Dr. Martin “Marty” Abelson is a color management guru in Tucson, Arizona. MyMac asked Dr. Abelson ten introductory questions on this perplexing topic, and his answers are fascinating and informative. If you always wondered why your photos look fine on your computer screen and not so great when printed, pay attention to his words of wisdom.

MyMac – How do you define color management, Marty, both generally and specifically, for most digital photographers and computer users of reasonable competence?

Dr. Abelson – Color Management (CM) is the process of making all of the devices involved in processing images see colors in exactly the same way. Cameras, monitors, scanners, printers, and various types of color film emulsions all produce colors with variations in their color gamut. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gamut

Trying to create a uniform processing system was a nightmare. Some years ago, a group of major equipment manufacturers and lab processors got together in France to create the International Color Consortium, or ICC. Their work resulted in ICC standards and an ICC profiling system which offers a solution. An ICC profile is created for each piece of equipment. The profile reflects how that device defines colors.

Continue reading »