Hawaiki Color Plugin for FCPX Review

Gear, Multimedia, software, Tech stuff, Video

Hawaiki Color is a color grading plugin for Final Cut Pro X that is relatively powerful, easy to use, and costs a mere $50. (Tokyo Productions and Lawn Road provided me a copy for review.) In this Hawaiki Color review I’ll give you some pros and cons so that you can get a feel for the plugin before considering making a purchase.
 

(Above: Hawaiki Color’s own tutorial video)

 

First off, the layout is clean and easy to use. You’ll find three large color wheels and a series of sliders for color temperature, exposure, saturation, and hue/contrast/blur/sharpness. I love having quick access to these basic tools.

 

 

To use the Hawaiki Color plugin for Final Cut Pro X, first simply select which clip you’d like to adjust. Then in the effects tab at the lower right of your screen, double click on Hawaiki Color. It’s that easy. You can then begin to adjust the sliders and the color wheels.

 

 

Pros and Cons:

Cons:

  • The only feature I’m missing is selective color – the ability to selectively reduce or increase the saturation of single colors. It would be great to select cyan or yellow, for instance, and adjust the saturation of that specific color.

Pros:

  • Everything about Hawaiki Color is pretty quick, clean, and easy.
  • The quick sliders for contrast, sharpness, and exposure are very handy and either are better than the built in functions of Final Cut Pro X or do not even come standard with Final Cut Pro X.
  • The color wheels are standard and easy to use.
  • The sliders are accurate for fine tuning, especially when selecting specifically for lows, mids, or highs.

Thanks for looking and I hope this Hawaiki Color review is useful for you.