Digital Video - September 2007 - (Page 22)

reviews above: The Color FX room is a node-based compositor whose effects are added on top of the grading done in the Primary In and Secondaries rooms. dered Color media and not the original captured QuickTime files. So, how is it? I’ve got to say that Color is a pleasure, but it isn’t the only Final Cut grading solution you’ll ever use. There are still plenty of reasons to use the three-way corrector or plug-ins like Magic Bullet Colorista to correct or enhance a handful of shots inside FCP. To get the most out of Apple Color, it’s worth it to plan a color-grading pass into your routine. Just about all of the grades and effects can be keyframed—a big improvement over other systems. Although an expensive colorist-style panel with trackballs would be nice, it is optional. I actually felt quite comfortable with the Apple Mighty Mouse. With Color, it felt far less fatiguing on long sessions than using a mouse with other grading software. Using the middle click of the mouse also allows you to scroll through the timeline. The sheer quality of the correction and how well Color processes the image is impressive. On a fast machine, Color generally plays clips in near real time, even when numerous layers (rooms) are applied. I tested rendering times with various media formats, such as DV, DVCPRO HD, XDCAM HD and uncompressed HD. I also tested various target render formats, including 10-bit uncompressed and Apple’s ProRes 422. A 2-minute 1080i clip—with several layers of grading and an added Color FX Film Grain filter—took between 14 and 17 minutes to render on a Mac Pro (two dual-core Xeons) with 8GB RAM and the ATI X1900 XT graphics card. A similar DV clip took about 11 minutes, so render times don’t correlate to frame size, format or the amount of grading. I think Apple did an amazing job in a few short months, but there’s definitely room for improvement. For instance, you can’t slave audio with the picture. Final Cut’s three-way color settings translate but don’t really match in Color. Overall, the quality is superb, but I was disappointed with the blur effects. You can’t add a soft-focus effect from the vignettes in the Secondaries. Doing so requires a Color FX filter, and I thought these looked crunchy on highly compressed media such as XDCAM HD and DVCPRO HD. At least one handy feature— adding notes to shots in the list view—doesn’t work yet. And, finally, there is only one undo. Apple has definitely brought a world-class fea- To get the most out of Apple Color, it’s worth it to plan a color-grading pass into your routine. ture-film toolset to the desktop. A few days of working with Color should be all it takes for most users to get comfortable with the interface. Remember that color grading is an art. If you are new to it, check out one of the many books on color-correction techniques and theory before stepping behind the controls with a client. That said, editors who have the eye for giving their project that special touch will find Color a delightful experience. ■ Oliver Peters has held a variety of production and postproduction positions in radio, TV and film since 1970. He’s a contributing editor to DV sister publication Videography. Full-resolution images are available at www.dv.com. 22 DV SEPTEMBER 2007 WWW.DV.COM http://www.dv.com http://www.dv.com http://www.dv.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Digital Video - September 2007

Contents News AG-HPX500 HD Camcorder First Look: Color V8000HD 8" LCD Monitor Shoulder Mount System Instant Expert Close-Ups Fest Cercuit Q&A Flight Plan Cutter's Way Imagination in Action Motion Graphics Production Diary

Digital Video - September 2007

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.