diff --git a/source/blender/editors/animation/anim_ipo_utils.c b/source/blender/editors/animation/anim_ipo_utils.c
index ba478b9e8c4..6be9a0e3091 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/animation/anim_ipo_utils.c
+++ b/source/blender/editors/animation/anim_ipo_utils.c
@@ -183,7 +183,9 @@ void getname_anim_fcurve(char *name, ID *id, FCurve *fcu)
 
 /* ------------------------------- Color Codes for F-Curve Channels ---------------------------- */
 
-unsigned int ipo_rainbow(int cur, int tot)
+/* used for FCURVE_COLOR_AUTO_RAINBOW */
+// XXX this still doesn't work too great when there are more than 32 curves (which happens most of the time)
+void ipo_rainbow (int cur, int tot, float *out)
 {
 	float dfac, fac, sat;
 	
@@ -198,5 +200,6 @@ unsigned int ipo_rainbow(int cur, int tot)
 	if(fac>0.5f && fac<0.8f) sat= 0.5f;
 	else sat= 0.6f;
 	
-	return hsv_to_cpack(fac, sat, 1.0f);
+	//return hsv_to_cpack(fac, sat, 1.0f);
+	hsv_to_rgb(fac, sat, 1.0f, out, out+1, out+2);
 }
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/include/ED_anim_api.h b/source/blender/editors/include/ED_anim_api.h
index 8517c7f956e..12be7582b19 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/include/ED_anim_api.h
+++ b/source/blender/editors/include/ED_anim_api.h
@@ -290,7 +290,7 @@ int geticon_anim_blocktype(short blocktype);
 void getname_anim_fcurve(char *name, struct ID *id, struct FCurve *fcu);
 
 
-unsigned int ipo_rainbow(int cur, int tot);
+void ipo_rainbow(int cur, int tot, float *out);
 
 
 /* ------------- NLA-Mapping ----------------------- */
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/space_graph/graph_draw.c b/source/blender/editors/space_graph/graph_draw.c
index eea057435ff..a7ef4941b24 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/space_graph/graph_draw.c
+++ b/source/blender/editors/space_graph/graph_draw.c
@@ -686,18 +686,15 @@ void graph_draw_curves (bAnimContext *ac, SpaceIpo *sipo, ARegion *ar)
 	bAnimListElem *ale;
 	int filter;
 	
-	unsigned int col;
-	int items, i;
-	
 	/* build list of curves to draw */
 	filter= (ANIMFILTER_VISIBLE|ANIMFILTER_CURVESONLY|ANIMFILTER_CURVEVISIBLE);
-	items= ANIM_animdata_filter(ac, &anim_data, filter, ac->data, ac->datatype);
+	ANIM_animdata_filter(ac, &anim_data, filter, ac->data, ac->datatype);
 		
 	/* for each curve:
 	 *	draw curve, then handle-lines, and finally vertices in this order so that 
 	 * 	the data will be layered correctly
 	 */
-	for (ale=anim_data.first, i=0; ale; ale=ale->next, i++) {
+	for (ale=anim_data.first; ale; ale=ale->next) {
 		FCurve *fcu= (FCurve *)ale->key_data;
 		Object *nob= ANIM_nla_mapping_get(ac, ale);
 		float fac=0.0f; // dummy var
@@ -719,9 +716,8 @@ void graph_draw_curves (bAnimContext *ac, SpaceIpo *sipo, ARegion *ar)
 				UI_ThemeColorShade(TH_HEADER, 50);
 			}
 			else {
-				// XXX color calculation here really needs to be done in advance instead
-				col= ipo_rainbow(i, items);
-				cpack(col);
+				/* set whatever color the curve has set */
+				glColor3fv(fcu->color);
 			}
 			
 			/* draw F-Curve */
@@ -768,7 +764,7 @@ void graph_draw_channel_names(bAnimContext *ac, SpaceIpo *sipo, ARegion *ar)
 	
 	View2D *v2d= &ar->v2d;
 	float x= 0.0f, y= 0.0f, height;
-	int items;
+	int items, i=0;
 	
 	/* build list of channels to draw */
 	filter= (ANIMFILTER_VISIBLE|ANIMFILTER_CHANNELS);
@@ -795,7 +791,7 @@ void graph_draw_channel_names(bAnimContext *ac, SpaceIpo *sipo, ARegion *ar)
 	/* loop through channels, and set up drawing depending on their type  */	
 	y= (float)ACHANNEL_FIRST;
 	
-	for (ale= anim_data.first; ale; ale= ale->next) {
+	for (ale= anim_data.first, i=0; ale; ale= ale->next, i++) {
 		const float yminc= (float)(y - ACHANNEL_HEIGHT_HALF);
 		const float ymaxc= (float)(y + ACHANNEL_HEIGHT_HALF);
 		
@@ -1039,7 +1035,7 @@ void graph_draw_channel_names(bAnimContext *ac, SpaceIpo *sipo, ARegion *ar)
 					
 					group= (fcu->grp) ? 1 : 0;
 					grp= fcu->grp;
-										
+					
 					switch (ale->ownertype) {
 						case ANIMTYPE_NONE:	/* no owner */
 						case ANIMTYPE_FCURVE: 
@@ -1141,25 +1137,11 @@ void graph_draw_channel_names(bAnimContext *ac, SpaceIpo *sipo, ARegion *ar)
 				gl_round_box(GL_POLYGON, x+offset,  yminc, (float)ACHANNEL_NAMEWIDTH, ymaxc, 8);
 			}
 			else {
-				/* for normal channels 
-				 *	- use 3 shades of color group/standard color for 3 indention level
-				 *	- only use group colors if allowed to, and if actually feasible
-				 */
-				if ((grp) && (grp->customCol)) 
-				{
-					char cp[3];
-					
-					if (indent == 2) {
-						VECCOPY(cp, grp->cs.solid);
-					}
-					else if (indent == 1) {
-						VECCOPY(cp, grp->cs.select);
-					}
-					else {
-						VECCOPY(cp, grp->cs.active);
-					}
-					
-					glColor3ub(cp[0], cp[1], cp[2]);
+				/* most of the time, only F-Curves are going to be drawn here */
+				if (ale->type == ANIMTYPE_FCURVE) {
+					/* F-Curve channels are colored with whatever color the curve has stored  */
+					FCurve *fcu= (FCurve *)ale->data;
+					glColor3fv(fcu->color);
 				}
 				else
 					UI_ThemeColorShade(TH_HEADER, ((indent==0)?20: (indent==1)?-20: -40));
diff --git a/source/blender/editors/space_graph/space_graph.c b/source/blender/editors/space_graph/space_graph.c
index 7651dd37538..50c8bcaa1ea 100644
--- a/source/blender/editors/space_graph/space_graph.c
+++ b/source/blender/editors/space_graph/space_graph.c
@@ -43,6 +43,7 @@
 
 #include "BKE_context.h"
 #include "BKE_screen.h"
+#include "BKE_utildefines.h"
 
 #include "ED_space_api.h"
 #include "ED_screen.h"
@@ -343,9 +344,12 @@ static void graph_listener(ScrArea *sa, wmNotifier *wmn)
 	}
 }
 
+
+
 static void graph_refresh(const bContext *C, ScrArea *sa)
 {
 	SpaceIpo *sipo = (SpaceIpo *)sa->spacedata.first;
+	bAnimContext ac;
 	
 	/* updates to data needed depends on Graph Editor mode... */
 	switch (sipo->mode) {
@@ -364,6 +368,75 @@ static void graph_refresh(const bContext *C, ScrArea *sa)
 	
 	/* region updates? */
 	// XXX resizing y-extents of tot should go here?
+	
+	/* init/adjust F-Curve colors */
+	if (ANIM_animdata_get_context(C, &ac)) {
+		ListBase anim_data = {NULL, NULL};
+		bAnimListElem *ale;
+		int filter;
+		int items, i;
+		
+		/* build list of F-Curves which will be visible as channels in channel-region
+		 * 	- we don't include ANIMFILTER_CURVEVISIBLE filter, as that will result in a 
+		 * 	  mismatch between channel-colors and the drawn curves
+		 */
+		filter= (ANIMFILTER_VISIBLE|ANIMFILTER_CURVESONLY);
+		items= ANIM_animdata_filter(&ac, &anim_data, filter, ac.data, ac.datatype);
+		
+		/* loop over F-Curves, assigning colors */
+		for (ale=anim_data.first, i=0; ale; ale= ale->next, i++) {
+			FCurve *fcu= (FCurve *)ale->data;
+			
+			/* set color of curve here */
+			switch (fcu->color_mode) {
+				case FCURVE_COLOR_CUSTOM:
+					/* User has defined a custom color for this curve already (we assume it's not going to cause clashes with text colors),
+					 * which should be left alone... Nothing needs to be done here.
+					 */
+					break;
+					
+				case FCURVE_COLOR_AUTO_RGB:
+				{
+					/* F-Curve's array index is automatically mapped to RGB values. This works best of 3-value vectors. 
+					 * TODO: find a way to module the hue so that not all curves have same color...
+					 */
+					
+					/* standard table of colors to use */
+					const float _colorsets[4][3]= 
+					{
+						{1.0f, 0.0f, 0.0f}, /* red */
+						{0.0f, 1.0f, 0.0f}, /* green */
+						{0.0f, 0.0f, 1.0f}, /* blue */
+						{0.3f, 0.8f, 1.0f}, /* 'unknown' color - bluish so as to not conflict with handles */
+					};
+					
+					/* simply copy the relevant color over to the F-Curve */
+					if ((fcu->array_index >= 0) && (fcu->array_index < 3)) {
+						/* if the index is within safe bounds, use index to access table */
+						VECCOPY(fcu->color, _colorsets[fcu->array_index]);
+					}
+					else {
+						/* use the 'unknown' color... */
+						VECCOPY(fcu->color, _colorsets[3]);
+					}
+				}
+					break;
+				
+				case FCURVE_COLOR_AUTO_RAINBOW:
+				default:
+				{
+					/* determine color 'automatically' using 'magic function' which uses the given args
+					 * of current item index + total items to determine some RGB color
+					 */
+					ipo_rainbow(i, items, fcu->color);
+				}
+					break;
+			}
+		}
+		
+		/* free temp list */
+		BLI_freelistN(&anim_data);
+	}
 }
 
 /* only called once, from space/spacetypes.c */
diff --git a/source/blender/makesdna/DNA_anim_types.h b/source/blender/makesdna/DNA_anim_types.h
index d3551817a85..3ce656faf92 100644
--- a/source/blender/makesdna/DNA_anim_types.h
+++ b/source/blender/makesdna/DNA_anim_types.h
@@ -225,6 +225,10 @@ typedef struct FCurve {
 		/* RNA - data link */
 	int array_index;		/* if applicable, the index of the RNA-array item to get */
 	char *rna_path;			/* RNA-path to resolve data-access */
+	
+		/* curve coloring (for editor) */
+	int color_mode;			/* coloring method to use */
+	float color[3];			/* the last-color this curve took */
 } FCurve;
 
 
@@ -255,6 +259,13 @@ enum {
 	FCURVE_EXTRAPOLATE_LINEAR,			/* just extend gradient of segment between first segment keyframes */
 } eFCurve_Extend;
 
+/* curve coloring modes */
+enum {
+	FCURVE_COLOR_AUTO_RAINBOW = 0,		/* automatically determine color using rainbow (calculated at drawtime) */
+	FCURVE_COLOR_AUTO_RGB,				/* automatically determine color using XYZ (array index) <-> RGB */
+	FCURVE_COLOR_CUSTOM,				/* custom color */
+} eFCurve_Coloring;
+
 /* ************************************************ */
 /* 'Action' Datatypes */