Adobe AFTER EFFECTS CS3 PROFESSIONAL User Manual page 248

Colors are converted from the working color space to the color space of your computer monitor through the
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monitor profile. This means that your composition will look identical on two different monitors, as long as the
monitors have been properly profiled. This conversion does not change the data within the composition. You can
choose whether to convert colors for your monitor using the View > Use Display Color Management menu
command.
Optionally, After Effects uses a simulation profile to show you on your computer monitor how the composition
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will look in its final output form on a different device. You control output simulation for each view through the View
> Simulate Output menu.
An output color profile for each output module is used to convert the rendered composition from the working
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color space to the color space of the output medium. You choose an output color profile in the Output Module
Settings dialog box.
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.
For information on color profiles, see the International Color Consortium website at www.color.org.
After Effects loads color profiles from multiple locations, including the following:
• Mac OS: Library/ColorSync/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.
When you choose a profile—for input, output, or simulation—you will not see the motion-picture film profiles
unless your footage is Cineon footage or you select Show All Available profiles. If your footage is Cineon footage, you
will see only the motion-picture film profiles, unless you select Show All Available Profiles.
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.
Make sure that your work environment provides a consistent light level and color temperature. For example, the color
characteristics of sunlight change throughout the day, which can alter the way colors appear on your screen, so keep
shades closed or work in a windowless room.
See also
"Interpret footage items" on page 60
Calibrate and profile your monitor
When you calibrate your monitor, you're adjusting it so that it conforms to a known specification. After your monitor
is calibrated, the profiling utility lets you save a color profile. The profile describes the color behavior of the
monitor—what colors can be reproduced on the monitor and how the color values in an image must be converted
so that colors are displayed accurately.
Note: Monitor performance changes and declines over time; recalibrate and profile your monitor every month or so. If
you find it difficult or impossible to calibrate your monitor to a standard, it may be too old and faded.
1 Make sure that your monitor has been turned on for at least half an hour. This gives it sufficient time to warm up
and produce more consistent output.
AFTER EFFECTS CS3 242
User Guide