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Embedding profiles in saved documents
By default, a tagged document will have its profile information embedded upon saving in
a file format that supports embedded ICC profiles. Untagged documents are saved by
default without embedded profiles.
You can specify whether or not to embed a profile as you save a document; you can also
specify to convert colors to the proof profile space and embed the proof profile instead.
However, changing the profile-embedding behavior is recommended only for advanced
users who are familiar with color management.
To change the embedding behavior of a profile in a document:
1 Choose File > Save As.
2 Do one of the following:
•
To toggle the embedding of the document’s current color profile, select or deselect ICC
Profile (Windows) or Embed Color Profile (Mac OS). This option is available only for the
native Photoshop format (.psd) and PDF, JPEG, TIFF, EPS, DCS, and PICT formats.
•
To toggle the embedding of the document’s current proof profile, select or deselect Use
Proof Setup (available for PDF, EPS, DCS 1.0, and DCS 2.0 formats only). Selecting this
option converts the document’s colors to the proof profile space and is useful for
creating an output file for print. For information on setting up a proof profile, see “
S
of
t-
pr
o
ofi
ng c
olors
”
on page
113
.
3 Name the document, choose other save options, and click Save.
Obtaining, installing, and updating color profiles
Precise, consistent color management requires accurate ICC-compliant profiles of all of
your color devices. For example, without an accurate scanner profile, a perfectly scanned
image may appear incorrect in another program, simply due to any difference in color
space between the scanner and the program displaying the image. This misleading repre-
sentation may cause you to make unnecessary, time-wasting, and potentially damaging
“corrections” to an already satisfactory image. With an accurate profile, a program
importing the image can correct for any gamut differences and display a scan’s actual
colors.
Once you obtain accurate profiles, they will work with all applications that are compatible
with your color-management system. You can obtain profiles in the following ways, with
the most precise methods listed first:
•
Generate profiles customized for your specific devices using professional profiling
equipment.
•
Use the settings in the Custom CMYK dialog box to describe your device, and then save
the settings as a color profile. (See “
C
r
ea
ting cust
om CMYK pr
ofi
les
”
on page
121
.)
•
Obtain a profile created by the manufacturer. Unfortunately, such profiles do not
account for individual variations that naturally occur among machines (even identical
modes from the same manufacturer) or from age.
•
Substitute an available profile that may be appropriate for the device’s color space.
For example, many Mac OS scanners have been optimized for an Apple RGB monitor
color space, so you might try using an Apple monitor profile for these devices; for a
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non-profiled Windows scanner, try substituting the sRGB color space. Be sure to proof
images created with the profile before using the profile in production.
Adding device profiles to the color management system
You can add color profiles to your system so that they appear as choices in the Color
Settings dialog box. To minimize confusion when working with profiles, delete any profiles
for devices not used by you or your workgroup. Once you have added a profile to the
recommended location on your system, you may need to load it or restart Photoshop so
that the profile appears in the Color Settings dialog box.
Note: In Mac OS, you can organize the ColorSync Profiles folder by creating additional
folders within it, or adding aliases to other folders. However, nested folders may cause
conflicts with some applications, such as Adobe PressReady.
To add profiles to your system:
Copy profiles to one of the following recommended locations:
•
(Windows 2000) WinNT/System/Spool/Drivers/Color.
•
(Windows NT) WinNT/System32/Color.
•
(Windows 98) Windows/System/Color.
•
(Mac OS 9.x) System Folder/ColorSync Profiles.
•
(Mac OS X) Users/CurrentUser/Library/ColorSync.
Note: If you use ColorSync 2.5 but have used earlier versions, some profiles may still be
stored in the System Folder/Preferences/ColorSync
™
Profiles folder on your hard disk.
For compatibility with ColorSync 2.5 or later, store profiles in the ColorSync Profiles folder
in the System Folder.
Updating profiles
The color reproduction characteristics of a color device change as it ages, so recalibrate
devices periodically and generate updated profiles. Profiles should be good for approxi-
mately a month depending on the device. Some monitors automatically compensate for
phosphor aging.
Also, recalibrate a device when you change any of the factors that affect calibration.
For example, recalibrate your monitor when you change the room lighting or the monitor
brightness setting.
Creating an ICC monitor profile
Your monitor will display color more reliably if you use color management and accurate
ICC profiles. Using an ICC monitor profile helps you eliminate any color cast in your
monitor, make your monitor grays as neutral as possible, and standardize image display
across different monitors.
On Windows, you can use the Adobe Gamma software (installed with Photoshop) to
create a monitor profile. On Mac OS, you can use the Apple calibration utility to create a
monitor profile. In addition, there are hardware-based utilities that you can use to create a
monitor profile. Be sure to use only one calibration utility to display your profile; using
multiple utilities can result in incorrect color.
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Calibrating versus characterizing a monitor
You can use profiling software such as Adobe Gamma (Windows) or the Apple calibration
utility (Mac OS) to both characterize and calibrate your monitor. When you characterize
your monitor, you create a profile that describes how the monitor is currently reproducing
color. When you calibrate your monitor, you bring it into compliance with a predefined
standard, for example, the graphics arts standard white point color temperature of 5000
Kelvin.
Determine in advance the standard to which you are calibrating so that you can enter the
set of values for that standard. Coordinate calibration with your workgroup and prepress
service provider to make sure you’re all calibrating to the same standard. However, if you
have implemented a good color management workflow, you need not calibrate all
monitors to the same standard; you simply need to characterize each monitor to produce
accurate profiles.
About monitor calibration settings
Monitor calibration involves adjusting video settings, which may be unfamiliar to you.
A monitor profile uses these settings to precisely describe how your monitor reproduces
color.
Brightness and contrast The overall level and range, respectively, of display intensity.
These parameters work just as they do on a television set.
Gamma The brightness of the midtone values. The values produced by a monitor from
black to white are nonlinear—if you graph the values, they form a curve, not a straight
line. The gamma value defines the slope of that curve halfway between black and white.
Gamma adjustment compensates for the nonlinear tonal reproduction of output devices
such as monitor tubes.
Phosphors The substance that monitors use to emit light. Different phosphors have
different color characteristics.
White point The coordinates (measured in the CIE XYZ color space) at which red, green,
and blue phosphors at full intensity create white.
Guidelines for creating an ICC monitor profile
The following guidelines can help you create an accurate monitor profile.
You may find it helpful to have your monitor’s user guide handy while creating an ICC
monitor profile.
•
You don’t need to calibrate your monitor if you’ve already done so using an
ICC-compliant calibration tool and haven’t changed your video card or monitor
settings.
•
Make sure that you are using a standard desktop (CRT) monitor.
•
If you have the Monitor Setup utility (included with PageMaker
®
6.0) for Windows or
the Knoll Gamma control panel (included with Adobe Photoshop 4.0 and earlier) for
Mac OS, remove it; it is obsolete.
•
Make sure your monitor has been turned on for at least a half hour. This gives it suffi-
cient time to warm up for a more accurate color reading.
•
Make sure your monitor is displaying thousands (16 bits) of colors or more.
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•
Remove colorful background patterns on your monitor desktop. Busy or bright patterns
surrounding a document interfere with accurate color perception. Set your desktop to
display neutral grays only, using RGB values of 128. For more information, see the
documentation for your operating system.
•
If your monitor has digital controls for choosing the white point of your monitor from a
range of preset values, set those controls before starting the profiling utility. 6500 K is a
good white point for most uses; 5000 K is the common standard for U.S. prepress
providers.
•
Monitor performance changes and declines over time; recharacterize your monitor
every month or so. If you find it difficult or impossible to calibrate your monitor to a
standard, it may be too old and faded.
Calibrating with Adobe Gamma (Windows)
The ICC profile you get using Adobe Gamma uses the calibration settings to describe how
your monitor reproduces color.
Note: Adobe Gamma can characterize, but not calibrate, monitors used with Windows NT.
In addition, the ICC profile you create with Adobe Gamma can be used as the system-level
profile in Windows NT. Adobe Gamma’s ability to calibrate settings depends on the video
card and video driver software. In such cases, some calibration options documented here
may not be available.
To use Adobe Gamma:
1 Start Adobe Gamma, located in the Control Panels folder or in the Program Files/
Common Files /Adobe/Calibration folder on your hard drive.
2 Do one of the following:
•
To use a version of the utility that will guide you through each step, select Step by Step,
and click OK. This version is recommended if you’re inexperienced. If you choose this
option, follow the instructions described in the utility. Start from the default profile for
your monitor if available, and enter a unique description name for the profile. When
you are finished with Adobe Gamma, save the profile using the same description name.
(If you do not have a default profile, contact your monitor manufacturer for appropriate
phosphor specifications.)
•
To use a compact version of the utility with all the controls in one place, select Control
Panel, and click OK. This version is recommended if you have experience creating color
profiles.
At any time while working in the Adobe Gamma control panel, you can click the
Wizard button to switch to the wizard for instructions that guide you through the
same settings as in the control panel, one option at a time.
Saving and loading working space profiles
If none of the working space options in the Color Settings dialog box accurately describe
the color space of your particular output or display device, you can create a custom RGB,
CMYK, Grayscale, or Spot working space profile. Saving your custom profile ensures that
you can reuse it and share it with other users and other Adobe applications that use the
Color Settings dialog box.
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You can also load a profile that has not been saved in the recommended profile location,
so that the profile appears in the Color Settings dialog box.
To save a custom profile:
1 Do one of the following:
•
In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
•
In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
2 Create a custom working space profile. (See “
C
r
ea
ting cust
om R
GB pr
ofi
les
”
on
page
120
, “
C
r
ea
ting cust
om CMYK pr
ofi
les
”
on page
121
, or “
C
r
ea
ting cust
om gr
a
y
sc
ale
and sp
ot-c
olor pr
ofi
les
”
on page
125
.)
3 Under Working Spaces, choose Save Color Space from the appropriate menu.
4 Name and save the profile. (See “
O
btaining
,
installing
,
and up
da
ting c
olor pr
ofi
les
”
on
page
116
for the recommended location to save the profile.)
To access a saved profile, you may need to load it or restart Photoshop. If you do not save a
custom profile, it will be stored only in the custom color settings file of which it is a part
and will not be available as a profile option in the Color Settings dialog box.
To load a custom profile:
1 Do one of the following:
•
In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
•
In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
2 Under Working Spaces, choose Load Color Space from the appropriate menu.
3 Locate and select the desired profile, and click Open.
If you load a profile that has been saved outside the recommended location, it temporarily
replaces the Other option in the Working Spaces menu, until another profile is loaded.
Creating custom RGB profiles
When designing a custom RGB profile, you can specify the gamma, white point, and
phosphor settings of your monitor or RGB device.
To create a custom RGB profile:
1 Do one of the following:
•
In Windows and Mac OS 9.x, choose Edit > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
•
In Mac OS X, choose Photoshop > Color Settings, and select Advanced Mode.
2 Under Working Spaces, choose Custom RGB from the RGB menu.
3 For Name, enter the name for the custom profile.
4 For Gamma, enter the gamma value you want to use.
5 For White Point, choose a setting.
For more information on gamma and white point settings, see “
A
b
out monit
or c
alibr
a
tion
settings
”
on page
118
.
Documents you may be interested
Documents you may be interested
