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Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-26 by marko.mili

On your Mac, you know how to select a display profile - you go to System Preferences > 
Displays > Color. There is also a Calibrate... button there, and it launches Apple's visual 
calibration software. Wouldn't it be nice if Spyder2 software were to attach itself there? 
Apple provides for such function, but it is not used by Spyder2 software - I don't know 
exactly which version of OSX starts to provide this functionality, but information can be 
found here:

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn2035.html#TNTAG56

You need ability to modify .plist files - specifically Info.plist file in Spyder2PRO.app. I use 
"Property List Editor" that comes as part of Xcode. Under Root, add New Child as 
CSDisplayCalibrator, Boolean, Yes and save it.

make a symlink to Spyder2PRO.app in your /Library/ColorSync/Calibrators folder:

sudo ln -s "/Applications/Spyder2PRO 2.3.1/Spyder2PRO.app" 
/Library/ColorSync/Calibrators/

or whatever is appropriate for your Spyder2PRO installation location. If you click on 
"Calibrate" button now, you will be offered to calibrate with Spyder2PRO. This same 
technique should work with any software you use for calibration - ColorEyes Display or 
whichever.

If this tip is too technical, sorry - I don't have time at the moment to make a script that 
would automate this. Colorvision could incorporate this in a later version of the software.

Re: [colorvision_group] Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-26 by CDTobie@aol.com


In a message dated 10/26/07 3:20:54 PM, marko.mili@... writes:


On your Mac, you know how to select a display profile - you go to System Preferences >
Displays > Color. There is also a Calibrate... button there, and it launches Apple's visual
calibration software. Wouldn't it be nice if Spyder2 software were to attach itself there?


There are some issues with having our installers (versus enthusiastic end users) hacking OS components such as this. But I should point out that with Spyder3 display calibration applications there is an even more convenient way to launch the application: the Spyder3Utility in the Mac Menu bar (or the Windows tool tray) has a "launch Spyder3xxxxx" item in it, so that you can launch the calibration application from the same utility you use for ambient light checks and other functions.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
Digital Color Solutions
Datacolor
CDTobie@...
www.spyder3.com



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Re: Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-27 by marko.mili

Integrating your application into OSX the way Apple recommends in a technical note to 
developers of monitor calibration software is "your installers hacking OS components"? Did 
you bother to read it? If you don't want to put anything into /Library space, why do you 
put .icc files there, without even checking if user is running with admin privileges? (I don't, 
so I had to "hack OS components" to allow everyone to write to /Library/ColorSync/Profiles 
folder so your applications would work). I've come across many of your posts while 
learning about color management, and it is obvious that you have solid knowledge of that 
subject, but on this topic, this is just plain FUD.

--- In colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com, CDTobie@... wrote:
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> In a message dated 10/26/07 3:20:54 PM, marko.mili@... writes:
> > On your Mac, you know how to select a display profile - you go to System 
> > Preferences >
> > Displays > Color. There is also a Calibrate... button there, and it launches 
> > Apple's visual
> > calibration software. Wouldn't it be nice if Spyder2 software were to attach 
> > itself there?
> 
> There are some issues with having our installers (versus enthusiastic end 
> users) hacking OS components such as this. But I should point out that with 
> Spyder3 display calibration applications there is an even more convenient way to 
> launch the application: the Spyder3Utility in the Mac Menu bar (or the Windows 
> tool tray) has a "launch Spyder3xxxxx" item in it, so that you can launch the 
> calibration application from the same utility you use for ambient light checks 
> and other functions.

Re: [colorvision_group] Re: Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-27 by CDTobie@aol.com


In a message dated 10/26/07 8:42:57 PM, marko.mili@... writes:


I've come across many of your posts while
learning about color management, and it is obvious that you have solid knowledge of that
subject, but on this topic, this is just plain FUD.


Please work on your attitute, tone, and politeness. Here are a few perspectives you might not have considered:

Teaching people that this is the way to access our application causes confusion when, on another computer, the same process pulls up a different app of ours with a different feature set, or opens the visual calibration process. After all, if this is the magic door to monitor calibration, then it may pull up Spyder2express (no user controllable settings) or Spyder3Elite (tons and tons of settings), or something in between.

We are attempting to keep our applications as consistant across platforms as possible; OS related tricks like this don't fit well with that. Suprisingly, many users tend to learn one way to access an application, and lack the flexibility to find it in other ways. Keep in mind we are producing these applications in ten languages for users who speak hundreds of languages, and are often working in something other than their native tongue.

Installing a new OS and finding your monitor calibration software "gone" from where you have been using it would stymie such users.

Yes, there are places where Apple offers to let applications hook into OS-based elements... which is usually more to Apple's advantage, in the larger picture, than the advantage of the third party.

Given the above, and a number of other factors, this does not strike me as the preferred method of installing our applications. Feel free to use it; but don't expect our applications to install themselves in the location where directions, books, and articles tell you that you will find the Mac Visual Calibrator, at least not in the near future.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
ColorVision Business Division
DataColor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.colorvision.com



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Re: Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-27 by marko.mili

--- In colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com, CDTobie@... wrote:
>
> 
> In a message dated 10/26/07 8:42:57 PM, marko.mili@... writes:
> 
> 
> > I've come across many of your posts while
> > learning about color management, and it is obvious that you have solid 
> > knowledge of that
> > subject, but on this topic, this is just plain FUD.
> 
> Please work on your attitute, tone, and politeness. Here are a few 
> perspectives you might not have considered:

In  many of your posts you come across as condescending - consider following above 
advice.

You took the time to respond to my post and came up with a number of reasons why not, 
and they all seem to hedge on an assumption that is incorrect - and that is why I suspect 
you didn't read the technical note.

http://developer.apple.com/technotes/tn/tn2035.html#TNTAG49

It is a great technical note, covering an array of ColorSync topics, and definitely worth 
reading for anyone else interested in under-the-hood details of color management on 
Mac platform.

This approach does not replace Apple's visual calibrator. It simply adds your app to the list 
of available monitor calibrators, so that when user clicks on Calibrate, a dialog box comes 
up asking him to select one of the available installed calibratiors - there is even a 
screenshot of this in the technical note.

You are concerned about naive users - this would in fact aid them, since when they 
stumble upon this "Calibrate..." button, they won't simply be thrown into Apple's visual 
calibrator - if they were really *that* naive, they might think they are using the right 
software.

It still does not preclude you from installing your app in /Applications or from having a 
dock icon or an optional menu bar thingie. It just makes one more pathway to your app.

> Installing a new OS and finding your monitor calibration software "gone" from 
> where you have been using it would stymie such users.

I'm not sure what you mean by "gone". If they reinstall OSX and chose to erase their drive, 
then your app would be alltogether inaccessible, obviously, until they reinstall it. If they 
upgrade OSX, whether they select "upgrade" or "archive and install", your app would not be 
affected - that is why there is /Library as well as /System/Library - /Library is intended to 
stay untouched across system upgrades, at least until Apple fundamentaly changes their 
OS some years from now.

I can understand the desire to keep your app as consistent across OSes - certainly makes 
it easier to do development, and why not. But this is one of those little things - a 
preference in build options to create appropriate entry in Info.plist, and an instruction to 
installer to create a symlink. I really didn't intend to get into a big debate about it - this 
list most certainly cares more about color management with Colorvision products then 
intricacies of software development, and I appologize to list members who are not 
interested in this topic.

I do have some questions about results of printer profiling that I hope you will be able to 
shine some light on, but I will leave that for another post.

Re: [colorvision_group] Re: Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-27 by CDTobie@aol.com


In a message dated 10/27/07 5:38:36 PM, marko.mili@... writes:


You took the time to respond to my post and came up with a number of reasons why not,
and they all seem to hedge on an assumption that is incorrect - and that is why I suspect
you didn't read the technical note.


I have a philosophy that things should not be vary out from under users. When graphics applications introduced variable items (items that only appeared in menus under certain conditions, for instance) users were inevitably very unhappy. I don't see a lot of that now...

This is somewhat similar. A button in a prefs panel (accessing things from prefs seems inelegent to me to begin with) which may launch Apple's visual profiling tool, or one of our applications, or some other application that has chosen to hack itself in there more recently then ours... thats not an situation I find appealing. I can already hear the blistering criticism from some reviewer that installs one of our products, goes to the monitors control panel to launch the default calibrator for comparison, and finds our application now launches from there instead.

I've posted this response for the sake of list members at large. I've determined that further responses to Marko himself would be counterproductive.

C. David Tobie
Product Technology Manager
Digital Imaging Division
Datacolor Inc.
CDTobie@...
www.spyder3.com



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Re: Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-28 by marko.mili

--- In colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com, CDTobie@... wrote:
> ...which may launch Apple's visual 
> profiling tool, or one of our applications, or some other application that has 
> chosen to hack itself in there more recently then ours... 
> ...goes to the monitors control panel to 
> launch the default calibrator for comparison, and finds our application now 
> launches from there instead.

What actually happens:

http://www.cognistudio.com/calibrate.png

Re: Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-28 by bwinkjet

Hi,

Agree!

Paul

--- In colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com, CDTobie@... wrote:
> I've posted this response for the sake of list members at large. I've 
> determined that further responses to Marko himself would be 
counterproductive.
Show quoted textHide quoted text
> 
> C. David Tobie
> Product Technology Manager
> Digital Imaging Division
> Datacolor Inc.
> CDTobie@...
> www.spyder3.com
> 
> 
> **************************************
>  See what's new at 
> http://www.aol.com
>

Re: [colorvision_group] Re: Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2

2007-10-28 by wkm@kauaiphotos.biz

For the life of me I really don't understand the logic here. What's so hard about having an alias to this or any program on your desktop? One click and you're there. I see no reason to use your method other than to confuse other users than yourself. I guess some folks just gotta do things backassword.

Walt
Show quoted textHide quoted text
>-----Original Message-----
>From: marko.mili [mailto:marko.mili@gmail.com]
>Sent: Saturday, October 27, 2007 02:23 PM
>To: colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com
>Subject: [colorvision_group] Re: Nifty tip for Mac users of Spyder2
>
>--- In colorvision_group@yahoogroups.com, CDTobie@... wrote:
>> ...which may launch Apple's visual 
>> profiling tool, or one of our applications, or some other application that has 
>> chosen to hack itself in there more recently then ours... 
>> ...goes to the monitors control panel to 
>> launch the default calibrator for comparison, and finds our application now 
>> launches from there instead.
>
>What actually happens:
>
>http://www.cognistudio.com/calibrate.png
>
>
>
> 
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>
>
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