Beyond Print

Preparing to Enter the Motion-based World

Pre-Production and Preparing Your Files

Making the right pre-production choices ensures that you will spend less time on the technical aspects of your project and more time being creative.

Your plan should include your overall vision for the project, a determination of your final output format, and a storyboard that you can use to communicate your vision to others.

In this section, we will explain the fundamental concepts for preparing your files for video and motion-based projects. These concepts include working with color profiles, alpha channels, output resolutions, and aspect ratios. We will also provide some tips to show you how to apply these techniques to your project.

RGB vs. CMYK

When designing for print, your working color space is typically CMYK. However, when working with video for television or the web, you will have to convert existing images to other color profiles. In most cases, sRGB is the color profile you should choose because of its ability to accurately represent color on most displays. The sRGB color profile is a standard preset in Photoshop.

How to Convert a Single Image to sRGB in Photoshop

Step 1: Choose Edit and Convert To Profile.

Step 2: Choose sRGB profile in the pull-down menu under Destination Space and click OK.

How to Convert a Folder of Images to sRGB in Photoshop

Step 1: Open the first image in the folder that you will be converting.

Step 2: From the Actions palette, create a New Action.

Step 3: Name your Action “sRGB Conversion” and click Record.

Step 4: Repeat the same steps as converting a single image to sRGB.

Step 5: Press the Stop button on the Actions Palette.

Step 6: From the File menu choose Automate/Batch.

Step 7: Your new action will be already listed. Select your Source and Destination folders and click OK.

Alpha Channels

In addition to red, green, and blue color channels, RGB images can also save a separate alpha channel. An alpha channel indicates the transparent areas of an image. When an image with an alpha channel is placed over another image, the background image shows through the transparent areas of the foreground image.

Alpha channels are especially useful for animations by allowing you to alter the foreground image without affecting the background.

Tip: When saving your images in Photoshop, make sure you choose a file format that supports alpha channels. File formats that support alpha channels include PSD, PICT, and TIF. Formats that do not support alpha channels include GIF, JPEG, and BMP.

How to Create an Alpha Channel File in Photoshop

There are several different ways to create an alpha channel in Photoshop, ranging from using layer masks to creating clipping paths. Here is one quick and easy way to create an alpha channel.

Step 1: Open the file that you would like to have a transparent background.

Step 2: Check to see if it is an RGB image by using the Mode pull down from the Image menu. If the image is not RGB, select RGB to convert it.

Step 3: You must now select the portion of the image that you wish to be transparent. This can be accomplished with a number of tools, including the eyedropper and the color range selector in the Select menu.

Step 4: Once you have made a selection, choose Save Selection from the Select menu. Name the new channel and click OK.

Step 5: In the Layers window, click on the Channels tab. You should now see the Alpha channel beneath the RGB, Red, Green, and Blue layers. The transparent area is indicated by the color black.

Step 6: Save the document as a PSD, PICT or TIF file.

Step 7: When you import the image into Final Cut Pro, the area indicated by the alpha channel will be transparent.

Resolution

In the print world, images are typically saved in the maximum size possible so they can be repurposed for different sizes and layouts. As a result, a scanned image at 300 dpi allows you to create a 72 dpi image for posting on the web. The same concept applies in video. When you start with the highest resolution source material as your master, you will have the flexibility to deliver your project in any format.

If you are creating an image in Photoshop, you can use the resolution presets in the New Image dialog box. For most projects, selecting the HDV 1280x720 preset will give you a good starting point.

The chart below provides examples of resolutions for different output formats.

Output Format:
Web	Standard Definition TV/DVD	Podcast	HD Delivery for TV or Computer
Resolution Varies — Common sizes are:
640x480, 320x240	720x480 (480i, 480p)	640x480, 320x240	1920x1080 (1080i or 1080p), 1280x720 (720p)

Tip: Video frames for standard definition are made up of non-square (rectangular) pixels rather than the square pixels used in the print and web worlds. Make sure the images you create use non-square pixels. If you are creating an image in Photoshop, you can use the presets in the New dialog box. To view the effect, toggle the Pixel Aspect Ration Correction option in the View menu.

Aspect Ratio

For the traditional SD television screen, the aspect ratio (width to height) is 4:3. For HD widescreen television screen, the aspect ratio is 16:9.

Output Format:
Web	SD TV/DVD	Podcast	HD Delivery for TV or Computer
Aspect Ratio:
4:3	4:3, 16:9 letterbox	4:3	16:9

Starting with HD source material provides the greatest flexibility for output while also creating a cinematic feel. However, because SD is still in use, it is important to build your project so you can output to either format. Make sure all of your important image data fits in the smaller screen size. This is no different from designing print materials, such as a business card or print ad. You always make sure your design fits in the live area and bleeds properly so that everything is visible when cut to fit. Fortunately, Photoshop has presets for both 16:9 and 4:3 images to help simplify this process for you.

How to Create a 4:3 Image From a 16:9 Original

Step 1: Open your existing 16:9 image in Photoshop.

Step 2: Go to the Image menu and select Image Size. The original image size should be 1280x720. Make sure Constrain Proportions is checked. Then change the height of the image from 720 to 480. The image size should now be 853x480. Click OK.

Step 3: Press Command-A to select the entire image. Press Command-C to copy the image.

Step 4: Under the File menu, select New. From the Preset drop-down menu choose NTSC DV 720 x 480 (with guides). Click OK.

Step 5: Press Command-V to Paste the image into the 4x3 document.