Null Profile?
Null Profile?
- Subject: Null Profile?
- From: JWL <email@hidden>
- Date: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 00:22:36 -0800
Hello Folks,
Is there such a thing as a "null" profile - one built in such a way that the
luts do not change any of the color data? Or could one be built for use as
an RGB output or working space profile?
I know the concept sounds nonsensical. But the recent discussion about an
arbitrary CMYK space big enough to contain the whole of certain RGB spaces
got me thinking about how this could be useful as a tactic to deal with
problematic application interfaces.
It seems vendors are starting to get the idea that customers want color
management features available. But they stumble over how it should be
implemented in the application or device driver.
For example, the Fuji Pictrography printer: the chooser lever printer driver
(also the export plug-in) has no way to disable all image processing
features. When you select the "Image Processing > Off" option, there remains
an active pop-up list of "gray balance" settings, labeled "G2.2/9300" and
"G1.8/6500", etc. - there is no "none". So you can't get the raw data of a
target file thru the device. (ironically the 3500 is in other ways an
improvement over the old 3000s, but those older printers were quite simple
to profile)
Of course, once you load an ICC profile into the printer driver, the Image
Processing *and* the Gray Balance features are disabled. So if there were
such a thing as a null profile for an output space, loading it relative
colorimetric should get unmodified data passed thru to the Pictro, right?
This would seem like a better way to print a profiling target than having
Fuji's idea of a Gray Balance correction added in.
Another example is the Sinar Captureshop interface. Whoever they hired to
develop their capture software obviously tried to make it as familiar as
possible to Photoshop users, and ICC "enabled" - good goals, all in all. But
I think they took it too far: Captureshop can use an input profile > working
space profile > monitor profile to display the image as in Photoshop. But
there is no way to disable the working space, no "none", AND the image is
CONVERTED to this space (regardless of whether an input profile is
specified).
As is, there is no way to get raw data out of the capture - so how can an
input profile be created? Again, if there were a null 'profile' to use for
the working space in Captureshop, that would seem the only way to get a
valid/unmodified target capture.
So I'm wondering about this "null" profile concept - does it make any sense
at all - is it possible or am I dreaming? And if it's at all feasible, how
would one go about creating one?
Thoughts, anyone?
Regards,
John
P.S. -- Oh, and of course if anyone has a better idea for how to address
these interface conundrums (better than complaining to the manufacturers,
that is), I'd love to hear that, too.