Colour Management
Introduction to Colour Management
Profiling Your Monitor
Monitors need to be profiled to give a universal look to any image, so that your image looks the same on any monitor anywhere in the world.
When you purchase a monitor, a good tip is to always search reviews for information on calibration tests that have had good results.
Recommended monitors:
Use a solid calibration device such as a puck or a spyder. Basically they read colour swatches off the monitor and create a custom monitor profile.
Most popular calibration devices:
Most calibrating software have very good instructions and easy to follow software.
If you are calibrating to use with printers, the recommended settings when using the calibrating software are 6500k, gamma 2.2 and if you have the setting, 140 luminance for CRT. If you don't have any settings to play with, just keep clicking the right arrow or click continue and the software will calibrate automatically once you put the puck or spyder on the screen.
Setting up Photoshop to link with Monitors/Printers
Setting Photoshop Colour Settings
(The sentences starting with >> refer to photoshop menu options)
>> Edit/Colour Settings
'Click' more options. The Working Space option is your most important choice as this provides an embedded colour space so that the printer, monitor and pc can communicate with each other.
It can be an idea to save this as your own profile so give a meaningful name ie Dorcas Adobe1998 Settings and give a description ie output to ink-jet and light-jet printers and this option will appear under >> View/Proof Setup/Custom settings.
Paper Profile Usage
Think of this as a converter, translating colours from the screen to the printed page with accuracy.
Make sure your paper profiles ie ICC profiles are installed in the right locations.
PC XP VISTA: C: Drive/Windows/System 32/Spool/Drivers/Colours
MAC OS 10: Hard Drive/Library/Colour Sync/Profile
Every printer comes with some sort of paper/printer ICC profiles. If you are using special papers or even Epson you need to regularly check their websites for any updates for paper profiles.
Every type of paper has it's own unique profile.
Soft Proofing Your Image
Monitors display more colours that your printers can reproduce.
To see a more accurate view that your combination of paper and printer will produce you need to soft proof every image that is to be printed.
>> View/Proof Setup/Custom
>> File/Print
Colour Management - these options all appear together
This is as near as you can get to an accurate match.
Profiling Your Monitor
Monitors need to be profiled to give a universal look to any image, so that your image looks the same on any monitor anywhere in the world.
When you purchase a monitor, a good tip is to always search reviews for information on calibration tests that have had good results.
Recommended monitors:
- Apple Cinema Display
- LaCie 321
- Eizo ColourEdge - these are top of the range and expensive but included to give you some idea.
Use a solid calibration device such as a puck or a spyder. Basically they read colour swatches off the monitor and create a custom monitor profile.
Most popular calibration devices:
- X-Rite Eye-One Display 2
- DataColor Spyder3 Pro
Most calibrating software have very good instructions and easy to follow software.
If you are calibrating to use with printers, the recommended settings when using the calibrating software are 6500k, gamma 2.2 and if you have the setting, 140 luminance for CRT. If you don't have any settings to play with, just keep clicking the right arrow or click continue and the software will calibrate automatically once you put the puck or spyder on the screen.
Setting up Photoshop to link with Monitors/Printers
Setting Photoshop Colour Settings
(The sentences starting with >> refer to photoshop menu options)
>> Edit/Colour Settings
'Click' more options. The Working Space option is your most important choice as this provides an embedded colour space so that the printer, monitor and pc can communicate with each other.
sRGB - used primarily for web use or for machine like prints ie 3.5x5, 4x6.
Adobe RGB 1998 - this is the most used and is used if you are printing with ink-jet or light-jet printers. It has broader colour options ie hues than sRGB and gives more accurate colours.
Prophoto RGB - this is an even broader range of colour options and may be the future colour space most people use. If you do use it you must employ soft proofing as discussed later.
CMYK - is used by magazine and book publishers and all you need to do is convert from another profile. Beware though it looks very odd but it will be right.
Colour management policies - tick the boxes to make sure you catch any mismatched images you have that you may need to convert.
Conversion Options - Relative Colormetric and Perceptual are thought to be the best options and are very useful in soft proofing. Experiment to find out which suits the image best.
It can be an idea to save this as your own profile so give a meaningful name ie Dorcas Adobe1998 Settings and give a description ie output to ink-jet and light-jet printers and this option will appear under >> View/Proof Setup/Custom settings.
Paper Profile Usage
Think of this as a converter, translating colours from the screen to the printed page with accuracy.
Make sure your paper profiles ie ICC profiles are installed in the right locations.
PC XP VISTA: C: Drive/Windows/System 32/Spool/Drivers/Colours
MAC OS 10: Hard Drive/Library/Colour Sync/Profile
Every printer comes with some sort of paper/printer ICC profiles. If you are using special papers or even Epson you need to regularly check their websites for any updates for paper profiles.
Every type of paper has it's own unique profile.
Soft Proofing Your Image
Monitors display more colours that your printers can reproduce.
To see a more accurate view that your combination of paper and printer will produce you need to soft proof every image that is to be printed.
>> View/Proof Setup/Custom
Device to Simulate - pick the type of paper that you are using ie gloss, matteTo Soft proof:
Rendering Intent - Perceptual
Black Point Compensation - always tick to map blacks properly
Simulate Paper Colour - this is a personal choice and you need to experiment to see which fits you. I tick this as Epson can print quite dark so I get a more accurate view. This is also the point where I will make any further colour adjustments in photoshop.
Save - this will store your profile for this paper.
- >> View/Proof Setup - you will see your saved option at the bottom of the list. Make sure it's ticked.
- >> View/Proof Colours - ticking this then switches your saved option on. You need to make sure you have done both steps.
>> File/Print
Colour Management - these options all appear together
- Document Profile - Adobe RGB or prophoto
- Colour Handling - Photoshop handling colours
- Pinter Profile - this is your printer plus paper profile
- Rendering Intent - Perceptual
- tick Black Point Compensation
- tick Match Print Colours
- Pick Your Printer
- Media type - your paper type as this is used to match ink use.
- switch off high speed printing if you have it to avoid banding
- depending on your printer options, tick No colour adjustment or manual colour adjustment with no colour adjustment or turn off colour management
This is as near as you can get to an accurate match.
