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Apple's latest acquisition further confirms a new priority for the ...
Apple values secrecy, so the majority of its acquisitions are never officially revealed by the company. But thanks to the latest European Union update, we now know about a previously undisclosed recent acquisition—and it further confirms a new priority for the company. Apple acquires maker of Color.io, the latest addition that’s likely bound for Apple Creator Studio As spotted by MacRumors, the European Union recently updated their list of acquisitions made by tech giants, including Apple. The latest addition to the list is Patchflyer GmbH, which “develops Color.io, a web-based application for color management and grading of digital imaging.” Patchflyer’s Founder and CEO Jonathan Ochmann has been hired by Apple, and the company has taken ownership of ”certain assets.” Here’s more about Color.io, via Branden Zavaleta at The Phrasemaker: Color.io’s reputation has long rested on its surprisingly deep technical underpinnings. Ochmann, who previously worked in VFX and soundtrack composition before moving into color science, built the entire platform solo. Color.io grew into a favorite among more than 200,000 creators, known for its analog-inspired color science, volumetric film-grain engine and “Cinema RAW” log-encoded color space that gave users unusually filmic flexibility inside 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. If making an acquisition for Creator Studio sounds familiar, that’s because in March we learned that Apple acquired MotionVFX. Per our coverage at the time: MotionVFX is a company that creates professional-grade visual effects templates, plugins, and motion graphics tools primarily for Apple’s Final Cut Pro, Motion, and 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 related to the forthcoming Apple Creator Studio bundle. What does all of this mean? Simply that Apple Creator Studio is important to the company. Apple clearly doesn’t intend to let its bundle of pro apps languish. Instead, it’s actively investing internal resources and making acquisitions to improve its toolset for creators. Creator Studio gives Apple ongoing subscription reve...
What's the smallest firm Apple has bought? - AppleInsider
William Gallagher Mon May 11 2026, 07:45 AM EDT · 2 minute read Apple has acquired grading app Color.io - image credit: Nick Gunn A German firm run by just one developer has been bought by Apple, giving it software to do with color grading and management which may find its way into Final Cut Pro or Pixelmator Pro. It's still the case that the biggest single acquisition Apple has ever made is when it bought Beats for $3 billion, and got itself Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. While the figures for Apple's latest buy is unlikely to be revealed, it should surely be one of the least the company has ever paid out. That's because as confirmed by European Union listings, Apple has acquired the German firm Patchflyer and its one employee. According to German business filings, that one employee is managing director Jonathan Marvin Ochmann. Ochmann's Patchflyer makes Color.io, an app the EU describes as "a web-based application for color management and grading of digital imaging." Patchflyer's own website goes further and says that it is concerned with "developing proprietary tools for color science, spatial measurements, acoustic modeling and a number of tools and script libraries that offer a unique approach to complex virtual instruments." It's only supposition what Apple may have in mind for Patchflyer, but color grading is an important part of video editing and, to a lesser extent, also image editing. So this may yet again be Apple acquiring technology to add features to the apps in its Apple Creator Studio bundle. Routinely when Apple acquires a firm, its website is closed or certain elements are removed. In Patchflyer's case, despite the company existing for 11 years, there is practically nothing to remove. Patchflyer's website is a basic WordPress site which doesn't even have its own unique domain name. Of its three sections, two may have been removed by Apple because they now end in 404 errors. The third appears to link to a separate company. When this happenedIt's likely that Apple actually acquired Patchflyer in or around October 2025. The new details come from how Apple and other firms are mandated by the EU to provide details of acquisitions that may be considered substantial. However, the EU only updates its database periodically, and also states that the information will not be published fewer than four months after filing. That would suggest that Patchflyer was bought in early 2026, except that the EU's listing has also just added of Apple acquiring Prom...
Apple Acquires Tiny Color Grading Startup For Creator Studio
Apple bought Patchflyer to bring better color grading tools to Creator Studio. This tiny German startup consists of a single employee and the Color.io app.
Apple's Tiny Acquisition Could Boost Final Cut Pro Features
The acquired company, Patchflyer, developed Color.io, a web-based color grading and color management platform aimed at digital imaging professionals. Though financial terms remain undisclosed, the deal may reveal where Apple's creative software ambitions are heading.
