Datacolor User to User Support Group.

--- In colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com, "mhovie71" <martin@...> wrote:
>
> Hi!
> 
> That's interesting but a bit confusing... How come the ICC profile
> created by Spyder managed to adjust the color temperature on the 3007
> (which doesn't have any RGB adjustments) if only the gray balance is
> handled by the profile? What is the use of a color profile assigned to
> a monitor under Windows when it actually only is a gray profile?
> 
> What's the point of assigning a profile to a monitor if it doesn't
> really do anything with the colors? How come there still is a
> perceptual color difference when using the profile?

That's actually one of the reasons that people say that Tiger (Apple
MAC OS X) is better than Windows for color management.  At the OS
level simple colors sent to the screen do not by default flow through
their color management module.

Most graphics cards have a look up table which specifies the voltage
which should be sent to the monitor for a specific value to be
rendered.  These look up tables are not enough to correctly render
colors ... though they do get them a lot closer.

> Where should I apply the created profiles? In Photoshop but not in
> Windows? When I configure ACDSee to use the profile for output,
> there's no visible difference when the profile is also assigned to the
> monitor, so why not just assign it to the monitor?

It actually is already associated with the monitor through Windows. 
The problem is that most Windows programs, including Explorer (your
desktop) and the Internet Explorer web browser pretty much ignore that
information.  

> Very confusing and unnecessary complicated! The correct way would be
> to create and assign one profile for each input/output device and
> that's all. Programs should then not need to use any profiles, because
> the colors would be handled correctly by the input/output devices
> anyway...

Yep ... I agree and you'll get no argument from me!  Microsoft did a
half job of color management which causes its users no end of confusion.

> Furthermore: I've read reviwes of the Gretag MacBeth products on the
> internet where users claim they were able to match different monitors
> to produce the same colors (screenshots proove that, btw). Why is that
> possible with the GMB product, but not with the ColorVision's?

It's possible with both products.  The catch is that you have to look
at images in an application which actually uses color management. A
standard installation of Internet Explorer for example will still look
different on your two monitors whether you use ColorVision or Gretag!

Microsoft seems to be paying more attention to Color Management in
their new Vista project.  I heard that they have hired some of the
same folks who wrote ColorSync (thats the color management system ...
the one that works the RIGHT way ... for Apple in their software). 
Still ... we can't be sure of anything MS will do until they release
the final product.

One thing you CAN do although its a bit tricky is to convert your
images to the target profile of the monitor and THEN display it on the
screen or background.  I tried that with my LCD and the Trinitron we
have here at work.  Other than a difference in luminance and contrast
they look amazingly similar.  The *big* drawback to this method is you
need to create a new and unique image file for every device you intend
to display it on :-( ... not my first choice and DEFINATELY a good
format to store my images in .. but it was a fun experiment.

Best of luck

Tom