Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 6-30
The
MonacoPROFILER Platinum
manual has a simple table
that shows the breakdown
of the profile tables,
directions, and intents as
seen here. (Graphic
courtesy of X-Rite)
editor is handling output profiles. Even though I rarely need to do this
with well-built profiles, it is more common when cross-rendering. I often
find a few edits can make a noticeable improvement in making two print
processes match each other.
One situation where editing an input (or even working space) profile
can be somewhat useful is to change the color appearance of the docu-
ment by assigning a modified profile. That is, by tweaking an input
profile, I can alter the color appearance without altering the numbers in
the file. If I had 300 images with a slight colorcast or that needed a slight
TRC correction, I could alter the profile currently assigned to those doc-
uments. Since the color appearance changes but not the numbers, it's a
very fast process. Note that some degradation of the original data can take
place upon the next color space conversion depending on the severity of
the edit and the table size of the profile. However, applying a modified
ICC profile to 300 images is faster than applying a levels or curves tweak
to 300 images in Photoshop.
I have provided a tutorial that lets a user alter a working space to
assign to a digital camera document (see Chapter 9, Tutorial #11: “Using
Photoshop to Build Simplified Camera Profiles”). This can be taken much
farther using a profile editor. This technique is not a substitute for using
Photoshop to edit the documents since vastly more options are available
working with a pixel editor like Photoshop. However, if a minor correc-
tion is necessary, edits can be built into profiles to fix some issues. An
edit could also be applied to an output profile; for example, a large
number of documents all needing to be output to a certain printer and
requiring a minor edit. This can be a useful pipeline and productivity
enhancement.
Profile Editors: What Products Are Available?
There are a few profile editing products available that I can recommend
depending on need and budget. Some of the following products are part
of a profile package, and others can be purchased a la carte. If you are
new to working with ICC profiles I would suggest you take a wait-and-
see approach before buying a profile editing package and potentially
ruining a good profile.
