Color Space Conversion

This parameter is now obsolete, and recent versions of FxFactory no longer allow developers to create or use a parameter of this type.

A parameter that lets the user control if and how the color values that come from the host are treated by the plug-in.

The Default Working Color Space option tells FxFactory which type of conversion it should perform by default. When “Linear” is selected, FxFactory will do its best to convert any color values coming from the host to the Generic RGB Linear color space. When the “Uncorrected” option is selected, FxFactory will feed the values coming from the host to the composition “as they are”. Depending on the host and current project settings, the uncorrected color values may be linear or gamma-encoded.

The Hide this parameter if the host uses ColorSync option tells FxFactory to hide the parameter when the plug-in is applied in newer FxPlug hosts which tag all their images with ColorSync profiles. The main purpose of color space conversion is to ensure that all effects are processed in a predictable working color space (usually Generic RGB Linear). ColorSync allows FxFactory to enforce this requirement easily, and as such it lessens the need for such a parameter. For the reason just described, the Hide this parameter if the host uses ColorSync option is enabled by default on all Color Space Conversion parameters.

Unfortunately it isn't always possible for FxFactory to know which color space the host is using for visual effects processing. The sections below explain a few special cases in more detail.

After Effects

After Effects usually feeds color values with a non-linear gamma to our plug-in. The host allows the user to optionally set the working color space to be linear:

Unfortunately if the FxFactory is assuming a non-linear gamma, it can perform the linearization again. In the absence of precise color management, it might be better to allow the user to control whether incoming color values are converted from non-linear to linear (“Linear”) or whether they should be left untouched (“Uncorrected”).

Final Cut Pro X and Motion 5

This parameter has a slightly different effect in Final Cut Pro X and Motion 5 because of their color-managed pipeline. FxFactory knows exactly which color space the media is encoded in1). On its default setting of “Linear”, this parameter will cause incoming color values to be converted to the Generic Linear RGB color space 2). If you want to process pixel values in the Rec 709 RGB Linear color space rather than the Generic RGB Linear color space, set the value of this parameter to “Uncorrected”.


When a Color Space Conversion parameter is not present, the plug-in will use the default setting specified under the Renderer section. Changing that setting is identical to changing the default setting of the Color Space Conversion parameter.

1)
Linear RGB Rec 709 in most cases
2)
The ColorSync profile named kCGColorSpaceGenericRGBLinear. The Generic Linear RGB color space has been the default working color space by Core Image Units running inside Quartz compositions since the technologies were first released.