Operation Manual

183
Color
Last updated 9/13/2015
A Profiles describe the color spaces of the input device and the document. B Using the profiles’ descriptions, the color management system
identifies the document’s actual colors. C
The monitor’s profile tells the color management system how to translate the numeric values into the
monitor’s color space. D
Using the output device’s profile, the color management system translates the document’s numeric values into the color
values of the output device, so the actual colors are printed.
Profiling devices
For color management to work, you must profile your devices or use an ICC profile created by the device’s
manufacturer.
Capture devices Profiling is not critical for capture devices such as digital cameras or scanners. You may want to profile
a scanner, however, if you want to accurately reproduce the colors in scanned transparencies, and reduce your color
correction workload in Photoshop Elements.
Monitors Calibrating and profiling your monitor is important. If you are using a laptop or other LCD monitor, you can
use the profile provided by the manufacturer. If you own a colorimeter and corresponding software to create profiles,
you can use those profiles in Photoshop Elements.
Printers Profiling your inkjet printer will generally give you better results, though you can make excellent prints
without a printer profile by using the controls in your printer driver. Many printer manufacturers provide ICC printer
profiles on their websites. You need a separate profile for each printer, ink, and type of paper. You can also have profiles
made for your favorite combination of ink and paper.
When you work on a photo and save it, Photoshop Elements can embed (tag) an ICC profile that reflects the colors on
your computer monitor or the device that produced it. Embedding profiles with an image makes its color portable, so
that different devices can translate its color values. For example, if you send the photo to your inkjet printer, the color
management system reads the embedded profile and translates the color data using the printer’s profile. Your printer
can then use the translated color data to accurately translate its color into the selected media.
Color management tasks
If you want to use color management, you need to perform the following tasks:
• Set up color management by embedding a color profile and using device profiles when scanning or printing. (See
Set up color management.)
• Calibrate and profile your computer monitor. If you use an LCD monitor, use the profile that came with your
monitor. See your LCD monitor documentation for instructions.