Operation Manual

Using color management | 325
• preview (or “soft-proof”) colors before they are sent to their final destination, such as a printing press, a desktop printer, or the web
• reduce the need to adjust and correct documents when sending them to different destinations
A color management system does not offer identical color matching, but it greatly improves color accuracy.
How do I get started with color management?
Here are some suggestions for adding color management to your workflow:
• Make sure that your monitor is displaying the correct colors. For more information, see “Is my monitor displaying the correct colors?” on
page 325.
• Install color profiles for any input or output devices that you are planning to use. For more information, see “Installing, loading, and
embedding color profiles” on page 330.
• Become familiar with the color management features of Corel DESIGNER. The default settings for color management produce good color
results, but you can change these default settings so that they suit your specific workflow. For more information, see “Getting started
with color management in Corel DESIGNER” on page 327.
• Soft-proof documents to preview final results on-screen. For more information, see “Soft proofing” on page 333.
• Embed color profiles when saving and exporting files. In this way, you help ensure color consistency when the files are viewed, modified,
or reproduced. For more information, see “Installing, loading, and embedding color profiles” on page 330.
Is my monitor displaying the correct colors?
Calibrating and profiling the monitor are essential steps for ensuring color accuracy. When you calibrate a monitor, you set it to display
colors according to an established standard of accuracy. After calibration, you can create a color profile of the monitor, which describes
how the monitor interprets colors. This custom color profile is usually installed in your operating system by the profiling software, so it can
be shared with other devices and applications. Calibration and profiling work together to achieve color accuracy: If a monitor is incorrectly
calibrated, its color profile is not useful.
Calibration and profiling are complex and usually require third-party calibration devices, such as colorimeters and specialized software.
Furthermore, improper calibration may do more harm than good. You can learn more about monitor calibration and custom color profiles
by researching color management techniques and products. You can also refer to the documentation that was provided with your operating
system or monitor.
How you perceive the color that your monitor displays is also important for managing color consistency. Your perception is influenced by the
environment in which you are viewing the documents. Here are some ways to create a suitable viewing environment:
• Ensure that your room has a consistent flow of light. For example, if the room is filled with sunlight, use a shade, or if possible, work in a
room without windows.
• Set the monitor background to a neutral color, such as gray, or apply a grayscale image. Avoid using colorful wallpapers and
screensavers.
• Don’t wear bright clothing that can clash with the display of colors on the monitor. For example, wearing a white shirt reflects onto the
monitor and alters your perception of color.
Should I assign a color profile or convert colors to a color profile?
When you assign a color profile, the color values, or numbers, in the document do not change. Instead, the application uses the color profile
to interpret the document colors. However, when you convert colors to another color profile, the color values in the document change.
The best practice is to choose a suitable color space when you create a document and to use the same color profile throughout your
workflow. You should avoid assigning color profiles and converting colors to other color profiles while working on a document. For more
information, see “Assigning color profiles ” on page 331 and “Converting colors to other color profiles” on page 332.
What is a rendering intent?
A color management system can perform effective translation of document colors to multiple devices. However, when converting colors
from one color space to another, a color management system may be unable to match certain colors. This translation failure occurs
because some colors in the source may not fit within the range (or gamut) of the destination color space. For example, the bright red
and blue colors that you see on your monitor are often outside the gamut of colors that your printer can produce. These “out-of-gamut”
colors can dramatically change the look of the document, depending on how they are interpreted by the color management system. Each
color management system has four methods of interpreting out-of-gamut colors and mapping them into the gamut of the destination