by Picture Instruments (FxFactory)·Color Grading
Images © Picture Instruments (FxFactory). Used for product review; image policy.
Warping Wheel stands out in the toolfarm library for pairing familiar color-wheel controls with skin tone functions that can, in most cases, replace time-consuming mask work.
Picture Instruments Warping Wheel reinvents the color wheel for After Effects and Premiere Pro. At first glance it resembles a traditional set of color wheels, but colors can be bent harmoniously within the color space. This is driven by Picture Instruments' Color Warp technology, which bends colors smoothly and greatly reduces compression artefacts such as block formation and banding — relevant given how much footage from smartphones, mini-gimbals and drones arrives heavily compressed.
The plugin provides three wheels for shadows, mids and highlights, each with range controls to set whether a tint affects the darker, mid or brighter part of its range, and a smoothness control to set the width of that range (lift, gamma, gain). A Master Wheel tints, saturates, desaturates or changes the brightness of the entire image, and each of the three ranges carries its own brightness control.
Advanced skin tone functions can avoid the time-consuming work of masks. The Protect Skin Tones control shields skin tones from the tint of the Warping Wheels, the Boost control saturates or desaturates them independently of the color wheels, and the Skin Tone Hue control adjusts skin color.
Picture Instruments Warping Wheel is best for grading in After Effects and Premiere Pro where skin tones need protection without masks and heavily compressed footage benefits from smoother color adjustments.
Picture Instruments Warping Wheel is completely free to download and use.
Picture Instruments Warping Wheel requires Noise Industries FxFactory to run, which is available as a free download. FxFactory hosts the plugin across the supported applications, so it needs to be installed before the Warping Wheels controls become available. There is also a paid FxFactory Pro version that shares the same system requirements as the free version. For updated system requirements, the developer's FxFactory page is the place to check before installing.
Picture Instruments Warping Wheel works with After Effects 2020, CC 2019, CC 2018, CC 2017, CC 2015.3, CC 2015, CC 2014, CC and CS6, and with Premiere across the same 2020 through CS6 range. It also supports Apple Final Cut Pro X v10.4 and later. Because compatibility can shift with new application releases, checking the developer's FxFactory page for updated system requirements is worthwhile before installing.
Picture Instruments Warping Wheel includes several skin tone functions that can, in most cases, remove the need for masks. The Protect Skin Tones control shields skin tones from the tint applied by the Warping Wheels. The Boost control saturates or desaturates skin tones independently of the color wheels, and the Skin Tone Hue control lets you adjust the skin color itself. Alongside these, the separate wheels for shadows, mids and highlights give control over how a tint affects each brightness range.
Picture Instruments Warping Wheel is listed as free in this catalog. Licensing can change over time, and the plugin depends on Noise Industries FxFactory, which has both a free version and a paid FxFactory Pro version with the same system requirements. For current licensing details and any options, the developer's FxFactory page is the best place to confirm before downloading. A demo video is also available if you want to see more.
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