Colorista OR Looks..if I must choose

E

eco_bach

Well-known member
Hi
Yes, I know the easy answer is get both, but already investing in FCP and no budget!. Which of the 2 plugins, Looks or Colorista would be more useful for someone fairly new to color correction and grading(but determined to become an 'expert')?
 
Looks will not teach you color grading...it's just a bunch of presets already graded by someone else to get a specific look. You could, of course, study those presets and learn that way, but if you're determined to become an expert I'd say Colorista.

Or you could get looks and use the built-in color correction.
 
I concur.

In a nutshell, looks for noobs, colorista for colorists.

If you're a noob and don't plan to dig deep then go for looks.
If you plan on learning the craft, then colorista.

BTW, if you have FCP, then don't you already have apple Color?

If that's the case, then use that!
 
Phil1076 said:
Looks will not teach you color grading...it's just a bunch of presets already graded by someone else to get a specific look. You could, of course, study those presets and learn that way, but if you're determined to become an expert I'd say Colorista.
Click to expand...

I think that's an unfair description of Looks (in its full version, not any cut-down collection of presets).

Looks is more capable than Colorista in some ways because it provides simulation of a lot more things- like lens aberrations, the use of black or white diffusion, anamorphic lens flares, tilt and shift lens simulation and shutter streaking.

Sure, it has lots of presets to get you started, but it also has a lot of tools which simulate physical camera processes and has a hell of a lot of control over those things. It also implements in a very neat way some things which are cool, but annoyingly hard to do right without a dedicated tool, like bleach bypass simulation. It has a decent three-way colour corrector, but so does FCP.

What it lacks is secondary colour correction tools, specifically the masking facilities that Colorista II has, and the "three pass" workflow of primary (to get you to "neutral" and correct any deviation from shot to shot, secondary (to adjust some specific part of the image) and master (to apply an overall look).

Personally I'd say that the colour correction tools in FCP- its three-way colour corrector, for example, are pretty decent.

I find Colorista II makes it quicker and easier to do the grade, but only offers a few things which you couldn't have done direct in FCP. (Negative Pop on skin tones in the secondary is the main thing I use it for).

Looks, on the other hand, is a comprehensive toolkit for assembling the overall look and feel of your footage. Personally I'd say do the simple colour corrections in FCP's own tools, then use Looks to give you whatever stylish look and feel you want for your footage overall. If I only had the cash to get one, I'd get Looks, because it does so many things which FCP's own tool set just plain doesn't do.

Of course, if you are buying FCP, you'll also get Color- so play with that first. If you are doing lots and lots of subtle colour correction, Color might be your answer. If you want to do it quickly and more efficiently right on your timeline, get Colorista II. If are more interested in achieving certain styles or emulating particular cinematic looks rather than making very fine tuned subtle corrections, get Looks because it actually does stuff that neither Color nor Colorista can do. To my mind that makes Looks a more useful complement to FCP than Colorista.

Cheers, Hywel Phillips
 
Great points made by everyone. If you are going to get into complex color correction, I would recommend Color. It already comes with the studio bundle and many industry guys use it. There are magnificent tutorials on lynda.com that can get you up to speed on Color. Looks and Colorista are very powerful plugins that Stu Maschwitz has provide training for at redgiantsoftware.com. Alone they can be very versatile but together they can do a lot of damage. So consider your options do what you believe your budget will allow for. Also check out this link:http://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2011/01/08/demystifying-color-grading-ii/ and http://digitalfilms.wordpress.com/2009/12/05/color-grading-effects-demystified/
There are good articles which provide ways to achieve color grading looks without leaving the application.
 
Personally, I prefer using Color. You can use the 3-way color corrector in FCP, and any adjustments you make there will carry over into Color where you can dial in your adjustments, use secondaries, etc.
 
ditto mmka1985! 'Great points made by everyone'. Will probably try and get a handle on Color, then, once I know what it can do and can afford it, add Colorista to my workflow.
And Looks seems like a must have, if used sparingly and in the right fashion.
 
I don't think Colorista is useful in an FCP workflow at all unless you absolutely have to grade in the Final Cut timeline. Color's layout just works a lot better than a plugin that's stuck in the Viewer.

I think it's great for Premiere or After Effects however, where it is definitely more muscular than the built-in color correction plugins.
 
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