[X4U] X 10.4.2 color profiles to match this of a Canon camera

[Linda]

> On 11 Jan 2006, at 05:31, Germain M. wrote:
>> 
>> I bought a digital camera, a Canon S2 IS. Exif infos indicate an
>> "sRVB" color space. Some friends told me I could adjust the LCD
>> screen of my iMac G5 to the same settings to get exact color
>> reproduction. 

It depends what you're trying to reproduce, and where. Are you trying to
match color on-screen only? Your screen or a web page/everyone's screen? Or,
are you trying to match color when you print, too? Just your printer? Or a
commercial printer?

If onscreen, what you've done and what Stroller suggested is on the right
track. However, what you see on screen doesn't have any bearing on how your
.jpg will print, necessarily, unless you are calibrating to match a sample
you've printed from your printer. You can adjust your monitor settings until
red looks pink and blue looks purple, but when you print, the printer reads
the values of the picture, not your monitor.

It's important to remember that you can adjust the color of a photo for your
web page by calibrating and using profiles and turning on your color
management tools, but there is *no* way to know what monitor profile anyone
else who views your page is using. You can spend hours achieving just the
right tint and shade, and if the person viewing your graphic doesn't have
the same settings, the results could actually look worse on their computer
than if you'd done nothing.

>> I wonder if I  
>> understand well the principle of matching color profiles.

*Most* people do not -- and most people never need it. There are whole
companies whose products and services are geared entirely toward color
management, as it's a system-wide, involved, process that includes printers,
monitors, cameras, scanners -- every piece of equipment in the process.

If you want to learn more, I Googled for pages such as these:

<http://www.normankoren.com/color_management.html>
<http://www.drycreekphoto.com/Learn/color_management.htm>
<http://www.levien.com/gimp/gcmm.html>
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0201773406/103-8366657-5758250?v=glance&n=
283155> (watch for breaking URL)

You can also google for links on "color calibration", and sites such as
easyrgb.com will help you understand that process. Last of all, you can buy
products such as EyeOne by Gretag-Macbeth, or Spyder by
ColorVision/datacolor, that actually measure light from your monitor rather
than relying on your eyes' perception of color.

There's a lot out there, and as I said at first... how much you want to muck
with it depends on what you're trying to do, and for whom...

good luck,
Linda