| Color | |
| Developer: | Apple Inc. |
| Latest Release Version: | 1.5.2 |
| Operating System: | Mac OS X |
| Genre: | Video editing/color grading |
| License: | Proprietary |
| Discontinued: | yes |
Color is a professional color-grading application developed by Apple for its Mac OS X operating system. It was one of the major applications included as part of the Final Cut Studio video-production suite. The application was originally called FinalTouch and was developed by Silicon Color, until the company was acquired by Apple in October 2006.[1]
Color was launched on April 15, 2007, as part of the USD$1,299 Final Cut Studio suite, with Apple proclaiming it was "democratizing" color correction and video editing by offering professional-level tools at a consumer price (at the time a color grading system could cost up to $100,000).[2] The standalone Final Cut Pro application contained basic color grading tools, but Color allowed professional techniques such as Bezier-based masking and single and multipoint optical tracking. FinalTouch and Color used the Digital Picture Exchange (DPX) format commonly used in commercial video and feature film production.[3]
Color 1.5 was introduced on July 23, 2009, along with the new Final Cut Studio 2009, which featured support for 4K video, full-quality compatibility with the Red One camera, and the ability to copy grades to multiple clips.[4]
Color and the other Final Cut Studio applications were discontinued with the release of Final Cut Pro X, Motion 5, and Compressor 4 in 2011.[5]