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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/
| A D V E R T I S E M E N T
| Eye-ing up the new Eye-One from GretagMacbeth?
|
| Have an old ColorTron sitting on the shelf somewhere?
|
| Get the Eye-One, save up to $250 off list and clear off that shelf!
|
| For a limited time, we are offering our ColorTron rebate program.
| Purchase an Eye-One and send us your ColorTron within 30 days
| to collect your rebate. It's simple and gets you into the
| Eye-One system quickly.
|
| The Eye-One monitor will profile your whole workgroup for $600
| - including LCD screens!
| Eye-One Pro with Eye-One Match will profile your scanner, printers
| and monitors as well as build you custom color palettes from
| almost anything you can point the Eye-One at!
|
| For full details, visit our color store:
| http://www.chromix.com/chromix/store/toolsearch.lasso?toolid=477
|
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@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 outputside 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@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
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in
the subject.
ColorNews is edited by Carolyn Hobart (hobart@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.
--
Regards,
Steve Upton
o Steve Upton CHROMiX www.chromix.com
o (hueman) 866.CHROMiX
o upton@chromix.com 206.985.6837
o
o ColorGear ColorThink ColorValet ColorSmarts ProfileCentral
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