Color management and color profiles

Color information is communicated using numbers. Because different devices use different methods to record and display color, the same numbers can be interpreted differently and appear to us as different colors. A color management system keeps track of all of these different ways of interpreting color and translates between them so that images can look the same regardless of the device used to display them.

In general, a color profile is a description of a device-specific color space in terms of the transformations required to convert its color information to a device-independent color space.

In the specific case of working within After Effects, ICC color profiles are used to convert to and from the working color space in the following general workflow:

1. An input color profile is used to convert each footage item from its color space into the working color space. A footage item may contain an embedded input color profile, or you can assign the input color profile in the Interpret Footage dialog box or interpretation rules file. (See Interpret a footage item by assigning an input color profile.)

2. After Effects performs all of its color operations in the working color space. You assign a working color space (project working space) in the Project Settings dialog box. (See Choose a working color space and enable color management.)

3. Colors are converted from the working color space to the color space of your computer monitor through the monitor profile. This conversion ensures that your composition will look identical on two different monitors, if 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. (See Enable or disable display color management.)

4. Optionally, After Effects uses a simulation profile to show you on your computer monitor how the composition will look in its final output form on a different device. You control output simulation for each view through the View > Simulate Output menu. (See Simulate how colors will appear on a different output device.)

5. An output color profile for each output module is used to convert the rendered composition from the working color space to the color space of the output medium. You choose an output color profile in the Output Module Settings dialog box. (See Assign an output color profile.)

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.adobe.com/go/learn_ae_icc.

Charles Poynton provides an excellent set of resources on his website regarding color technology and color terminology: www.adobe.com/go/learn_ae_poyntoncolor.

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. 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.

By default when you use color management, After Effects automatically adjusts colors to compensate for the differences in gamma between scene-referred color profiles and output-referred color profiles. (See Gamma and tone response.)

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