Apple Pro Training Series: Color [Paperback]

Michael Wohl (Author), David Gross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 21, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0321509110 | ISBN-13: 978-0321509116

In this guide to Apple’s masterful new color grading and finishing application, award-winning colorist David Gross starts with the basics of color balancing and correction and move on to the fine points of secondary grading. Topics include scene matching, using vignettes to isolate and track regions, creating advanced color effects and “looks,” skin tone adjustments, and adjusting the composition and framing of a shot. As with the other titles in the Apple Pro Training Series, each chapter in this Apple-authorized guide represents a complete lesson--with a project to complete and a review section to reinforce the lessons. Superb footage, including several BBC productions and broadcast commercials, provide real-world examples for you to work through as you master this revolutionary software.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Gross is an editor and colorist at Definition Films, based in Sydney, Australia. Located in the heart of the Australian film industry in Fox Studios Australia, he specializes in providing HD solutions to international clients including 20th Century Fox, Discovery Channel International, Sony BMG, Universal Music, Becker Entertainment, and MTV.

Product Details

• Paperback: 408 pages
• Publisher: Peachpit Press (December 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0321509110
• ISBN-13: 978-0321509116
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #657,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Wohl is an award-winning filmmaker and author of twelve books on storytelling and post-production with Final Cut Studio. He currently teaches at UCLA and has also taught and designed curricula at AFI and San Francisco State. He has taught more than 300 seminars and sessions at film festivals and tradeshows around the world including Sundance, SXSW, DV Expo, NAB, IBC, Interbee Japan, MacWorld Paris, and many others.

Michael is well-known as one of the original designers of Apple's Emmy Award-winning Final Cut Pro software. As a member of the original team, he worked alongside the engineering team providing the perspective of the real-world editor, focusing on workflow, usability, and interaction design. He produced the original training and demo materials used for the first several Final Cut Pro releases, administered the original beta program, and initiated the in-house editor program.

In addition to the many books you can buy here at Amazon, you can download and watch extensive training videos on Final Cut Pro, Motion, Color and Compressor at http://www.MacProVideo.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good choice to learn the software, January 12, 2008

By 

I. Sarro (Berkeley, California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Color (Paperback)

Aside from the frustrations of the "one-star-reviewer", one must consider that the purpose of this book is to teach how to use the software. Apple is making professional tools available to the "general public", and is offering a training series of which this book is a part.

One assumes that if you're an industry professional, you're well on your way, without the need for "training wheels". But if you're like me, more or less still exploring the richness and the depth of Final Cut Studio 2, then this book is a must for you.

I was a bit frustrated about the long waiting period and the delay of the publishing date and was close to cancelling my order, but I am happy I own this book now. The book may seem a bit meager and I wish for more examples and exercises in an updated version, but I feel it gives me a great headstart in learning how to use Color and I feel confident enough to explore all the possibilities on my own.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fantastic book. no expensive course required!, February 28, 2008

By 

ohmslaw - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Color (Paperback)

I waited a long time before this book arrived but it was completely worth it. I edit on Final cut pro but never really did too much with respect to secondary coloring. I used the color correction tools with Final cut but they are not very good for precision coloring. I've always peeped through the window admiring da vinci system and even considered buying Final Touch but didn't have the nerve to pluck down $20K. Then Apple bought the company and folded it into Final Cut suite. I upgraded immediately. I soon found that i was out of my element in Apple Color.
The manual that came with Apple color didn't help that much either. Yes i could color but didn't always get the exact look i was going for. I concluded that only Da vinci system could give me the look i wanted.
Then came this book. It thoroughly explained the right way to mix and match to get precise looks, from skin tone to mood.
This book is worth twice it's price. Forget going on any silly course. read it and practice and you are good.

I'll say this for Apple color. It can color as good as any da vinci system. It is 10 times slower to render unless you create a huge cluster, granted, but the end result is the same. Anyone tell you different is trying to justify their higher rates.

15 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, January 8, 2008

By 

Zebulun (Chicago, IL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Apple Pro Training Series: Color (Paperback)

I ordered this in June of last year and I wish I'd not. I'm a live tv camera shader so my background is in color manipulation. If you have absolutely no idea how to manipulate colorimetry, this is not the book for you at all. It tells you how to drive the software with some helpful color hints scattered about. Read the manual, work in the application, scour the net and Amazon for information about color and you can learn the same stuff.

If you have a background in color manipulation, skip this book and read the manual to learn how to drive Apple's Color. If you're like me and enjoy constant learning, run and pick up "Encyclopedia of Color Correction" by Alexis van Hurkman. It's a far more useful text than this title.