Colour Management
If your graphic work includes the use of a monitor, a scanner, a digital camera, and a printer, then you might wonder why the colours within the same, untouched image vary from device to device. If you’ve ever asked yourself that question, then you’re probably unaware that you can control your CMS, or Colour Management Systems within most of these devices. Or, alternately, you realize that you might have some control over this issue, but you don’t know where to begin or how to end that process.
Colour management includes colour control within and among input, output, and display devices. Since the computer screen is the one display device that determines how you see that image across the board, I want to focus on LCD monitors first. I will also use a Photoshop program, Adobe Gamma, to explain the calibration process. While many of you might not own this program, the issues that Adobe Gamma addresses will help you to understand what you need to do to calibrate your LCD monitor.
Adobe Gamma was never meant to use for LCD monitor calibration, but it’s still packaged with Photoshop. This program, however, works like many third-party calibration systems. Since I don’t want to play favourites with third-party vendors, Adobe Gamma provides all the information you’d find in any other calibration system. Additionally, it’s the most convenient tool at hand to explain the calibration process.
This article will focus on the first steps that you need to follow to calibrate your LCD monitor, including definitions of standard colour spaces and best practices. In the following article, I’ll address gamma and white point selections in detail. A warning: Although I’ll begin to walk you through the Adobe Gamma program, I won’t finalize this project until the next article.
NOTE: Many articles about monitor display calibration exist online, but please be informed that some writers don’t distinguish between CRT and LCD monitors when they expand on any given technique. While both monitor types often use the same calibration techniques, some techniques are unneeded or cannot be performed on many platforms that carry LCD monitors.
Linda Goin carries an A.A. in graphic design, a B.F.A. in visual communications with a minor in business and marketing and an M.A. in American History with a minor in the Reformation. While the latter degree doesn't seem to fit with the first two educational experiences, Linda used her 25-year design expertise on archaeological digs and in the study of material culture. Now she uses her education and experiences in social media experiments.