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Installation

SarabFX plugins are sold individually, in bundles, or as a complete all-products set. Whatever you buy is delivered as a signed installer for your platform that adds the plugin(s) to every OFX host on your machine. The steps are the same regardless of which plugin or bundle you purchased.

Platform Installer Status
macOS .pkg (signed & notarized) Available
Windows .exe (signed) Under development
Linux .AppImage Under development

Requirements

  • macOS on Apple Silicon (arm64)
  • Administrator rights (system-wide plugin install)
  • Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) with a Vulkan-capable GPU
  • Administrator rights
  • Under development
  • A modern 64-bit distribution with a Vulkan-capable GPU
  • Under development

Host: DaVinci Resolve Studio, Nuke, Natron, or any other OFX-compatible host.

Install the package

Installers are named by product and platform — e.g. SarabOrtex-1.0.0-macOS.pkg, SarabFX-Color-Bundle-1.0.0-Windows.exe, or SarabOrtex-1.0.0-Linux.AppImage.

  1. Download the installer for the plugin or bundle you purchased from your account on sarabfx.com.
  2. Launch it:
    • macOS — double-click the .pkg.
    • Windows — run the .exe.
    • Linux — mark the .AppImage executable, then run it.
  3. Read and accept the End User License Agreement when prompted.
  4. Authenticate as an administrator when asked, so the plugin(s) can be installed for every host on the machine.
  5. Complete the installer.

The installer places the plugins in the standard OFX locations for your platform:

Platform Location Scope
macOS /Library/OFX/Plugins/ System-wide (required by DaVinci Resolve Studio)
macOS ~/Library/OFX/Plugins/ User (Natron, Nuke)
Windows C:\Program Files\Common Files\OFX\Plugins\ System-wide
Linux /usr/OFX/Plugins/ System-wide

Why a system-wide location?

Some hosts — DaVinci Resolve Studio in particular — only scan the system-wide OFX directory. The installer writes there so every OFX host on your machine can find the plugins.

Where the plugins appear

After installing, launch your host and open its effects browser. All SarabFX plugins live under a SarabFX category, grouped by function (e.g. SarabFX/Color, SarabFX/Draw, SarabFX/Time).

Open the Effects Library → OpenFX → SarabFX. Drag an effect onto a clip or an adjustment layer.

Right-click the node graph → SarabFX → choose a plugin.

Use the node menu (Tab) and search for the plugin name, or find it under the SarabFX menu group.

Open the host's OFX / effects browser and look for the SarabFX category or the plugin name.

Restart your host

Restart required

Hosts scan for OFX plugins at startup. After installing, quit and relaunch your host completely so the new plugins are detected.

In DaVinci Resolve, a full restart is the most reliable method. Rescanning OFX plugins from Preferences → System → General sometimes works but is not guaranteed to pick up a fresh install.

Verify the install

You should see the SarabFX category in your host's effects browser with the plugin(s) you installed. Each plugin carries the SarabFX violet node icon.

If a plugin does not appear:

  • Confirm your host was fully restarted (not just reloaded).
  • Confirm you are using an OFX-compatible host.
  • Re-run the installer and make sure you authenticated for the system-wide install.
  • See the Support page if the issue persists.

Next step

Once the plugin is visible, activate your license to unlock rendering.

Uninstalling SarabFX

To remove SarabFX from a machine, use the SarabUninstaller app (installed alongside the plugins, and available from your account on sarabfx.com):

  1. Open SarabUninstaller.
  2. Choose the plugins or bundles to remove.
  3. Optionally choose to deactivate this machine as well — this returns the license seat so you can use it on another computer.
  4. If you deactivate, SarabFX emails a one-time confirmation link to the license owner's address. Open it and click the link to release the seat — this ensures only the license owner can free a seat.
  5. The uninstaller removes the plugin bundles from your OFX directories.

Restart your host afterward so it drops the removed plugins from its effects list.

Removing plugins vs. freeing your seat

Uninstalling removes the plugin files, but your seat is returned only when you deactivate (confirmed by the emailed link). If you skip deactivation during uninstall, you can deactivate later — see Deactivate a machine.