For a dedicated skin pass on recorded Windows footage, VanityFilter is our recommendation. Automatic skin masks keep the treatment on skin. Export the corrected file and finish the edit in your usual app. The full license is $29.95 once for one user on up to two computers. Choose Boris FX Beauty Studio when you need the treatment to stay adjustable inside the host project, especially when a shot calls for tracked shapes or local corrections.
VanityFilter fits an editor who wants to finish the skin pass before cutting. Beauty Studio fits an editor who wants to keep shaping it on the timeline. Both automate parts of the work. Boris FX also sells perpetual licenses, so this is not a subscription-only versus one-time-payment contest.
We make VanityFilter. This comparison uses current product documentation and the Boris FX store catalog, checked October 14, 2026. It is a workflow recommendation, not a measured speed or image-quality test.
Start with the revision you expect
Suppose the skin looks right and the next request is to shorten the interview. With a VanityFilter export already in the edit, that change is ordinary cutting. The skin treatment is part of the imported image. The editor does not need the VanityFilter application to play that corrected file.
Now suppose the request is to change the smoothing on one cheek halfway through a shot. That favors a host effect. Beauty Studio keeps its controls in the project, where you can refine the treatment with the host's effect workflow. A baked file needs another pass or a composite with the original.
This guide covers that direct choice. For Beauty Studio against other plugins, use our Beauty Box, Cosmo and Beauty Studio comparison.
The practical differences
| Decision | VanityFilter | Boris FX Beauty Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Where it runs | Standalone Windows app; no Adobe or OFX host required | Continuum effect in a supported editor or compositor |
| Skin isolation | Automatic masks for up to five detected faces | Skin-tone matte controls, plus face segmentation and Mocha masking tools |
| After the skin pass | Import a corrected video file | Keep the effect in the host project |
| Later treatment changes | Reprocess the source or use the original and exported matte for compositing | Adjust the effect and mask in the host workflow |
| Several people | Separate masks; selected faces share one set of treatment settings | Refine the isolation for the shot; do not assume a matching five-face limit |
| Buying it | $29.95 perpetual full license for one user on two computers | Continuum subscriptions or perpetual licenses, priced by host package |
Automatic masks and the shots that need more control
VanityFilter detects up to five faces per frame, including some turned and profile heads. Each detected face gets a skin mask with protection around facial features. Inspect Mask view before exporting. Primary face only and Ignore small faces let you leave unwanted background faces alone. The multiple-face guide explains the shared-settings limit and ways to handle people who need different treatment.
The current BCC+ Beauty Studio documentation describes a skin-tone matte and smoothing across five detail levels. Its Pixel Chooser includes face detection, with Mocha tools for custom shapes and mask tracking. Boris also documents Face ML within Beauty Studio on the Continuum page. Calling Beauty Studio a purely manual blur would be wrong.
A hand covering a cheek is a useful test. Play through the crossing and watch where the treatment stops. If you need to draw a region and follow it through the shot, Beauty Studio's integrated masking tools are a reason to choose it. If the automatic skin mask is already doing the job, VanityFilter lets you carry on with a dedicated pass. Neither choice excuses a bad edge.
Check movement as well as a paused frame. Our temporal-stability guide shows what to look for when a skin treatment changes during playback.
What happens to the render and the next revision?
A host effect has to be evaluated when the host renders it. Caches or rendered intermediates can avoid repeating some work, depending on your editor and setup. Moving a slider may invalidate that saved result. There is no honest universal number for what that costs.
VanityFilter does the skin processing when it writes the corrected file. Later edits use those pixels, so the host does not evaluate a live VanityFilter effect on each export. You have paid the processing cost earlier and accepted a less adjustable result. If you change the treatment, budget for another export and a replacement in the edit.
Saved presets and batch processing before editing suit source clips with similar lighting. Review each output. A preset that works on the interview close-up may be too heavy on a wider camera angle.
For an edit that needs compositing control, VanityFilter can export a skin mask matte with the treated footage. That gives your host another way to combine the corrected image with the original. It does not turn VanityFilter into a timeline plugin or replace Mocha's shape tools.
License cost: compare the package you would actually buy
VanityFilter's full license is regularly $49, currently on sale for $29.95. It is perpetual, with one individual user allowed up to two computers they own or control. It is not two seats for two editors. Read the license terms before buying for a team. The $9.95 paid 30-day demo and free three-day trial are separate offers.
The Boris FX store currently lists the full Continuum Adobe package at US$325 per year, US$48 on a monthly subscription, or US$1,095 for a new perpetual license, including one year of upgrades and support. The OFX package has the same listed US-dollar amounts. These are separate host packages, before tax, checked October 14, 2026. Adobe covers Premiere Pro and After Effects; OFX covers hosts such as DaVinci Resolve and VEGAS Pro. Your host application's own cost is extra.
Those figures buy the Continuum collection, which includes Beauty Studio. They are not Beauty Studio-only prices. Boris also lists an Image Restoration unit and premium filters on its Beauty Studio product page; check the current store for any smaller package and its host coverage before deciding. A full effects collection can be good value when you need its other tools. It is a different purchase from a dedicated skin app.
If you already own a compatible Continuum license, try Beauty Studio first. It is included. For a new buyer who only needs a skin pass, VanityFilter's $29.95 license is the purchase we recommend. You can finish its exported clips in a compatible free editor; our one-time-purchase Adobe alternative guide covers Resolve free and Shotcut.
The current Windows download verifies its license locally. The announced v3.2 system requires purchase-email activation and periodic internet checks, with up to 30 days offline after a successful check. Check the live download notice for the version you install. Perpetual describes license duration, not permanent offline access.
Watch the VanityFilter controls on actual footage
This walkthrough shows one creator clip, including a mask check and export. Watch how the treatment strength is judged on the moving image. It demonstrates VanityFilter only; it is not a side-by-side Beauty Studio test.
Try the difficult section before choosing
Use a short section with the movement that worries you. Test a light treatment and check the mask at full size. Then take the output through your normal edit and export. Check the audio too. VanityFilter keeps the audio track but re-encodes it: AAC for MP4 or PCM for MOV.
Choose VanityFilter if that file-based skin pass gives you the control you need. Its H.264 and ProRes 422 HQ exports let you choose between a compact file and an editing intermediate, subject to your host's codec support. Keep the camera originals for revisions.
Choose Beauty Studio if you need the mask and treatment to remain part of the host project. Verify the supported host version and edition before buying. We have not run a controlled timing or quality comparison between these products. The practical test is whether the tool handles your shot and its likely revisions.
Frequently asked questions
Is VanityFilter a Boris FX or Adobe plugin?
No. VanityFilter is a standalone Windows application. It exports treated video that you import into your editor. Beauty Studio is a Continuum effect used in a supported host.
Does Beauty Studio have automatic face tools?
Yes. Boris FX documents face detection in the current BCC+ Beauty Studio Pixel Chooser and Face ML within Beauty Studio. It also includes Mocha masking tools. It is not limited to a manually drawn blur mask.
Is Boris FX Beauty Studio subscription-only?
No. Boris FX offers subscriptions and perpetual licenses for Continuum, which includes Beauty Studio. Prices depend on the host package. A full Continuum price is not a Beauty Studio-only price.
Can one VanityFilter license cover two editors?
No. The full license covers one individual user on up to two computers they own or control. A second editor needs a separate license.
Which is faster, VanityFilter or Beauty Studio?
No controlled head-to-head timing test is claimed here. VanityFilter processes the skin pass into an exported file before the edit. Beauty Studio is evaluated in the host workflow, where caching and hardware affect the work. Compare a short representative section on your own system.
Should I buy VanityFilter if I already own Continuum?
Try the included Beauty Studio effect first. VanityFilter makes sense if you prefer a dedicated file-based skin pass or its controls fit the footage better. Owning Continuum does not require another purchase just to try Beauty Studio.