Baselight

Baselight is a colour grading and finishing system for film, television, commercials, and broadcast, available for Linux and macOS. Its layer architecture includes implicit alpha handling and a multitrack timeline. Baselight 6.0's X Grade enables multiple localized corrections in one layer without creating a key or matte, while Chromogen is designed for scene-referred looks using wide-dynamic-range camera data. Face Track uses machine learning to find and follow faces and allows corrections to be copied across a timeline. Baselight v7 includes matte creation and refinement tools, a channel system for hundreds of mattes, and Transform Matching for scaling, rotation, and translation. On macOS, Baselight S is for single freelancers and lacks advanced collaboration tools; Baselight M is for facilities that need multi-user interconnectivity and can connect with Baselight CONFORM and ASSIST. Listed licensing includes a 14-day Baselight M trial, free licence options, custom-duration S licences, and subscriptions. The maker recommends macOS 14–15 or macOS 26 Tahoe, at least 64GB unified memory, and an external Thunderbolt NVMe enterprise SSD with at least 8TB reserved for cache.

Baselight offers distinct S and M options for finishing and grading work, with M aimed at connected facility workflows. Review the recommended macOS hardware requirements and licence options before choosing.

Baselight S is aimed at single freelancers, while Baselight M is intended for facilities needing multi-user interconnectivity. It serves colour grading and finishing work across film, television, commercials, and broadcast.

Overview

Baselight is a professional colour-grading and finishing system for film, television, commercials and broadcast. It best suits freelance colourists and facilities doing demanding finishing work. Its layered grading tools and facility connections are compelling, but the recommended Mac configuration and high subscription costs put it well beyond a casual or low-budget setup.

Key features

Baselight’s multitrack timeline uses layered architecture with implicit alpha handling, giving complex grades room to build. X Grade in Baselight 6.0 allows multiple localized corrections in one layer without creating a key or matte for each, a practical advantage when adjusting separate areas of an image. Chromogen targets scene-referred looks from modern wide-dynamic-range camera data.

Face Track uses machine learning to find and follow faces, and supports copying corrections across a timeline. Baselight v7 adds tools for creating and refining mattes, a channel system for hundreds of mattes, and Transform Matching for scaling, rotation and translation. HDR finishing, camera RAW support, managed colour and plugin support round out a specialist finishing toolset, with output capped at 4K.

Baselight M connects with Baselight CONFORM and Baselight ASSIST, making it the relevant edition for facilities built around those workflows. On macOS, supported AJA Kona, Io4k/Plus and T-Tap/Pro devices, along with Blackmagic Ultrastudio and Decklink devices, provide defined hardware options. The system can connect over 10/25/100GbE to other Baselight systems or FLUX Store. FilmLight includes 24/7 user support for Baselight for macOS, with global phone and email support, project advice, training, installation and consultancy.

Pricing

Baselight offers a free 14-day fully functioning Baselight M trial, useful for evaluating its facility-oriented workflow before committing. A separate free licence option is available, but the terms and included features are not clear enough to judge its suitability as a working edition.

The Baselight S custom-duration licence costs $$90 once for one day, $$510 once for 10 days, or $$2,850 once for 100 days; licences can run up to 365 days, and the price per day falls with longer terms. It includes full grading features but excludes advanced collaboration tools, making it the more practical paid route for a solo freelancer or occasional project. For recurring use, the quarterly subscription is $2,500 a month, billed at $2500 per quarter, and the annual subscription is $7,500 a year, billed from $7500 per annum. Both offer S and M: S omits advanced collaboration, while M includes multi-user interconnectivity. The published starting prices make continuous facility use a substantial commitment; choose M only if its connected workflow is needed.

Platforms

Baselight supports Linux and macOS, with the cited hardware integrations and system requirements applying to the macOS edition. FilmLight recommends macOS 14–15 or macOS 26 Tahoe on Intel or Apple Silicon, at least 64GB unified memory, and an external Thunderbolt NVMe enterprise SSD with at least 8TB reserved for cache. That is a demanding baseline, so Baselight for macOS is a poor fit for users who cannot dedicate high-capacity storage and substantial memory to grading.

Who it's for

Baselight S is aimed at a single freelancer who needs full grading features without advanced collaboration. Baselight M is the better fit for facilities that need multi-user interconnectivity and links to CONFORM and ASSIST. Neither edition is an obvious choice for someone seeking a low-cost, lightweight tool or Windows support.

Pros and cons

• Pros: X Grade can combine localized corrections in a layer without separate keys or mattes, and v7’s matte tools and channel system support complex finishing work.
• Pros: Baselight M supports multi-user interconnectivity and connections to CONFORM and ASSIST, valuable for facilities using those workflows.
• Pros: Baselight for macOS includes 24/7 user support, with project advice, training, installation and consultancy.
• Cons: The recommended macOS setup calls for at least 64GB unified memory and an 8TB cache drive, a significant hardware commitment.
• Cons: S excludes advanced collaboration, while M and the subscriptions carry substantial starting prices.
• Cons: Output tops out at 4K, and Windows is not supported.

Alternatives

For a broader comparison, see Video Color Grading Software.

Colourlab Ai is a paid alternative with a free trial and Linux, macOS and Windows support; its public beta is free but requires an Apple Silicon Mac. Choose it if that platform mix or beta access better suits your setup.

DaVinci Resolve has a free plan and supports Linux, macOS and Windows, making it worth considering if you need a free starting point or Windows support. Its Studio edition costs $$295 once.

Mistika Boutique offers a free educational plan with all features, H264-only renders and community support, as well as a €99 / month Personal plan. It may suit learners who can work within those render and support limits.

ColourSpace has a free ZRO plan for manual calibration and display verification, but it has no LUT capability. Choose it for that narrower calibration use rather than Baselight’s finishing workflow.

Dolby Vision Professional Tools offers free command-line tools for Dolby Vision processing and QC; it is an alternative for those focused on that task.

fylm.ai has a free plan for one user and three cloud projects, with access to its tools and the ability to save graded images. It may suit users who want a cloud-project workflow with a small free allowance.

Hance is free and supports Linux and macOS, with browser controls and H.264/H.265 export. Consider it as a free alternative.

Assimilate Live Looks is another paid alternative for macOS and Windows users.

Verdict

Baselight is a strong fit for professional colourists and facilities that need layered finishing tools, detailed matte work and, with M, connected multi-user workflows. Its main reasons to choose it are the depth of its grading features and its facility integrations; its main reasons to look elsewhere are the costly subscriptions, demanding Mac hardware recommendation and 4K ceiling. Freelancers can start with S, but facilities should pay for M only when its collaboration and interconnectivity matter.