Color Profile Primer
We get asked about color profiles and
their use on a regular basis. This installment of Inkjet Tips offers
a quick definition of color profiles, why they are
important, and how to use them effectively. Think
of this article as a beginner's guide to the basics of
printer color management.
Color profiles are often
thought of as too technically complicated by many users.
The
fact
is that color profiles are relatively simple to understand and
are very helpful in achieving consistent output quality. After
you understand the basics, you can move on to more advanced levels
of color management. The web offers many sources
of information on color management
and digital workflow to help you understand the details of creating
a true color managed workflow. Links to helpful resources
are at the end of this article.
| Simply put, an ICC printer output
profile is a piece of software code that defines the color
space of
a certain inkjet
printer, inkjet paper, and ink set. The idea is to standardize
the color space so you know what to expect from your output.
When everything is working right (in a color managed workflow),
you should
get
what you
see
on your
monitor
from
your printer! |
Color Profile n:
software code that defines the color space of an input or output
device and that allows different devices to reference the same
standard color space as defined by the International Color
Consortium |
It is helpful to visualize where profiles
are used in a workflow. Profile usage flows down from capture
(camera or scanner) to output.
Cameras and scanners both profiles to interpret and pass along image data to your image editing software. In your editing software, such as Photoshop or Lightroom, a color profile will be utilized. In this case it is called a "working space". The most prevalent working spaces are the Adobe RGB (1998) and sRGB spaces (profiles) . The working space you choose has a lot to do with your output method. sRGB is favored for screen display and lab printing while Adobe RGB is best for inkjet output. Finally,
when printing an image, a printer profile should be used. A printer color profile is specific to a printer, paper, and ink. You can obtain printer profiles from reputable paper manufacturers, make them yourself using specialized hardward and software, or outsource the work to a third party.
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An example would be to shoot with a Nikon D300 capturing
in Adobe RGB 1998, editing the image in Photoshop with working
space set to Adobe RGB 1998, and finally printing to an Epson 3880
using Red River's UltraPro Satin profile made specifically for
that printer. Using Printer Profiles
Using a profile starts
with installing it on your computer. However, To say
that a profile
is “installed” is not
entirely accurate. Installation implies a program that sets itself
up on your hard drive to run. A profile is actually a passive file
that resides in a folder on your hard drive. An ICC aware application like Photoshop or
Q-Image will look into that folder and generate a list of all available profiles for your use.
To use a profile for printing, you need
to understand how your particular photo software works with output
profiles.
Resources
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