Review: Red Giant PluralEyes 4

Usability and Functionality

Functionally, I found PluralEyes 4 to be just as reliable and speedy as any previous version that I’ve used. Having been a PluralEyes user since it was introduced by Singular Software, I can say without a doubt that this application changed my editing life. I think back to 2010 when the DSLR video market was just getting off the ground. Syncing DSLR footage with audio captured separately was an exercise in frustration. It felt like I had to go backwards to the days of working with film and dual-system recording. The value and quality of having separately recorded audio is well-known to many. However, the idea of having to manually sync audio with or without a clap was deterring.

With dual-system recording, there is another major opportunity for error. Take your audio recording as an example. If you or your recordist makes a mistake with the recording settings, like a wrong bit rate, you can have audio that won’t stay in sync with your video. If you’ve ever run into this, you know how much of a time suck correcting it can be. The editor usually has to make cuts at multiple points throughout the audio track and continually shift the audio down a frame or two at a time in order to mitigate the drift.

Enter PluralEyes to save the day (Figure 3, below). The downsides of having separate audio tracks are nullified. Not only will PluralEyes sync your video automatically to your audio; the new Automatic Drift Correction function can innately sense when there is drift and correct it. You can even toggle it on or off to see the original audio.

Figure 3. Three out of four tracks synced with PluralEyes. Click the image to se it at full size.

If you’ve been waiting for a significant set of improvements to decide whether to upgrade or buy into PluralEyes 4, the time is right. With tight Premiere Pro integration, stellar syncronization capabilities, and automatic drift correction, PluralEyes remains one of the best utilities that postproduction pros can get.