Color 1.5. Customizable Color Effects and Signature Looks.

Make your project unforgettable by using Color 1.5 to give it a distinctive look. Apply a single effect to a shot or scene, or create a signature look for the entire project to realize the director’s vision. A complete system of color effects, advanced masking, motion tracking, and other tools makes it easy.

Built-in looks

Get started fast by choosing one of more than 20 looks provided as custom effects in the Color FX Bin. The looks, reminiscent of your favorite films, include Dream Warm, Day for Night, Warm Glow, and Movie Look Green for a science fiction feel. In addition, you can expand your library by downloading more than 90 new Apple-designed looks. Because you can easily customize any look, you can save time by using an Apple-designed look as a point of departure as you create a unique effect.

Custom signature looks

Color also provides the tools you need to build a completely original signature look. Most looks include original color effects created in the Color FX room, as well as selective adjustments to specific areas of a shot or scene made with secondary tools such as mattes and masks.

Original color effects. It’s easy to create an original color effect in Color. Just drag and drop to combine and layer existing color effects in a flexible node tree. You can save your effects for later use and share them with others.
HSL-based mattes. Select specific areas to work with based on hue, saturation, and luminance (HSL) values. Then use the Keyframe Editor to tweak parameters over the duration of your scene, so you get just the effect you want in every frame. Use the Key Blur parameter to soften the matte and reduce noise.
Shape masks and custom masks. Precisely define an area for secondary color correction by creating a Vignette, or mask. Vignettes can be based on four-sided shapes; ovals or circles; or freeform B-spline shapes — all with complete control over size, location, and rotation. Vignettes also have fully adjustable edge qualities; manipulate inner and outer splines to make fine-grained adjustments to edge falloff.
Motion tracking. Use motion tracking to match Vignettes to objects over time. Easily set up target and search areas for automatic tracking; Color calculates the series of points based on the target area you’ve identified. Save different sets of tracking points, then use the set you like best. You can adjust Tracking Curve Smoothness to even out any movement between the tracking points and improve the accuracy of the track. If you prefer to track a shot by hand, use the Manual Tracker.

Fluid experimentation

Color lets you try out different looks quickly and easily. Rapidly make changes using nondestructive tools and see your results in real time, with the option to switch among multiple “live” grades or to call up saved grades.

Live color grades. A color grade gives a project its distinctive look by storing a set of adjustments made across multiple rooms. Work dynamically with up to four live grades that you can switch at will as you evaluate different looks.
Saved grades. Apply a grade to an entire sequence, copy and paste grades, and save any grade for reuse or distribution. Editors can also use grades created by a professional colorist using Final Cut Studio on a separate workstation.

Color effects library

Choose from 40 color effects included in the application, such as Grain Reduction, Film Look, Bleach Bypass, and Printer Lights. You can customize any effect by adjusting its parameters, and expand your library by bringing in third-party effect plug-ins.