Boris FX Sapphire 2027 brings performance improvements and new creative tools to its visual effects plugin suite. The release introduces two new effects, Halation and MultiTone, alongside improved GPU rendering, expanded procedural textures, and additional controls across existing tools.

For video editors, motion designers, and VFX artists, the update offers more ways to develop film-inspired looks, customize colors, and create visual effects while reducing rendering time in supported configurations.

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How Much Faster Is Sapphire 2027?

One of the biggest changes in Sapphire 2027 is its improved GPU rendering performance. Boris FX reports up to 77% less rendering time in its published benchmarks, although actual results vary depending on the host application and hardware.

The company's tests compared Sapphire 2026.5 and Sapphire 2027 across selected effects in three host applications.

Host application and test configuration	Reduction in combined render time
Premiere Pro – Windows, NVIDIA A5000	54.7%
Premiere Pro – M2 Mac Studio	76.6%
DaVinci Resolve – Tested configurations	13.3%–29.0%
After Effects – Tested configurations	6.7%–10.2%

The tests covered 48 selected effects in Premiere Pro and 49 in Resolve and After Effects. The results represent reductions in combined render time, not guaranteed performance increases for every effect or workstation.

One important detail is that the Premiere Pro comparison used Adobe's GPU Suite disabled in Sapphire 2026.5 and enabled in Sapphire 2027. The results therefore reflect this change alongside the Sapphire version update.

Sapphire 2027 also improves support for Adobe's GPU Suite on Metal and NVIDIA systems. Boris FX's published benchmark results provide the complete test data and hardware configurations.

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New Effects for Film-Inspired Looks and Color Treatment

Sapphire 2027 introduces two new effects that expand its existing creative toolkit.

Sapphire Halation

Sapphire Halation recreates the reddish glow associated with analog film. Halation occurs when bright areas of film images produce a soft light bleed around the edges of darker areas.

The new effect gives artists control over how this appearance is applied to digital footage. Its parameters include:

• Halo Strength: Controls the brightness of the halation.
• Halo Width: Adjusts the distance covered by the effect.
• Halo Color Spread: Changes the color from red through orange to yellow.
• Threshold: Determines which bright areas generate the effect.

Artists can also combine Halation with other effects through Sapphire Builder. For example, a processing chain can include halation, film stock color, contrast adjustments, and grain to create a customized film-inspired treatment.

Boris FX notes that Halation produces its most predictable color when applied in a linear color space.

Sapphire MultiTone

Sapphire MultiTone introduces more control over color mapping. The effect interpolates between up to eight specified colors based on the brightness of the source footage.

Users can enable or disable individual colors, allowing them to customize how different brightness levels are represented in the resulting image.

This provides another way to create stylized color treatments and adjust the appearance of footage beyond conventional single-color adjustments.

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TextureCells Adds a New Bubbles Mode

Sapphire TextureCells receives a new Bubbles mode with three options for generating different bubble-like forms, including soft domes and puffy shapes.

The procedural effect can also be used to create visuals resembling bubbles, fireflies, and ink spots without requiring existing footage as a starting point.

Users can begin with a preset and adjust the available parameters to create different variations. This expands TextureCells' existing capabilities for generating procedural visual elements.

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Additional Improvements Across Sapphire

Beyond the new effects, Sapphire 2027 introduces several updates to its existing tools:

• Lens Flares: Adds new flare options and improves rendering performance for Lens Flares that use textures or shadows.
• Texture Effects: Adds three additional colors to 13 effects, including Clouds, Gradients, TextureCells, TextureFlux, TextureRidges, and TextureSpots.
• Builder: Adds the ability to enable or disable all parameters across its nodes. The Noise tool also receives three additional colors.
• WarpPolar: Introduces additional edge parameters for more control over the effect.

The release also includes new presets and performance improvements for most GPU-based Sapphire effects.

These changes extend the existing effect library while providing additional options for customizing visual treatments and managing effect parameters.

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Sapphire 2027 Compatibility and Availability

Sapphire 2027 is available as a plugin for:

• Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro
• Avid Media Composer
• Autodesk Flame
• Blackmagic Design DaVinci Resolve
• Foundry Nuke
• VEGAS Pro

Actual compatibility depends on the host application version, operating system, and hardware configuration. Users should review the official Sapphire compatibility specifications before installing or purchasing the software.

For existing customers, Sapphire 2027 is a free update for users with an active Sapphire subscription or Upgrade & Support plan. It is also included with Boris FX Suite subscriptions. Eligible customers can download the updated installer through the Boris FX Hub.

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Get Boris FX Sapphire from Motion Media

Sapphire 2027 expands its visual effects toolkit with faster GPU rendering, new film-inspired effects, more flexible color controls, and additional procedural texture options.

Whether you're using Adobe applications, Avid Media Composer, or an OFX-compatible host, choosing the appropriate Sapphire license is important for your production setup.

Explore Boris FX Sapphire licensing options at Motion Media. As an authorized Boris FX reseller, Motion Media offers Sapphire licenses for supported host applications.

Explore Boris FX Sapphire at Motion Media