The Color Profile Converter effect converts a layer from one color space to another by specifying input and output profiles.

The profiles you select are embedded in the project, so you can use them even if you transfer the project to a computer that doesn’t have the same profiles. When converting from one color space to another, you can specify how After Effects handles the color conversion by selecting a rendering intent. You can also choose whether to linearize the input or output profile.

This effect works with 8-bpc, 16-bpc, and 32-bpc color.

To convert the color profile of the layer, select a color profile from the Input Profile menu. Select Project Working Space to use the profile specified in the project settings (File > Project Settings). To linearize the input profile, select the Linearize Input Profile option. Then select an output profile from the Output Profile menu. To linearize the output profile, select the Linearize Output Profile. In the Intent menu, select a rendering intent.

Rendering intent options determine how source colors are adjusted. For example, colors that fall inside the destination gamut may remain unchanged, or they may be adjusted to preserve the original range of visual relationships when translated to a smaller destination gamut.

The result of choosing a rendering intent depends on the graphical content of an image and on the profiles used to specify color spaces. Some profiles produce identical results for different rendering intents.

When specifying a rendering intent, you can choose to use black point compression. Black point compression ensures that the shadow detail in the image is preserved by simulating the full dynamic range of the output device.

The following rendering intents are available for the Color Profile Converter effect:

Perceptual

Attempts to preserve the visual relationship between colors so it’s perceived as natural to the human eye, even though the color values themselves may change. This intent is suitable for images with many of out-of-gamut colors.

Saturation

Attempts to produce vivid colors in an image at the expense of color accuracy. This rendering intent is suitable for images, such as graphic logos, in which bright saturated colors are more important than the exact relationship between colors.

Relative Colorimetric

Compares the extreme highlight of the source color space to that of the destination color space and shifts all colors accordingly. Out-of-gamut colors are shifted to the closest reproducible color in the destination color space. This rendering intent preserves more of the original colors in an image than Perceptual. This rendering intent is used by default throughout After Effects.

Absolute Colorimetric

Leaves colors that fall inside the destination gamut unchanged. Out-of-gamut colors are clipped. No scaling of colors to the destination white point is performed. This intent aims to maintain color accuracy at the expense of preserving relationships between colors.