Created by J.Beattie 2014 Cambridge Darkroom Meetup Date: Thursday 31 st July 2014 Slideshow Version: 1.0.1 Any images used are the sole property and copyright of their owners. All references to names and products are to be taken at face value and with the good intention intended. . Any mistakes are my responsibility and do not reflect any references, sources or people I have named or used. Don' take my word for it, there will be mistakes in this, do the research – use this as a guide. Now, stop reading this and just go and take some photos!
These slides were first presented the Thurday 31st of Jul 2014 at Cambridge Darkroom's meetup (http://www.meetup.com/CambridgeDarkroom/events/173760452/) Why is it that the image on your camera's viewfinder is nothing like the one you see in Photoshop? How come this stupid printer doesn't get the colours right either? Jonathan has crafted for you some colourful slides to give you both theory and practical steps to maintain accurate colour throughout the digital workflow - from camera to print. Although PS will be used as an example, the principles and steps are applicable to other workflow environments. Author Jonathan Beattie
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Transcript
Created by J.Beattie 2014
Cambridge Darkroom Meetup
Date: Thursday 31st July 2014
Slideshow Version: 1.0.1
Any images used are the sole property and copyright of their owners.
All references to names and products are to be taken at face value and with the good intention
intended. .
Any mistakes are my responsibility and do not reflect any references, sources or people I have
named or used.
Don' take my word for it, there will be mistakes in this, do the research – use this as a guide.
Now, stop reading this and just go and take some photos!
I am not a Colour Management maven
There is a vast pool of knowledge at the meetings, we should learn to use it.
Ask questions
Don't ask, don't get
If I don't know, someone else might
If no one knows, I'll find out and get back to you
Lot to get through
I will take a break – you'd be as well too as well
Feel free to contact me through the Meetup group or via Flickr.
If you have any ideas for future Meetups, add them to the group area on the Meetup site.
Similarly, if you want to talk or present something, let the organisers know.
If I can do it, you can do it!
Always want to hear your feedback – provide it on the MeetUp Page or contact me directly.
It's a big subject so I will just be giving you the basics.
- Understand basic concepts of colour.
- Gain general and fundamental knowledge of colour management.
It can seem daunting, but if you understand the basic concepts it becomes easier to understand.
There is not a single solution, each person has different needs and requirements.
- There is no blue pill!
For some, there is no need to worry about it. It's worked so far and it will continue to.
Others have noticed a change in colour and are frustrated and want to change it.
Others still, have a professional need to reproduce colours as defined by the client.
Hopefully these slides will be of enough interest to make you look at what you are already doing
and if you change anything you will notice a difference.
For others I hope it will affirm what they are already doing.
Hopefully in a few years you will not need any need for this/. Things are getting much better.
- Colour Management is being taken more seriously
- Software has improved ad continues to do so
- Printers/inks are better than ever and are getting better all the time
Slides will be made available.
- PDF version with these notes pages
Apropos of nothing…..
10 Reasons to upgrade to PS:
1. Complicated Object Removal & Movement 2. Sophisticated Retouching 3. Complicated Selections 4. Merging Multiple Exposures with HDR 5. Merging Photos into a Panorama 6. Wide Angle Perspective Correction, New in CS6 7. Creative Compositing 8. Applying Artistic Filters 9. Designing Brochures, Business Cards, Posters, and Other Graphics 10. Video Editing Capabilities
All devices render colour differently.
Devices can only represent colour that is within their Gamut
- Gamut is just the range of colours that can be reproduced
For example:
- Printers can interpret colours differently
- 10 printers = 10 different colour prints
- some printers can't print some colours, colours that are outside their gamut
Colour Management is output centric
- Luckily we all want to show our work, be it print of online.
Can also help staying faithful to the colours of the subject
- that might be a more artistic choice though and is best left up to the individual.
RGB & CMYK are device dependent
Devices gamut/colour-range
The Butters Part 1 – but I see colour all the time
- Yes, but you are not seeing the same colour
- perhaps the lowest common colour denominator “just happens” to work for you
- that time!
- because colour is subjective, I'll not see what you see
- It might not work if you send it to a different printer
All workflows can be broken down to:
Image input – image processing – image output
Many devices are improving their colour management
- Mainly output devices: monitors and printers
- Processing software is improving as well
- Even low end software has some colour management
There is a growing awareness of colour management
- Hence this talk :-)
You can manage a number of things:
- Camera-Monitor–Workspace–Soft Proof-Printer
8-Bit:
2^8=256 colours per channel
256x256x256=16777216 colours per 8-bit file
16-Bit:
2^16=65536 colours per channel
65536x65536x65536=281474976710656 colours per 16-bit file
Photoshop only allocates 32,769 levels to a 16-bit file (which is 15-bits plus 1 level) –
does this to simplify the math and processing.
These huge numbers are definitions, not perceived colours, You cannot tell the
difference between RGB 0,1,0 and RGB 0,1,1. Additionally editing changes the
number of available colours through compression and tone mapping.
7
CMS – Colour Managed System
Input Devices – Camera, Scanner, etc
Output Devices – Monitor, Printer, Press, etc
9
CMS is just an environment – a practice
CMM is embedded in processing software
- PS, LR, Camera Raw, Aperture, PSE, etc
- They all have some sort of CMM in them
- Mac OS and Windows also have in-built CMM's
- Meaning it can be at the system or application level
Device profiles – called ICC profiles
- International Color Consortium
- Different profiles “types” available
- See http://www.color.org for more details
A profile is a set of mathematical measurements that define reproduction of colour for a particular
device
Device independence means that the colour space can be defined and measured completely
independently of any device.
This replication capability is at the heart of CMS
The ability to map colours from one space to another in a known and predictable manner