COLOUR MANAGEMENT

for Photographers

by Mark Galer
The Benefits of Implementing
a Colour Managed Workflow?

1. Colour Consistency from Camera to Screen to Print.

2. Colour Consistency between different capture and

output devices (cameras, monitors and printers).
Benefits
If you implement a colour-managed
workflow the colours captured by
different makes or models of cameras
will appear the same.
Benefits
If you implement a colour-managed
workflow the colours you see on your
monitor will be the same as someone
else who has also implemented a
colour-managed workflow.
Benefits
If you implement a colour-managed
workflow the colours you see
printed will closely resemble the
colours you saw on your monitor.
The biggest frustration a photographer can face
with colour management is:

The Ignorance of Others

This may lead to poor advice when purchasing
products, e.g. “this camera captures better colour
than this camera” or poor performance from
people who will handle your images after you
pass them down the line, e.g. uneducated staff at
printing labs or untrained graphic designers etc.

For peace of mind it is essential that:

A photographer knows enough to guide and
advise others so that your images
do not ‘pay the price’.
Colour Science?
A common discussion I see in many photography
forums relates to the different colours captured by
different makes or models of cameras. Some
believe this is down to something Canon calls
‘Colour Science’. Poor advice will lead some to
thinking that using a different camera or editing
software will produce more ‘pleasing’ colours.

The reality is that all cameras and monitors can be

easily ‘Colour Managed’ (the correct term) to
produce the same colours. These colours will then
be ‘faithful’ or accurate to the colours of the original
subject that was photographed.

The tools for effective Colour Management are

NOT new. To the right we can see ‘cost-effective’
tools for colour-managing a camera and monitor. xRite ColorPassport and i1 Display Pro
 Camera Profiles
It is possible to create a
Dual Illuminant* Profile in
just five minutes that
renders the colours
captured from your
camera faithful to the
original subject matter.

*A Dual Illuminant Profile requires taking

two images of a colour reference chart in
two different lighting conditions and then
measuring the colour characteristics of
the camera using software.
 Choose a High Quality Monitor
If you value capturing high quality images you
should consider investing in a monitor that
can display these images at optimum quality.
BENQ SW271
High quality monitors often display accurate
colours straight out of the box.
 Monitor Profile
It is possible to create a
profile for your monitor in
just 10-15 minutes that
ensures the colours are
displayed accurately.

Note > Many feel profiling

your monitor is the single
most important aspect of
colour management
What happens when we don’t
colour-manage our workflow?
Have you ever walked into a shop selling
TVs, or been in the cabin of an aircraft and
noticed that all the monitors are showing
exactly the same movie, but no two pictures
are the same colour?

All of the monitors are receiving exactly the

same signal but each monitor has its own
unique way of displaying colour (its own
unique ‘colour characteristics’). Different
settings on each monitor for brightness,
contrast and saturation only make the
differences even more noticeable.
The Solution…
Matching the brightness, contrast and colour,
saturation of each device is the first step which we
call ‘Calibration’.

Measuring the unique colour characteristics of each

device is the second step called ‘Profiling’.

Implementing a software managed workflow (that

works with the profile of each device) is the third and
final step called ‘ICC Colour Management’.

If monitors are calibrated and profiled, it is then

possible to send ten different monitors the same
picture and have it displayed visually the same on all
of them - irrespective of make, model or age.

Adobe made the elusive goal of colour consistency

possible for photographers back in 1998 by
implementing ICC Colour Management in its
Photoshop software.
Key Terminology
1. Colour Space or ‘Gamut’
Gamuts can vary in size and some are better than
others at displaying certain colours.

2. ’Color Models’, e.g. CMYK or RGB These crayons are capable of producing a range of colours that could
be described as a ‘small gamut’.
• RGB (Red, Green and Blue) for Display and
images destined for Inkjet Printing.
• CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) for
Commercial Printing (Offset Litho).

These crayons are capable of producing a larger range of colours than

the crayons above.
Colour Space
• The colour and tone of a digital image can essentially be described using a
series of colour numbers. These numbers are, however, meaningless
without a corresponding ‘Colour Space’ or reference to a specific colour
gamut.
• These numbers act as the coordinates for a specific location on a known
colour gamut or ‘Colour Space’.
• The same colour numbers will produce different colours on different
devices if they are not colour-managed, i.e. we sometimes have to change
the colour numbers of an image so that the colours appear the same when
handled by a device with a different colour space.
• Because individual Devices that capture and produce colour all behave
slightly differently (they each have a unique colour space) Adobe came up
with the idea of using a ‘Working Space’ that is independent of a particular
device - a common reference space that can be used across different devices.
Working Space Working Space
Adobe RGB: 202/169/68 sRGB 215/172/55

Different RGB numbers

…but as you can see from the images above,
colours can appear the same in different Colour Spaces
Assigning or Converting to a Profile?
Assigning: Preserves the colour numbers and will change the
appearance as it adopts a new colour space.

Converting: Preserves the appearance of the colours by changing the

colour numbers as the colour space changes.

When do I need to Assign a profile? When opening an untagged image

you will have to assign the most appropriate profile (usually sRGB if it
was acquired from the internet) and then convert to the working space.
 Working Spaces (device independent)
• These working spaces are used to constrain the
range of colours to a standard ‘working’ gamut. The
common working spaces are sRGB, Adobe RGB
1998 and ProPhoto.

• There is also a reference space called LAB that is

used to express colour in absolute terms. This
space is used to compare the colours in one space
with those in another.

Device-dependent spaces
Device spaces describe the colour of a particular
capture device, monitor or printer. These spaces can
be described with ‘Profiles’.
Choosing an RGB Working Space

sRGB IEC61966-2.1
Web

Adobe RGB (1998)

Web & Commercial Print

ProPhoto The range or ‘gamut’ of colours that each output device is

Fine Print capable of displaying can vary enormously. The illustration
shows two different views of the same gamut comparison.
Melissa RGB The Adobe RGB working space (shown in white) is able to
Lightroom contain the gamut of a typical inkjet printer (shown in
colour) and so offers a better alternative than editing in the
smaller sRGB space, which is primarily a monitor space.
ProPhoto: Why Bigger Isn’t Always Better
ProPhoto is the largest Working Space in Photoshop but due to the enormous
size of the gamut a lot of levels are ‘wasted’ describing colours that the output
device simply cannot render. Use ProPhoto ONLY with 16 Bits/Channel files and
when the gamut of your printer exceeds Adobe RGB, otherwise you risk banding
of colour and lowering the quality of your file.

An illustration of colour banding when there are not enough levels to span the colour gamut
ProPhoto image (right) uploaded to the web without an embedded profile

Colour Management fails as the web browser

assumes the ‘untagged’* image is sRGB

* ‘Untagged’ refers to an image that does not have an embedded profile

 Most output devices cannot display the
colour gamut contained by a Raw image file
My Desktop Monitor has a bigger colour gamut and bit depth than my Laptop screen
What problem do out of gamut colours present?
Out-of-Gamut Colours
Out of gamut colours will appear clipped in your image editing software (they will lack
texture and/or detail. In ACR or Lightroom the clipping warnings will appear as a
colour indicating one or two channels are at Zero or 100% brightness (level 0 or 255).
Add your Printer Profiles & Check Gamut Clipping to prevent loss of detail & banding
Adjust your choice of paper or modify your colours for CMYK or sRGB output
Implementing a Colour Managed Workflow
Step1: Profile your Camera
x-rite Color Passport
Custom & Dual Illuminant Profiles

A custom profile can be created each and every

time you shoot or a dual illuminant profile can
be used instead of the Canned profile in your
Raw converter (ACR, DxO, Capture One).

User/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles
 Creating a Custom Profile

User/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles
Creating a Dual Illuminant Profile in Lightroom

User/Library/Application Support/Adobe/CameraRaw/CameraProfiles
Step 2: Choose a Monitor
Most general computer monitors are
compromised when it comes to displaying
work accurately.

A good monitor for editing photographs

should ideally have the following attributes:

• 4K resolution
• Adobe RGB Color
• 10 Bit Colour Display
• Hardware Calibration

My personal choice is a BENQ SW271

http://www.markgaler.com/benq-sw271-27-4k-monitor
Step 3: Set the Color Settings in Photoshop
1
2

4
Step 4: Choose your Preferences in Lightroom

Note > You cannot change the working space of Lightroom

Step 5: Profile your Monitor
Use a Pro Calibration Device
• x-rite i1 Display Pro
• Colormunki
• Spyder 5
Optimising your monitor is a 3-step process…

Prepare the Working

Environment
The monitor should be the brightest
light source in the room and free
from glare or reflections.

What’s wrong with this picture?

 Calibration
Calibration precedes Profiling and uses ‘standard’ Brightness & Contrast settings.
A ‘White Point’ of D65 / 6,500°K is common.
Note > I recommend choosing ‘Native White Point’ on low quality monitor.
Choose a Display Gamma of 2.2
Optimum Luminance of no higher than 160 Cd/m2*
Note > I recommend choosing ‘Native Luminance’ on low quality monitors.

Characterisation
The process of measuring and describing the behaviour of the device.
This results in the creation of an ICC Profile that the software can use to correct
inaccurate colours.

http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/64/Calibration+versus+Profiling
 Step 6. Print a Profile Target
IT8 Target Image or Test Chart
Print with NO Colour Management…
Adobe Printer Utility

Be sure to select the correct media in your printer

driver and switch off all colour management.

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-management1.htm
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/monitor-calibration.htm
http://www.imagescience.com.au/kb/questions/64/Calibration+versus+Profiling
Step 7. Send target print to a Print Service Provider
Step 8. Install your ICC Printer Profile

/Library/ColorSync/Profiles
/Library/Application Support/Adobe/Color/Profiles/Recommended
Step 9. Add your profile to LR’s Print Module
Soft proofing
Lightroom uses the Colour Space
Melissa RGB which uses the very
large ProPhoto colour gamut. The
clipping warnings are slow to indicate
a problem with over-saturation. You
can choose to activate ‘Soft Proofing’
in the Develop Module to get a clearer
idea of the colours that present a
problem for either the RGB space of
your monitor or your printer.
Step 10. Test your print workflow
Note > A Printer Profile is suitable for only one Printer, Ink &
Paper combination

http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-management1.htm
http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/monitor-calibration.htm
Soft Proofing
When Soft Proofing to a Printer Profile you can choose to modify the colour values of
problematic colours or choose alternative printer profiles to establish a superior print
workflow for images with highly saturated colours.
Output
When working on a project that may be output to print
and web, it is usual to choose a Working Space larger
than sRGB.

It is important, however, when we export our image for

the requirements of an output device that we convert
the Working Space to an appropriate Output or Device
Space.

For Web output it is important to Convert to sRGB

and Embed the profile.

For inkjet printing this may be handled by Photoshop

in the Print Dialog box or by the Print Service provider.
Save for Web
File > Export

1. JPEG
2. Embed Color Profile
3. Convert to sRGB
Conversion to Grayscale
It is usual to convert images destined for CMYK offset litho printing
to Grayscale. Prior to conversion the photographer should have
knowledge of the appropiorate Dot Gain for the printing workflow.

Dot Gain refers to the amount the individual dots of black ink will
spread or grow when they are printed onto the paper. As they
spread in the darkest shadows the detail will disappear as the dots
of ink touch each other. Choosing a higher % of dot gain is typical
when shadow detail needs to be preserved when the printing
process is using a low-quality paper.

Note > It is common to print Black & White images from RGB files
when using an inkjet printer (no conversion required).
Choosing a ‘Rendering Intent’
Most photographers use Relative Colorimetric or Perceptual. I personally find
Perceptual provides me with the best results when printing photographs
Colorimetric handles out-of-gamut by clipping these colours to the edge of the gamut, leaving
in-gamut colours unchanged. Perceptual moves out-of-gamut colours into gamut, preserving
gradations, but distorting in-gamut colours in the process. If an entire image is in-gamut,
Colorimetric is OK, but when there are out-of-gamut colours Perceptual may be better.
Viewing Conditions for Prints
Daylight or Solux Globes.

Note > If the Luminance of your monitor is set to 160 Cd/m2 or brighter I do
NOT recommend viewing the print alongside your monitor. Leave the image
near the daylight viewing area and take a short walk to your computer. This will
give time for the eyes to adjust to the different levels of brightness.
CMYK
NEVER convert to CMYK until you have obtained the
CMYK settings from either the client or the printer.

The most popular CMYK is:

U.S. Web Coated SWOP v2

…but there are hundreds of other flavours of CMYK that

are fine-tuned to the printing press, inks and paper stock
being used.

Get it wrong and the print job will most likely be awful…
then somebody has to pay (big time).

Better to ‘Load’ a named CMYK setting from the printer or

client rather than messing up.
Who’s responsibility is it
anyway?
If a client insists that you convert the RGB files to CMYK you
should either:

1. Obtain a written agreement (terms and conditions) that

they take full responsibility for the final print quality.
or
2. Ask for the Printer’s contact details and ask for printer’s
proofs prior to running the print job. Printer’s proofs are a
visual contract for the printer to achieve a certain level of
colour consistency. There are usually two copies that need to
be signed. You keep one and compare it to the final print job.
If a photographer engages in this service there should be an
additional pre-press fee charged to the client.
Print Ready PDFs
RGB images can be used in
Desktop Publishing applications
such as Adobe InDesign. All images
can be converted to CMYK when a
PDF is exported using the Printer’s
Adobe PDF Preset or ‘joboptions’
that can be loaded into InDesign by
going to File/Adobe PDF Presets/
Define/Load.

Note> The standard resolution for

CMYK jobs is 300ppi and images
usually need to have an image
bleed of at least 3 to 5 mm on each
page edge. Check with the printer
before proceeding.
Custom CMYK Conversions
Due to the very different gamut of CMYK (compared to
your RGB monitor) it is often necessary to check the
conversion from RGB to CMYK of images where you
suspect strong saturated primary colours will suffer in the
conversion. This can be carried out with the help of Soft
Proofing in either Lightroom or Photoshop.

Lightroom and Photoshop can show the colours that are

out-of-gamut for the destination Colour Space. This gives
you the opportunity to make choices about how to deal
with those colours prior to the conversion process (either
lower the saturation of problematic colours or skew the
colour to one that will print more easily). If the client insists
on accurate, but highly saturated colours they can add
additional ‘spot colours’ to the CMYK printing process.

Note > Lightroom cannot export a CMYK file.

Reaping the Rewards

1. Colour Consistency from Camera to Screen to Print.

2. Colour Consistency between different capture and

output devices (cameras, monitors and printers).
COLOUR MANAGEMENT
for Photographers

by Mark Galer