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CHROMiX ColorNews Issue #71 - Convert or Assign?

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  CHROMiX ColorNews
   Issue #71 - March 31th, 2020

This Month's Contents

  1. CHROMiX News
  2. Latest blog entries in ColoRants (and Raves)
  3. Shows and Events
  4. Color Industry News
  5. Forum Topics, Random Bits, etc.
  6. Article - Convert or Assign
  7. CHROMiX Open Box items for sale
  8. ColorNews Admin (feedback, subscriptions, etc.)

CHROMiX Blog
For the very freshest color updates, check out our blog Colorants (and raves).

Respond & Discuss
Don't forget, you can discuss this month's article and anything else from this newsletter in ColorForums.com

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CHROMiX News What the heck have we been up to?

Regarding COVID-19:

For the moment, all CHROMiX personnel are hunkering down with self-imposed quarantines and working remotely, as are many of our customers. Even in this mode, we are operating at full strength and with no capability issues other than with some possible 3rd party product supplies. Please contact us if you have questions or concerns.

Article: To Convert or Assign in Photoshop?

Since there has been a lot of heavy news lately, CHROMiX's Pat Herold is offering this more light-hearted perspective on how to differentiate between assigning profiles and converting profiles in Photoshop. Enjoy Pat's article below!

Curve4 version 4.4

Version 4.4 is in beta and will soon be released. This is a free update for existing Curve4 license holders. It's now available for both Windows and Mac users and we expect to ship in final version within a week or two. New Features

  • Mouse rollover information is now available for patches on most target views - a often-requested function.
  • Failing patches are now marked with a red outline for ColorSpace reporting (when MaxDE metric is used in Proof-tolerance references). Thanks for the nudge, Sandy!
G7 Master Spec Support
  • All tolerances, metrics and patch sets from latest G7 Master spec (August 2019) are now fully supported.
  • Flexo and Screen flavors of G7 testing are now fully supported. Screen was available but only as its own GrayScale method. Now, both are available for use in GrayScale, Targeted, or ColorSpace levels. FYI, Screen verification uses fewer CMY and K patches and different tolerances. Flexo ignores all CMY and K patches with C/K values less than 20%. As Screen grayscale method has changed, we suggest those already using Screen method change their References to select the G7 level you want and then the Screen sub-preference.
Instruments
  • i1Pro3/plus support is improved and i1Pro3 is now a separate selection in the Measurement window.
  • i1Pro3 support does not yet include transparency measurements for the i1Pro3 Plus. We're working on it. If you require it, please let us know and we'll attempt to give it higher priority.
  • iO Gen3 support is not available yet - it is coming...
  • eXact, FD-9 and i1Pro3 libraries have been updated to latest versions.
Many other fixes and improvements are included with this release.

Maxwell Client 5.8

Maxwell Client version 5.8 is about to go into beta testing. Among other things, it will bring:

  • New Details display gives in-depth reporting information right at your operators' fingertips. This is great stuff for press techs and others diagnosing printing issues
  • PDF-based Reporting! - much higher-quality templates and more reliable printing
  • 64-bit Catalina compatible - good news for those needing 64bit support
  • i1Pro 3 and i1Pro3 Plus compatibility

CHROMiX Sightings

Steve Upton was highlighted in Idealliance's February 19th
GAMUT Podcast Episode #51: Why G7 is the #1 Global Color Specification.

In this episode, Steve Upton, developer and co-founder of the first G7 software application, Curve, discusses the beginnings of the perennial calibration method and why it has spread globally. Steve explains the core benefits of gray balance and how online color management solutions like CHROMiX Maxwell can change the quality culture inside the print and packaging supply chain.

Click here to listen to GAMUT Podcast Episode #51

CHROMiX LinkedIn Page

Check out the latest with our LinkedIn page. We consistently update this with fun and useful stuff.

 

CHROMiX Blog Here are some of the recent posts to our blog: Colorants (and raves)

  • CHROMiX Blog - If you are not aware, CHROMiX has a regularly updated blog that we try to keep light and topical. Check it out!

Shows and Events Color-relevant gatherings to plan for

September 15th - 17th, 2020 - LABELEXPO Americas, Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Chicago, IL.

October 21st - 23rd, 2020 - Printing United, by SGIA. Georgia World Congress Center, 285 Andrew Young International Blvd NW, Atlanta, GA.

December 15th - 17th, 2020 - Techtextil North America. Atlanta, Georgia.

April 20th - 30th, 2021 - DRUPA (Rescheduled from April 2020). Dusseldorf, Germany.

Events Calendar: For all current and future events, bookmark this calendar.

Color Industry News What's going on in the world of color

basICColor display UPDATE

As a basICColor primary reseller in North America, we want to make sure you are aware of the following information from basICColor:

basICColor has terminated support/upgrades for basICColor display 4. Consider v4 unavailable and retired. basICColor will also terminate support and upgrades for display 5 following July 1st, 2020. Customers can upgrade to display 6 until June 30th, 2020. To upgrade your display 5 license, follow this link: Upgrade display 5 to 6.

For new basICColor display sales, customers can buy basICColor display v6

Questions? Contact CHROMiX Sales at sales(at) chromix.com, or call 206-985-6837 ext 1

Is the Printing Industry Essential?

Many in the printing industry certainly think so. Amid the COVID-19 crisis, Printing Industries of America (PIA) is fighting to make printing an 'Essential Industry' on the federal level. If you think your printing business should be considered as Essential and Critical, you can make your voice heard and impact the debate by completing a Survey provided by PIA.

Idealliance releases FREE Guide to Print Production v20.0

The updated guide contains 112 pages of critical information that stakeholders in printing, packaging, and design need to know to provide high quality color accuracy and improved workflows.
The Guide to Print Production originates from Idealliance. It includes new specifications, standards, leading practices, how to guides, certifications, and critical advancing information that moves businesses forward in efficiency and profitability.

Go here to get your free copy!

We highly recommend this guide for everyone, experts to novices.
And just for fun, don't miss our ad on page 2.

Importance of the above Guide to Print Production... also Free

To underscore the importance of the above Guide to Print Production, Idealliance created a helpful 24 minute audio recording to summarize its value. Click here to listen

X-Rite offers Trade-in of your old i1Pro

Get up to $300 trade-in value for your old i1Pro. New i1Pro3 and i1Pro3 Plus models purchased from CHROMiX qualify. Of course.
X-Rite's Trade-in Home
CHROMiX page for i1Pro 3 product
CHROMiX page for i1Pro 3 Plus product

Forum Topics and other bits  Popular topics from ColorForums.com and other things we've found along the way.

Can G7 Work with Inkjet?:   Mike Todryk of IWCO Direct wrote this excellent article. His experience and perspectives are succinct and right on the money.

The spoiler: You better believe it.

i1Profiler 3.2 not supporting old i1Pro's:   The new 3.2 version i1Profiler software (which supports the new i1Pro 3 and Plus) does not support older i1Pros such as model 1. Our own Pat Herold tested this and found that not only does i1Profiler 3.2 not support the driving of an older i1Pro, it also won't allow the importing of an older measurement without reformatting it for an i1Pro 3. If this is the case, it likely means the slow death of this great introductory i1Pro model. Then again, these are quite old, so it might be time for a forced retirement. Let us know if you think otherwise.




Convert or Assign by Pat Herold

Convert or Assign

- or -

"All I needed to learn about color management I learned watching Star Trek"

As more of us are connecting to the world through our screens these days, here's a fundamental concept of color management that can be explained with the help of a few YouTube videos. When it comes to handling profiles with images in Photoshop, eventually one gets to the point of needing to assign or convert an image to a profile. The difference between these two is significant, and since many are confused by the standard efforts to explain this, I thought I'd devote this article to a more memorable way to think of these functions.

While isolating at home, I have been recently watching old Star Trek episodes with my kids. I have found some parallels to the world of color management. Here's my attempt to make an odd joining of these two worlds.

Convert to Profile

In Photoshop, when you choose Edit > Convert to Profile, you are changing the device values (i.e.: RGB or CMYK numbers) so that the image retains its appearance using new numbers reflective of the new profile. You are changing the numbers so the colors stay the same. Clear as mud?

This is analogous to Roger Korby in "What Are Little Girls Made Of?"

Roger Korby can not only make an android that looks exactly like the human original, by the end of the show, we find that he has done this to himself and gone the full Monty (the full Roger?). He has put his personality, his essence, that which makes him "him" into the android. He has basically been converted into something else. He might look the same and act the same, but the essence of what he is has changed. He's no longer human. Now he's a machine.

When you convert an image in Photoshop, you don't necessarily see any change in the appearance of the image. But it has been re-created with all new numbers appropriate for use with this new profile. This is an all-new image, although it just looks the same. If you are a press operator and your CMYK values have changed because the CMYK image has been re-separated with a new profile, don't expect your CMYK values to be the same as what they were before. It's a brand new image, made a different way.

Assign Profile

When you choose "Assign Profile?", you are not changing the numbers in the original file. You are attaching a profile to the image that gives a description of which colors should be used in interpreting the RGB or CMYK numbers. There are plenty of occasions when you might want to share an image but not mess with the original. Someone downstream can decide to convert to a profile when it gets printed, for example, but you don't know what profile they optimally should use. Instead, you hand over your image and attach a profile so they know how *you* perceive the color. Assigning a profile is a recommended safe procedure for anyone sharing an image with someone else.

Scenes in Star Trek have likewise depicted situations where people have been "assigned." Recall one of the many episodes where the captain was missing or presumed killed, which resulted in Spock taking over command of the Enterprise (Perhaps the "Tholian Web" or "The Paradise Syndrome.") During the period when Captain Kirk was missing, Spock's body did not change, but he now had a new title: "Acting Captain of the Enterprise". This new title defined what activities he would do, what orders he would give, and how others would respond to him. It was like saying, "See this guy, Spock? Treat him like you would treat the captain." By the end of the episode, when the captain was restored to his place, Spock was able to resume his former role as first officer. He was temporarily re-purposed, but because the original was left intact, he could go back to being the same old Spock.

When we have an image, we assign a profile to help interpret how the colors in the image should be viewed and interpreted. "See this image? Treat it like it is an AdobeRGB image in a nice, big working space."

Just like assigning the captain of a Star ship, assigning profiles should be done properly. Be careful about assigning the wrong profile to an image. AdobeRGB might make an sRGB image more colorful and saturated, but if it does not accurately reflect what the image is truly supposed to look like, it will cause problems eventually. Just remember the time Lt. Riley took over the engine room (in "The Naked Time") and made himself out to be the captain. Sure, it sounds funny to be singing Irish love ballads, but the color in your workflow could go spiraling out of control like the Star Ship Enterprise did!


Thanks for reading,

Patrick Herold
CHROMiX

   To read this article with images in ColorWiki, click here

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