[Fook]

This is my first post here, though i have bin monotoring this site for 3 years by now. Im a 23 year old film teacher from sweden. I'm a part of a film group that makes short films. You can look at our site, though its currently Swedish only. http://www.anarchy-design.org
Im a moderate photoshop user and i now have a question for you.

Could anyone explain the color profile system and how it actually works. If i calibrate my monitor, so that the black actually looks like black and so on, how does that apply when the picture is printed?

Would be very greatfull for an answer!
Now back to the speed painting thread... [/b]

[scumworks]

This is what I think I know:

Changes made in adobe gamma profile only calibrates your monitor NOT the things made one your computer ( you won't get a darker print by turning down your monitors brightness!). You have to callibrate your monitor to a certain international standart, due to the high image difference in monitors. Once truly callibrated (hard) you can begin to use color profiles in photoshop etc. Color profiles are like preview settings, making you able to see how it will look when finally printed. You can't use the same amount of ink on a uncoated paper that you would use in a fine coated magazine. Color settings make you able to simulate how its gonna look, by setting ICC profile, dot gain etc.

example: A image for a newspaper will be much darker once printed, since its uncoared paper being used. Due to the fact that newspapers are made of recycled material it tends to be a bit red/yellowish in tone. Instead of thinking about these things yourself, the color management simulates it!
So when you correct the image to your liking, the accual image is much lighter, photoshop just takes the printing/paper into account

Hope it make some kind of sense!

[Fook]

Thanks alot for your answer!

The hard calibration, is that done with programs such as adobe gamma, and with those spider thingis? And what about those embeded ICC profiles that you can send with your .PSD.
Well, i guess it all will make sence some day.

[scumworks]

Calibrating your monitor with adobe gamma should do just fine, unless you want absolute perfection, then a 3000 dollar lache monitor fitted with calibration HARDWARE should do ok Oh and the room closed from all sunlight and be artificialy lit to preserve constant kelvin. You won't need it! A normal monitor can even vary from the left to the right side of the screen, so heavenly perfection should not be pursued.
Embedding the ICC profile will make sure no funny stuff happens when opened on other systems. Lot of these settings are used for prepress. Setting the cmyk, gives you different options on seperation (UCR/GCR) etc.

UCR/GCR?
example: To achive a 50% grey your system needs to know if its to use black ink only, or try to make it using cmy (cyan, magenta & yellow) colors aswell.

You can study the curves in custom cmyk, and see what PS does by swiching from UCR to GCR.

[Fook]

Thanks alot!
Thats about the information i needed. Did have a notion of all that you wrote, just didn't know it by fact.