Everybody has been there at least once. You know you should call a colorist now but your budget just yells “NO!”. So next best thing, you fire up Apple Color and try to do it yourself. After staring at the interface like a cow stares at an oncoming train you go to the presets and pretend to be happy.

That’s how most independent projects look these days. Like the presets that come with the applications. Bleach bypass filter overdosing and blurry skin are just the two most common missteps taking the audience out of the story.

There has to be a better way for independents. And surely not everybody can just sit down for months and learn Apple Color. And even if, the time you save by just getting a look that’s close to what you need and tweak it a little can save you an hour or two per shot.

In our view, currently the best approach is still preset based and will be for quite some time. Custom presets. Not the generic ones that come with the applications. These are mostly made by programmers wanting to show off gimmicky features.

Cinelooks stands for purpose-built high end looks that help you tell your story.