Boris FX Sapphire 2026 Pays Homage to Physical Media

Miami, Florida, U.S.A. — November 20, 2025 — Boris FX Sapphire, the celebrated high-end effects and transition plugin collection, embraces its cinematic heritage with new tools built from real film and handcrafted textures. The 2026 release lets artists recreate the warm, unpredictable flashes and glowing leaks of genuine overexposed film while also adding a cutting-edge AI transition that delivers slick new editing options.

Boris FX Sapphire 2026: New S_FilmBurn Effect (download the image)

“FilmBurn and MochaWhip are the kind of tools that instantly feel like new Sapphire classics,” remarks Brian Fox, Chief Marketing Officer at Boris FX and Sapphire Product Manager. “They both offer stunning visuals, are creatively wide open, and endlessly fun to explore — unmistakably Sapphire.”

“Sapphire FilmBurn gives me all the messy, beautiful analog artifacts I love adding to editorial style mograph,” states Matt Barretto, Motion Director/Animator. “And the deep parameter set lets me shape them into something completely bespoke.”

Boris FX Sapphire 2026: New S_FilmBurn Transition (download the image)

Featured Highlights

S_FilmBurn uses high-resolution scans of physical film stock to recreate the beauty and imperfections of real analog burns.

The robust toolset gives users granular, flexible control over light leaks, lens flares, and natural film grain, as well as analog artifacts, such as perforation ghosts, leader elements, and burnt sprockets. S_FilmBurn is available as both an effect and a transition. 

S_MochaWhip is a highly stylized, energetic transition that is a perfect complement to fast-paced social media content, super cuts, and music videos. The transition uses built-in Mocha AI tools to instantly isolate a subject in one clip, cut it out, track it, and whip it into the next scene. It includes the full parameter set from S_WhipLash, a smooth, natural motion with ease-in, and allows users to adjust the clip’s foreground or background independently. 

Boris FX Sapphire 2026: New S_MochaWhip Transition (download the image)

Sapphire’s most popular effect, S_LensFlare, adds a new Pro Lens Flare Pack, inspired by authentic cinema optics from anamorphic streaks to subtle bloom and diffusion. Each of the eight flares is handcrafted by professional VFX artists.

Boris FX Sapphire 2026: New Pro Lens Flare Pack (download the image)

The S_Grunge effect expands with fresh high-resolution stamps captured from physical sources. The real-life texture collection features 80+ stamps based on oil paint, chalk, ink, sponge, and splatter materials. 

Boris FX Sapphire 2026: New S_EffectBuilder Preset (download the image)

The Effect Builder, which allows artists to create advanced multi-layered effects, looks, and transitions, gets a significant boost. Visual parameter linking delivers a more dynamic workflow, allowing users to hover over drivers and driven connections in real time. Additionally, eleven new curated presets showcase the stunning, complex effects artists can create with Builder. 

Pricing 

Sapphire is available as a plugin collection with subscriptions, upgrade & support plans, and perpetual licenses. Subscriptions start at $545/year or $80/month. See pricing for more details. 

Host support includes Adobe After Effects and Premiere Pro, Avid Media Composer, and OFX hosts such as Autodesk Flame, Foundry Nuke, Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, and VEGAS Pro.

Customers on current Sapphire or Boris FX Suite subscriptions or Sapphire upgrade & support plans receive the 2026 release as a free update. Learn more about Sapphire.

Assets

Sapphire 2026 branding toolkit
Sapphire 2026: Intro to S_FilmBurn Effect (video)
Sapphire 2026: Intro to S_MochaWhip Transition (video)
Sapphire 2026: 9 Things You Don’t Know About Lens Flare (video)
Sapphire 2026: Why You Should Use Effect Builder (video)

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Media Contact

Jessie Electa Petrov
Director of Marketing, Boris FX
jessiep@borisfx.com
617-451-9900