Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 249

Make sure that your monitor is displaying millions of colors (24 bits per pixel) or higher.
2
If you do not have profiling software that uses a hardware measuring device, remove colorful background patterns
3
on your monitor desktop and set your desktop to display neutral grays. Busy patterns or bright colors surrounding
a document interfere with accurate color perception.
4 Do one of the following to calibrate and profile your monitor:
• For best results, use third-party software and measuring devices. In general, using a measuring device such as a
colorimeter along with software can create more accurate profiles because an instrument can measure the colors
displayed on a monitor far more accurately than the human eye can.
Most profiling software automatically assigns the new profile as the default monitor profile. For instructions on how
to manually assign the monitor profile, refer to the Help system for your operating system.
• In Mac OS, use the Calibrate utility, located in the System Preferences > Displays > Color tab.
Choose a working color space and enable color management
You turn color management on for a project by choosing a working color space (Working Space) in the Project Settings
dialog box. You control color management for each footage item with the Interpret Footage dialog box or interpretation
rules file. You control color management for each output item in the Output Module Settings dialog box.
If Working Space is set to None in the Project Settings dialog box, color management is off for the project.
Choosing a working color space is an essential step in managing color in a project. Footage items' colors are
converted into the working color space as a common color space for compositing.
For best results, when working with 8-bpc color, match the working color space to the output color space. If you are
outputting to more than one output color space, you should set the project color depth to 16 or 32 bpc, at least for
rendering for final output. The working color space should match the output color space that has the largest gamut.
For example, if you plan to output to Adobe RGB and sRGB, then use Adobe RGB as your working color space,
because Adobe RGB has a larger gamut and can therefore represent more saturated colors. To preserve over-range
values, work in 32-bpc color for its high dynamic range.
Note: HDTV (Rec. 709) is a good choice for a working color space for film work, with a project color bit depth of 32 bpc.
Working in 32-bpc color allows over-range colors, so the color values are not limited to the color boundaries of HDTV
(Rec. 709).
Suggestions for color working space choices:
• SDTV NTSC or SDTV PAL is a good choice if you're making a movie for standard-definition broadcast television,
including standard-definition DVD.
• HDTV (Rec. 709) is a good choice if you're making a movie for high-definition television, and it's also a good
choice for motion-picture film work. This color space uses the same primaries as sRGB, but it has a larger gamut,
so it makes a good working space for many kinds of work.
• sRGB IEC61966-2.1 is a good choice if you're making a movie for the Web, especially cartoons.
The color spaces available in After Effects vary based on the color profiles installed on your computer.
1 Choose File > Project Settings.
Choose a working color space from the Working Space menu.
2
Previews sent to an external video monitor are not color managed. The color values sent to the video monitor are
from the project's working color space. To preview video colors, choose a value for Working Space in the Project
Settings dialog box that matches the color space of the preview device.
AFTER EFFECTS CS3 243
User Guide