DeadHeartStudio

Color space

A simple set of numbers, in either RGB or Good color management starts with a color profile, a cross-platform file that describes CMYK, does not provide enough information a particular device’s color characteristics. When a printer, scanner, or digital camera to define and reproduce exact color on is connected to your system, ColorSync automatically assigns an ICC profile to that different devices. For example, an RGB value device. In most cases, this is a profile that the device’s manufacturer has supplied—a of R10, G100, B10 does not define how that color should appear; it is just the ratio of the factory profile. While many devices come with ICC profiles that ColorSync can automatically assign, By specifying a scale for these RGB values others will need you to specify the ICC profile. Some manufacturers provide ICC within the range of human vision, R10, G100, profiles on their websites, and service providers often supply ICC profiles particular B10 can replicate how this green should to their devices. Professional users may want to create their own, as the accuracy of appear. This scale is called a color space.

Quartz is the PDF-based graphics system in Mac OS X that draws graphic elements on displays and output devices. Quartz Filters give users the ability to apply color management, effects, and other processes when creating a PDF file or printing. You can create your own Quartz Filters using the controls in the Filters pane in ColorSync Utility. More information about Quartz Filters is included in the “Using Quartz Filters” section.

Using the Calculator tool in ColorSync Utility, you can compare the impac t of color models, color spaces, rendering intents, and the translations that occur when color transformations are performed by the CMM. This tool provides a way to empirically see the impact that each element has in color transformations.

Image processing tasks like embedding color profiles can be performed easily with Automator. For example, to create a workflow that changes the color profile for a series of images, select Preview in the Automator Library and drag the “Apply ColorSync Profile to Images” action into the workflow area. You will be asked if you want to add a Copy Finder Items action so the original files are not permanently altered; if you want to apply actions on a copy of the original file, click Add. In the Copy Finder Items pane, choose any folder you wish or use the default (Desktop). In the “Apply ColorSync Profile to Images” ac tion, select an ICC profile from the pop-up
menu to use for the color conversion. This workflow can now be saved as an application. However, the real power comes into play if you save a group of actions as a plug-in. You can select different types of plug-ins depending on how you want to utilize them.

Automator plug-ins include:

Finder.

Adds the Automator workflow to the contextual menu accessible in the Finder.

Folder Actions.

Allow you to select a folder on your hard drive that will run the Automator workflow when items are added.

iCal Alarm.

Runs the workflow at times and dates specified in iCal, the easy-to-use calendaring application in Mac OS X.

Image Capture.

Runs the workflow using the Automated Tasks option in Image Capture.

Print Workflow.

Integrates your Automator workflow into the PDF Services of the Print dialog in Mac OS X, giving you access to PDF-based workflows from most applications.

Script Menu.

If you have enabled the AppleScript Script Menu, your workflow will also be accessible from the AppleScript menu in all applications. Creating an Automator workflow for assigning color profiles to images.