COLOR vs. FCP 5 color

Hello,

I'm planning on digging into the new COLOR app and would like opinions about the following...

should I learn the FCP5 color correction tools thoroughly(i know them a little), will it HELP or hinder my learning of COLOR?

I'm mainly an editor, but am going to slide in the color correction direction.

thanks, Mike

Learning primary and secondary color correction techniques is integral to either FCP 2-3 way color corrector or Color.

Also , not all editors will be good colorists, by default. It is a learned skill. You might have noticed that it's interface is black and that is because it is intended that you use it in a controlled lighting environment. You will also need the proper color correction adaptable monitor to judge that operations by. There has been little said about this yet.

But it is another tool in the tool set to make your video or film productions, better.

Thanks John, good advice.

Mike

I would personally suggest the DVD I wrote on Color Correction for RippleTraining.com which is advertised along the side of this page. It gives you a good understanding of what to look for, how to work, proper balancing techniques. Its got sections on the basics, more advanced solutions and many other things a starting user needs to know, including how to calibrate monitors, understand how to work with digital scopes and many other things (lots of tips and tricks).

By the way, Color will require a steep lurning curve and a faster computer and graphics card than a lot of us currently own. A quad G5 is minimum or any Intel machine (even including the widescreen iMacs).

Andrew Balis

Thanks Andrew,

Do you know, will color RUN on the smaller macs and just be clunky? Would my smaller mac be something to "practice" on?

or will it not even install?

thanks again, Mike

Good question. I don't know. I suspect we'll have to wait and see what happens when we try. But I tend to doubt it. You know Apple- anything to sell a new Mac

I'm sure there's more to it than my glib statement, but who knows.

Andrew Balis
Lead Final Cut Pro Instructor
www.moviola.com

Andrew,
I bought your DVD 6 months ago and have found it an invaluable guide to CC in FCP.
A Couple of questions:
(1) Do you reccomend the Matrox MXO solution as opposed to buying a pricey CRT monitor? (I'm currently working with HDV most of the time with rushes off my new Canon XH A1, and i edit on a mac pro with 23' Apple cinema display).
(2) Have Apple commissioned your services to make another DVD about the up and coming Colour programme? I very much hope so, the one to the left of this page is the best training DVD i've bought and from what i've seen of Colour i think i'd be lost without your help.
Cheers
Dom

I'm getting an eval MXO unit and I'm having PBS friends check it out. Shane Ross here likes it. And it's really supposed to be perfect for the 23". And if it relaly dleivers then that's one less bottle to buy. The world truly is flat.

More when it happens.

- Loren
Today's FCP 4 / 5 keytip:
Preview unrendered effects with Option-P or Option-Backslash!

The FCP KeyGuide?: your power placemat.
Now available at KeyGuide Central.
www.neotrondesign.com

Thanks for your feedback on our color correction DVD. I appreciate it.

Color is definitely in a different league than FCP's color correction. I think that the benefits of color correcting in FCP is that the tools are somewhat quick to learn, they are intuitive (with a little help) and are geared toward editors upwards to those who have a background in color grading. I think we'll see two avenues- I think many people will continue to learn CC in FCP, as it avoids learning a new app with a somewhat more steep learning curve (based on what we are seeing and hearing out of NAB). That being said, with my background in cinematography an imaging, color correction in any form is a passion of mine, and without speculating on any project that I can't start until the program actually releases, you'll hear more about my plans for this in the near future. Its definitely an exciting new world for us in the world of finishing. No matter what happens with Color, we will definitely upgrade our CC disc for Final Cut 6 as we still see the potential that a lot of people will want to go in that direction.

About the Matrox MXO, I can't comment as I have no experience with that, but it sounds like Loren has some feedback on that.

Andrew Balis

and a few weeks after... what would be the feedback ?

Matrox MXO + Apple display is as relaible as an Crt solution for color grading ?

or not ?

thanks

---------------------------------
A Day late & a Dollar-short Productions

Matrox MXO + Apple display is as relaible as an Crt solution for color grading ?

AS RELIABLE? Not quite. Close. VERY close. Close enough I suppose. Would I replace my HD CRT with it? No. But, If I didn't have the HD CRT...couldn't afford it...then I probably would trust it, and for broadcast.

The new drivers give you a proc amp that allows you to adjust the color bars...and a BLUE ONLY option that allows you to balance them properly. THAT, my friend, is HUGE.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

yes I read your other thread about it

about the blue only, do you use it for PAL calibration ?

---------------------------------
A Day late & a Dollar-short Productions

I don't use it for PAL as I am in NTSC land. But, PAL bars are part of the new PROC AMP...so it's there.


www.shanerosseditor.com

Listen to THE EDIT BAY Podcast on iTunes
[itunes.apple.com]

I think Color will be much fun, and having two monitors helps! Be interesting to see how the MXO works with Color, as I've had color work "best" when the mac graphics card drives the monitor directly. Color will work with a blackmagic or Kona but slower, because the image data has to pass up to the GPU, be coloured, and then back down to main memory to go out via the card's SDI output.

Graeme

[www.nattress.com] - Plugins for FCP-X