Advanced color management

Understanding color conversions and settings

Lou Prestia

Heather Blakley

Sr. Product Line Manager

Product Marketing Specialist

Agenda

ICC color management basics

Profile selection and embedded profiles
PDF/X output intent
Rendering intents
Black point compensation
Problems printing with black
Color management failures
Recommended DFE settings
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Be sure to watch our previous webinars on color

3 Key steps to get the right color the first try
The ABCs of producing the best match for spot colors
Best practices for matching industry color standards

ICC color management basics

ICC color processing workflow

How to access the expert color settings on

your Fiery DFE

Introducing the new Fiery Color Flow Chart

Profile selection and embedded profiles

Embedded ICC profiles

Modern design applications favor the use of a
working space
Standard RGB or CMYK defined by ICC profile
All files created are in a working space

When saving from these applications, best

practice is to embed profiles

Working spaces in Adobe Photoshop

Photoshop requires the definition of a working
space for CMYK and one for RGB
Photoshop does not force all windows to be in
one of the working spaces

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Photoshop color working space

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Profile mismatch

Photoshop provides warnings when opening and pasting about

profile mismatches

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Embed profile when saving

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Show assigned profile in Photoshop

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Working spaces in Adobe Illustrator

Uses working spaces
Illustrator offers a unique profile mismatch
option: Preserve numbers
Causes Illustrator to ignore embedded profiles

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Adobe Illustrator Preserve numbers

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Working spaces in Adobe InDesign

Uses working spaces
InDesign allows the most latitude for mixed
color spaces every object on every page can
have its own embedded profile

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Image color settings in InDesign

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How to use working spaces on DFE

For documents you create, set the DFE
color settings to match your working space

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How to identify embedded profiles

From Adobe design applications
Enfocus Pitstop

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Checking embedded color space with Enfocus Pitstop

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Using embedded profiles on DFE

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Default Fiery color settings

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Use embedded profile

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PDF/X Output intent

Defined by the Ghent Working Group (GWG)
Output Intent is a way to standardize the appearance of a
PDF file
Output Intent tag contains an ICC profile that is used as
a simulation profile for both on-screen viewing and
printing

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ICC color processing workflow

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Using PDF/X Output Intent on the DFE

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PDF/X Output Intent - CMYK

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PDF/X Output Intent RGB

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PDF/X output intent

Why not always always enable PDF/X
Output intent?
Over-compression of colors may occur

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Rendering Intent

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What is gamut compression?

Loss of color gamut when converting from a
broad gamut source space such as RGB to a
more narrow output gamut such as CMYK

CMYK
RGB

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What happens to colors outside reproducible color

gamut of the printer?
Gamut
Compression

?
?

?
?

?
?

CMYK
?

RGB

RGB Source gamut

CMYK Smaller
destination gamut of
printer
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Rendering Intent
Setting that defines the preference for gamut compression

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Rendering Intent: Photographic

Photographic (aka
perceptual)
smooth color
transitions;
relationship preserved

Color 1
Color 1

Color 2

CMYK
RGB

RGB Source gamut

CMYK Smaller
destination gamut of
printer
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Rendering Intent: Relative Colorimetric

Relative
Colorimetric
color accuracy for
logos and graphics

Color 1
Color 1

Color 2

CMYK
RGB

RGB Source gamut

CMYK Smaller
destination gamut of
printer
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Relative colorimetric vs. photographic

Relative Colorimetric

Photographic

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Rendering Intent: Presentation

Presentation aka
saturation for
business graphics

Color 1
Color 1

Color 2

CMYK
RGB

RGB Source gamut

CMYK Smaller
destination gamut of
printer
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Rendering Intent: Absolute Colorimetric

Absolute
Colorimetric
same as relative
colorimetric with
white point scaling for
paper white

Color 1
Color 1

Color 2

CMYK
RGB

RGB Source gamut

CMYK Smaller
destination gamut of
printer
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Best uses of rendering intents

Photographic (aka perceptual) this rendering intent compresses the entries source gamut to fit
in the destination gamut relationships between colors are preserved. Theoretically this is best for
photographs.

Relative Colorimetric this rendering intent compresses only the colors in the source gamut
that are not also in the destination gamut. Best for logos and graphics.

Presentation (aka saturation) this is the same as relative colorimetric but the colors in the
destination gamut are all pushed toward the gamut corners where colors are pure. Best for
business graphics.

Absolute Colorimetric this is a special case of Relative Colorimetric. The color clipping is the
same but the white point of the source is not scaled to the white point of the destination. This
means the white of the source will be shown in the output as a tint even in non-image areas. This
is mainly useful only for commercial proofing not for production printing.
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Choosing rendering intent on the DFE

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RGB rendering intent

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CMYK rendering intent

Processing methods:
Full (Source GCR)
Full (Output GCR)
Pure Primaries
Always
relative
colorimetric!

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Rendering intent when using embedded profiles

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Black point compensation

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Black point compensation

Maps the black point of the source profile
to the black point of the output profile
Helps to preserve detail in shadow areas
Always desirable except for special
applications such as proofing

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Black point compensation

Print

Source = Newsprint ICC

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Black point compensation

Print

Source = Newsprint ICC

For Proofing
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Problems printing with black

Print Gray Using Black Only

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Color management black failure

R=128
G=128
B=128

C=0%
M=0%
Y=0%
K =50%

L* = 62
a* = 0
b*= 0
L* = 58
a* = 0
b*= 0

C=40%
M=30%
Y=30%
K =20%

C=38%
M=27%
Y=27%
K =22%
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DFE settings to avoid this failure

To ensure you dont get a color click charge for black
objects (K only output)
Set RGB to: Text/Graphics
Set CMYK to: Text/Graphics/Images

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Pure black
Pure black is RGB of 0,0,0 or CMYK of 0,0,0,100%

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Black overprint
Black overprint (for pure black)
Use to trap text

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Color management failures

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Common causes for color management failure

Calibration
Imaging settings
Color Settings
Output Profile selection

Lighting
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Uncalibrated

Calibrated

Calibration: Accuracy vs. Consistency

Consistent, but
not Accurate
Color

Consistent,
and Accurate
Color

Neither consistent
nor Accurate Color

Accurate on average,
not consistent

Without ICC Profile

With ICC Profile

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Calibration
Over 30% of digital press owners never calibrate
their DFE or only calibrate when a color failure
occurs *
Failure to calibrate on a consistent basis is the #1
cause of color related rework

* Source: 2015 InfoTrends survey

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DFE settings
1. Imaging settings
2. Source profile settings
3. Output profile selection
Is it a custom profile?

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1. Image settings

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2. Source profile settings

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3. Output profile selection

Depending on the configuration of the DFE, output
profile may be selected automatically or manually

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Automatic output profile selection

Start
Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

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Automatic output profile selection

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Automatic output profile selection

Start
Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

Yes
Is Paper
Catalog used in
the job?

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Automatic output profile selection

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Automatic output profile selection

Start
Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

Yes
Is Paper
Catalog used in
the job?

Yes

Profile assigned
in Paper
Catalog?

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Automatic output profile selection

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Automatic output profile selection

Start
Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

Yes
Is Paper
Catalog used in
the job?

Yes

Profile assigned
in Paper
Catalog?

Yes
Output profile assigned
in Paper catalog 68

Automatic output profile selection

Start
Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

Yes
No

Is a Profile
assigned to
the paper
type?

Is Paper
Catalog used in
the job?

Yes

Profile assigned
in Paper
Catalog?

Yes
Output profile assigned
in Paper catalog 69

Automatic output profile selection

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Automatic output profile selection

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Automatic output profile selection

Start
Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

Yes
Is Paper
Catalog used in
the job?

No

Yes

Is a Profile
assigned to
the paper
type?

Profile assigned
in Paper
Catalog?

Yes

Yes
Output profile assigned
to paper type

Output profile assigned

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in Paper catalog

Automatic output profile selection

Start
Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

Yes
Is Paper
Catalog used in
the job?

No

Is a Profile
assigned to
the paper
type?

Yes

No

Yes

Profile assigned
in Paper
Catalog?

Yes
Output profile assigned
to paper type

Output profile assigned

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in Paper catalog

Automatic output profile selection

Start
Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

Yes
Is Paper
Catalog used in
the job?

No

No

Is a Profile
assigned to
the paper
type?

Yes

No

Yes
Color settings default
profile

Profile assigned
in Paper
Catalog?

Yes
Output profile assigned
to paper type

Output profile assigned

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in Paper catalog

Automatic output profile selection

Start
No

Job Properties
Use Media
Defined Profile
selected?

Yes
Is Paper
Catalog used in
the job?

No

No

Is a Profile
assigned to
the paper
type?

Yes

No

Yes
Output profile selected
in Job properties

Color settings default

profile

Profile assigned
in Paper
Catalog?

Yes
Output profile assigned
to paper type

Output profile assigned

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in Paper catalog

Lighting and metamerism

Understanding metamerism
New ISO viewing conditions
M0, M1 and M2

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Metamerism
Two colors that look the same under one
light source but different under another

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Metamerism: Different light source

R

Wavelength (nm)

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Viewing color in D50 light booth

Color management only works in D50

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Lighting best practices

Only evaluate prints in D50 light booth
Use professional grade ISO 3664:2009 compliant lamps
For best results, profile and verify color using M1

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Recommended DFE settings

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What we learned

ICC color management basics

Profile selection and embedded profiles
PDF/X output intent
Rendering intents
Black point compensation
Problems printing with black
Color management failures
Recommended DFE settings
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Resources

Fiery Color Flowchart 2016 and video

Fiery Color Profiler Suite webpage

Learn about features, watch videos, download resources

and a free demo

How-to guides
Whitepapers

Configuring Fiery color settings to optimize print quality

Demystifying color standards

FAQ: to cut or not to cut UV light in color profiling

Download PANTONE libraries
Ask the experts on our forums:
Fiery Color and Imaging
Fiery Color Profiler Suite
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Q/A
Fiery Forums
FieryForums.efi.com

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