CHROMiX ColorNews Issue #3 - Editing Profiles, How & When |
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___________________________________________________________________ C H R O M i X C O L O R N E W S Issue #3 June 28, 2001 ___________________________________________________________________ ===================================================== Welcome to the third issue of ColorNews, a periodic (hey, we're trying for monthly!) update on all things related to Color Management. Please let us know what your interests are so we can address these concerns in our coming issues. ColorNews covers newsworthy items including new product releases and updates, and interesting, informative web sites. Each issue will include a feature article covering an aspect of color management such as profiles, workflow, and so forth. In a visit to CHROMiX.com or profilecentral.com, you opted to receive this newsletter. You may have also heard Steve Upton speak and requested more information. If you have received this message in error, we apologize. We value our relationship with you and do not want to spam you. See below for details on how to provide feedback, how to unsubscribe, or how to become a sponsor. ===================================================== Table of Contents ================= 1. Color News 2. New Releases 3. ColorFAQs - this month's FAQ is on Why and How to Edit Profiles, and Who Should Do It 4. ColorNews Administration (feedback, subscriptions, etc.) ===================================================== Color News ================ - CHROMiX (yes that's us) just announced our exciting rebate program for ColorTron users who are interested in GretagMacbeth's Eye-One. Save up to $250 off list price by trading in your ColorTron for the new Eye-One. For more information go here: <http://www.chromix.com/chromix/store/toolsearch.lasso?toolid=477> - Studion has shipped their hotly anticipated ColorBlade software plug-in for Photoshop. Introduced at Seybold Seminars San Francisco last August, ColorBlade won a Hot Pick award and deservedly so. ColorBlade uses a unique color appearance model to make stunning CMYK separations using your normal profiles. You can also divide your image into panes to compare multiple profiles at once. Check out our site for more information, it is available now for $189. <http://www.chromix.com/chromix/store/toolsearch.lasso?toolid=475> - Bruce Fraser has once again written two interesting, highly informative articles on what color really is and describing how and why we see the colors we do. See <http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/13036-1.html> <http://www.creativepro.com/story/feature/13605.html> - Pantone has posted their seminar schedule for the remainder of 2001. They will be offering their "Communicating with Color" seminar in cities from Seattle to Miami - to find one near you see: <http://www.colorseminars.com/dates.html> - To answer a question we received that many of you may have wondered about - ColorVision WILL work with Adobe Elements. "The current (2.07) version will work just fine, but attempting to use the Preview function will produce an error (not a crash, but Elements will scold you). The new 2.1 version will also work fine, and the Preview feature will not be shown, since the new code knows that it's running in Elements, and that Preview will not work. Better to completely hide any features that are non-functional." We are always happy to answer any and all questions you might have. ===================================================== New Releases =============== As mentioned in earlier issues of ColorNews, BestColor has released an update to their designer edition. Version 1.1 is now available for download at bestcolor.com. Version 1.1. can be profiled but you will need special instructions - please contact us for more information. GretagMacbeth's release of their new Eye-One color solution has been very successful - check out this fabulous new product in our store at: <http://www.chromix.com/chromix/store/toolsearch.lasso?toolid=464> They've also upgraded ProfileMaker Pro to version 3.1.5 in order to add Eye-One support while fixing some minor bugs. <http://www.gretagmacbeth.com/> ===================================================== Quick Question.... =============== Some feel ColorNews would benefit from HTML formatting, others swear by the old stand-by, raw text. We can see the benefits of HTML formatted issues when used with a minimum of graphics and spruced up with text formatting and friendlier links. Some things are tough to describe with text alone and would require linking to our site to display the graphics. Cumbersome at best! How do you feel? ColorNews is read by thousands of people and we care about your preferences. If you have comments or feedback, please send us a quick note to newsformat(at)chromix.com Thanks for helping out! ===================================================== ColorFAQs ================================ Each month, our President Steve Upton will take time to answer questions we receive on a regular basis. If you have specific questions or comments, please see below for how to make submissions. This Month - Why and How to Edit Profiles, and Who Should Do It by Steve Upton _______________________________________________ Hey, wait a minute - isn't that a different topic than was mentioned last issue? Yes, I changed my mind. What more can I say? One of the reasons we put off the gamut FAQ is the issue of displaying graphics in email. Send in your comments regarding the "Quick Question" above and help us out! Tune in to future issues for more information regarding device gamuts and comparisons. What is it with profile editing? Many people think of profiles as black boxes that simply convert color and if you don't like it... tough. In fact, there is a lot of information in a profile and those of you who use our ColorThink software have realized a few of the ways you can see this information. When might I edit a profile? Well, you might edit profiles when they either: 1) Produce the wrong color when used for output - for instance, a test print appears too yellow. 2) Produce the wrong color then used for simulation - for instance, if you are using a CMYK press profile to proof on screen or on another printer and the colors look wrong. If I have these problems, does that mean I should edit the profile? Not necessarily. When I gave a presentation at last December's GATF Color Management Conference in Phoenix I was tasked with the topic of profile editing. In fact, I spent most of my time describing the different things you can (and should) do to avoid editing profiles. Overall, I have found that when you print well, measure well, and use good-quality equipment and software, you generally get good profiles. In most cases when we have trouble with profiles we can solve the largest issues by going back and reprinting the target (perhaps with better RIP linearization), or by remeasuring. Profiles do not always show exactly what we want and so we are left with the option of editing. What part of the profile can I edit? When you edit a profile, you have the capability of editing individual tables within the profile. Each of these tables contains input curves, a look up table (LUT), and output curves. (At least, printer profiles are like this, and most editing is of printer profiles.) Why does this matter? When proofing, how do you know whether to edit the proofing part of the press profile or the rendering part of the printer's profile, since both are in use? Well, if you are building and testing your profiles methodically, then you should have already tested your printer profile's rendering capabilities and edited it as required. Then you know for sure it is your press profile's proofing transforms. To test a profile, print a known-good RGB image from Photoshop using the profile. If you like what you see then the issue is probably with your proofing profile. If a profile editor allows you to move curves - for instance lightness, saturation, CMYK or whatever - then you are probably editing the input and output curves I mentioned. If an editor allows you to do "selective color" editing, then you are probably altering the information contained in the lookup table. Selective color editing will allow you to make the reds less orange, for instance, without altering any of the other colors. A good profile editor will allow you to select: - which rendering direction you want to edit - output or input - which table you want to edit for that direction - perceptual, colorimetric, etc. - editing by curves - for color-cast removal and so forth - editing selective colors - for those remaining color problems that may persist. A good profile editor will also save edits along the way for further tweaking and testing. Now, which are the best editors? Kodak Profile Editor is one of the best - unfortunately you must purchase the full package in order to get the editor. Monaco's is also good - again not available outside their package and is only works on their profiles. How do I know which editor is best for me? A) For the person who wants to edit profiles but not necessarily learn new software and a new user interface, I recommend: Kodak Custom Color ICC - this operates as a Photoshop plug-in, but the representative image file can actually be edited in any application. Most Photoshop moves can be used to alter the file - good for people really familiar with PS and not really willing to use another application. This application should not be confused with the above-mentioned Kodak software. Custom Color ICC is available outside the full package for $395. <http://www.chromix.com/chromix/store/toolsearch.lasso?toolid=392> Color Vision's Doctor Pro - works in a similar fashion to Custom Color. The edits are stored as actions and then "re-lived" by the software when the actual profile edit takes place. This program is also quite capable and good for people who are PS literate. It does not have the ability to isolate the edits to just the input or output side of the profile but ColorVision is working on this issue. It is priced at $259. <http://www.chromix.com/chromix/store/toolsearch.lasso?toolid=454> +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | A D V E R T I S E M E N T +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | CHROMiX ColorThink - Your brain on color! | | If you haven't seen ColorThink yet, you're missing the full | picture! ColorThink is the color management toolset that | picks up where the other tools leave off. Manage your profiles | individually or in sets, scan and fix problem profiles (including | profiles imported from PC's to Macs). Graph profiles in 2D and 3D. | | ColorThink is $129 in our store and is now available as a free demo. | <http://www.chromix.com/colorthink> +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ B) For the person who wants to edit profiles and doesn't mind a new User Interface, I recommend: GretagMacbeth's ProfileMaker Pro Editor. A good editor all-around, with the only drawback being that you cannot save edits in as flexible a way as I would like. Like most GretagMacbeth software, it has a clean interface. One of the nicest features is the "scrubbing" or "windowshade" effect it has for viewing your changes. A slider appears over your reference image with the changes acting as an overlay that you can move on and off your image. It allows you to zoom into an area (shadow detail, for instance), make edits, and then see where they take effect. It is priced at $479: <http://www.chromix.com/chromix/store/toolsearch.lasso?toolid=426> A mainstay in the editing arena is ColorBlind Edit. It is perhaps one of the most powerful editing tools but suffers from an interface that is difficult for many color management experts to grasp, much less "normal" users. That said, it does allow you the ability to edit almost every aspect of a color profile, and also allows you to save your edits in different ways and even apply them in batch mode (with the server version of Edit). It is priced at $495. <http://www.chromix.com/chromix/store/toolsearch.lasso?toolid=391> If you are interested in the Kodak or Monaco editing solutions, please contact us directly for more information. As I mentioned, they are also quite capable but have some limitations. There are several less expensive packages around but, from what I have seen, they only allow editing of the curves and, even worse, do not allow differentiating the edits between rendering intents or input/output direction. I think their creators expect that users at that level might not understand the arcane parts of profile editing. I would counter with the argument that people at that level should not be editing profiles. They should learn more about what's involved and then use a fully capable tool. Editing profiles is something that should be undertaken with care, and the person doing the editing should have at least a basic understanding of how they work. Also, if you are editing a profile, don't forget to test with multiple images that span the range of imagery you typically print. What may appear to be a small color shift on one print can really mess up another. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FEEDBACK and FAQs To submit questions or feedback to CHROMiX, email us at custsvc(at)CHROMiX.com. Please include your name and email address in all correspondence (email, phone, fax etc). SUBSCRIPTIONS To unsubscribe to CHROMiX ColorNews, reply to this message with "unsubscribe" in the subject. To subscribe, email colornews(at)lists.chromix.com with "subscribe" in the subject. ColorNews is edited by Carolyn Hobart (hobart(at)chromix.com). Entire Contents of CHROMiX ColorNews (c)2001 CHROMiX CHROMiX, ColorThink, ColorNews, and profilecentral.com are trademarks of CHROMiX. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. CHROMiX ColorNews is intended as an informative update to CHROMiX customers and business associates. We are not responsible for errors or omissions. |
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