Re: profile editors
Re: profile editors
- Subject: Re: profile editors
- From: Steve Upton <email@hidden>
- Date: Sun, 5 Nov 2000 22:17:51 -0800
At 4:31 PM -0800 11/5/00, Michael wrote:
I would appreciate any opinions on what are the 3 best profile editors on
the market today.
Many different profile editing purposes and user capabilities.
Basically, when you edit a profile you have the capability to edit
individual tables within the profile. Each of these tables contains
input curves, a look up table (LUT) and output curves. (at least
printer profiles are like this and most editing is of printer
profiles)
Why does this matter?
Well, you will edit profiles when they either:
1) produce the wrong color when used for output. - So a test print
appears too yellow for instance.
2) produce the wrong color then used for simulation. If you are using
a CMYK press profile to proof on screen or on another printer and the
colors look too blue for instance.
When proofing, how do you know whether to edit the proofing part of
the press profile or the rendering part of the printers profile as
both are in use? Well, if you are building and testing your profiles
methodically, then you should have already tested your printer
profile's rendering capabilities and edited it as required. Then you
know for sure it is your press's proofing transforms.
If a profile editor allows you to move curves - like, lightness,
saturation, CMYK or whatever, then you are probably editing the input
and output curves I mentioned.
If an editor allows you to do "selective color" editing, then you are
probably altering the information contained in the lookup table.
Selective color would allow you to make the reds less orange for
instance, without altering any of the other colors.
A good profile editor will allow you to select:
- which rendering direction you want to edit - output or input
- which table you want to edit for that direction - perceptual,
colorimetric, etc
- editing by curves - for color-cast removal and so forth
- editing selective colors - for those remaining color problems that
may persist.
and also save edits along the way for further tweaking & testing.
Now, which are the best?
Kodak Profile Editor is one of the best - unfortunately you cannot
get it outside of their full package.
Monaco's is also good - also not outside their package and if I
remember right, only on their profiles
I will have to settle on two groups:
A) For the person who wants to edit profiles but not necessarily
learn new software and a new UI
Kodak Custom Color ICC - this operates as a Photoshop plug in but the
representative image file can actually be edited in any application.
Most Photoshop moves can be used to alter the file - good for people
really familiar with PS and not really willing to use another
application. - this application is not to be confused with the
above-mentioned Kodak software. Custom Color ICC is available outside
the full package for around $400
Color Vision's Doctor Pro - works in a similar fashion to Custom
Color. The edits are stored as actions and then "re-lived" by the
software when the actual profile edit takes place. I am not as
familiar with the software perhaps David Miller can expand. Also
quite capable and good for people who are PS literate.
B) For the person who wants to edit profiles and doesn't mind a new UI.
GretagMacbeth's Profile Editor. A good editor all-around but you
cannot save edits in as flexible a way as I would like. Like most
GretagMacbeth software it has a clean interface and one of the nicest
features is the "scrubbing" or "windowshade" effect it has for
viewing your changes. A slider appears over your reference image with
the changes acting as an overlay that you can move on and off your
image. It allows you to zoom into an area (shadow detail for
instance), make edits, and then see where they take effect.
A mainstay in the editing arena is ColorBlind Edit. It is perhaps one
of the most powerful editing tools but suffers from an interface that
is difficult for many color management experts to grasp much less
"normal" users. That said, it does allow you the ability to edit
almost every aspect of a color profile and also allows you to save
your edits in different ways and even apply them in batch mode.
There are several, less-expensive and/or capable packages around but
from what I have seen they only allow editing of the curves and -
more damming -do not allow differentiating the edits between
rendering intents or input/output direction. I think their creators
expect that users at that level might not understand the arcane parts
of profile editing. I would counter with the argument that people at
that level should not be editing profiles. They should learn more
about what's involved and then use a fully capable tool. I don't mean
to be a snob here it's just that editing profiles is something that
should be undertaken with care and a least a basic understanding of
how they work.
I have a feeling I am forgetting something here but it doesn't quite
come to me tonight. As I mentioned, I think Kodak's full editor that
comes as part of Colorflow is my favorite so if you have a big budget
(about $2500 for the full package) or are lucky enough to have a copy
- learn it completely. I will continue to hound Kodak to break it out
of their full package for the rest of us.
.. That should bring some discussion....
Regards,
Steve Upton
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