Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Managing color
Colormanagement workstoreproducecolorsconsistently acrossarangeofoutputdevices,
such as monitors, tablets, color printers, and offset presses. InDesign gives you easy-to-use
color management features that help you achieve good, consistent color without needing to
become a color management expert. With color management enabled out of the box, you'll
be able to view colors consistently while ensuring more accurate color from edit to proof
to final print.
The need for color management
No screen, film, printer, copier, or printing press can produce the full range of color visible
to the human eye. Each device has a specific capability and makes different kinds of com-
promises in reproducing color images. The unique color-rendering abilities of a specific
output device are known collectively as its gamut. InDesign and other graphics applica-
tions, such as Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator, use color numbers to describe the
color of each pixel in an image. The color numbers correspond to the color model, such as
the RGB values for red, green, and blue or the CMYK values for cyan, magenta, yellow,
and black.
Tip
To achieve consistent color, it's important to periodically calibrate your
monitor and printers. Calibration brings your devices into compliance with
predefined output standards. Many color experts believe that calibration is
the most important aspect of color management.
Color management is simply a way of translating the color numbers for each pixel from
the source (the document or image stored on your computer) to the output device (such
as your monitor, laptop, tablet, color printer, or high-resolution printing press). Because
each source and output device has its own specific gamut (or range) of colors it is capable
of reproducing, the aim of the color translation is color accuracy across devices. You can
find additional information about color management in the InDesign Help file, online at
www.adobe.com
(search for color management), in topics such as Peachpit's
Real World
Color Management,
and in DVDs/videos such as Peachpit's
Color Management without
the Jargon: A Simple Approach for Designers and Photographers Using the Adobe Creat-
ive Suite.
