About Color Management - Adobe 13101332 - Photoshop - Mac User Manual

Adobe Photoshop Help
Using Help | Contents |
Producing Consistent Color
(Photoshop)
Why colors sometimes don't match
No device in a publishing system is capable of reproducing the full range of colors
viewable to the human eye. Each device operates within a specific color space, which can
produce a certain range, or gamut, of colors.
The RGB (red, green, blue) and CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, black) color modes represent
two main categories of color spaces. The gamuts of the RGB and CMYK spaces are very
different; while the RGB gamut is generally larger (that is, capable of representing more
colors) than CMYK, some CMYK colors still fall outside the RGB gamut. (See
(Photoshop)" on page 91
different gamuts within the same color mode. For example, a variety of RGB spaces can
exist among scanners and monitors, and a variety of CMYK spaces can exist among
printing presses.
Because of these varying color spaces, colors can shift in appearance as you transfer
documents between different devices. Color variations can result from different image
sources (scanners and software produce art using different color spaces), differences in
the way software applications define color, differences in print media (newsprint paper
reproduces a smaller gamut than magazine-quality paper), and other natural variations,
such as manufacturing differences in monitors or monitor age.

About color management

Because color-matching problems result from various devices and software that use
different color spaces, one solution is to have a system that interprets and translates color
accurately between devices. A color management system (CMS) compares the color space
in which a color was created to the color space in which the same color will be output, and
makes the necessary adjustments to represent the color as consistently as possible among
different devices.
Note: Don't confuse color management with color adjustment or color correction. A CMS
won't correct an image that was saved with tonal or color balance problems. It provides
an environment where you can evaluate images reliably in the context of your final
output.
Photoshop follows a color management workflow based on conventions developed by
the International Color Consortium (ICC). The following elements and concepts are
integral to such a color-managed workflow.
Using Help | Contents |
Index
for an illustration.) In addition, different devices produce slightly
Index
Producing Consistent Color (Photoshop)
Back
"Color gamuts
Back
102
102