Color management in Aperture books

After making a book, I should export it as PDF converting images to the color profile provided by
the print service. Which is the correct way to do it in Aperture 3 ?
Opening the print menu from inside an Aperture book we get the standard
dialogs under "Color matching" (where you can choose  to leave the color
management either to the printer or to ColorSync) but there is also an "Aperture"
dialog where you can choose a destination color profile (and also whether to
apply black point compensation, but no option is left as regards the rendering intent).
Which is the difference between the two dialogs when printing the book directly to a connected printer ?
And which is the difference when saving as PDF ?
In a test done printing to PDF a small book it looks like that the "Color Matching" print dialog
seems to have no effect on the final PDF.
The "Aperture" print dialog does have some effect (depending on the choosen destination profile ) but
I get far big sizes for the PDF (example: 150 MB versus 23 MB for the PDF straight without using
the "Aperture" print dialog). I have no clear explanation for this huge size increase, but it surely
cannot be used to submit a full fledged book to the print server (it would give more than 1.2 GB
in a 40-page book).
Is there any resource dealing with the PDF export settings for books in Aperture 3 ?
Thanks,
Simone

It looks like this is driven by the content and might be browser dependent - http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/quickstart/color_correction_as3.html
However, I'd try disabling hardware acceleration to see if that makes a difference.  I wouldn't be surprised if using the GPU altered the way this works.
How do I disable or enable hardware acceleration?

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    I also use Blurb too. They are getting better than it was once a couple years ago when Blurb first started. As they add more variety of book sizes, types of paper stock and things like that. This also give someone some flexibility in choosing workflow production using Blurb software or online bookmaking or using PDF to Book service for those who are advanced users that use InDesign layout design app. In that case of PDF to Book, the advanced users would need to download Blurb's preset plug-in to put in InDesign in order to export the PDF output to meet and integrate into Blurb's Preflight Checklist at the time of upload. I use PDF to Book service with InDesign, etc. It is fairly self explanatory and easy to follow steps. Also slightly off topic, but when making Blurb book, to get most out of their product and service with Blurb, in that case, they came up with brilliant resource called Colour Resource Centre designed for making more beautiful books. In that resource centre, it is easy to read and follow.
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    I would also want other high-powered hard-core Aperture users share their experience with Aperture Book printing service. I'd be happy to share my experience about making Aperture Book vs. Blurb Book through PDF to Book service. However, I would think the export to PDF from Aperture probably has it's own different setting or slightly different configuration inside the PDF engine on Mac for Blurb book. There has been some discussion about wanting a Aperture Plug In for Blurb Book. blurb has been quiet on it, I take that they probably will not develop a special plug-in for Aperture Users. Sorry if it is a little off topic. But somehow someone in the discussion mention Blurb. so...
    Anyhow, hope that helps.

  • Need help understanding profiles and color management

    I made the big leap from inexpensive inkjets to:
    1 Epson 3800 Standard
    2 Spyder3Studio
    I have a Mac Pro Quad, Aperture, PS3, etc.
    I have a steep learning curve ahead, here's what I've done:
    1 Read a lot of books, watched tutorials, etc.
    2 Calibrated the monitor
    3 Calibrated the printer several times and created .icc profiles
    What I've found:
    1 The sample print produced by Spyder3Print, using the profile I created with color management turned off in the print dialog, looks very good.
    2 When I get into Aperture, and apply the .icc profile I created in the proofing profile with onscreen proofing, the onscreen image does not change appreciably compared with the no proof setting. It gets slightly darker
    3 When I select File>Print image, select the profile I created, turn off color management and look a the resulting preview image it looks much lighter and washed out than the onscreen image with onscreen proofing turned on.
    4 When I print the image, it looks the same as was shown in the print preview...light and washed out, which is much different than what is shown in edit mode.
    5 When I open PS3 with onscreen soft-proofing, the onscreen image is light and washed out...just like displayed in PS3 preview. If I re-edit the image to look OK onscreen, and print with the profile and color management turned off, the printed image looks OK.
    So, why am I confused?
    1 In the back of my simplistic and naive mind, I anticipated that in creating a custom printer profile I would only need to edit a photo once, so it looks good on the calibrated screen, and then a custom printer profile will handle the work to print a good looking photo. Different profiles do different translations for different printers/papers. However, judging by the PS work, it appears I need to re-edit a photo for each printer/paper I encounter...just doesn't seem right.
    2 In Aperture, I'm confused by the onscreen proofing does not present the same image as what I see in the print preview. I'm selecting the same .icc profile in both locations.
    I tried visiting with Spyder support, but am not able to explain myself well enough to help them understand what I'm doing wrong.
    Any help is greatly appreciated.

    Calibrated the printer several times and created .icc profiles
    You have understand that maintaining the colour is done by morphing the colourants, and you have understood that matching the digital graphic display (which is emissive) to the print from the digital graphic printer (which is reflective) presupposes a studio lighting situation that simulates the conditions presupposed in the mathematical illuminant model for media independent matching. Basically, for a display-to-print match you need to calibrate and characterise the display to something like 5000-55000 kelvin. There are all sorts of arguments surrounding this, and you will find your way through them in time, but you now have the gist of the thing.
    So far so good, but what of the problem posed by the digital graphic printer? If you are a professional photographer, you are dependent on your printer for contract proofing. Your prints you can pass to clients and to printers, but your display you cannot. So this is critical.
    The ICC Specification was published at DRUPA Druck und Papier in Düsseldorf in May 1995 and ColorSync 2 Golden Master is on the WWDC CD for May 1995. Between 1995 and 2000 die reine Lehre said to render your colour patch chart in the raw condition of the colour device.
    The problem with this is that in a separation the reflectance of the paper (which is how you get to see the colours of the colourants laid down on top of the paper) and the amount of colourant (solid and combinations of tints) gives you the gamut.
    By this argument, you would want to render the colour patch chart with the most colourant, but what if the most colourant produces artifacts? A safer solution is to have primary ink limiting as part of the calibration process prior to rendering of the colour patch chart.
    You can see the progression e.g. in the BEST RIP which since 2002 has been owned by EFI Electronics for Imaging. BEST started by allowing access to the raw colour device, with pooling problems and whatnot, but then introduced a primary ink limiting and linearisation.
    The next thing you need to know is what colour test chart to send to the colour device, depending on whether the colour device is considered an RGB device or a CMYK device. By convention, if the device is not driven by a PostScript RIP it is considered an RGB device.
    The colour patch chart is not tagged, meaning that it is deviceColor and neither CIEBased colour or ICCBased colour. You need to keep your colour patch chart deviceColor or you will have a colour characterisation of a colour managed conversion. Which is not what you want.
    If the operating system is colour managed through and through, how do you render a colour test chart without automatically assigning a source ICC profile for the colourant model (Generic RGB Profile for three component, Generic CMYK Profile for four component)?
    The convention is that no colour conversion occurs if the source ICC device profile and the destination ICC device profile are identical. So if you are targetting your inkjet in RGB mode, you open an RGB colourant patch chart, set the source ICC profile for the working space to the same as the destination ICC profile for the device, and render as deviceColor.
    You then leave the rendered colourant test chart to dry for one hour. If you measure a colourant test chart every ten minutes through the first hour, you may find that the soluble inkjet inks in drying change colour. If you wait, you avoid this cause of error in your characterisation.
    As you will mainly want to work with loose photographs, and not with photographs placed in pages, when you produce a contract proof using Absolute Colorimetric rendering from the ICC profile for the printing condition to the ICC profile for your studio printer, here's a tip.
    Your eyes, the eyes of your client, and the eyes of the prepress production manager will see the white white of the surrounding unprinted margins of the paper, and will judge the printed area of the paper relative to that.
    If, therefore, your untrimmed contract proof and the contract proof from Adobe InDesign or QuarkPress, or a EFI or other proofing RIP, are placed side by side in the viewing box your untrimmed contract proof will work as the visual reference for the media white.
    The measured reference for the media white is in the ICC profile for the printing condition, to be precise in the WTPT White Point tag that you can see by doubleclicking the ICC profile in the Apple ColorSync Utility. This is the lightness and tint laid down on proof prints.
    You, your client and your chosen printer will get on well if you remember to set up your studio lighting, and trim the blank borders of your proof prints. (Another tip: set your Finder to neutral gray and avoid a clutter of white windows, icons and so forth in the Finder when viewing.)
    So far, so good. This leaves the nittygritty of specific ICC profiling packages and specific ICC-enabled applications. As for Aperture, do not apply a gamma correction to your colourant patch chart, or to colour managed printing.
    As for Adobe applications, which you say you will be comparing with, you should probably be aware that Adobe InDesign CS3 has problems. When targetting an RGB printing device, the prints are not correctly colour managed, but basically bypass colour management.
    There's been a discussion on the Apple ColorSync Users List and on Adobe's fora, see the two threads below.
    Hope this helps,
    Henrik Holmegaard
    technical writer
    References:
    http://www.adobeforums.com/webx?14@@.59b52c9b/0
    http://lists.apple.com/archives/colorsync-users/2007/Nov/msg00143.html

  • Color management workflow for beginners..

    I am making a movie. I have several hundred clips, shot over a period of almost 5 months. Indoors, outdoors, morning, afternoon, mid day etc. I have gained experience with my Panasonic HMC 151 over the months, and during this time used a variety of settings. I will also use still photos, and use some computer generated graphics made in Daz3D Carrara. All in all - I have a lot of material which look very different.
    When layering my clips in After Effects, I want to do it right, and not paint myself into a corner.
    When compiling my scenes (compositions) I also want to do it "right".
    Most important to me is to get a coherent look and feel. This is the main priority. Later I might wish to change the overall color if I find out I want my movie to look more like a movie than a "video show". For example, I have shot some scenes late in May at noon, ans some scenes in the afternoon in September, and they belong to the same dialog where people talk to each others.
    The target media is DVD for home TVs.
    Any links to workflows and step-by-step guides (video tutors) on basic approaches on how to avoid the big mistakes is very much appreciated!
    ingvarai

    ingvarai:
    Color Management in indeed an important aspect, but from your description, it seems that you should be concerned with "color correction" first.
    Color Management is about getting reliable and predictable color rendition. It's not really about defining the "look" of your project. If your shots are not properly exposed, for example, Color Management will only make it more reliable to assure they're not properly exposed. Color correction is all about fixing those problems, or stylizing the overall look. If two takes don't intercut well, for example, then you have to correct color balance, exposure, so one matches the other.
    After Effects includes a ton of effects which can be used for color correction, including Levels, Curves, Hue/Satuarion, etc. And it also includes a streamlined color correction plug-in called Color Finesse. I think the Color Finesse documentation is a good starting point, regardless of what you end up using. If you go to the folder in which After Effects is installed, and look into the "Effects" folder, you should see a folder called Synthetic Aperture. The Color Finesse manual should be inside that folder.
    Also, After Effects Help has a section on Color correction and adjustments. It includes a number of links to other resources.
    Mark Christiansen's book After Effects CS4 Visual Effects and Compositing Studio Techniques is very recommended.
    As for the Color Management workflow, there's a specific white paper on the Adobe web site on this very subject, but I am not sure that's a good starting point. Instead, I think the AE help page on Color Management is better to get your feet wet, and then go through the white paper. Again, there are several links to other resources in the AE Help page about Color Management.

  • Looking for detailed literature on Aperture3 color management for fine art printing

    I am looking for a coherent , cohesive book or tutorial on Aperture 3 color management capability for fine art printing. Thanks.

    Sad to report: does not exist, or if it does, is a closely held secret (by, imho, a coven of eyeless warlocks).
    Color on OS X is likely -- just imho -- going to go through a transition which is not going to be helpful, in the short term, for Mac users for whom color is a vital part of their work.  X-Rite has, afaict, cast their lot with Adobe.  ICC profiling looks like a dead end at this point.  Apple is either going to have to leap-frog the competition, or use their technology.
    One of the best resources I know is North-Light Images.  Up-to-date, Aperture-specific, authoritative information on printing is rarer than superb photography.

  • Printing with HP B9180 and Photoshop Elements 8 and Color Management

     I've got a bit of confusion about certain settings in the printing process and I've posted a rather long discussion of my 'issues' and confusion.  I hope someone can give me some guidance here.  I've seen a lot of these issues addressed in many places but I can't seem to find an integrated response.  Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read and respond.
    Color Management Questions
    My problems started when I was getting pictures that were too dark from my HP 9180 printer after having gotten very nice prints for a long time.  I had obviously started to do something differently inadvertently.  The only thing I think that is different is that I got a new 23 inch monitor, which does produce much brighter on-screen images.  So, I started to do some research and know just enough about color management to be slightly confused and have some questions that I hope someone can give me some help with.
    Equipment Background
    I use both a Canon 20D and a Canon PowerShot SD600 camera. Both have the default color space as sRGB, although the 20D can be also set as RGB.
    I also use Photoshop Elements 8, where there are a variety of settings possible for printing.
    My monitor is an HP S2331, whose color space is sRGB and cannot be reset to RGB (I think) except for temperature; the default is 6500K.
    My printer is an HP Photosmart Pro B9180 Printer, where there are also a variety of settings possible.
    I’m running XP-Pro.
    Here’s Where I Get Confused
    Everything I have read about color management (various web sites, forums, books, etc) says to have the image, monitor, and printer all in the same color space.
    Everything I read about PSE 8 (same sources) says to set PSE 8 to ‘Always Optimize for Printing’ under Edit>Color Settings in order to get the best prints.  This displays photos based on the Adobe RGB color space. 
    I am taking pictures in sRGB, and telling PSE 8 to process them in RGB by selecting ‘Always Optimize for Printing’.  Is this something I should be concerned about?  Should I reset my camera for RGB?
    Further, by selecting ‘Always Optimize for Printing’, I am setting PSE 8 for RGB while my monitor displays sRGB.  Is this an important issue or is it also much ado about technicalities that an amateur should not worry about?  It does violate the ‘keep them in the same color space’ rule.
    Next, when I go to File>Print and get the Print window and then do the Page Setup and Select Printer, I then go to More Options in the lower left of the window.  Under the More Options window, I select Color management and select Photoshop Elements Manages Colors.  Next, there is Image Space, which is fixed and not subject to selection from a drop down menu. 
    I understand that this is the image space of the image I took with my camera and that information is embedded in the image.  Correct?
    Next, there is Printer Profile.  But, from what I have read, this is where the IEC profile of the paper being printed on is supposed to be selected, isn’t it? 
    Shouldn’t this more appropriately be called Paper Profile, or Printing Media Profile?  Further, this drop down menu appears to be somewhat erratic, sometimes showing all of the paper profiles I believe are loaded, sometimes not. It also shows listings such as Working RGB-Adobe RGB (1988), Adobe RGB 1988, Dot Gain 10%, 15%.... along with a lot of paper profiles.  Aren’t those profiles unnecessary here?
    I’ve used both Relative Colorimetric and Perceptual Rendering and am happy with either one. 
    Next, when I go to Printer Preferences, in order to “…disable color management in the printer preferences dialog”, under the Color Tab, I select Application Managed Colors from the Color management drop down menu, and also have the option of selecting ColorSmart/sRGB and Adobe RGB (1988).  
    Is there any time when I should use either ColorSmart/sRGB or Adobe RGB  (1988)?  If I were staying with my camera’s sRGB setting, given the fact that the monitor is sRGB, would the appropriate selections be ‘Printer Manages Colors’ and ‘ColorSmart/sRGB’?
    Finally, under the Features Tab, I go to look for the same paper I selected under Printer Profile (Question 4 above).  If it is one of the pre-loaded (by HP) profiles, it is there, but if it is a profile I downloaded, say for an Ilford paper, it isn’t listed, and I need to guess at an equivalent type of paper to select.
    Is there any way to get that listing to appear under the Paper Type drop down menu?
    I know that this is a long post, but it helped me to clarify my ‘issues’.  Thank you for any and all suggestions, answers, guidance and help.

    RIK,
    Some printers have long names, esp. HP printers, and PSE gets ":confused." In control panel>devices and printers, right click on the default printer, go to printer properties, and rename the default printer to something short, e.g. "Our Printer." That may fix it..

  • How do I get color management options in PSE9?

    I have been trying to print pictures on an HP printer and when I do they come out fairly red and pink.  When I go under more options under printing and select color management the only option that I have to adjust is print space.  I have a PSE9 book which shows that I should have color highlighting, image space, rendering intent as options but they do not appear.  I have tried many different solutions but nothing has helped, same results.  My file formats are in RAW but I also tried JPEG which ended with the same result.  I was thinking of reinstalling the software but wasn't sure if I would lose all of my files.
    Thanks,

    TXGB Packer a écrit:
    Sorry, I meant color handling.  However this is the screen that I was talking about.  The only option that mine shows is image space.  I want to know how to get the rest of this information to show up.  I believe once I get this fixed I should be able to make prints with the correct color balance.
    Do you mean 'color editing or correction' rather than 'color management' ? Correcting the color balance may be done in either of the quick, guided or full mode. If so, which mode do you use ?

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