How to create a color profile for the monitor correctly

A color profile is a set of predefined settings for a monitor on a computer or printer. The jurisdiction of the color profile includes changing the settings for the range of colors used by the device, the brightness of the displayed image.

What is a color profile?

Contrast and more. It serves to simplify the transfer of graphic information between devices with different systems for displaying colors on pixels. If you do not use color profiles, the picture will be distorted when transferred to another device.

The profile for the printer additionally contains information about how much ink should be used, or in what ratio they need to be mixed in order to accurately convey the color of the printed image.

The monitor profile focuses on its size, bending angle, and the matrix’s ability to convey a color palette. The optimal settings strive to create the most comfortable conditions for displaying the image on the screen and the correct adjustment of the pixel arrangement in a new way.

REFERENCE! If, for example, an LCD TV screen is used as a monitor, then it has its own image display settings that change the image properties according to the selected profile.

The role of the profile for accurate image transmission is great. It is he who provides the correct conversion of graphic information between devices using different image coding systems. For those who constantly work with images, for example, for photographers, it is very important to be able to customize color profiles and choose the right one.

How to achieve the correct color rendition?

For accurate and correct transfer of color images between devices, the user needs to set the color profile of the system. The steps for this are:

• Move to the desktop, and from there click on the "My Computer" shortcut.
• Select the local drive on which the system is installed. This is usually C drive, but some users install the system on a different drive on their own, depending on their preferences.
• In the search field, enter “System32” and open the found folder. Inside it, you need to follow the path of Spool - Drivers - Color.
• The last folder contains profiles. The user only has to select one of them, right-click on it and select "Set Profile".

To set the color profile for the monitor, do the following:

• Infiltrate the system under the administrator profile. On the desktop, right-click on an empty space, select "Properties" in the menu that opens.
• The user will see the “Screen” window, where it is necessary to select the “Parameters” item and press the “Advanced” button.
• Another window will open where you need to select "Color Management" and click "Add". Another menu will come out, where you will need to select the appropriate profile from several offered and add it with the corresponding button.
• Apply changes and close all windows.

Setting a profile for the printer:

• Open “Start”, then “Control Panel” and in the item “Hardware and Sound” click on “View devices and printers”.
• In the window, right-click the printer icon and select "Printer Properties".
• A menu will open where the user should select the “Color Management” tab and click the appropriate button. A profile is selected in the new menu, after which all changes must be saved.

Usually, suitable profiles are installed with the drivers of the new device when it is first connected to the computer. The user can only establish a correspondence between different devices, if necessary.

ATTENTION: if the user has changed the ink company or the type of paper to be printed, then he most likely will need to change the color profile.

If none of the profiles is suitable or meets the requirements of the user, then it can be created manually. This process requires a lot of effort and a lot of time, but if you have the skills, you can do the configuration file yourself. Approximate calibration steps:

• Assessment of monitor capabilities.
• Reset monitor to default settings.
• Detection of the difference between the extreme values ​​of color and lighting, and search among them for the position of the necessary parameters.
• Generation of the settings file using the calibrator program.

Recommendations

One of the most common profiles for ensuring "mutual understanding" between the computer and the printer are those that have in their name "RGB". This is the name of the system in which any color is a mixture of three numbers from 0 to 255, respectively, the strength of the intensity of red, green and blue. This system is the most popular, and most devices focus on it.

The WideGamoutRGB and ProPhotoRGB profiles are for professional photographers. They allow you to accurately convey the location of pixels in space and convey the entire color palette of the convertible circuit.