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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Real World Adobe Photoshop CS4 for PhotographersReal World Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers

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This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

Real World Adobe Photoshop CS4 for PhotographersReal World Adobe Photoshop CS4 for Photographers

Learn More Buy

Isolating Variables

All color management operations depend on a minimum of two profiles. Simply viewing a document requires a profile that describes the document and one that describes the current display. Other operations involve three or even more profiles. If you run into issues that don't appear to be a result of operator error, it's likely that one or more of the profiles involved is a weak link. Use a process of elimination to troubleshoot problems. Test each profile in isolation and change one thing at a time. You're likely to find the culprit much quicker than you would by flailing around and changing multiple parameters willy-nilly.

Color management isn't a panacea, and it doesn't remove the need for intelligent human color correction. It's just a useful tool that provides a solid floor for you to stand on when you make your (hopefully intelligent, certainly human) corrections.

Canned vs. Custom Profiles

Canned profiles—profiles supplied by a third party that are based on something other than measurements of your specific device—have earned a bad reputation, often deservedly so. But under the right circumstances, generic ICC profiles can be very useful. It's true that each combination of printing press, ink, and paper is unique. However, virtually all press operators pride themselves on their ability to match a contract proof such as an Imation Matchprint or Fuji ColorArt. If they couldn't, color printing would be almost impossible.

Proofer Profiles. Proofing systems are generally very consistent from shop to shop. This makes them good candidates for canned profiles—stable, repeatable, consistent output processes like contract proofers simply don't need custom profiles. You need to make sure that the profile you choose has the correct ink limits, black generation, and substrate for your job, but as long as you pay attention to these variables, you can produce excellent results using generic proofer profiles.

Sheetfed Press. Although sheetfed presses vary a little more than do proofing systems, we've seen excellent results from generic sheetfed press profiles too, providing the paper stock isn't too weird. Bear in mind that the press operator has a great deal of control over the final result—a profile has to be only a reasonable match to the press.

Desktop Printers. Whether you use a desktop color printer for proofing or for exhibition-quality prints, having custom-built profiles for your ink and paper combinations helps ensure that your printer is reproducing color to the best of its ability.

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