Color Grading/Finishing Tool Review:
Apple Color

Mark Montgomery
October 2007

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Apple's Color software is embedded in the Final Cut Studio 2 video editing software bundle. There were early reports of stability issues with the first release, but Apple has recently released the Final Cut Studio 2.0.1 update (and perhaps more updates by the publish date of this review) which is aimed to resolve these issues.

I'll be the first to admit I'm no color timing expert, so I approached this review with the point of view of most enthusiasts, trying to figure out if Apple Color is worth my time and effort. Any professional videographer will tell you that color timing is well worth your time and money. Let's get our feet wet and test the waters.

One thing is for certain: Apple Color has a GUI (graphical user interface) very different from the rest of the Final Cut Studio 2.0 applications. This may leave new users intimidated and a bit confused. With a little bit of time (and some help from Creative Cow's Apple Color Resources), the basics to this GUI weren't so intimidating.

Despite the different-looking GUI, Apple Color works relatively seamlessly with Final Cut Pro. We exported XML data from our Final Cut Pro timeline and imported it into Apple Color. Instantly, we had our native HDV project (1080/60i) loaded and ready to go. But wait a minute, a closer look at the Apple Color manual reveals that Apple Color does not support the HDV codec, technically. This concerns us greatly, as many of our enthusiast shooters (and even independent digital filmmakers) are using HDV camcorders. Yet, we were able to import our HDV project and use Color without a hitch.

One of the simplest ways to work with HDV in Apple Color is to first transcode it to the Apple ProRes codec. This can be done most quickly upon capture from the camcorder, but you'll need third-party hardware. There's AJA's ioHD breakout box ($3,500 MSRP), which can handle much more than just HDV. There's also Blackmagic Design's Intensity HDMI card ($250 MSRP), that allows you to capture Apple ProRes using an HDMI connection on an HDV camcorder. Or, you can also capture HDV video as-is and then use Compressor to batch render Apple ProRes files. This technique will take more time, but in the end you have a workable Apple ProRes file without paying anything. Additionally, Apple Color works with other professional video formats, including more commonly used Mini DV (DV25).

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