Adobe After Effects CS4 - Manual (Page 292)

286 USING AFTER EFFECTS CS4
Color
Last updated 12/21/2009
By setting a working color space for the project (which enables color management), you do two things:
• You define a common color space for compositing and other color operations.
• You control the appearance of colors in your composition.
If a footage item has an embedded color profile (for example, the footage item is a Photoshop PSD file), then the colors
intended by the person who created the image can be accurately reproduced in your composition. The color profile
contains the information that determines how to convert the RGB numbers in the image file into a device-independent
color space; the color profile of the monitor can then be used to determine which RGB numbers in the color space of
your monitor represent the colors intended for the footage item. This automatic conversion becomes even more
important as you import footage items with many different color profiles, from many different sources.
The color conversion process takes no effort on your part. The colors simply appear on your monitor just like they
appeared when the image was created. Your monitor may have a limited gamut compared to the color space that you
choose for the working space, and colors can be clipped when displayed on the monitor. However, you still have the
full range of color data in your project, and the colors are not clipped internally.
When you are ready to output your composition, you can use color management to transform your colors into the
space appropriate for your output media. At this stage, you are preserving the appearance of colors as you intend them
to look.
Color profiles
The file format for color profiles is standardized by the ICC (International Color Consortium), and the files that
contain them usually end with the .icc filename extension. After Effects comes with a large number of color profiles
for color spaces for common (and some not so common) input and output types.
After Effects loads color profiles from multiple locations, including the following:
• Mac OS: Library/ColorSync/Profiles
• Mac OS: Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles
• Windows: WINDOWS\system32\spool\drivers\color
When you create or install new profiles, put them in these folders.
You can create a custom ICC profile using Adobe Photoshop. In Photoshop, choose Edit > Color Settings. The RGB
and CMYK menus in the Working Spaces area of the Photoshop Color Settings dialog box include options for saving
and loading ICC profiles and defining custom profiles.
All color profiles used in a project are saved in the project, so you do not need to manually transfer color profiles from
one system to another to open the project on another system.
Note: The NTSC (1953) color profile corresponds to obsolete television equipment and should not be used. For standard-
definition NTSC television, use one of the SDTV NTSC color profiles.
When you choose a profile—for input, output, or simulation—the motion-picture film profiles do not appear unless
your footage is Cineon footage or you select Show All Available profiles. If your footage is Cineon footage, only the
motion-picture film profiles appear, unless you select Show All Available Profiles.