Apple values secrecy, which is why the majority of its acquisitions are never officially revealed by the company. But thanks to the latest update from the European Union, we now know of a recent previously undisclosed acquisition, and it once again confirms a new priority for the company.
Apple acquires maker of Color.io, latest addition likely for Apple Creator Studio
As spotted by WoozadThe European Union recently updated its list of acquisitions made by tech giants, including Apple.
The latest addition to the list is Patchflyer GmbH, which “develops Color.io, a web application for color management and calibration of digital imagery.”
Patchflyer founder and CEO Jonathan Ochmann was hired by Apple and the company became the owner of “certain assets.”
Learn more about Color.io, via Branden Zavaleta at The sentence maker:
Color.io’s reputation has long been built on its surprisingly deep technical foundations. Ochmann, who previously worked in visual effects and soundtrack composition before moving into color science, built the entire rig solo.
Color.io has become a favorite of more than 200,000 creators, known for its analog-inspired color science, volumetric film grain engine, and coded “Cinema RAW” color space that gives users unusual cinematic flexibility in a web browser.
Color.io’s feature set seems a perfect fit for Apple Creator Studio, which launched earlier this year.
Ochmann’s tools could be added to Pixelmator Pro, Final Cut Pro, or perhaps bring a subset of features directly to the Camera app at some point.
The recent history of Apple acquisitions related to Creator Studio
If making an acquisition for Creator Studio sounds familiar, that’s because back in March we learned that Apple had acquired MotionVFX. According to our coverage at the time:
MotionVFX is a company that creates professional-quality visual effects templates, plugins and motion graphics tools, primarily for Final Cut Pro, Motion and Apple’s DaVinci Resolve. The company’s portfolio includes transitions, titles, effects and cinematic templates for video editors.
And of course, it was Apple’s acquisition of Pixelmator that was the first known purchase directly tied to the upcoming Apple Creator Studio bundle.
What does all this mean? Simply that Apple Creator Studio is important to the business.
Apple clearly has no intention of letting its set of professional applications languish. Instead, it is actively investing in its internal resources and making acquisitions to improve its set of tools for creators.
Creator Studio gives Apple ongoing subscription revenue and also complements the goal of making the iPhone camera system a favorite among creators. So it’s no surprise that Apple has made this a priority.
Are you a subscriber to Apple Creator Studio? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments.
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