Color Management Software

Hi
I have used Aperture for 6 months and find it great! I wanted to get better prints and was looking at Xrite Photo Munky and Datacolor Spyder3 Studio SR to calibrate both my iMac 24" and the printer (Epson R1900). Anybody have any experience in these products or alternate ways to do this? I have tried making my own ICC profiles in the Colorsync app with Snowleopard but think I need something more geared towards doing this..

Mike
I recently bought the color munki. It is a fantastic well made and versatile device.
The software will control your monitor's brightness if it is capable (monitor dependant).
One problem I was dogged with for which I have not seen any documentation is regarding the version of ICC profile you create for your monitor. I had a problem with mine (blocked shadows), but changed the preferences in the software to create a version 2 profile and it is perfect now. I suspect this has something to do with my ageing system and graphics card.
Profiling for print is incredibly easy and it is possible to refine your profiles to target different types of images. Don't let the simplicity of the software fool you, if you delve deeper there is a lot of things you can do with it.
regards
Kiran

Similar Messages

Confused about Color Management in CS5 (Photos appearing differently in all other programs)

I recently noticed this and it's been driving me crazy; when I view photos in Photoshop CS5 they appear significantly lighter/more washed out than when viewed in other programs like Zoombrowser, Digital Photo Professional or just in a regular Windows folder using Filmstrip mode (Windows XP). When opening the same photo in both CS5 and Zoombrowser and switching back and forth between the two windows the difference is very apparent...for example, one of the photos I compared was of a person in a black shirt -- in CS5 (lighter/washed out) the folds in the shirt were very obvious, but in Zoombrowser (darker, more contrast/saturation) the folds were nearly invisible and it looked like just solid black. Now, after messing around with the settings in both Photoshop and in Zoombrowser I've found a few ways to get the photos to look the same in the two programs; one way gives them both the lighter/more washed out appearance and another way gives them both the darker appearance with more contrast and saturation. My problem is that I'm not sure which view is accurate.
I use a NEC MultiSync LCD1990SXi monitor with SpectraView II calibration software and calibrate it every 2 weeks using these calibration settings (screenshot): http://img52.imageshack.us/img52/8826/settingsx.jpg
In the SpectraView II Software under Preferences there's an option that says "Set as Windows Color Management System Monitor Profile - Automatically selects and associates the generated ICC monitor profile with the Color Management System (CMS)." This option is checked. Also, when I open the Windows' Color Management window there's only one option displayed, which is "LCD1990SXi #######" (the ####### represents my monitor's serial number).
I assume the above settings are all correct so far, but I'm not sure about the rest.
Here are my current default Color Settings in CS5 (screenshot): http://img97.imageshack.us/img97/666/photoshopcolorsettings.jpg
Changing these settings around doesn't seem to make the photo appear much different. However, when I go to Edit -> Assign Profile, then click off of "Working RGB: sRGB IEC61966-2.1" and instead click Profile and select "LCD1990SXi ####### 2011-06-21 18-30 D65 2.20" from the drop-down menu, the picture becomes darker with more contrast and saturation and matches the picture in Zoombrowser. Also, if I select "Adobe RGB (1998)" from the drop-down menu it's very similar in terms of increased darkness and contrast but the saturation is higher than with the LCD1990SXi setting. Another way I've found to make the image equally dark with increased contrast and saturation is to go to View -> Proof Setup -> Custom and then click the drop-down menu next to "Device to Simulate" and select "LCD1990SXi ####### 2011-06-21 18-30 D65 2.20" again.
Alternatively, to make both images equally light and washed out I can go to Zoombrowser -> Tools -> Preferences and check the box next to "Color Management: Adjust colors of images using monitor profile." This makes the image in Zoombrowser appear just like it does in CS5 by default.
Like I said, I'm confused as to which setting is the accurate one (I'm new to Color Management in general so I apologize for my ignorance on the subject).
It would seem that assigning the LCD1990SXi profile in CS5 would be the correct choice in order to match the monitor calibration given the name of the profile but the "Adjust colors of images using monitor profile" option in Zoombrowser sounds like it would do the same thing as well. Also, I've read that Photoshop is a color managed software whereas Zoombrowser and Windows Picture and Fax Viewer are not which makes me think that maybe the lighter/washed out version seen in Photoshop is correct. So which version (light or dark) is the accurate one that I should use to view and edit my photos? Thanks in advance for any help or info.

Sorry for the late reply;
But before we go there or make any assumptions, it's important for
you to determine whether you're seeing consistent color in your
color-managed applications and only inconsistent color in those that are
not color-managed. For that you'll need to do a little research to see
if the applications in which you're seeing darker colors have
color-management capability (and whether it is enabled).
I opened the same picture in 7 different applications and found that the 6 of the 7 displayed the photo equally dark with equally high contrast when compared to the 7th application (CS5). The other 6 applications were Zoombrowser EX, Digital Photo Professional, Windows Picture and Fax Viewer, Quicktime PictureViewer, Microsoft Office Picture Manager and Firefox.
However, at least two of these programs offer color management preferences and, when used, display the photo (from what I can tell) exactly the same as Photoshop CS5's default settings. The two programs are two Canon programs: Zoombrowser EX and Digital Photo Professional. Here's the setting that needs to be selected in Zoombrowser in order to match up with CS5 (circled in red):
And here's the setting in Digital Photo Professional that needs to be selected in order to match up with CS5 (again, circled in red):
*Note: When the option above "Monitor Profile" is selected ("Use the OS settings") the image is displayed exactly the same as when the monitor profile is selected. It's only when sRGB is selected that it goes back to the default darker, more contrasty version.
So with the red-circled options selected, all three programs (CS5, ZB, DPP) display the images the same way; lighter and more washed out. What I'm still having trouble understanding is if that ligher, more washed out display is the accurate one or not...I've read several tutorials for all three programs which only make things more confusing. One of the tutorials says to always use sRGB if you want accurate results and *never* to use Monitor Profile and another says that, if you're using a calibrated monitor, you should always select Monitor Profile under the color management settings...so I'm still lost, unfortunately.
What I also don't understand is why, when the monitor profile is selected in CS5, the image is displayed in the dark and contrasty way that the other programs display it as by default but when the monitor profile is selected in Digitial Photo Professional it displays it in the lighter, more washed out way that CS5 displays it using CS5's default settings (sRGB). Why would selecting the monitor profile in DPP display the photo the same way as when sRGB is selected in Photoshop? And vice versa...why would selecting the monitor profile in Photoshop display the photo the same way as when sRGB is selected in DPP?
I feel like I'm missing something obvious here...which I probably am. Again, I'm very new to this stuff so pardon my ignorance on the topic.
By the way, I find that the way that the non-color managed programs (Windows Picture and Fax Viewer et al.) display the photos is more aesthetically pleasing to the eye than the duller, more washed out display that CS5 gives the photos, but ultimately what I want to see in these programs (especially PS5 where I'll be doing the editing) is the accurate representation of the actual photo itself...i.e. what it's supposed to look like and not a darker (or lighter) variant of it.
So just to reiterate my questions:
Why does selecting Monitor Profile under the color management settings in DPP give the same display results as the default sRGB profile in CS5 and vice versa? (CS5 with monitor profile selected having the same display results as DPP with the sRGB profile selected)
When using CS5 with it's default color management settings (sRGB), using DPP with the Monitor Profile selected, and using Zoombrowser EX with "Adjust color of images using monitor profile" selected this results in all three programs displaying the same lighter, washed-out images...is this lighter, more washed-out display of the images shown in these three programs the accurate one?
I noticed when opening an image in Firefox it had the same darker, contrasty look as the other non-color managed applications had. Assuming that the CS5 default settings are accurate, does this mean that if I edit a photo in CS5, save it, and upload it to the internet that other people who are viewing that image online will see it differently than how it's supposed to look (i.e. in a non-color-managed way?) If so, this would seem to indicate that they'd see a less-than-flattering version of the photo since if their browser naturally displays images as darker and more contrasty and I added more darkness and contrast to the image in CS5, they'd be seeing a version of the photo that's far too dark and probably wouldn't look very good. Is this something I have to worry about as well?
I apologize for the lengthy post; I do tend to be a bit OCD about these things...it's a habit I picked up once I realized I'd been improperly editing photos on an incorrectly calibrated monitor for years and all that time and effort had been spent editing photos in a certain way that looked good on my incorrectly calibrated monitor but looked like crap on everyone else's screen, so the length and detail of this post comes from a desire to not repeat similar mistakes by editing photos the wrong way all over again. Again, thanks in advance for all the help, it's greatly appreciated!

Color Management Of The OLED

Being a photographer I'm very sensitive to color. The screen looks great for all the meat & potato applications that one normally uses a smartphone for, however for displaying pictures it's my opinion that colors are off. The phone has an awesome screen and with a little color adjustment would be amazing. In my studo I have sophisicated color management software & a color "spyder" to adjust and maintain perfect color on my monitor, though that wouldn't be necessary for the Charge.
However I am looking for a method or app that would allow me even simple adjusts to color, tint & contrast. I've looked in the Android Mkt and couldn't find anything that even remotely comes close to accomplishing this. Does anyone know how I can gain control over the display of the phone?

addysdaddy wrote:
Being a photographer I'm very sensitive to color. The screen looks great for all the meat & potato applications that one normally uses a smartphone for, however for displaying pictures it's my opinion that colors are off. The phone has an awesome screen and with a little color adjustment would be amazing. In my studo I have sophisicated color management software & a color "spyder" to adjust and maintain perfect color on my monitor, though that wouldn't be necessary for the Charge.
However I am looking for a method or app that would allow me even simple adjusts to color, tint & contrast. I've looked in the Android Mkt and couldn't find anything that even remotely comes close to accomplishing this. Does anyone know how I can gain control over the display of the phone?
With your phone you got being just released a month ago or so there are apps that may still be in the works for it to do better adjustments on the camera. have you done a google search on the web to find any suggestions. as for like my droid X when the Gingerbread update came out it suffered in picture Qaulity as some of the options it had in Fro-yo was removed. But hopefully something will come available to help ya as Samsungs have got a some of the brightest an colorfull screens out there.
one other thing you can try is pute your pointer on support on the Verizon site then click Device after that find your phone an click there an it will take you too your phone once there. you can click on the PDF manual an it can show you more options that can be done with the phone. give this a try an best of luck B33

Help - color management issue, sunburns! (with a calibrated monitor)!

I love Lightroom and its workflow, its unlike anything of its kind. However, lately (since I first started using it) I've seen a problem related to color management on my computer (I believe) and hope someone out there can shed some light.
After importing JPG pictures into Lightroom and making modifications to them, I am getting *completely* different results once I export them (as sRGB, as I'll be sharing them via web). All of the pictures are coming much more saturated (for a lack of a better description).
Here is what I am getting (see brief descriptions below each pic): http://www.bachmannphoto.com/test/couple.html
I'd be very curious as to how they are showing up on your (calibrated/uncalibrated) screen(s), but the 1st and 3rd pics are showing up as 'realistic' on my PC, while the middle (exported from Lightroom) is showing up as too much saturation and even reddish push, as though the couple got hit with sunburns.
Another example of this result here: http://www.bachmannphoto.com/test/dog_chair.html. Though in this case, the picture in the middle actually looks better, it doesn't change the fact that I am getting very different output than what I see in Lightroom (or in photoshop without the embedded profile).
I am thinking this is a problem with color management settings on my PC. First guess would have been "monitor calibration"... but as mentioned in the title, I calibrated my monitors (I have two Dell 1905FPs... not great for accurate color representation, but they do the job) repeatedly, using Spyder2 Pro.
What pushes me to think this is the following (represented here http://www.bachmannphoto.com/test/couple_original.html ):
Before making any modifications to the imported sRGB picture - in other words, importing the picture straight from the camera memory card into Lightroom and then exporting it back (again, without making any modifications to it) - the pictures, both the original and the exported which still look the same and are kept sRGB, look completely different in Lightroom then if I was viewing them in a non-color managed software on my PC, such as the default windows picture viewer.
If my LCD panels are properly calibrated, should I not be more or less seeing the same image colors, whether I'm viewing them through windows, or through Lightroom (or Photoshop along with the embedded sRGB profile)? What gives??
Jesse
PS. I *more* than appreciate anyone taking time to respond to this post. I've been up for nights now trying to understand/fix this.
If it's any help, I have the different version (but original and exported) files here:
original file:
http://www.bachmannphoto.com/test/couple_original.JPG
Original file, imported into Lightroom and then exported back out w/o any modifications (sRGB): http://www.bachmannphoto.com/test/couple_lightroom-nomidification_exported_srgb.jpg
Original file, imported into Lightroom, MODIFIED and then exported back out (sRGB):
http://www.bachmannphoto.com/test/couple_lightroom-modified_exported_srgb.jpg

Exiftool reports the original contains the following EXIF tags:
Interoperability Index : R98 - DCF basic file (sRGB)
Interoperability Version : 0100
The nomidification_exported version does not have those lines, but contains the actual sRGB profile:
Profile CMM Type : Lino
Profile Version : 2.1.0
Profile Class : Display Device Profile
Color Space Data : RGB
Profile Connection Space : XYZ
Profile Date Time : 1998:02:09 06:49:00
Profile File Signature : acsp
Primary Platform : Microsoft Corporation
CMM Flags : Not Embedded, Independent
Device Manufacturer : IEC
Device Model : sRGB
Device Attributes : Reflective, Glossy, Positive, Color
Rendering Intent : Perceptual
Connection Space Illuminant : 0.9642 1 0.82491
Profile Creator : HP
Profile ID : 0
Profile Copyright : Copyright (c) 1998 Hewlett-Packard Company
Profile Description : sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Media White Point : 0.95045 1 1.08905
Media Black Point : 0 0 0
Red Matrix Column : 0.43607 0.22249 0.01392
Green Matrix Column : 0.38515 0.71687 0.09708
Blue Matrix Column : 0.14307 0.06061 0.7141
Device Mfg Desc : IEC http://www.iec.ch
Device Model Desc : IEC 61966-2.1 Default RGB colour space - sRGB
Viewing Cond Desc : Reference Viewing Condition in IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Cond Illuminant : 19.6445 20.3718 16.8089
Viewing Cond Surround : 3.92889 4.07439 3.36179
Viewing Cond Illuminant Type : D50
Luminance : 76.03647 80 87.12462
Measurement Observer : CIE 1931
Measurement Backing : 0 0 0
Measurement Geometry : Unknown (0)
Measurement Flare : 0.999 %
Measurement Illuminant : D65
Technology : Cathode Ray Tube Display
Red Tone Reproduction Curve : (Binary data 2060 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Green Tone Reproduction Curve : (Binary data 2060 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Blue Tone Reproduction Curve : (Binary data 2060 bytes, use -b option to extract)
The modified_exported version likewise does not have the interoperability index tag but contains the actual sRGB profile:
Profile CMM Type : Lino
Profile Version : 2.1.0
Profile Class : Display Device Profile
Color Space Data : RGB
Profile Connection Space : XYZ
Profile Date Time : 1998:02:09 06:49:00
Profile File Signature : acsp
Primary Platform : Microsoft Corporation
CMM Flags : Not Embedded, Independent
Device Manufacturer : IEC
Device Model : sRGB
Device Attributes : Reflective, Glossy, Positive, Color
Rendering Intent : Perceptual
Connection Space Illuminant : 0.9642 1 0.82491
Profile Creator : HP
Profile ID : 0
Profile Copyright : Copyright (c) 1998 Hewlett-Packard Company
Profile Description : sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Media White Point : 0.95045 1 1.08905
Media Black Point : 0 0 0
Red Matrix Column : 0.43607 0.22249 0.01392
Green Matrix Column : 0.38515 0.71687 0.09708
Blue Matrix Column : 0.14307 0.06061 0.7141
Device Mfg Desc : IEC http://www.iec.ch
Device Model Desc : IEC 61966-2.1 Default RGB colour space - sRGB
Viewing Cond Desc : Reference Viewing Condition in IEC61966-2.1
Viewing Cond Illuminant : 19.6445 20.3718 16.8089
Viewing Cond Surround : 3.92889 4.07439 3.36179
Viewing Cond Illuminant Type : D50
Luminance : 76.03647 80 87.12462
Measurement Observer : CIE 1931
Measurement Backing : 0 0 0
Measurement Geometry : Unknown (0)
Measurement Flare : 0.999 %
Measurement Illuminant : D65
Technology : Cathode Ray Tube Display
Red Tone Reproduction Curve : (Binary data 2060 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Green Tone Reproduction Curve : (Binary data 2060 bytes, use -b option to extract)
Blue Tone Reproduction Curve : (Binary data 2060 bytes, use -b option to extract)

Color management of photoshop animation

I created an animated image in photoshop and saved it as a mp4. Loved the color on my computer, but on my htc phone it looked a little too pink, and on apple tv it is way too orange. How should I handle the color management of this image so it consistently looks like on my computer?

addysdaddy wrote:
Being a photographer I'm very sensitive to color. The screen looks great for all the meat & potato applications that one normally uses a smartphone for, however for displaying pictures it's my opinion that colors are off. The phone has an awesome screen and with a little color adjustment would be amazing. In my studo I have sophisicated color management software & a color "spyder" to adjust and maintain perfect color on my monitor, though that wouldn't be necessary for the Charge.
However I am looking for a method or app that would allow me even simple adjusts to color, tint & contrast. I've looked in the Android Mkt and couldn't find anything that even remotely comes close to accomplishing this. Does anyone know how I can gain control over the display of the phone?
With your phone you got being just released a month ago or so there are apps that may still be in the works for it to do better adjustments on the camera. have you done a google search on the web to find any suggestions. as for like my droid X when the Gingerbread update came out it suffered in picture Qaulity as some of the options it had in Fro-yo was removed. But hopefully something will come available to help ya as Samsungs have got a some of the brightest an colorfull screens out there.
one other thing you can try is pute your pointer on support on the Verizon site then click Device after that find your phone an click there an it will take you too your phone once there. you can click on the PDF manual an it can show you more options that can be done with the phone. give this a try an best of luck B33

Vista color management & CS3

Two weeks ago I wrongly faulted my new Dell 2707WFP monitor for its high contrast and saturation after many failed profiling attempts using the Spyder2Pro with the updated Vista software. I'm still at a loss as to why images are dark and overly saturated in Photoshop, Bridge and Lightroom. They were all fine on an older Dell system running XP home and CS2. I've gone so far as to purposely inflict various gamma curve settings in Spyder to bump up the low end luminance but resulting profiles still show images clipped in the low end and overall saturated even as the desktop and the PS interface turn a sickly pale.
I'm new to CS3 and Lightroom and so I'm not sure if the following is normal. When I view a NEW batch of images that were not previously viewed in Bridge, they are normal looking, however when I click on a thumbnail, it then reverts to the same garish contrasty version that I see full size in the above adobe software when opened. The same thing happens in the WINDOWS PHOTO GALLERY viewer but NOT in WINDOWS EXPLORER. In Explorer the thumbs are as they should be...normal, and if I open them in Microsoft OFFICE PICTURE MANAGER or in Quicktime PICTUREVIEWER, they open as normal images.
All this sounds like a profile issue of some kind, but as far as I know, everything appears to be set correctly in both PS and the profiling software. However, Im not sure about the system settings regarding profiles. In the Windows COLOR folder all the profiles are where they should be and I can select which one to load using the Spyder Profile Chooser. And again, I do restart PS when I change a profile. Could this be some kind of Vista bug??
Other notes:
If I do a screen shot and paste it back into PS, it turns DARKER than the original file.
When I do additional calibrations I restart PS to load the latest profile.
All files tagged sRGB and in sRGB workspace. PS shows this correct space and likewise the correct monitor profile in COLOR SETTINGS
ATI CATALYST CONTROL CENTER fails to run on bootup so windows shuts it down. No fix that I can find for this.
Running Vista Home Premium on a Dell Inspiron 530 E6550, 4GB memory, Radeon HD2600XT
Thanks again for your help!

Found this on the DATACOLOR site in their SUPPORT CENTER:
Incorrect Color outside Photoshop on Wide Gamut Display
Solution >>I just purchased a Dell 2407 HC display, considered wide gamut and the spyder 3 elite. I've used the spyder 3 to calibrate the monitor. In photoshop whenever I "Save for Web" or "Save as" in the sRGB color space, I wind up with over saturated oranges and reds. I'm needing to save in the sRGB for web work. My working color space is set to sRGB which looks fine when editting in photoshop, but as soon as I save it out of photoshop the reds and oranges are over saturated. I purchased the spyder 3 because of the wide gamut support, is there something I'm missing in calibration?
The display profile is not at fault here. The ICC profile for the display tells any application that uses color management what the color values for the display are. Thus Photoshop, which is using the profile, corrects for the colors on screen, giving correct results. A non-color managed application (such as Internet Explorer for Windows) would not use the profile and thus the colors would be oversaturated on your wide gamut screen. This is not the fault of the profile (that would make the color look wrong in Photoshop, where the profile is being used), but the lack of a profile (which makes the color look wrong in non-color managed applications).
This is the problem with using a Wide Gamut display for viewing in non-color managed applications. A typical gamut display is not color correct in such applications, but is at least approximately correct; a wide gamut display is noticably oversatured in some colors. On the Mac many applications, including web browsers and OS utilities, are color managed, so it is less of an issue than on Windows.
Article Details
Article ID: 723
Created On: 10 Jan 2008 07:31 PM
So if the color is off outside PS, then its not the fault of the profile. My problem is the image is off INSIDE PS, and by the same reasoning, then the profile is at fault. If the profile is to blame, is this a Spyder issue or Vista issue? So far noone seems to know anything including Adobe tech support and Dell. Been waiting 2 wks to hear from the Spyder people.
Would really appreciate some input on this. thanks.

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 ?

Color Management

Though color management is very important when using Photoshop some aspects of it though is a waste of money for me. You see I'm like 10% of the men is the world am a little colorblind. This does not mean I do not see colors I see color quite well. Perhaps my color world is a more pleasing one then yours. I only calibrate my displays using web test pages and software tools. Perfect color on a screen has little value for me. People also have different taste when it comes to color when it comes for images many prefer over saturation then true life like looking images. Even when it come to black and white images. I have even heard people criticise Ansel Adams image as not being right. Ansel of course was creating art not mer real look pictures. Most of us have see Ansel Adams's images in books and print. If you have not seen a print made by Adams's himself you have not seen what he is famous for.
Being colorblind I do color correcting more by the numbers then by trusting colors my eyes see. I may transpose numbers from time to time I can still see them and use them for fixing color problems. I also have problems understanding many articles written about fixing colors when they state you fix image by finding neutral gray areas in the image. While that is true if the image has a color cast those areas will not be gray till the image's colors are corrected. Anyway I do numbers better then color. When it comes to art colors used is up to the artiest and their vision. Still I want my images to look good for people with normal color vision they look good in my world too. Ansel did color too but BW was where his love and ART is at.
Photoshop is also a toy and can do a great job with numbers for you. Using the gradient tool and square images you can get perfect black and White and color gradients. Using these you can see how Photoshop is able to blend thing. When you add to this blend if gray with its sliders that can be split you will find you have more the a toy at hand.
Playing around with Photoshop can be very educational here is a little example.
Simple gradients created in ProPhotoRGB 16 bir color and saved for the web in PNG-24 converted to sRGB.
Now to blend them and animated gif is not going to heck it for the web. CS6 does some video and color mangement what will it do with 16bit ProPhotoRGB???
How well does this web sit embed video??? only allows some web sites
how about a link to mine http://www.mouseprints.net/old/dpr/BlendingModes.mp4

Hi craigpop1,
So we can better assist you, please let us know what operating system is on your computer (version of Windows or Mac OS X), as well as what type of paper you are planning to print on.
If this is a time-sensitive matter, additional support options are available at Contact Us.
Did this answer your question? Please click the Accept as Solution button so that others may find the answer as well.

Need help with color management

I am looking for someone to help me. Please!
I am looking for help with Photoshop/printer not printing correct colors.
I have: Windows 7, Photoshop CS5, Photoshop Elements, HP Pavillion Laptop, new Okidata C530dn color laser printer
Previously I had a Canon Pixma MP620 and a gentleman from another forum gave me the correct settings for printing on photo paper and colors were perfect. I now have a OKIdata C530dn color laser and have started a business printing business cards and greeting cards, etc., and I do advertisements on a freelance basis.
I will be working a lot with cardstock or cover stock 65-110 lbs paper. I have an old OKIdata 2024e at work, and the colors are much better with that printer than my new personal one. I have tried matching the settings of that printer to mine to no avail. I have finally gotten the color close, but not quite. When I print on my Canon injet the colors match and print perfectly.
I have tried every setting variation that I can think of to get the color correct with my new OKIdata. I have to get the colors correct or my new business will go under because I can't match colors for my customers. I am a self taught Photoshoper and a novice so please bear with me.
Using Okidata PCL. Also have PS
Color settings in Photoshop:
North America General Purpose 2
sRGB 2.1
U.S. Web Coated Swop v2
Dot gain 20 %
Dot gain 20 %
Preserve embeded profile
Preserve embeded profile
Preserve embeded profile
engine: Adobe (ACE)
Relative Colormetric
Tried RGB color mode and CMYK color mode, no difference
Printer settings:
Photoshop manages colors
sRGB 2.1 Printer profile
Relative Colormetric
Print setup:
Letter
Multipurpose tray
Weight: printer settings-default (when I used heavy setting for cardstock it printed green instead of the color light blue, so that was a start to the right color)
Job Options:
Hight Quality
Color: No color matching
Printer preferences in Printer properties:
Color management
Device: Display 1 generic PnP monitor AMD M88og with ATI Mobility Radeon HD4200
ICC Profiles: Generic PnP Monitor (default)
Advanced:
Windows Color System Defaults:
everything under this tab is set at System Default
I have gotten the color close, but colors are dull. I have tried an adjustment layer and setting the saturation higher, but that doesn't help. I know my laptop is showing the right colors, (calibrated) because I am still printing to the Canon with cardstock and the colors are perfect using the same settings above.
Tried printing in PSE and it gave me an error that it was not a post script printer. Installed ps driver, still getting errors and it wouldn't print.
I would appreciate any help you could give me before I run out of toner and have to buy the expensive toners, or just slit my wrists j/k LOL
Thanks! JS

You need an ICC profile for your printer. Chromix has an excellent service at http://www2.chromix.com/colorvalet/ which will do this calibration for you. You download some software they provide, then print a test file on the exact same paper you are using for your cards. Then send the output to them and they will calibrate the colors with their equipment and send you the ICC profile file. Once you have it, you'll be able to print accurate colors.
There are other services out there that may cost less, but I do not know how reputable they are. Chromix is a good business I've worked with many times.
If you are trying to run a business and you don't understand color management yet, you may be in for a lot of trouble. Please get the book "Real World Color Management" available at http://www.colorremedies.com/realworldcolor/ and it will save you a ton of money and headaches.

Suspected Flaw in Firefox 35 Color Management Behavior

I hope I can keep this concise, but bear with me if my confusion causes me to include some extraneous info. The info below is what I think is required for someone else to fully understand the issue.
BACKGROUND:
- NECPA271W wide gamut monitor in dual monitor setup with a standard gamut Samsung 245BW
- Windows 8.1 Pro 64-bit
- Nvidia Quadro K4000
- Latest versions of FireFox (v35 32-bit), IE11 (11.0.9600.17498 updated to 11.0.15 32-bit) & Avant (Ultimate 2015 build 7, in use for testing because it incorporates the rendering engines of 3 major browsers, IE v 11.0.9600.17496, FireFox v 34.05.5464, & Chrome v39.0.2172.95)
- i1Display Pro (not the NEC SVSensor version), SpectraView II, NEC Multiprofiler & i1 Profiler
- Both monitors are calibrated and profiled. The NEC is calibrated using SVII, but since that software only supports NEC monitors, the 245BW has to be done using i1Profiler software that comes with the i1Display Pro. SVII is only capable of generating v2 ICC profiles, i1 Profiler is capable of v2 & v4, and recommends v4. Nevertheless, I think this entire bullet point is irrelevant to the effect I'm observing.
- I've lately started selling some of my photography on a fine art website. As a result I started digging deeper into how those images are viewed by others & subsequently printed. Images optimized in sRGB for the best possible display results across a widely varied viewer base are not going to give the same results as images that are soft-proofed and optimized for specific media/printer/ink combinations. This is especially true of my images which tend to lean in the direction of being more heavily saturated & wider gamut
- I've been exhaustively over the info here COLOR MANAGEMENT PHOTOSHOP CC CS6 Basic ColorManagement Theory ICC Profiles Color Spaces Calibrated Monitor Professional… & here http://cameratico.com/tools/web-browser-color-management-test/ among many others.
I had reached a point where I thought I understood things pretty well, but now I'm not so sure again Here's the problem:
I followed the guidance and info on how to set FireFox for FULL color management (value 1 with associated monitor profile) that allows the handling of non-tagged images and web page elements, http://cameratico.com/guides/firefox-color-management/. Upon restarting Firefox with the updated configuration, I return to the test at http://cameratico.com/tools/web-browser-color-management-test/ The last two tests there are designed to show a) how much wider your display gamut is than sRGB, and b) how the browser handles untagged images and elements.
The behavior I observe is different from the behavior I expect! Specifically, setting FIrefox to color management value 1 and telling it my monitor profile causes Firefox to display the sRGB tagged images as if they were not tagged. With the default value 2/no monitor profile, I can see a difference between the display of sRGB tagged images and either the ProPhoto RGB tagged image or the untagged sRBG & untagged CSS elements. I would expect that the change to value 1 with monitor profile should have no impact on the display of tagged images and elements, and yet that switch ONLY causes a change in the display behavior of the tagged images it shouldn't have affected, and I can no longer see a difference between the various images because everything is fully saturated
A marked up screen capture showing the comparative behaviors between the various applications and browsers would probably be worth more than the proverbial 1000 words, I'm new here & haven't figured that part out yet, but will post this as is while I work on that.
Can anybody replicate the behavior I observe? Is anybody spotting an error in my thinking?
TIA
Randy
*EDIT - I have annotated a screen shot comparing the results across 4 browsers. The screenshot has an embedded Adobe RGB profile which best represents the effects & changes that I was/am seeing but may not be preserved if posted here. It may be best to download and view in CS6 so as to not introduce any additional confusion arising from which browser YOU may be using :-) If needed the full res 2560x1440 version is available, but scaling to meet the forum limits of 900x900 makes the text unreadable. Can anyone suggest a means of supplying the full res file with the embedded profile retained?

twenty_one wrote:
Firefox will use the profile for the main display. It does not support a dual monitor setup. If you move FF to the secondary display, it will still use the primary display's profile.
There is a Firefox Add-On called Profile Switcher that allows using multiple monitor profiles. You will need to setup a Firefox user profile for each monitor:
https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Mozilla/Multiple_Firefox_Profiles
After installing Profile Switcher Add-On you will find a new entry in the FF File menu 'Open Profile Manager,' which can be used to create and manage the new user profiles (see screenshots below).
You can then setup a Firefox Sync account to keep the user profiles synchronized or do this manually using Copy & Paste. I was concerned that Firefox Sync would over-write the configuration data for the monitor profile, but it doesn't. I leave 'gfx.color_management.display_profile' blank on the user profile for the primary NEC 272W monitor, and add the path for the monitor profile on the user profile for my standard gamut secondary display. Here's what I see when launching FF:
After installing the Profile Switcher Add-On you'll see two new entries in the FF File menu that allow you to manage and launch other FF user profiles as separate browser instances.
It works fine on my Windows 7 system and should also work on Mac OS X systems and Windows 8.x.

Safari's Color Management Policies

Hello, I'm a graphic designer from Germany. I've encountered that Safari can handle color management, which is indeed quite up to date. But Safari always assumes that untagged RGB image data has to be translated with the "Generic RGB"-profile (Apple's system profile, right?) instead of sRGB - the official standard color-profile in the web.
Well, that's not a problem at all if every image has a sRGB profile attached. But the only practical web file format handling ICC is the JPEG (PNG works also but is a bit difficult to use thanks to the png-internal gamma "correction" and his chunk of a sRGB-profile). As a result, I'm limited to the JPEG. But the real problem is not only Safari: Macromedia Flash data isn't color managed too, and there is NO WAY of importing images with color-profiles into a Flash movie. Additionally, no browser (except IE5 for Mac) bothers about color management.
To sum things up: Safari handels images with color profiles correctly, but untagged image data is displayed wrong (sRGB is official). IE5 for Mac DOES emulate a sRGB environment in the browser's window. IE5 displays untagged data correctly, it's using sRGB.
I'm not searching for a plug-in for Safari or anything else. The customers, to which my graphics are sold, don't bother about such a plug-in. They want to use Safari right out-of-the-box. As a graphic designer I have two choices:
First, I only use JPEGs and maybe PNGs with color profiles. Firefox for Mac won't care, but at least Safari can translate colors.
The second is, that I always use untagged data and accept that Apple users just see the web a bit lighter. Images without an ICC profile are way smaller, a good reason to abandon profiles at all (by the way, profiles in the web should be obsolete anyway, browsers just have to interpret every RGB-value as sRGB).
My question is, does Apple plan to change Safari's color management policies to a standard sRGB environment or do I really have to see Flash pages an the like a bit lighter than it is intended to be? What is the best way to handle my images? Attach profiles or leave it untagged, so that Windows users (sRGB) will see it correctly and Mac users a bit lighter?
Thanks for any answers that will come! Greetings, Peter.
iMac 17" Intel Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Welcome to Apple Discussions
Good questions about rendering color on the web. Not being technically savvy when it comes to this type of thing, I'll leave the technical questions for others more versed in web design.
Suggestions to Apple for future versions of their OS and software can be made here.
iMac G5 Rev C 20" 2.5gb RAM 250 gb HD/iBook G4 1.33 ghz 1.5gb RAM 40 gb HD Mac OS X (10.4.6) LaCie 160gb d2 HD Canon i960 printer

Funky Banding Seen in PS CS5 Color Management with Some OpenGL Modes

While experimenting with gradients and large gamut color spaces in response to another post, I came across a peculiarity with displaying image documents in Photoshop CS5 that are using ProPhoto RGB when OpenGL is enabled.
The test is a simple radial gradient from black to gray using 16 bits/channel and the ProPhoto RGB document profile. In my test setup, I am using the standard Windows-supplied sRGB profile for my monitor, and the video card is an ATI Radeon HD 4670 running Catalyst 11.1 drivers. The following are screen grabs using the same technique and software in all cases.
Exhibit A follows: This is the display with OpenGL Disabled or Enabled in Basic mode. Note the perfectly smooth gradient.
Test 2 (below): Same document as above, OpenGL enabled in Normal and Advanced modes). Note the slightly colored posterization / bands in the display of the gradient.
This is not a limitation of my video card's OpenGL implementation, because on this very same system one of my own applications, using 16 bit color management and OpenGL (GL_RGBA16 format specifically) displays a smooth, clean gradient.
Here is the Photoshop file from which I generated the above displays. I'd be curious to hear whether you see something like the first or second image when you open it in Photoshop CS5.
http://Noel.ProDigitalSoftware.com/temp/TestGradient.zip
-Noel

Thanks for the responses, and thank you, Chris!
Just to clarify (I know Chris understands, but some of the other responses don't list the OpenGL mode)...
I see the problem:
With OpenGL Enabled in Advanced mode.
With OpenGL Enabled in Normal mode (i.e., what's shown when you click the [Advanced...] Button in Edit-Preferences-Performance.
I don't see the problem:
With OpenGL Enabled in Basic mode.
With OpenGL Disabled.
-Noel

Illustrator cc crashes on start up win 8 - pantone color manager issues?

I was at a clients office yesterday, installed Pantone Color manager on my laptop (I have Adobe Illustrator CC) and on their desktop (They have latest copy of Illustrator, but not cc, it's disc). And imported some pantone swatches into illustrator on both machines.
Since I shut down my laptop on leaving their office and restarted, Illustrator freezes on start up. Their machine is ok.
I have uninstalled and reinstalled illustrator. I checked that it wasn't win updates that is causing this and ran an update. I'm stuck now, still no solution, I'm travelling abroad and I need illustrator! Could anyone walk me through any possible solutions?

I selected the swatch card that I needed using the Pantone Colour Services manager application - I selected a Pantone Textiles colour card - same colour ref guide as my paper swatch book - because it doesn't come as standard with the software, you then choose which Adobe application you want to export it to following the instructions here http://pantone.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/1803
In ordder to do this, I installed Pantone Color Services manager from the pantone website - I note that this software seemed to be bundled with X-Rite Services Device manager which installed at the same time. Despite removing this and reinstalling and also trying to use Windows system restore (which didn't work and threw up an error message saying it could not restore) the application still does not launch. Do I need to go into the registry and alter anything?

Color management issue from Photoshop Acrobat

I'm having an issue that I believe has been isolated to Acrobat X related to Color Management, but was referred to this Photoshop forum because more experts in color management tend to read here. My thread in the Acrobat forum with several updates on tests is here: http://forums.adobe.com/message/4646650#4646650
The short version is that any RGB image I create in any app (including Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, a non-Adobe app with Word, and Acrobat's own PDF from Screen Capture feature) displays in both Acrobat X and Adobe Reader with dull colors, very similar (if not identical) to how an RGB file with full intensity colors (i.e. R255 or G255) looks when converted to CMYK.
I've tried numerous settings in the Color Management system, and have Synchronized my Color Settings via Bridge across all Adobe CS6 apps. I've tried synchronizing to both the default North American General Purpose 2, and the (sometimes suggested) Monitor Color, using a calibrated profile for my Dell display from OS X's built-in tool. Have also tried various settings of Preserving Embedded Profiles, ignoring them, Assigning a new Color Profile to a document, turning off color management completely, etc. No change in result.
I have a multi-monitor setup (3 external Dell displays connected to a Macbook Pro, 2 of them via USB video devices), but I've also tried making each display (including the laptop's built-in display) my Primary monitor and can see the color shift on each one, so it doesn't appear to be a calibration issue.
This issue is on my Mac at the office. I have a similar setup at home (albeit a MacPro 1,1 vs. a laptop) but with the same Dell monitors and CS6 software installation, and I can take the same document (whether it's InDesign, Illustrator, or Photoshop), make a PDF of it, and it displays with 100% accurate colors when viewed in Acrobat X.
In addition to the tests mentioned in my original thread, I've also tried uninstalling and reinstalling both Acrobat X and Adobe Reader.
I believe the issue is related to Acrobat, as I can repeat the issue with no other apps than Acrobat in the workflow: if I display a full-intensity RGB image on screen, then use Acrobat X to create a PDF from Screen Capture, the resulting PDF immediately shifts to the dull colors.
Have also thoroughly checked through Acrobat's preferences, as it seems almost as if there's a setting somewhere along the lines of "View all PDFs in CMYK color gamut", but no such setting exists. I did a complete uninstall of Acrobat X as well, which I imagine would also dump its Preferences, so it would be a clean reinstall.
Another interesting note: Apple's Preview app seems to display the PDF with accurate RGB colors, so I know the PDF actually has the correct color definitions intact. But the same PDF opened in Acrobat X or Reader side-by-side displays the dull colors.
Any thoughts?
-R

i wasn't able to follow your lengthy post, and the color management chain is too complicated (for me) to address here other to say Acrobat reads tagged elements and converts their colors to Monitor RGB (so you must have stripped the profiles in the PDF, and the Acrobat CMS is applying or passing through the wrong profile)
further, if you don't want to rely on profiles, your safest bet (for screen viewing) is to CONVERT everything to sRGB (but i would still include the profile in case someone wants to display or print the document 'accurately'
Here is a look at a several critical color setting in Export to Acrobat that control: Downsampling, Compression, Color Conversions, Destination, and Tagging (click on image for blowup):
PS:
these panels were grabbed from an InDesign Export PDF process, but Photoshop should have similar options somewhere

Color management in Photoshop Elements...

Hello all
I know this is an Apple forum, but I also know many of you use Photoshop Elements as well, and I think there is a wealth information here.
So, I am very perplexed about something in PSE. I currently have PSE3 for Mac (although the version should not matter for my question).
My question has to do with the color settings in PSE preferences. As you know, one can choose No Color Mgt., Limited Color Mgt. = sRGB, or Full Color Mgt. = Adobe RGB. When I choose full color mgt., overall tones are VERY red. When choosing limited color mgt., colors are slightly red, and no color mgt., colors are fairly neutral. This is all by default. I know how to clean up the color casts, but for general printing, where should I be? I typically only print 4X6 or occasionally 8X10, nothing professionally. When printing, what is the ideal, or preferred Source Space? I have found that if the source space is the same as how the image is tagged, things look pretty good. I also keep the Print Space set to my monitor settings which is the iMac profile. I suppose the issue is that I do not want to have to constantly correct the reddish tones for every photo I manipulate in PSE, although I typically do.
So my basic question is this: What settings are you using in the PSE print dialog box that give you the best looking prints, i.e., source space, print space? How do you color manage you photos? And, what are your color settings in preferences?
Many thanks in advance…

mikwen:
If you compare the sRGB and Adobe RGB color profiles with ColorSync Utility you'll see that the Adobe profile is much wider. I understand it is used for high end CMYK printing or similar. The Adobe profile gives me a much darker onscreen image. Haven't printed with it in quite a while so don't remember what the output was.
Apple uses the sRGB profile in their books and other printed products. So I've setup PSE to use the sRGB profile and set my monitor to sRGB but with a 2.2 gamma. That seems to work for me.
I don't know which camera you have or what color profile it embeds but the Canon's, and others, have a camera profile that is very close to the sRGB. If you installed the software that came with your camera it probably added the camera's profile to the system and you can view it with ColorSync Utility.
Do you Twango?
TIP: For insurance against the iPhoto database corruption that many users have experienced I recommend making a backup copy of the Library6.iPhoto database file and keep it current. If problems crop up where iPhoto suddenly can't see any photos or thinks there are no photos in the library, replacing the working Library6.iPhoto file with the backup will often get the library back. By keeping it current I mean backup after each import and/or any serious editing or work on books, slideshows, calendars, cards, etc. That insures that if a problem pops up and you do need to replace the database file, you'll retain all those efforts. It doesn't take long to make the backup and it's good insurance.
I've written an Automator workflow application (requires Tiger), iPhoto dB File Backup, that will copy the selected Library6.iPhoto file from your iPhoto Library folder to the Pictures folder, replacing any previous version of it. You can download it at Toad's Cellar. Be sure to read the Read Me pdf file.

Color Management Software

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