work in something that has everything inside, and that is where HitFilm Pro 12 lives. Not only does it have the professional functionality that I am used to, such as trimming, color scopes and more, but it also has BorisFX’s Mocha planar tracking plugin built in for no extra cost. This is something I use constantly and love.

One of the most interesting and recent updates to HitFilm Pro 12 is the ability to use After Effects plugins. Not all plugins will work since there are so many, but in a video released after NAB 2019, HitFilm said plugins like Andrew Kramer’s Video CoPilot Element3D and ones from Red Giant are on the horizon. If you are within your support window, or you continue to purchase HitFilm, FXhome will work with you to get your favorite After Effects plugins working directly inside of HitFilm.

Timeline and 3D model editor

Some additional updates to HitFilm Pro 12 include a completely redesigned user interface that resembles Premiere Pro… kind of. Threaded rendering has also been added, so Windows users who have Intel and Nvidia hardware will see increased GPU speeds, the ability to add title directly in the editor and more.

The Review
So how doees HitFilm Pro 12 compare to today’s modern software packages? That is an interesting question. I have become more and more of a Resolve convert over the past two years, so I am constantly comparing everything to that. In addition, being an Avid user for over 15 years, I am used to a rock-solid NLE with only a few hiccups here and there. In my opinion, HitFilm 12 lands itself right where Premiere and FCP X live.

It feels prosumer-y, in a YouTuber or content-generator capacity. Would it stand up to 10 hours of abuse with content over 45 minutes? It probably would, but much like with Premiere, I would probably split my edits in scenes or acts to avoid slowdowns, especially when importing things like OBJ files or composites.

The nonlinear editor portion feels like Premiere and FCP X had a baby, but left out FCP X’s Magnetic Timeline feature. The trimming in the timeline feels smooth, and after about 20 minutes of getting comfortable with it I felt like it was what I am generally used to. Cutting in footage feels good using three-point edits or simply dragging and dropping. Using effects feels very similar to the Adobe world, where you can stack them on top of clips and they each affect each other from the top down.

Mocha within HitFilm Pro

Where HitFilm Pro 12 shines is in the inclusion of typically third-party plugins directly in the timeline. From the ability to create a scene with 3D cameras and particle generators to being able to track using BorisFX’s Mocha, HitFilm Pro 12 has many features that will help take your project to the next level. With HitFilm 12 Pro’s true 3D cameras, you can take flat text and enhance it with raytraced lighting, shadows and even textures. You can even use the included BorisFX Continuum 3D Objects to make great titles relatively easily. To take it a step further, you can even track them and animate them.

Color Tools
By day, I am an online editor/colorist who deals with the finishing aspect of media creation. Throughout the process, from color correction to exporting files, I need tools that are not only efficient but accurate. When I started to dig into the color correction side of HitFilm Pro 12, things slowed down for me. The color correction tools are very close to what you’ll find in other NLEs, like Premiere and FCP X, but they don’t quite rise to the level of Resolve. HitFilm Pro 12 does operate inside of a 32-bit color pipeline, which really helps avoid banding and other errors when color correcting. However, I didn’t feel that the toolset was making me more efficient; in fact, it was the opposite. I felt like I had to learn FXhome’s way of doing it. It wasn’t that it totally slowed me down, but I felt it could be better.

Color

Color

Summing Up
In the end, HitFilm 12 Pro will fill a lot of holes for individual content creators. If you love learning new things (like I do), then HitFilm Pro 12 will be a good investment of your time. In fact, FXhome post tons of video tutorials on all sorts of good and topical stuff, like how to create a Stranger Things intro title.

If you are a little more inclined to work with a layer-based workflow, like in After Effects, then HitFilm Pro Pro 12 is the app you’ll want to learn. Check out HitFilm Pro 12 on FXhome’s website and definitely watch some of the company’s informative tutorials.


Brady Betzel is an Emmy-nominated online editor at Margarita Mix in Hollywood, working on Life Below Zero and Cutthroat Kitchen. You can email Brady at bradybetzel@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @allbetzroff.


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