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Channels pop-up menu (unlabeled): The Channels pop-up menu (the color spectrum
icon) controls which color channels are displayed in the Canvas. Use this menu to view
a single color channel in the Canvas, to examine layers’ alpha channels, or to manipulate
effects that affect only a single color channel. This menu has the following options:
• Color: Shows the image as it would appear on a video monitor. Visible layers appear
in natural color and transparent areas reveal the background color as set in the
Properties Inspector for the project. The background color is black by default. To change
it, press Command-J, then choose a color from the Background Color control in the
Properties Inspector.
Note: The Background pop-up menu in the Properties Inspector must be set to Solid
to export the background color with the project. This option creates a solid alpha
channel on export (when exporting using a codec that supports alpha channels). When
the Background pop-up menu is set to Transparent, the color is visible in the Canvas,
but does not render as part of the alpha channel.
• Transparent: Shows the background area of the Canvas as transparent. A checkerboard
pattern appears by default where no images block the background.
• Alpha Overlay: Displays the image in normal color, but adds a red highlight over
transparent areas of the image.
• RGB Only: Displays the normal mix of red, green, and blue channels but displays
transparent areas (including semitransparent areas) as opaque.
• Red: Displays only the red channel as a range of black to white.
• Green: Displays only the green channel as a range of black to white.
• Blue: Displays only the blue channel as a range of black to white.
• Alpha: Displays the alpha (transparency) channel of the layers in the Canvas.
• Inverted Alpha: Displays an inverted view of the alpha (transparency) channel.
Render pop-up menu: The Render pop-up menu controls the quality and resolution of
the Canvas display and lets you enable or disable features that can impact playback
performance. When an option is active, a checkmark appears beside the menu item.
If a complex project is causing your computer to play at a very low frame rate, you can
make changes in this menu to reduce the strain on the processor. This frees you from
waiting for the image to be rendered at full resolution each time you make an adjustment,
allowing you to watch complex projects at high frame rates while you work.
Note: These options are also available in the View pull-down menu (View > Resolution,
Quality, or Render Options).
59Chapter 2 The Motion Interface