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Silicon Color Final Touch HD acquired by Apple

4 Comments Published by admin October 17th, 2006 in News

Silicon Color, the makers of the realtime color-correction application Final Touch HD, has been bought by Apple. HD For Indies article on the topic has a lot of conjecture and comments on what this might mean.

Personally, I predict we’ll see two things stemming from this acquisition:

1. I expect Apple to integrate some of the realtime color correction features of Final Touch into Final Cut Pro. Not making a color finishing app out of it mind you, just better tools to get a leg up on the other NLE vendors. And with cameras like what RED is coming out with, FCP will need help handling realtime streams of 2K and 4K media. Realtime color processing is what Silicon Color is all about, and Apple needs that tech.

2. Apple will roll the high end features of Final Touch into it’s new SuperCompositingAndColorApp (iComp?), which will also be built using the capabilities of Shake, all wrapped up in an Apple-ly interface that makes sense in context with the rest of the Pro Apps. Any chance we’ll see this app announced or hinted about at NAB 2007?

4 Responses to “Silicon Color Final Touch HD acquired by Apple”  

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  1. 1 Mike Curtis Oct 17th, 2006 at 3:10 pm

    Yeah.

    That.

    And note, it wasn’t me that mentioned Red!

    : )

    -mike

  2. 2 Anonymous Oct 17th, 2006 at 6:22 pm

    It certainly won’t be called iSomething, that’s strictly for the consumer level apps.

  3. 3 freshdv Oct 17th, 2006 at 8:21 pm

    “It certainly won’t be called iSomething”

    Yeah, that was me being iFacetious. :-)

  4. 4 Paul Oct 19th, 2006 at 8:20 am

    I seem to remember some conjecture a while ago about final cut extreme 2k editing. Eventhough FCP Can do 2k Shtuff at the mo. is there a point where Apple like Silicon Color need a break within the pro market. HD SD Broadcast Version and DI Version. I think Creating a DI version of FCP for Commercials, Features and Highend broadcast may have enough of a market especially with the Grading capabilities of FT and Compositing of Shake to be similar to Smoke but much more affordable. also this leaves a comprehensive HD/SD editor with Motion and added Grading tools for Broadcast and corporate and indie markets. Maybe this could even be targeting towards internet TV content creation as well, further exploiting this market.

    I sincerely hope that Apple does something big for NAB. Speaking as Someone who has worked for 2 facilities that have invested in FT. I am a bit nervous to see the end of development of the product. Also let us not forget the developmet that happened when appl bought Nothing Real and developed Shake into the leading 2d compositor. I think Apple have matured beyond that, but here’s hoping.

    Paul,
    http://www.hdto35.blogspot.com