Switching Color Space

#1

I recently finished a fairly complex project for a client using the default After Effects (CS6) project color space, namely “none.” The client liked everything but then threw me a curve ball. He wants the project to be in the REC 709 16-235 color space. Of course, I know how to change project’s settings to that, but obviously, this affects the look of the project. In my case, the contrast went up and a bit of saturation and color shift happened. I’m guessing the client would like to get exactly what I showed him when I first finished the project (without any color management) now using the REC 709 16-235 color space. Has anyone run into this issue, and if so, is there an easy solution to achieve the look of the original project? I ask because there are literally hundreds of assets in the project and the thought of reworking this beast to compensate for the color shift seems daunting. Thanks in advance for your help. I hope this made sense. (I have tried to apply an adjustment layer on top of everything, but I can only get “close” but not exact. Just wondering if some genius out there has a more accurate, mathematical solution.) :surprised

#2

Select sRGB as your Working Space in Color Settings. Verify that nothing’s changed in your viewport. If something has, you’ll need to track down the element that is being interpreted differently and change its intepretation until it’s correct. Adobe RGB is a pretty good bet if neither sRGB or 709 look right.

Assuming that everything still looks good, in your Output Module, go to the Color Management tab and choose HDTV (Rec. 709) 16-235 for the Output profile. Make sure that Preserve RGB is not checked.

My color management knowledge is admittedly a bit sketchy, especially where AE is concerned, so if anybody sees anything in there that I got wrong, or if I missed a setting, please pipe up!